Get to know Brooklyn, one spicy meal at a time

Culpepper's in Crown Heights: a stop on Emily Cavalier's West indian tour

One of Brooklyn’s countless pleasures is the fact that you can get pretty much any type of food you want, 24-7, 365. For many, the great food—say, a favorite restaurant or the spot of a memorable past meal—may be the only way they think of different parts of the borough. Sunset Park dim sum, maybe, or those great tacos by the ball-fields. That’s how writer and food blogger Emily Cavalier sees things anyway, and she’s turning to the borough’s cuisine to help her get to know its different parts. Cavalier’s food blog, Mouth of the Border, tells of her geography lesson on Brooklyn’s neighborhoods through their ethnic food.

Cavalier’s a business development executive who started Mouth of the Border in June 2009 to get to know New York “through the eyes of its residents and how they cook.” Her first regional trip was A Walk Through the West Indies, via Crown Heights, in three extensive parts. It’s her take on ethnic markets, restaurants, colorful menus, country-specific dishes and everything else that’s part of the neighborhood’s food scene.

Here’s Cavalier on her first stop of the West Indian tour, De Bamboo Express:

The cassava ball was delicious… The inside of the ball had bits of green onion in it. It was breaded and fried. So, I left here remembering I like tamarind, doubles show promise and need to be revisited, and cassava = good.

Cavalier’s also ventured to the Russo-pesco-dreamland of Brighton Beach. And she has photos of her week of food during SXSW in Austin, Texas.

The site also includes links to starter-cookbooks and recipes based on the food Cavalier tries. Watch her here, showing a couple ways to slice a mango. Cavalier’s continuing adventures aren’t just for foodies, but for everyone who’s been curious—but maybe a little too intimidated—to try new things.