I live right by this place, it closed perhaps 5 or 6 months ago.
I stopped going in here after Taste of Home opened, which has better prices/selection. yelp.com/biz/taste-of-ho…
(What would have been a) Review: If I had to give a review, I stopped in here moderately often for inexpensive Polish sour cherry juice, wiedolosky, or something similar. In terms of the baked goods in back, I mostly got (the quite good) mushroom/potato, sour cherry, or various other types of filled Pirozhki/buns. There were people in here occasionally.
If I was to rate this place, i probably would have given it maybe a 3.5 prior to A Taste of home and a 2.75 afterwards, not due to the quality going down but due to the other place just being well better.
B&B is a slice of Brighton Beach; a soviet style food emporium in miniature. I don't think you could pack more punch into a storefront footprint outside of Brooklyn on a bet. It's as if all the constituent soviet republics banded together to share this deli and show off a taste of their wares. Cultural immersion at its finest, come prepared for the surly ESL challenged babushka's standing behind the deli counter looking bored and indifferent, calling out numbers and treating all comers with that infamous hint of 1980's soviet disdain for which Brighton is rightly famous. But it is the food that shines here — and if you crave an authentic bite of something eastern european (with a Russian accent) and are willing to pay a little extra for the convenience, this is the place for you. When you walk in, the intoxicating odor of smoked and cured meats is unmistakeable. The "pickle table" greets you, with a nice assortment of help-yourself tubs filled with home made sour and half sour pickles, tomatoes, apples and sauerkraut. To the left is the deli counter with dozens of cured and smoked meats and cheeses (many house made) that span the eurasian continent including varieties named after towns, cities and villages throughout central Europe. I really like their minimally smoked and cured Leningrad style ham, sliced thin, which is juicy but firm textured with a nice fat cap. Polish/Ukrainian and various other style smoked sausages and pork belly are stacked on the counter and rings of sausage hang behind it with pretty good english signage telling you which is which. These are OK but I have had better. The home made prepared foods are very tasty and representative. Some of the usual suspects include freshly made Uzbekh kutabe (crispy, fried pancakes with a savory ground lamb filling) juxtaposed against an array of Russian kotletky (seasoned ground meat patties), savory Georgian chachapuri (fried or baked pastry stuffed with seasoned beef and lamb), stuffed cabbage, fried chicken and fish – some smothered in heavy gravy, chicken Kiev, potato pancakes, blini and a dozen different decadent cakes and napoleons; in short a nice selection of the comfort food representative of this region of the world; definitely not fare for the calorie conscious. B&B stocks large freezer chests of frozen pelmeny (meat filled Russian tortellini) sold by the pound (3 varieties). Just scoop and weigh. These are the best of their kind anywhere – short of those offered by specialty caterers nearby that make them fresh to order. On the opposite side of the store, the refrigerated case sports a nice supply of pre-packaged, locally sourced, imported or home made items like sliced and whole smoked fish, salmon roe, caviar (yes — the real deal), various Russian salads (did someone say Olivie?), cakes and more cured meats and cheeses. The densely packed aisles in the middle of the store are a trip! Here you find imported adjika (spicy Georgian condiment for meat and fish), various tinned eggplant/pepper/mushroom preparations and juices, canned fish, ketchup and chocolates from Ukraine, nice rye breads from Brooklyn, candies from Poland and obscure teas, coffee, soda, condiments, spices, dried mushrooms and mineral water, and much more. They even have a small produce section in the rear of the store that always stocks the basic ingredients for eastern european cookery, like dill, onions, potatoes, beets, cabbage and so forth and a nice supply of apples and other fruits. As if that was not enough, as you check out, on your left (and behind the counter) you find a large imported chocolate and candy section (mostly from Ukraine and Poland) featuring nice packaging and some interesting selections, but nothing really terrific here to rival Belgium. I can't say I like the parking situation – a tight lot with few stalls that are too narrow and canted at an extreme angle – so I use available street parking when possible. While this place can get crowded on weekends and attracts some impolite folks yammering in Russian who tend to push and shove their way around and through you, that is the price of admission and worth it.
I live right by this place, it closed perhaps 5 or 6 months ago.
I stopped going in here after Taste of Home opened, which has better prices/selection. yelp.com/biz/taste-of-ho…
(What would have been a) Review:
If I had to give a review, I stopped in here moderately often for inexpensive Polish sour cherry juice, wiedolosky, or something similar. In terms of the baked goods in back, I mostly got (the quite good) mushroom/potato, sour cherry, or various other types of filled Pirozhki/buns. There were people in here occasionally.
If I was to rate this place, i probably would have given it maybe a 3.5 prior to A Taste of home and a 2.75 afterwards, not due to the quality going down but due to the other place just being well better.
B&B is a slice of Brighton Beach; a soviet style food emporium in miniature. I don't think you could pack more punch into a storefront footprint outside of Brooklyn on a bet. It's as if all the constituent soviet republics banded together to share this deli and show off a taste of their wares. Cultural immersion at its finest, come prepared for the surly ESL challenged babushka's standing behind the deli counter looking bored and indifferent, calling out numbers and treating all comers with that infamous hint of 1980's soviet disdain for which Brighton is rightly famous. But it is the food that shines here — and if you crave an authentic bite of something eastern european (with a Russian accent) and are willing to pay a little extra for the convenience, this is the place for you. When you walk in, the intoxicating odor of smoked and cured meats is unmistakeable. The "pickle table" greets you, with a nice assortment of help-yourself tubs filled with home made sour and half sour pickles, tomatoes, apples and sauerkraut. To the left is the deli counter with dozens of cured and smoked meats and cheeses (many house made) that span the eurasian continent including varieties named after towns, cities and villages throughout central Europe. I really like their minimally smoked and cured Leningrad style ham, sliced thin, which is juicy but firm textured with a nice fat cap. Polish/Ukrainian and various other style smoked sausages and pork belly are stacked on the counter and rings of sausage hang behind it with pretty good english signage telling you which is which. These are OK but I have had better. The home made prepared foods are very tasty and representative. Some of the usual suspects include freshly made Uzbekh kutabe (crispy, fried pancakes with a savory ground lamb filling) juxtaposed against an array of Russian kotletky (seasoned ground meat patties), savory Georgian chachapuri (fried or baked pastry stuffed with seasoned beef and lamb), stuffed cabbage, fried chicken and fish – some smothered in heavy gravy, chicken Kiev, potato pancakes, blini and a dozen different decadent cakes and napoleons; in short a nice selection of the comfort food representative of this region of the world; definitely not fare for the calorie conscious. B&B stocks large freezer chests of frozen pelmeny (meat filled Russian tortellini) sold by the pound (3 varieties). Just scoop and weigh. These are the best of their kind anywhere – short of those offered by specialty caterers nearby that make them fresh to order. On the opposite side of the store, the refrigerated case sports a nice supply of pre-packaged, locally sourced, imported or home made items like sliced and whole smoked fish, salmon roe, caviar (yes — the real deal), various Russian salads (did someone say Olivie?), cakes and more cured meats and cheeses. The densely packed aisles in the middle of the store are a trip! Here you find imported adjika (spicy Georgian condiment for meat and fish), various tinned eggplant/pepper/mushroom preparations and juices, canned fish, ketchup and chocolates from Ukraine, nice rye breads from Brooklyn, candies from Poland and obscure teas, coffee, soda, condiments, spices, dried mushrooms and mineral water, and much more. They even have a small produce section in the rear of the store that always stocks the basic ingredients for eastern european cookery, like dill, onions, potatoes, beets, cabbage and so forth and a nice supply of apples and other fruits. As if that was not enough, as you check out, on your left (and behind the counter) you find a large imported chocolate and candy section (mostly from Ukraine and Poland) featuring nice packaging and some interesting selections, but nothing really terrific here to rival Belgium. I can't say I like the parking situation – a tight lot with few stalls that are too narrow and canted at an extreme angle – so I use available street parking when possible. While this place can get crowded on weekends and attracts some impolite folks yammering in Russian who tend to push and shove their way around and through you, that is the price of admission and worth it.