Iris Cafe

Iris Cafe is one of those places that I wish I had opened myself. The idea, menu and set-up are simple, but well placed and well done enough to make it a success. And if you visit during lunch or brunch hours, you'll see what I mean by success.

Located at the southwest corner of Brooklyn Heights, there's not many options close by and no other eating options on this tiny street, which means low foot traffic. But those that live in the neighborhood know it's there and seek it out, and they seem to have won over some regulars. There is a moderate amount of seating, conveniently placed hooks for jackets and bags, and one designated laptop table (free wifi is available), located close to an outlet. The counter is located at the back, and patrons are expected to bus their own tables.

The menu offers Stumptown coffee, expertly brewed, excellent sandwiches for lunch, and a few baked goods and egg items for breakfast. I have sampled the coffee, ham and cheese biscuit (nice salty-sweet flavor, coffee + biscuit = nice snacky breakfast), and the yogurt and homemade granola (creamy and crunchy, but I would have appreciated some fruit). I'll be visiting yet again for an early lunch sometime soon, and it's a nice place to sit with a laptop, as long as it's an off time (i.e., not lunch and not a weekend). They also sell local milk and few other choice items. -Laurel

Just look at that biscuit. Looks absolutely delicious, right? Trust me, it tastes as good as it looks - which definitely isn't always true. I love Iris Cafe. It gives me everything I miss from the South, and it does it well.

Laurel and I ventured there one early afternoon to grab a snack and weren't at all disappointed. It's a bit of a trek down to the restaurant, but it's as nice walk. I like to pretend I'm filthy rich and live in one of the brownstones that line the streets on the way down to the cafe. It's a nice game to play with yourself. Luckily, the food at Iris Cafe isn't as expensive as the surrounding homes, so it can be enjoyed by those of us who are...poor.

When we went the place wasn't super crowded, but the flow was steady, and we had to snag a seat quickly. It's quite small, so it fills up pretty easily. Everyone who works there is super nice and helpful, and the food comes out pretty quickly. I had cheese grits and a soft boiled egg on a ham and cheddar biscuit. The grits were a bit runny for me (I like them firm), but they had so much flavor I didn't put anything extra in them besides a bit of salt and pepper. Normally I like my grits with sugar (I'm not sure that's even a Southern thing, it's probably just a Holder thing), but I certainly enjoyed these grits as they were - salty and savory. The biscuit, as Laurel said, was salty and delicious, and the moderately runny egg on top was the perfect combination. I over-salted the egg (broke the first rule of dining, I salted before I tasted). It doesn't need any more salt when complimented with the biscuit.

As Laurel mentioned, you should definitely get there early if you want the breakfast offerings mentioned here. We went one day around 3pm or 4pm and they were completely sold out of every pastry, including baguettes. They did have sandwiches, which they made on regular sliced bread, but I was craving that biscuit, so I was disappointed. I'll go back soon - I'm still craving it even now... -Jennifer

Address: 20 Columbia Place (btw Joralemon and Atlantic Ave)

Website: Yelp

Payment: Cash Only

Delivery: no

Open Late: no

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: no alcohol

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop

Either there was a dude named Tiny who owns a Giant Sandwich Shop, or this was the best oxymoron they could come up with. In my head, I pictured a door shoved between two large buildings and a sliver of an alleyway as a restaurant, completely overcome by huge pieces of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, bread - you know, sandwich stuff. What I got, however, was a pretty normal looking place, with adequate seating, and average sized sandwiches. Guess "Average's Normal Sandwich Shop" was taken.

However, I must say that in this overly hipster cafe, the taste certainly made up for the size. My vegetarian meatball sub was a little on the dry side, but very delicious (oddly enough, they didn't have a meat substitute). It was also cheap ($4.50 for the small size), and came with chips - although I was grossly disappointed by the number of chips. The chips you see in the picture above are untouched. I really think Laurel and I got 7 1/2 chips a piece.

Either way, this sandwich shop was well worth it, and the perfect place to sit down and have a long talk about the subtlety of Arcade Fire and write mean poems about your ex-girlfriend in the corner. Laurel and I, however, talked about the presidential campaign and Javier Bardem. Yes, I suppose we're still too indie for words. - Jennifer



According to something I read someplace or another, the restaurant used to be in a "tiny" location, but they moved and therefore the name is now stupid. Maybe not stupid, but their website sure is stupid looking.

I have to say I do like the space, though-- several small tables with window seats and a relaxed atmosphere. It would be a nice place just to relax when you and they are not busy. The menu has a good amount of hot and cold sandwich options, including make-your-own, and salads. I had a hot roast beef with sauteed onions, provolone and roasted red peppers. It was tasty--the roast beef was tender, and I would probably eat it again--but it needed a little kick. Maybe some spicy mustard? Just my two cents.

Our meals featured in the pictures above are the "small size," which was reasonable at $5 and would be a good sized lunch, or if you were like us and ate dinner followed by a bakery stop. They also offer larger sizes for most of their sandwiches, and lots of vegetarian options. All-in-all, a good place to relax with a sandwich and talk about The New Yorker. Yeah, we did that. Maybe NY is making us smarter. -Laurel



Address: 129 Rivington (near Norfolk)

Website: http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/

Payment: cash only

Take Out: yes

Open Late: 10pm daily

Delivery: nope

Large Group Friendly: on a weeknight- maybe. a fair amount of seating is available.

Bar/Happy Hour: nope, but you can get some local sodas.