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By Jada Yuan
Published Sep 11, 2005
"Southern Comfort"
(15.) Marlow & Sons
81 Broadway, at Berry St.; 718-384-1441 An offshoot of Diner next door, this relatively new shop does triple duty as a pantry, wine bar, and the “world’s fanciest bodega,” selling gourmand staples like Austrian pumpkin-seed oil and “hooligan” raw-milk cheese ($25 a wheel).
(16.) Southside Lounge
41 Broadway, nr. Wythe Ave.; 718-387-3182 It prides itself on being the last bar to close on Saturday (4 A.M.) and the first bar open for hangover relief (1 P.M.). No brunch, but you can bring your own food (and your dog), and if you show up early and are really thirsty, just yell—the bartender lives upstairs.
(17.) The Dollhaus
37 Broadway, nr. Wythe Ave.; 718-486-0330 Skip the small, dank exhibition area and ask the cute and very bored Canadian gallerist to let you peep behind the curtains at the endlessly fascinating collection of mutilated dolls—including Kewpies skewered on poles in
a miniature carousel.
(21.) Giando
400 Kent Ave., at Broadway; 718-387-7000 Hipsters dare not enter this forbidding black-marble box on the river, which hosts weddings and provokes whisperings about exactly which Italian family runs it. The menu doesn’t live up to the chandelier-lit interior, with its breathtaking view of Manhattan.
(22.) Wyeth’s Nook
123 S. 4th St., at Bedford Ave.; 718-216-4069 This charming, cluttered antiques shop deals in twenties-to-fifties American wares that match the painter Andrew Wyeth’s realist aesthetic. Look for costume jewelry,
pillbox hats, crystal decanters—and a full-size stuffed lion
“caged” under a bunk bed.
(23.) Cafe Rafiot
331 Bedford Ave., nr. S. 3rd St.; 718-388-1266 Favorites at this traditional crêperie are the Milanese (Emmentaler cheese, egg, bacon, and tomato, $7.50) and numerous sweet options with ice cream, fruit, and flambéed rum ($7 to $7.50). Before you go, check out the compass in the floor. North isn’t where you think.
(24.) Bonita
338 Bedford Ave., nr. S. 3rd St.; 718-384-9500 The specials are your best bet at this simple Mexican restaurant—especially the sandwich of buttered bread and tangerine-marinated pork. Outdoor seating gets cramped in summer, but it’s better
than sitting at the bar, opposite a grill with leaping flames.
(25.) Lint
318 Bedford St., nr. S. 2nd St.; 718-387-9508 Known for its bright, Warhol-esque silk-screened T-shirts of classic celebrity photographs mixed with psychedelic flower drawings. The real draw is Southside’s best collection of ladies’ vintage shoes.
(26.) Roebling Hall
390 Wythe Ave, nr. S. 4th St.; 718-599-5352; roeblinghall.com This gallery’s break came when its Eve Sussman show coincided with her Whitney Biennial breakthrough. A Chelsea branch recently opened, but—unlike peers who’ve crossed the river—the Brooklyn space will remain to showcase emerging artists (next up: Anne Deleporte’s wall-mural installation). Grab a Wagmag guide and move on to Holland Tunnel, Sideshow, 31 Grand, Art 101, Parker’s Box, and Pierogi—after double-checking the hours.
(27.) Police Cars Unlimited Inc.
60 S. 2nd St., nr. Wythe Ave.; 718-387-8888 Your go-to spot for used Ford Crown Victorias (none older than 1996). Stripped of their sirens and trademark paint job, these po-po rides ($2,500 to $12,000) have never been crashed, though there’s no guarantee that nefarious dealings haven’t happened inside.

| Laxing at Grand Ferry Park.
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(28.) Grand Ferry Park
Grand St. at Kent Ave.
Sandwiched between a power plant and five blocks of Domino Sugar factory, and anchored by
a 70-foot-tall brick smokestack from a long-gone molasses plant, this beautifully maintained sliver of green is a terrific spot: Watch ferries float by in summer and mammoth chunks of ice in the winter. Almost as interesting is the adjoining parking area, in which Hasids sit silently in their cars by day and randy teenagers steam up their windows by night.

| Browsing for utilitarian beauty at Moon River Chattel.
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(29.) Moon River Chattel
62 Grand St., nr. Wythe Ave.;
718-388-1121 Less a design store than a paean to the simple life, this ten-year-old institution revels in the beauty of utilitarian objects like cacti, vintage sinks, and hemp linens from Transylvania. Bonus: expert lamp repair.
(30.) Aurora
70 Grand St., at Wythe Ave.;
718-388-5100 Sip grappa and amari in the year-round garden of this authentic trattoria, or nestle against exposed brick walls with pappardelle and duck ragù or buffalo mozzarella so fresh it oozes off the plate. Cash only.
(31.) Therapy/Chawan
115 Grand St., nr. Wythe Ave.;
718-486-0370 and 718-384-4424 Up front, Asian gift shop Chawan sells the only fresh flowers in the neighborhood (Tuesdays or Wednesdays are best), while Therapy has asymmetrical jewelry, Havania flip-flops, and Argentine bikinis for people
with very small behinds. In back, there’s a massage room.
(32.) The Free Store
131 Grand St., nr. Berry St.
Anything that’s not tied down is fair game at this shack filled with clothes, books, and cassette tapes that look like, well, it’s a good thing they’re free. (The policy has already backfired on the volunteer staff, since someone took the power cord to their radio.) Community groups use the space for meetings—first to protest the waterfront-development plan, now to gripe about it.
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