NofNY: Clinton Hill
The first in our series on NY neighborhoods
Neighborhoods of New York City is a series of cultural wayfinders that investigates the historical and contemporary experiences of unique neighborhoods in New York City to guide you through the known and unknown of any neighborhood.
Buying loose cigarettes in New York City can be a delicate affair for the uninitiated. In any neighborhood, if you don't have an ambassador, your success rate will be significantly lower, possibly due to the fact that selling loose cigarettes is, well, illegal, and deli owners don't want to go to jail. I believe the cited reason by the authorities regarding the criminality of selling loosies is public safety or some nonsense (yes - imagine some bureaucrat putting the words "public safety" and "cigarettes" in the same sentence) but more likely because the city is just hating on bodegas because they don't get a cut.
In any case, when a friend of mine visited me in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn during my brief residence there, I told him where to go and how much they charge (usually 50c) and he returned frustrated. I had a feeling that would happen.
I went out and followed my own procedure and sure enough, I came back with the loose cigarette and said to my friend "it's prolly because they don't know you bro. If I was with you, you would've been good."
Despite the rapid gentrification creeping over Brooklyn like a swath of acidic smog (or pretty little doves and orchids, depending on your vantage point), it's nice to see this tradition from a once poor neighborhood- one that bears in mind both financial difficulties and justifiable paranoia of the authorities - still persisting to this day.
Preferred spots
Castro's - Good Mexican. Cheap Mexican food
Ruthie's - Soul food spot that like Castro's, has been around well before AM New York declared Clinton Hill a "millennial hotspot." Irregular hours. Very irregular. Ruthie’s is closed seasonally.
SoCo - Newer, but arguably the most poppin’ establishment in the area. It's a restaurant and bar but you get the feeling people travel from all over the borough to see what's up with the chicken and waffles the way they would a Janet concert. Southern comfort food with outdoor seating. They have a stupid rule about hats like a lot of boogie black spots do but besides that it's poppin’.
Wray's - Neighbors SoCo. No silly hat rule that I'm aware of. Specializes in Caribbean food, and for a short time, was partially owned by Dee & Ricky. I like my poison straight, but they have good cocktails if you're into that sort of thing.
RIP Maggie Brown - They had the best damn fried fish po’ boy I've ever experienced. I'm pretty serious about no pork on my fork, but one time they kept the bacon on it despite my asking for them to make it without the swine and I had half of the sandwich before realizing it. I boycotted them for 16 months.
And then I went back. It was that good.
-Shaun Anthoney-Bey
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