Brooklyn Food: Key Lime Pie?

Key Lime Pie is a Brooklyn Food?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've made a few excursions into the newly ultra-trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook. According to New York magazine, Red Hook is "definitely a neighborhood in flux: The longtime home of Brooklyn longshoremen and other blue-collars now sees its share of BMWs parked in front of refurbished townhouses. Warehouse spaces, modest one and two bedroom apartments, and townhouses are plentiful and affordable."

"The planned giant waterfront Fairway shopping and condominiums complex on Van Brunt Street, approved last year, is under construction. Prime for future conversions: the blocks south of Commerce Street and east of Van Brunt, as well as Coffey Street between Conover and Ferris, which has cobblestone streets and dock views. Business owners hope to turn Columbia Street into Red Hook's Smith Street; Japanese, Mexican, and Italian restaurants have opened recently."

"Gentrification is coming — witness the steadily climbing prices of the past several years — but the transition is still in its early stage, and mostly confined to the blocks near the water. A good choice for the very long haul if you don't mind a substantial march to the train." The neighborhoodod reminds me a lot of Hoboken when I lived there back in the early 1980's. If I had some extra money, I'd be investing in Red Hook.

But with gentrification coming to Red Hook, there are some benefits. One of which is Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. Based in a civil war era warehouse on the Red Hook waterfront, Steve began by making 3 pies a week out of his apartment and delivering them to a local restaurant.

Now Steve produces what has been called "the best key lime pie in the country" by the NY Times. Pretty high praise. I'll have to take their word for it, but it is damn good pie.

Steve's expanded the business to many restaurants and caterers in the NYC area. He also sells them retail at the bakery and the rest they say is history. So is Key Lime Pie a Brooklyn food? Hell yeah. Any cuisine Brooklyn embraces becomes its own. Go check it out.

Alphotographshs courtesy of Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies.