BY DANIELLE KOGAN & HELEN KLEIN
Dine In Brooklyn Week, taking place this year from March 20 through March 30, has hit the jackpot with menus that can take you overseas without ever leaving the beloved borough of Brooklyn.
The foodie favorite event boasts a still growing list of borough eateries attracting diners during the 10-day span with $28 three-course dinners, $15 two-course lunches and $12 weekend brunches.
Currently, more than 80 restaurants across the borough are participating, with sign-up continuing through Monday, March 13. All participating restaurants are included on the event website, dineinbk.com, launched by Borough President Eric Adams on Tuesday, February 28.
On the list are numerous restaurants whose cuisines hail from across Europe.
Tucked into 2001 Emmons Avenue, Baku Palace does indeed treat its guests like royalty as they eat by the waterfront or inside the traditional Russian restaurant, where live entertainment can be enjoyed on both floors of this multi-story space. The grand hall also includes a dance floor. http://www.bakupalace.com/
If you want to indulge in food with an Italian accent, Bay Ridge’s Sofia’s is one of many eateries across the borough that will oblige. At 8406 Third Avenue, the cozy dining spot features a plethora of pastas and entrees that cut a bella figura.
Also on the list, this year, is Coney classic Gargiulo’s, at 2911 West 15th Street, which has been dishing out southern Italian specialties for upwards of 50 years. http://www.gargiulos.com
For Greek fare, diners can head to Park Slope’s Athena Mediterranean Cuisine, at 535 Sixth Avenue. From moussaka and pastitsio to spanakopita and mouthwatering, melty saganaki, this restaurant covers all the bases. http://www.athenacuisine.com/
The cuisine of la belle France — and specifically the southern French region of Provence, where tomatoes and garlic rule — is on offer at another classic Brooklyn eatery, Provence en Boite, 263 Smith Street. Think classic bistro fare steak frites and moules mariniere, for example, and feel your mouth start to water. http://provenceenboite.com/
For another bite of the pomme, La Defense, 2 MetroTech Center, also serves up French cuisine. Billing itself as a bistro, bar and bakery, the restaurant’s fare ranges from the classic (French Onion Soup and Boeuf Bourgignon) to the updated (Pistachio Crusted Salmon and Pecorino and Truffle Oil Fries). http://ladefensenyc.com/
Spanish food is also represented in the event, by such eateries as Boqueria, 590 Fulton Street. Offering such traditional favorites as Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp with garlic) and Pulpo a la Plancha (grilled octopus), the restaurant — the Brooklyn offshoot of a Manhattan eatery — has a vast selection of tapas, the small plates originating in Spanish bars that are so popular right now. http://www.boquerianyc.com
Dine in Brooklyn is presented by the borough president in partnership with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, with exclusive sponsorship from Visa and contributing support from Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Brooklyn Spectator and Home Reporter, the New York City Restaurant Association and Yelp.