The Doll in Brooklyn

I've always felt so country upon returning from a weekend in New York City because I'm usually exhausted and overwhelmed. The city really never sleeps and seems to be going a mile a minute at all times.

The thought of living there makes me tired and I've always detested the idea.

However, I spent this past weekend (two weekends ago, really) in Brooklyn (mostly in Fort Greene and Brooklyn Heights) and it took me about 5 hours to fall in love.

Brooklyn is still urban but minus all the pomp & circumstance of Manhattan. The awesome boutiques and shops. A wide variety of restaurants offering unique experiences. The street markets. The city is booming with culture and diversity. For me, Brooklyn is the essence of "city living".

My favorite dynamic of the weekend was that we hung out with locals which means we got a real life perspective of Brooklyn. When I was in Trinidad & Tobago a few years ago, I realized this is the best way to visit most places. In my opinion, this makes the experience so much more authentic and fulfilling.

Our first evening in Brooklyn was spent at this awesome restaurant located in Fort Greene called "Madiba", a South African dining experience paying homage to Nelson Mandela. The ambiance is inspired by shebeens, which are informal dining halls in South African townships. The idea is to relax, release, enjoy, and love in this place. And that we did!

Despite our hope for a happy hour, the unique experience captivated us. I ordered the "Tristan da Cunha lobster tail" (lobster tails over saffron rice in a mango and lemon butter sauce). Let me tell you!! That rice could have been the only thing on my plate. I will crave it forever.

I capped the meal off with a few laughs and a few authentic "dark n' stormy" cocktails. When I discovered that they carried Goslings rum and Goslings ginger beer, there was arguably no other cocktail to choose.

In a nutshell, I will probably crave that rice and this little Brooklyn "shebeen" forever. Can I vacation in Brooklyn every summer? Sounds like a few long weekends in Brooklyn are in order.