More often than not, restaurants will focus all of their energy on the flashy toppings while the vehicle for said toppings - whether that be a bun, a tortilla, or even a bed of rice - remain nondescript, boring, and bland. What sets incredible restaurants apart is not their focus on Instagram-porn level accoutrements, but actually the contrary - a powerful performance of elements under the hood. At For All Things Good in Bed Stuy, the recipe for contemporary restaurant culture has done a 180, where the magnifying glass is perched directly at the core vehicle - masa. Masa, essentially crushed cornmeal, is a staple ingredient used in Mexican and South American cooking for thousands of years - used to create everything from tortillas to pupusas. Ranging from royal blue to vibrant yellows based on the breed of corn used, the masa creations here are the destination in themselves rather than merely a vehicle - containing complex flavor profiles as a result of the focus on high quality corn that is, for the most part, absent from the New York food scene. The creators are focused on maintaining the culinary link to ancient cultures by highlighting ancient varieties of heirloom corn that are progressively being pushed out by the GMO yellow corn monopoly. Resultantly, this isn’t just the sad mush accompanying chopped fajitas at your neighborhood spot, these are incredibly special and flavorful creations that take a ton of energy before the toppings are even considered - from importing the right corn, to nixtamalizing it, grinding it, and preparing it properly.
However once the toppings are considered, as they clearly are heavily here, it becomes a truly out of control experience. On a recent visit I fell in love with a squash blossom quesadilla - featuring soft squash blossoms dancing along the neon-white Oaxacan cheese that provides the most stunning cheese pull I’ve seen in a hot minute - and the breakfast tlayudita - a large crispy masa oval covered in a black bean puree, Oaxacan cheese, avocado, sunny-side-up egg, and a warm salsa to provide heat. The ingredients are fresh and powerful, yet the pungency of the fresh masa cuts through like a knife - bringing with it this sense of crisp freshness and an earthiness that balances the acidic salsas and flavors perfectly. The reasonable prices, great coffee options - including a horchata/latte hybrid - and cute outdoor setup are just the cherry on top.
For All Things Good
343 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY
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