Canoes in Prospect Park. Flickr photo by Megnyc.

Visit every bowling alley in Brooklyn, compete in the Punderdome, hit every spot on our Brooklyn brunch list– these are the Brooklyn things I resolve to do this year. Also: find a viable alternative to the Park Slope Food Coop, go to one workshop at Etsy labs and one weird meetup. I will bike that path along the Belt Parkway, wherever it starts. I will kayak on the Gowanus Canal. Maybe. I will canoe at Prospect Park. I will do as much free yoga as I can get to. This is the year I finally set foot inside the River Café, if only for a drink, get my butt to Roberta’s, eat a Peter Pan red velvet donut and go to Bed-Stuy to try doubles, a Trinidadian spicy chickpea sandwich of sorts. This summer I will trek out to Rockaway Taco and that truck in Sunset Park. I’m going to judge for myself whether Montreal bagel from Mile End deserve the hype. even if the Brokavore wasn’t impressed. I am going to volunteer in Brooklyn.

What are your Brooklyn resolutions for 2012?

Buckley's in Marine Park is worth a visit, says the Daily New.

I’m still trying wrap my head around this article in the Daily News pronouncing the best food in Brooklyn. The piece nods impressively to some establishments I’ve never heard of (like Buckley’s in Marine Park), and covers the far reaches of the borough, with neighborhoods including Ocean Hill (best West Indian food) and Homecrest (cheap health food). But if the lineup sounds pretty random so far, you’re not wrong.  I agree that Tom’s Restaurant is amazing, and that Bagel Hole has great bagels. And I’m looking forward to trying Armando’s pizza in Canarsie, and I’ve been dying to go to one of those Russian clubs and now I know which one to go (Paradise Garden). But best…Spanish Flair?  Ice Cream Donuts?

Does anyone besides Peter Pan have ice cream donuts?

What’s more, the News criminally failed to mention some of my own favorite (if no less random) best-ofs. How about the Best Mexican Restaurant That Doubles As An Art Gallery: the Loading Dock (170 Tillary, between Flatbush and Gold, Downtown), or the Best Vegan Jamaican Patty: at Natural Blend (769A Washington Ave. between Sterling & St. Johns, Prospect Heights), or Best Bakery:  Almondine (85 Water St., Dumbo)
Oh and the Best Cheap Breakfast: Hero Champ in Sunset Park (948 3rd Ave. at 36th Street in Sunset Park), where an omelet with toast and home fries is $2.10.

And when you read the article, don’t get too excited about trying the Best Fried Chicken in Brooklyn at the Corn Bread Diner in Flatbush… it’s closed.