Dear Eagle Provisions, We Miss You

The music was louder than usual inside. But no one had tampered with the volume knob. That hadn’t changed since December 13^th 1979, when John Zawisny, along with his dad and brother, opened Eagle Provisions at 628 5th Avenue. Real estate agencies have come to call the neighborhood South Slope, but 35 years ago, the area on and around 18^th Street in Brooklyn was just another enclave of city dwellers paying cheap rent. And like most pockets of urban environments, this one was comprised of folks from like heritage. In this case, Polish. The Zawisnys setup shop and began selling provisions to sustain this community.

Click to read more ...

The Things We Ate: Winter Camping in Stokes State Forest

Stokes State Forest is a two hour's drive from Brooklyn. Sure it was just January, but we hadn't been camping since California, and that doesn't bode well with us. So four of us rented a car, took 280 out of Jersey City, bought provisions at Dale's (and Kent's Liquor store) just off 206, and spent a beautiful 24 hours among tall trees and half frozen streams with nothing on our minds but maintaining a fire and what we'd eat next. Here's a look at the things we ate.

Click to read more ...