available just around the corner from our house at the weekly park slope farmers’ market, the dream coconut bar from made by molly is rather excellent. with the lightest of graham cracker crusts, the bars have an ideal amount of toasted coconut with condensed milk and bits of milk chocolate here and there. i’m guessing these bars also have plenty of butter and maybe even some added sugar but whatever it is the mix is perfect. i have tried various recipes for coconut bars but each time they may satisfy that craving but they’re too heavy or too rich, or worse, both. the key with molly’s dream bars is to make sure to eat them on day one otherwise they too get a little chewy and are not quite as satisfying. waiting too long, however, has never been my problem.

although those dream bars are my main obsession, made by molly has lots of other worthy treats. another favorite of mine is the incredibly rich cherry cream scone. other goodies include brown sugar brownies, walnut brownies, vanilla sugar cookies, lime cornmeal cookies, katie’s oatmeal cream pies, chocolate pecan chubbies, chocolate cherry chunkers, peanut butter cremes and really fluffy homemade marshmallows. made by molly also sells amy’s bread baguettes and rounds as well as some of their specialty items like the sourdough twists with chocolate.

we are fortunate that this is the third summer that made by molly has been selling baked goods at our local market. though i cannot say it has been good for my goal of getting back in shape post baby (and really i have no excuse since s is getting close to 3 years old) . the owners behind made by molly are based in astoria and someday hope to open up a bakery there - i can only hope they keep making the trek out to brooklyn even though my belly is not so happy about that. made by molly, park slope farmers’ market, 5th avenue and 3rd street, brooklyn, new york, [email protected]. open from the end of may through december.

it’s not like we need a ton of reasons to visit beautiful prospect park, though sometimes we do take this olmsted amenity for granted. in the summer time, celebrate brooklyn! puts together a fantastic roster of music and other events that attract crowds both at night and during the day. while the shows are winding down as it is sadly almost august (i cannot believe how fast my favorite season goes), there are a few more through the middle of the month.

tonight starting at 7 is the royal family: soulive’s 10th anniversary celebration. and tomorrow, saturday, august 1st starting at 7:30 p.m. will be dean and britta performing original scores to warhol’s rarely seen short silent film portraits. other free concert highlights in august include a purple rain sing-along on august 6th, grace potter and the nocturnals on august 7th and hip hop with big daddy kane on august 8th.

the last week of celebrate brooklyn! is studded with benefits (meaning you have to pay) and include tv on the radio, bonnie raitt and taj mahal and ending with animal collective on august 14th and 15th. see here for the detailed calendar. for some ideas as to where to pick up some picnic foods before a concert, and where to hang out in park slope, see my mini guide below. celebrate brooklyn! located at the prospect park bandshell at about 10th street most easily reached from prospect park west located along west drive.

the northern edge of park slope, which is the edge closest to where celebrate brooklyn! is held at the bandshell, has not exactly been leading the way in style, and tends to make park slope feel and look as dowdy as it sometimes can seem (at least food and shopping wise). the main drag of 7th avenue is slowly, very slowly improving, and i am guessing the reason why is that those landlords just won’t cut anyone a break so it is difficult to move in unless you have a chain (so disappointing to see things like five guys there).

the northern part of 7th avenue (from 9th street to flatbush) is definitely the most bedraggled so while there is a lot of shopping, not much is exciting or worth a trip. if i had some time to kill before a concert, i would spend it on the southern half of 7th avenue which runs from 9th street to 16th street and beyond. for a few years, this strip was worth a trip with some real gems like rare device and greenjeans among other interesting small shops. sadly, many of those are now gone (those two just mentioned included) but there are a few bright shops left and i’ve mentioned one below. and just roaming down here is great as it is my favorite part of park slope. it’s a little more sleepy down there, things aren’t quite as gentrified and it just feels friendlier. south slope is definitely one of my top places to move if and when we get the opportunity to do that. see below for some places to pick up goodies for a picnic before a concert as well as some shopping ideas in both the north and south slope.

food:

bklyn larder: operated by the owners of franny’s, this is my new favorite spot for take out prepared foods. very yummy pork shoulder and excellent sandwiches (the blt was amazing). they also have a picnic in the park special with comte, country pate, a demi baguette, olives and a dark chocolate bar for $18 - no bargain but i bet it is really really good. 228 flatbush avenue between bergen street and 6th avenue, brooklyn, new york, 718.783.1250.

blue apron: if in the north slope, blue apron is a good if expensive standby for premade sandwiches with meats and cheeses, luscious cheeses, great basic breads and very rich treats like my faves from whimsy & spice. 814 union street between 7th and 8th avenues, brooklyn, new york, 718.230.3180.

grab specialty foods: if in the south slope, grab is my choice for cheese, charcuterie and breads. they sometimes have sandwiches and also carry baked’s brownies and cupcakes often. they also have beer growlers with excellent beers on tap which would be fun in the park. 438 7th avenue between 14th and 15th streets, brooklyn, new york, 718.369.7595.

shops:

loom: maybe not always the friendliest spot, but this store does carry an excellently edited, though very pricey, gifts (or treats for yourself) that include soaps, stationery, casual jewelry, very cute handbags (in the $100 to $200 range), some kids toys and clothes, and other random bits. 115 7th avenue between carroll and president streets, brooklyn, new york, 718.789.0061.

living on seventh, maybe my favorite all purpose store in park slope with beautiful candles, kitchen accessories, bath supplies, and a great very limited selection of blouses, skirts and sometimes pants and even shoes. 291 seventh avenue near 3rd street, brooklyn, new york, 718.788.1651.

goldy & mac: if in south slope, goldy & mac is great for affordable, stylish women’s clothes. they change their stock constantly so it is always worth popping in to see what’s new, and they have excellent sales. staff attention seems to have gotten worse (not mean, just much more indifferent) but given the pricing it really doesn’t matter. 396 7th avenue between, brooklyn, new york, 718.832.4868.

now that i wear glasses nearly all the time, after my eye doctor scared me several years ago from wearing contacts too much (i was getting lots of red vessels popping up here and there) i have now become pretty dedicated to having frames on my face (and i always was too scared for lasik). as a result it’s now become even more important to have the right pair — stylish enough but not too trendy, tough enough to take some whacking from the kiddies and comfortable enough to wear a lot.

eye shoppe on 7th is a super place to go to get some real help for finding that perfect fit and style. the husband and wife team of paula and michael stoff, who have owned the store for 18 years in the same not hip location along the more dreary parts of 7th avenue in park slope, are really phenomenal when it comes to helping you find exactly what you need. i have never found them pushy in terms of pricing, and i love that when working together, they are endlessly patient, giving tons of suggestions and insights as to what works and what doesnt. they will definitely provide candid opinions on the match, and if it doesn’t work they’ll let you know. i now no longer need a second opinion from a friend when it’s time to upgrade. and eye shoppe on 7th has also always been very accommodating. after i bought one pair a few years ago, they broke soon after, and they helped me replace it for an insignificant cost.

although the eye shoppe on 7th is not ostentatious nor does it appear to be the most fashionable eye store despite it’s designation by time out as one of the best independent stores, surprisingly, its small collection holds a really great range of high quality frames. my favorite, which is very exclusive they say, is face á face from paris. other super popular brands include theo, bevel and ic berlin, and they also carry orgreen optics, lafont, salt optics and beausoleil. sunglasses include oliver peoples, paul smith, persol, ray-ban and many others.

and while the frames are not a bargain, the frames alone begin at $150 going up to $375, it is really the service that has me hooked. eye shoppe on 7th also offers eye exams and they are super speedy once you place an order. really, all in all a great shopping experience for one of those things that can be a drag to get the wrong one. eye shoppe on 7th, 107 7th avenue at president street, brooklyn, new york, 718.789.0841.

i am not a buffalo style chicken wing expert (and there are lots of opinions on this topic: see here and here for starters). nonetheless i think i can wholeheartedly recommend the wings from bonnie’s grill in park slope. bonnie’s wings show up regularly on the wing rankings, and so i’m pretty sure i like them not just because they are a couple blocks from our apartment.

as for my reasons. first, these wings are very very spicy. even the mild is pretty spicy so only if you really can bear the hottest of hot get the “hot.” second, the sauce itself is tasty, tangy and there is always plenty of it. third, there is a good mix of drumsticks and wings. personally i prefer the drumsticks but the wings here are pretty good (pretty juicy as far as wings go, and rarely dry and crackly). fourth, and most importantly, the bones have a decent meat to bone ratio and some nice crisp skin. we tend to visit bonnie’s for these wings a little too often for our own good, but when i’m hungry and tired they make a pretty good cheap dinner (i try to make those carrots count as my veggie). bonnie’s grill, 278 5th avenue near 1st street, brooklyn, new york, 718,369.9527.

earlier this year, on a side street quite close to one of the best blocks on park slope’s 5th avenue, a little home design shop opened up. and while 5th avenue does have a lot of great shops - other than matter which is a bit high end and esoteric - there are no real home stores of any merit. so i was happy to see the arrival of scandinavian grace, a small branch of a much larger shop (4,500 square feet) based in the catskills (must go visit that one) with another branch in williamsburg.

while the space is tiny, scandinavian grace does have a bit of everything for the home especially related to the kitchen and dining room. stocking only goods from denmark, sweden, finland, iceland and norway, the shop has a nice range of accessible, somewhat affordable and attractive items. some of my favorites included danish pitchers by stelton pictured above, cute bicycle baskets by design house from stockholm which i have been coveting for a while, 50s retro towels by almedahls and dishware by a finnish company iittala also pictured above. and while they of course carry the ubiquitous marimekko, the shop plans to show new collections of other designers on a regular basis.

scandinavian graceis also offering some tasty scandinavian treats. when i visited, they had a tosca cake, a kind of pound cake with more butter and almonds and is also heavy on the eggs, and i especially liked the kladd cake, which was a super sticky chocolate cake. scandinavian grace also serves coffee and other drinks, and when i walked by this past weekend it looks like they have also added some tables to make it a real leisurely shopping experience. while not everything in the shop is unusual or even hard to find, at least for those of us in the slope it’s nice to have these scandinavian wares close by. scandinavian grace, 668 president street between 5th and 6th avenues, 718.622.4045, and 167 n. 9th street at bedford avenue, 718.384.7886, both located in brooklyn, new york.

this past march felt like we were in birthday party craziness. i think we were going to a birthday party if not every day of every weekend, at least once a weekend, and what’s a poor parent to do. fortunately we have a great little spot lulu’s cuts and toys that has every variety of plastic, metal and princess kind of toy for the children in our lives (or in our classrooms). with friendly helpful staff, lulu’s has helped us successfully sort through exactly what would be the right present for a hannah montana loving, bead obsessessed soon-to-be six year old. since our daughter has no interest in girlie things - focusing more on dragons and climbing adventures - we definitely need the advice.

though they used to be located just around the corner from us, lulu’sis now located further north along 5th avenue closer to atlantic avenue in park slope. so it’s a bit of a walk, but somehow k. seems to manage it without much complaint. going home on the other hand is another story. and while we don’t use lulu’s for this purpose, they also offer kid’s haircuts complete with little cars and videos to provide distractions during even the most challenging trim. lulu’s cuts and toys, 48 5th avenue at bergen street, brooklyn, new york, 718.832.3732.

i have to say that i have really truly never been a fan of the jelly donut. i always have liked just the cake part without any of that gooey stuff inside, and often that was because what was inside was just not that good. i have changed my mind. trois pommes patisserie, recently of whoopie pie fame, has been offering the most incredibly, light, fluffy and filled with just the right amount of high quality raspberry jam. unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they only offer this decadent treat on the weekends. trois pommes patisserie, 260 fifth avenue between carroll street and garfield place, brooklyn, new york, 718.230.3119.

rounding out my review of that very excellent fifth avenue block in park slope is eidolon, a teeny spot owned and run by three local designers — amara felice, andrea fisher and yukie ohta. while it is small, and the collections don’t rotate super frequently, they consistently have great selections of women’s clothes, many of which the owners design. for spring they are showing some lovely linen dresses and blouses, as well as some cute suits for work (i love it when i need a suit and it is affordable and stylish). this summer, i am excited to try out their “made-to-order” swimsuits. amara puts together some basic patterns and then you can go in and have her tailor it for your size — what could be better than that (well maybe not having to trot around in a swimsuit post baby but if you have to go out there at least it can be while looking good). eidolon also carries other local designers including mimi ohta for jewelry, nadine leichter for belts. however, shoes were what first brought me into the store. they nearly always feature some cute, comfy and irresistible shoes by local designer gentle souls, and so while the label has been sold to kenneth cole i still cannot seem to resist snatching then up whenever possible. eidolon, 233 fifth avenue between carroll and president streets, brooklyn, ny, 718.638.8194.

i first grew to really love beer, especially my beloved heiferweissen and kolsch, when j took me on his german tour (as i learned much later, apparently he took all the girlfriends there with a special romantic kickoff in heidelberg). and how could i not love eating freshly made pretzels, hanging out in a biergarden and just whiling the time away. so it’s of course great that beer in the u.s. has come such a long way from my college days and those very unfortunate kegs filled with very scary stuff that i did somehow drink like a fish. and now with the growler, a 64 ounce bottle that can be filled with all sorts of specialty ales, there is an excellent and affordable way to try out different beers. we have tried out the growler service at grab specialty foods, a local spot in south park slope that rotates their selection frequently with all sorts of great options from local breweries like the kelso hop lager by greenpoint beer and sixpoint ales dubble trubble made with that delicious mast brothers chocolate. the prices range from just under $15 to a little more than $20 and a more comprehensive list of what they offer can be found here. in addition to grab, there are a bunch of other spotsout there in new york offering growlers so no matter where you are you should be able to take advantage of this fun new mini-trend. and if you are in the neighborhood, grab also carries a high-end selection of cheeses, meats and other provisions very similar to what blue apron offers (it in fact used to be a branch of blue apron) in a more convenient location for those in the south slope. a highlight for those of us who work nearby is that grab often makes a perfectly sized “sandwich of the day” usually filled with some combination of sliced meats, roasted peppers and various cheeses. though i suggest calling ahead as they don’t make too many and can sometimes run out. and if you are extra lucky, like the group in our office sometimes is, they will even make it to order. grab specialty foods, 438 7th avenue between 14th and 15th streets, brooklyn, ny, 718.369.7595.