My 13 Favorite Brooklyn Restaurants

You're never without a fresh hot flatbread at Yemen Cafe.

By my estimate, there are at least 15,000 restaurants in Brooklyn, and I love about 200 of them at any given time. So this list reflects ephemeral choices, what I want to eat now as I sit at my desk, breakfast-less, and dream about climbing on the train and heading to neighborhoods like Bath Beach, Bed-Stuy, and Bushwick.

Here are my 13 favorite places to eat in Brooklyn. Ask me tomorrow and the list will be different.

13. Yemen Café - Bring a crowd, because a meal at Yemen Café is a communal experience, from the charred humongous pitas that arrive throughout the meal, to the creamy baba ganoush, to the smoky kebabs at bargain prices, to the bubbling pot of meat, vegetables, and goo called saltah, shown above. Dip away! 7130 Fifth Avenue, Bay Ridge, 718-745-8000

12. BrisketTown - What could be better than a big fatty hunk of beef cooked 14 hours or more at low temps over hardwood, then served with nothing but bread, pickles, and onions? And now Austin breakfast tacos during the day. 359 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, 718-701-8909

11. Pete Zaaz - Since when did pizza become so much fun? The zany pies fly from the oven at this Crown Heights maverick (including the baked potato pie shown above), and there's nothing better in the summer than chowing down in the breezy back yard. 766 Classon Avenue, Crown Heights, 718-230-9229