Hot Plate! Our EIC’s Fave Boerum Hill Eatery & What’s “Honestly Cool”

Choosing our favorite restaurant is like choosing our favorite child (or favorite shoe) — it's a tough decision and we usually don't like to show preferential treatment. But leave it to our fearless EIC to decisively pick her top spot, with ease. Yes, for Christene Barberich, Rucola seems like a no brainer. In an intimate shoot and interview with Christie's, Christene pays homage to Andy Warhol's Studio 54 days by choosing her own favorite night-time hangout. The result? A sweet series of snaps that's every bit as delicious as it is sartorially inspiring.

Between plates of charcuterie and local cheeses, she explains why this low-key corner eatery cooks up so much more than just a good meal, "I’ve had many memorable occasions at Rucola... but if I had to choose one, it would be a Champagne lunch with my college best friend and my now-husband following our City Hall wedding... it was just the right little escape we needed — pre-family arrival — to truly appreciate the good vibes of the day.”

The best part of this Brooklyn go-to, aside from the hearty, no-frills fare and the cozy neighborhood setting is that it's got something special that's impossible to fake. “What I love about Rucola is that it’s honestly cool, not superficially cool." Her favorite dishes post-shoot (and to try the next time you're riding your bike through Boerum Hill this summer), include roasted carrots with lentils, crispy brussel sprouts, and the signature roasted brook trout, all complimented by an obligatory glass of cold Prosecco... Is it dinner time yet?