Neighborhood Crawl: Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights
Dinner: Beast The official address is Bergen, but we promise we’re not cheating by name-checking this inventive Mediterranean tapas spot, which occupies a gothic, sprawling corner space on Vanderbilt Avenue. A neighborhood mainstay for over eight years, Beast has pretty much slipped under the radar in the growing presence of increasingly buzzy eateries. But it’s definitely worth a visit (or revisit), for sizable share plates listed under “Earth,” “Ocean,” and “Land and Sky” like portabello mushrooms and blue cheese over polenta, sautéed calamari with garlic and cilantro, and lager-braised beef short ribs.
638 Bergen Street (at Vanderbilt Ave.)