A (Lemon)tree grows in Brooklyn
KASUMI QUINLAN, Lemontree
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
KASUMI QUINLAN • executive director • Lemontree
Neighborhood you work & live in: Bushwick
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Trying to close all my tabs! (I’m usually 60% successful.) At our nonprofit, which helps people get access to food, we end the week with an all-hands meeting, which is the one time we’re all together. Everyone shares something: We do an icebreaker, celebrate our wins, and surface user stories that remind us of our impact (you can see some of that here). Being remote, it can be hard to create camaraderie and remember the lives we impact every day, but staff meetings are such a stellar way to close out the week.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
I’m a voracious consumer of food everything — food media, recipes, shows, ingredient labels — and I spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to eat next. Mostly, I cook at home, but here's a weekend itinerary with Bushwick's greatest hits:
Have lunch at Carmenta's, which holds a major title: my favorite Italian in NYC. My perfect order, for two: Caesar salad, spicy vodka rigatoni, side of chicken parm, and a Dom G sandwich. Eat at the high tops or have a picnic in Maria Hernandez Park.
Time for a palate cleanser! Pick up a small cup of nieves de garrafa from Nieves Cortés, across the street from the park, at Knickerbocker and Suydam. The flavors rotate, but they're always delicious and refreshing.
If you have room for an afternoon snack, stop at Foster Sundry for the most incredible biscuits, and pick up a few extravagant ingredients to cook dinner this weekend.
Treat yourself to a drink at Palmetto, which makes the area's best cocktails and is perfect for a date night. Then, get your groove on at Danger Danger, which specializes in tequila/mezcal, 80s vibes, and zebra print everything (I love the Abuela, which is tequila & fresh apple juice). Depending on your stamina, hop around the many bars and clubs in the area. Late night food tips: Nowon (I dream of this burger) or/and the fries from Döner Kebab at Turk's Inn (only the fries, sorry!).
The next day, when you're in desperate need of something greasy and delicious, get an al pastor burrito from Taqueria Al Pastor. They serve the best al pastor in the city, another major title! I rarely order the same dish twice, or even frequent the same restaurants, but this is something I've eaten more times than I care to admit.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love walking around the neighborhood. There are always pop-ups, random block parties, flyers announcing new shows, and just interesting people watching. I feel so lucky that Syndicated is near me — it’s a restaurant/bar that also has a small dine-in theater attached, and they’re always showing the coolest movies. I also love perusing the many thrift stores in the neighborhood, and going to the occasional trivia night at a bar nearby.
Any weekend getaways?
A weekend getaway for me is usually visiting my parents across the river in New Jersey, though I’m not sure that qualifies. And since that often involves approaching my dad’s beehives, a quick plug for his nonprofit Hudson River Apiary Society, which teaches people about urban beekeeping. For a special occasion, I love going up to Mamaroneck and renting a boat on the Long Island Sound — there’s this guy with a big sailboat who’ll take you out for the whole day. You can bring any food or beverages you like and pretend you’re a guest on Below Deck.
What was your last great vacation?
This past spring I visited Southern Spain and Portugal. I particularly fell in love with Sevilla. It’s so idyllic: Thousands of years of history, arts and culture around every corner, and the whole place smells of orange blossoms. It seems like there’s a lot of investment in tourism there, in a good way. All the sights were well-maintained, easy to navigate, and there is so much to do. We happened to be there during Semana Santa, which was busy, but such a treat to experience.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I'm not big on grocery delivery, but Weee! is a godsend for Asian products. I love everything Bushwick has to offer, but it doesn't have a strong Asian community. Weee! is super convenient and affordable, compared to my current options, and I'll do a big order every few months to stock up on noodles, tofu, frozen dumplings, and the like.