A Late Summer (or Anytime) Supper

Steak sandwiches, simple sides, and something cold and lemony for dessert

Hello and happy Sunday from Brooklyn at her best — eighty degrees, cloudless skies, happy people. These are the days when my neighborhood feels like a simulation, full of goofy fluffball dogs and sweet young families. It’s the kind of weather that makes it hard to imagine living anywhere else, and easy to forget the other ninety-nine percent of the year. I’m sure my sense of Brooklyn supremacy is amplified by the fact that I’m writing this from Cobble Hill Park, one of my favorite places on earth, sitting on a forest-green bench beneath a leafy tree and admiring the herringbone-patterned brick walkway dappled with light.

Yesterday morning, I met up with

Sara Keene

(a Substack friend!) in Prospect Park, where we sipped coffee from Winner in the Park and shared pastries from Otway (arguably my favorite bakery in the city): a cardamom bun, a sausage roll, and a kimchi bun. Like me, Sara’s always writing and making art and thinking about how to build a sustainable creative career. When we hang out, we spend most of our time scheming and brainstorming ways to do what we love while still paying the rent. I joked that we should set up an AI notetaker before we start chatting so we’d get an email afterwards with the key takeaways and action points. Meeting and talking with Sara, along with other food writers, chefs, illustrators, and creatives, has opened my eyes to the value of building a network and connecting with peers and mentors in the field.

August in Brooklyn! L: Cobble Hill Park, R: Otway Bakery

Today, I’m sharing a simple menu that feels fresh and relaxed for late summer, yet works in any season, made with grocery store staples available year-round. At its center are steak sandwiches on toasted ciabatta with herby mayo, arugula, and pickled onions, which is exactly the sort of thing I want to eat when I’m hungry and tired after a day in the sun. And it’s your lucky day: I made a silly little video of the cooking process, complete with Teo’s and my muffled giggles throughout. You can watch it on Instagram with music or below the paywall without, alongside the recipes.

Thank you for indulging this lengthy, old-school Dish-style diary entry of an intro, and here we go. Steak sandwiches and sides for dinner!

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