Beets

I wrote an article on nature’s candy for Brooklyn Based. Below is an excerpt. Read the full story here and get a recipe from Brooklyn chef Kenneth Tufo for his Beet Tartare here. Photos by Kelsey Dickey.

Dark red slivers, tender and juicy, staining fresh greens and bleeding into creamy white cheese–this is the essence of a refreshing beet salad. The formula is simple and its popularity shows no signs of waning, even though the beet and goat cheese combo has become a menu cliche, much like the molten chocolate cake of the 80s and 90s….

Tamer Hamawi, owner of Colonie in Brooklyn Heights, has noticed that this hearty root vegetable (which he calls beetroot in his native Australia) is quite popular with the ladies. “We have a funny saying, ‘bitches love beets,’” Hamawi said while sitting by the bar at Colonie in the early afternoon. One of the hosts overheard and quickly said, “You can’t have them print that.” “Really?” Hamawi asked with a look of concern. “Why not? Is that not right to say?”