About Brooklyn's Bath Beach

Luke Constantino| February, 27th 2010

You don’t see too many Sicilian restaurants around, so I waited for this one to open. The Bath Beach section of Brooklyn (especially Bath Avenue) is not known for gourmet food. It is a residential area with many small “mom & pop shops” that fit the necessities of life here. As soon as I walked into Bella Sicilia, I felt good. It has a simple décor with traditional Italian mandolin music playing in the background. Anthony (the owner) is a very warm and inviting host.

We started with the grilled octopus and calamari as an antipasti appetizer. The octopus came with a butter sauce and the calamari with a delicious marinara sauce, both cooked to perfection. As a pasta course, I tried the “linguine caprese,” a simple sauce dish made semolina pasta, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, which was delicious! Our main courses were Chicken Siciliana and a medium rare skirt steak. The chicken was plated nicely, and it was tender and covered with a sauce, which resembled a vodka sauce that was very good! I’m pretty picky when it comes to steak, but this was grilled properly. You can taste the true steak (which I like) instead of it being over- seasoned.

Anthony recommended we try “The Chocolate Calzone” for dessert. I was slightly skeptical. Being Italian myself, I never heard of chocolate in a calzone. This thing was so sinfully wrong I had to laugh and eat the whole thing! You cannot beat a chocolate calzone with a cup of Lavazza espresso!

The place is crowded at times, so it’s best to call first. The menu here is simple, but the food -- exceptional! This is one of the last restaurants I know of where the family not only runs it, but cooks the traditional meals. If you want a comfortable good meal, this is the place to go!

Luke Constantino | January 23, 2010

Big Nick's 99 Cent Discount 1669 Bath Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214-4509

It’s the middle of the day, you’re hungry, but you don’t feel like pizza or Chinese food… Where do you go in Bath Beach? Nick’s Discount Store! No, I’m not crazy, this guy has everything! Go in and ask for a “Big Nicky’s $5.50 special” which consists of any kind of hero sandwich you want (Boars Head cold cuts, meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, etc), a soda and a bag of chips!

Nicky bagging a gallon of milk for a customer

You’re not going to find a place that sells a gallon of milk for $2.69 that easy, unless you come here. From cookies, ice cream and Italian bread to stationary, tools, household items and cleaner Nicky has been a fixture in The Bath Beach area for many years. Everyone comes here from the neighborhood. If you haven’t been to Nick’s Discount store, you don’t live here!

It’s amazing how he knows almost everyone’s name that comes through the door, young and old. Nicky gives out candy in front of his store every Halloween to the neighborhood children (And adults), hot dogs and potato salad on The Fourth of July and makes his good friend Eugene (A well known neighborhood guy) dress up as Santa Clause for the Christmas season.

Usually there’s a conversation about sports, a current event or what’s new in the neighborhood going on anytime you walk in. Some people stay and never want to leave! Not only do you get really good deals here, you get a sense of what Bath Beach is all about. Nicky lets you know it’s all about good food, good discounts and the most important thing, good people.

So drop by sometime, grab a cup of coffee and say hello. You’ll be glad you did!