A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining with my family at Roberta’s restaurant in Bushwick. Maybe because it’s in Bushwick, an “up and coming” neighborhood in Brooklyn, or maybe because a large majority of its clientele wears skinny jeans and thick rimmed glasses, Roberta’s has a reputation of being sort of a “hipster-haven.”  If you’re not sure of what a hipster is, or have never come across one in the wild, then (1) I applaud you, and (2) feel free to read up on them here.  One of my mom’s favorite activities whenever she comes to Brooklyn is to play “Hipster Spotting.”  Let me tell you, she had a field day at Roberta’s.  If you’d also like to play, it’s pretty easy.  In short, if you spot someone that falls into any of the following categories, chances are you probably “spotted a hipster”.   And no, these hipsters don’t count.

1. They saw the hot new popular band, well before they were cool, and now no longer listen to them because they’ve become too lamestream mainstream
2. They spend a significant amount of time in the morning styling their hair to make it look like they just woke up
3. They wear skinny jeans, flannel, boots in the middle of summer and thick-rimmed glasses (even though they have 20/20 vision).  No item of clothing on their body can match, this is a requirement.  Extra points if each item is from a different era.  For example, wearing their mother’s cut-off jean shorts from the 1970s (this is gender neutral), a flannel shirt from the 90s grunge era, and Tom’s and Ray Ban sunglasses to complete the look.
4. They live in Williamsburg or Greenpoint, and can also be spotted in their newly settled neighborhoods of Bushwick, Prospect Heights and even Astoria, Queens.
   1. If they live in Williamsburg, chances are it’s East Williamsburg, or they moved there well before the yuppies constructed the high rise condos on the waterfront
5. They belong to a kick ball league that plays every Saturday afternoon in McCarren Park.  They drink PBRs before, during and after each game.
6. They hate Manhatten, and only cross the river for their day job, or to see their favorite Indie band at Arlenes Grocery or Mercury Lounge.
7. They know every farm-to urban garden-to-table/roof-to-table restaurant in city
8. They’re self-proclaimed foodies, because they like to take lots of pictures of food and post on Instragram.

If you fall into just one of these categories, don’t worry you may or may not be a hipster.   You have to check off at least 4 or 5 to be classified as a true “hipster.”

Back to Roberta’s, surrounded by flannel and skinny jeans, my family and I had a truly memorable meal there.  Roberta’s specializes in local foods, some of which is grown right in their garden, and I had one of the best salads of my life – grilled peaches with purslane and Burrata cheese.  Since I don’t have a grill, and purslane can be hard to find outside of your local farmers market, I changed the salad up a bit to be a bit more grocery store friendly, although I still included microgreens to keep it just a bit “hipsterish.”  This really is the quintessential summer salad, and is perfect for a light dinner or side salad.

Sautéed Peaches with Microgreens and Burrata cheese

Adapted from Roberta’s

Serves 2 for main course, or 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 2 ripe peaches
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup microgreens (I used Sunflower microgreens)
• 1 pound baby Arugula
• 1/2 pound Burrata cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Recipe

Cut the peaches into wedges and add them to a medium bowl.  Mix with honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat until peaches are browned and warm.  In a bowl, mix the arugula, microgreens and peaches.  Add a splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pinch of salt and pepper.  To plate, place the greens and peaches onto a plate and dollop with cut up buratta cheese.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and serve while peaches are still warm.