Lobster Rolls and Key Lime Pie in Red Hook

When you think of Red Hook, your first thought might be deserted warehouses, lack of subway access and IKEA. But Red Hook is so much more - it's a relaxed neighborhood full of culinary delights, good bars and scenic spots to chill out overlooking the water.

I visited Red Hook with a group of friends on a recent sunny afternoon, on a quest for lobster rolls and key lime pie. Our first stop was the Red Hook Lobster Pound, manned by this kid who was not afraid to dive right into the lobster tank to show us dinner.

Red Hook Lobster Pound is located at 284 Van Brunt Street - directions are on the website. Our cashier (above, with lobster) offered us the choice of a Maine-style lobster roll (with mayonnaise) or Connecticut-style (with butter.) Most of us choose Maine style per his recommendation, featured below. Delicious!

Since the Lobster Pound does not have seating, we decided to eat at a beautiful little park on the Hudson with views of the Statue of Liberty - Louis Valentino Jr. Park, about a 10 minute walk from the Lobster Pound. This park is very empty, quiet and peaceful, and has a nice, long pier that one can apparently fish on.

Following the park, we made our way to Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie at 204 Van Dyke Street, about a 5 minute walk away.

The Key Lime Pie was amazing, especially this frozen key lime pie on a stick dipped in Belgian dark chocolate, which is called The Swingle. It is an absolute must have!!

After we were practically in a food coma, we decided it was time for some booze. Our first stop was a lovely little wine shop Botta di Vino at 357 Van Brunt Street, where we happened upon a wine tasting. Looks like there are tastings all day on Saturdays, and the staff was extremely friendly and gave us some generous samples.

Finally, we ended our day in this wonderful garden in the back of Home/Made on 293 Van Brunt Street. They have a great wine list (not that I am an expert, but there were lots of choices) and we enjoyed several bottles of chilled white wine on a warm summer day.

We all left our Red Hook adventure feeling like we had truly escaped from New York City, even though we technically hadn't. Red Hook is a low-key, friendly place to enjoy a sunny afternoon.