It doesn’t matter what language you speak, a nice, cold beer is the perfect remedy for a muggy, looks-like-it’s-going-to-rain-for-the-thousandth-time kind of day. Instead of cursing Mother Nature, swing by Eagle Provisions in Brooklyn’s South Slope and pick up one of the 1,500 brews in stock. Then sit back, prop your feet up, pop open that can/bottle/keg and let the cool, bubbly liquid take you away to a happier climate.

Known to many as “The Old White Eagle Market,” this grocery and delicatessen offers an impressive stash of imported European goods, fresh baked breads and kielbasa, but in the summertime I just can’t get past the beer. Everyone–from die-hard beer connoisseurs to those drawn to bottles with cute labels–can find what they’re looking for here. And don’t be mislead by the small offering of beer up by the front registers–there’s a whole beer room to your right! The selection can be a bit daunting, but friendly owner John Zawisny will eagerly help you navigate the stock and point out his current favorites. John and his brother Richard have been at the business for 30 years and watched the clientele (and their requests) change dramatically. more…

If the busy storefront windows at Sahadi’s, on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, don’t appeal to your minimalist leanings, just get over it. You’re going to love this place, even if it takes you years to try all the products. The narrow aisles form a sort of labyrinth through the cramped space, where at every turn you’ll discover bins and jars of dried fruits and nuts or refrigerator cases full of cheeses. This is the place to buy anything you could ever want to eat from the Middle East, along with a healthy dose of European specialty goods.

When I asked the man in charge of the olive bar how many varieties he sold, he did some quick mental math and came up with an estimate.

“Thirty-four?” he said as he scooped a heap of shriveled, oily, black, Moroccan olives into a plastic container. more…

Once you’ve trekked down to Sheepshead Bay and stumbled through the fresh fruit and veggie market at 1414 Sheepshead Bay Road, you’ll discover at the back of the room what looks like your typical, automated doorway into a supermarket. But this is no ordinary grocery store.

“A baza is so much more than a market,” said Karina Ioffee, a journalism student of Russian decent. According to her mom, “It’s where you went for the stuff that just didn’t exist in other stores, like a depot.”

Her mom couldn’t be more on the money.

As I wandered through the aisles, admiring neatly stocked shelves of Eastern European products, I found myself suddenly starving…and wishing I could read a Slavic language. I deciphered most of the jam flavors with the help of the fruit illustrations on the labels, but the meat was another story.

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