Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Issue: Where can I go to get out of the cold in downtown Brooklyn and feel 100 miles away?

Winter is dragging along and sometimes I just want a brief escape from the cold and the court during lunch. I want a place where I can linger (But not past two, don't want to be late to intake!) to warm up. This place also needs to transport me up and out of Brooklyn.

Rule: There are a million places to eat within 10 blocks of the courthouses in downtown Brooklyn. However, many are packed with fellow lawyers and judges. And let me tell you, we lawyers love to gossip about those fellow lawyers and judges, so trying to eat a meal while surrounded by them does not make for a pleasant dining experience. Atlantic Avenue is close enough to be completely walkable, but far enough away that most lawyers and judges won't trek there for lunch. So I recently paid a visit to Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches on Atlantic, just off Smith.

Application: Nicky's is only a few brisk blocks from the courts, but it is filled with local residents on their lunch break, students and Mom's with their kids. On my last visit I did sit next to two lawyers who blabbed on about their firm, but that was my only encounter with law folk in any of my visits. The sun shines bright through the big front windows into the slighly underground restaurant. I can imagine on a rainy day it is even better and warmer and awesomer. Customers order at the front and in approximately 4-5 seconds a steaming, fragrant bowl of pho appears before you with cilantro, lime and Sriracha. It is easy to tuck into a corner of the small restaurant and focus on only the pho in front of you. There are only about 10 chairs available in the room, but it never feels crowded. The bowl of pho is gigantic with a plentiful side dish of additions to pour into the soup. The dish is served hot, but never burns. The bowl magically contains its heat throughout the entire lunch break.

The room is quiet and all other customers can be easily ignored. Perfect for a get away lunch in the middle of the day.

Conclusion: An easy escape from midday Brooklyn. Many of tables are one top or two tops, no loud groups of lawyers prepping their cases or complaining about judges sitting three tables away from them. If the pho is finished before the alloted break time is done, then a quick stroll up Atlantic to windowshop or grab a cupcake is totally warranted as a nice finishing touch a real lunch break.