'We Are Brooklyn': Hot Beef And Broth At Brennan & Carr
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - At Sheepshead Bay institution Brennan & Carr, not much has changed since the 1930s.
WEB EXTRA: Taking A Trip Through Time At McNulty's Tea And Coffee
"We're a very traditional place," said general manager Eddie Sullivan. "We'll hear, 'Oh, we're a little old school,' but we like being old school. We like being who we are."
The restaurant was built in 1938 by carpenters Edward Brennan and Edward Carr. Decades later, the Sullivan family took over.
As a kid, Sullivan helped set up at the restaurant in the morning. He took a full-time position at age eighteen.
"40 years later, I'm still here," he said.
WEB EXTRA: Nothing 'Less Than Perfect': Bagels Gone Old School At Shelsky's
The star of the menu is the roast beef sandwich, which gets drenched—bun and all—in a vat of beef broth before serving.
Sullivan says that the freshness of the ingredients defines the sandwich.
"We buy the best quality there is to be bought," he said. "The product should be perfect."
According to Sullivan, history and tradition are as indispensable as the broth.
"The customers that come in here, we have an outstanding relationship with just because we've been here so many years, and they've been loyal to us so many years," he said.
WEB EXTRA: Sahadi's: Brooklyn Grocery Welcomes Friends And Family For Four Generations
Although the restaurant has become a destination for tourists and the occasional celebrity, Sullivan says Brennan & Carr is devoted to its neighborhood.
"There's a lot of civil service people that work [in Brooklyn], sanitation, nurses, and fireman, and policemen, and construction," he said.
These are the people the restaurant aims to serve.
"We always say: We are Brooklyn."
WEB EXTRA: A Timeless Passion: 89-Year-Old Repairs Antique Clocks On Long Island
Brennan & Carr
3432 Nostrand Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 769-1254
What's something few people know about but everybody should? Whatever it is, Elle McLogan is tracking it down on The Dig. Join her hunt for treasures hidden across our area. Follow Elle on Twitter and Instagram.