French bakery Beny’s Delice opened July 9 in Clinton Hill, joining restaurant Autour de Monde and wine shop Olivino on the increasingly Euro blocks of Fulton Street near Clinton Avenue. Owner David Benizeri was a caterer in New York and the south of France, and did a stint in the kitchen at Ten Bells before deciding it was time “to have a window on the street.” The former barbershop has a dark counter made of reclaimed wood, a shiny black tin ceiling, and four high stools for those who wish to dine in. The bakery is open daily between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Benizeri’s savory offerings reflect a Mediterranean influence. There’s pan bagna, bread filled with a mix of tuna, olives, cucumbers, boiled egg, radish, and other veggies (“like a Nicoise salad but without the potatoes,” he says); a selection of salads, classic jambeur (ham, cornichons, and butter on baguette); and a rotating selection of friands filled with things like spiced ground beef or pear and goat cheese. Tarik Slamani, Benizeri’s former catering collaborator, oversees the sweet side of the operation with a “very, very, traditional French” pastry case. Look for berry tartlettes, puffy religieuses filled with chocolate pastry cream, and a selection of madeleines and other small cookies packed to travel in tiny cellophane bags. Coffee is La Colombe and the bread comes from Pain d’Avignon.
Beny’s Delice, 903 Fulton St., nr. Clinton Ave., Clinton Hill; 646-704-1315.
