People often ask if I find it annoying when people tell me of their Finds … my answer is a resounding NO, I think it is great and happy to give credit where credit is due! Everyone is a Finder in their own way.

This weeks Find hits the perfect high note (even though I can’t) and is a recommendation from the owner of Pizza Moto, featured in a recent Find…

Insa, Korean BBQ & Karaoke
328 Douglass St Brooklyn, NY 11217

Insa literally means Greetings in Korean and that is exactly what this place does. It is a restaurant produced with love by chef Sohui Kim and her husband Ben Schneider who saw a need for quality Korean food and Karaoke in Brooklyn (of course). Kim has serious restaurant creds (Blue Hill and Annisa) and along with Ben owns The Good Fork in Brooklyn, another gem. Ben literally created Insa’s beautiful space with his vision and his own hands, and it just opened in December.

First and foremost, the food is incredible! It covers traditional Korean table dishes (the dumplings and seafood/scallion pancake were incredible) and rice and noodle dishes (amazing Bibimbap). This restaurant then goes the extra mile and has a table BBQ as well as traditional stews.

Then there is the karaoke which is always great, whether you sound like Adele or Kermit the Frog. They have 5 rooms ranging from 10-22 people and you can eat everything there other than the table BBQ; however, I would recommend that you eat in the restaurant and order drinks to the karaoke room afterward to focus on singing! The themed rooms (psychedelic, jungle, deep sea and space odyssey) are very comfortable and of course include some key props. What’s your go to Karaoke song, you know you have one … mine is Barry White’s “Can’t Get enough of your Love, Babe” (only a few people got up to go to the bathroom during my rendition).

Ample Hills Creamery
305 Nevins St. Brooklyn, NY 11215
Sun – Thurs open until 10pm, Fri & Sat open until 11pm

Ample Hills may be the best ice cream in the New York City. Yes, I said it, the best ice cream in the city! After a night of spicy Korean BBQ and singing, you most definitely need to save room for dessert and soothe your vocal chords.

Named Ample Hills after a line in Walt Whitman’s poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, this ice cream shop is quintessential new age Brooklyn (homemade, organic and sustainable). Founded by novice entrepreneurs in 2011 who wanted to bring the cows (and Manhattanites!) back to Brooklyn and make ice cream the old fashioned way.

The ice cream flavors are insane! Just to name a few of my favorites:
Ooey Gooey Butter Cake: The creamiest vanilla ice cream with hunks of St. Louis-style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
The Munchies: Pretzel-infused ice cream with clusters of Ritz crackers, potato chips, pretzels and mini M&Ms
Snap Marshmallow Pop: A deconstructed rice krispie treat: made with marshmallow ice cream and buttery Rice Krispie clusters.

For all you Non New Yorkers, or for the laziest of locals, they do ship, so goodbye Cincinnati’s Graeters and hello Brooklyn’s Ample Hills; you won’t regret it (but your ass may).

Consider K&K an alternative to R&R in the new year, and Insa and Ample Hills Found!

Forget the R&R, you need some K&K!