Pic courtesy of TastingTable.com
Not really a mansion; more like a tiny cottage on the hill. Vinegar Hill, to be exact—one of the most startlingly quiet, out-of-the-way little neighborhoods in the city. Vinegar Hill House gets plenty of charm-mileage out of its setting, enough to forgive the sometimes inconsistent food. But even if every course may not be a home run, a night here is a night well spent. The short menu of Americana changes constantly, but you might luck into the fluffy chicken liver mousse with vinegary onions and pistachios, or the wood-fired tart topped with bacon, leeks, and scallops. The house feels like your own—if you lived in a little cottage on a tree-lined street, decorated it with quirky-ironic hillbilly knicknacks, hired a staff of friendly hipsters, and filled the dining room with locals and curious Manhattanites (but not the obtrusive kind).
Vinegar Hill House. 72 Hudson Ave. between Front and Water Sts., Dumbo; (718) 522-1018.
Prices/Features: MOD, DRNK (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)