Pic courtesy of No. 7
Best reasons to hit Fort Greene’s No. 7 Restaurant: You want to eat in a cozy, woodsy room (on a weeknight). You want to eat in a sexy, raucous room (on a weekend). You’re with a big-ish group and need a restaurant that can deal. If they tell you the wait is an hour or so—or “half an hour,” which, let’s be honest, means “an hour”—consider moving on or just grabbing a bite at the bar. This is the kind of place where you’ll be happiest if you’ve just accidentally stumbled in (fat chance, after all the buzz)—and if you’re not made to wait forever for food that can be inconsistent. Chef Tyler Kord takes all kinds of chances with his eclectic Mediterranean-Asian menu, and when he pulls them off it’s like watching a stunt show: Take the fried broccoli with dill, grapefruit, and black beans (what? but it works). Ditto the grilled wagyu steak with edamame puree, blueberries, and escarole, a surprisingly effective combo, albeit taken too far with the heavy-handed yuzu-chili gnocchi on the side. If the desserts sound too overwrought—sweet-corn French toast with chili-pineapple marmalade and horchata?—walk down the block to the Fort Greene classic Cake Man Raven for a big fat slice of red velvet cake.
No. 7 Restaurant. 7 Greene Ave. at Fulton St.; (718-522-6370).
Prices/Features: MOD, DRNK, VGT, GRP (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)