Pic courtesy of DuMont
Hard to imagine how any restaurant could get the essence of comfort food better than DuMont. It’s not just because of the squarely meat-and-potatoes-oriented menu (with a little pasta and seafood thrown in). It’s also because eating here is, most of the time, a fairly low-maintenance, low-headache proposition. Sit inside or in the back garden, and dive into the healthy (well, hearty if not exactly healthy) mac and cheese, made with three cheeses and studded with bacon; or the roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes; or the hanger steak with boulanger potatoes and bordelaise sauce. You get the picture. Even the sautéed skate comes with mashed potatoes, along with its roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic. The burgers here are classic; juicy and just right, with no-nonsense toppings like lettuce, tomato, and pickles (you can add cheese and bacon), and fries on the side, of course.The most imaginative menu in New York City? Hardly, but it’s not trying to be. For more burger options, head to the smaller spinoff Dumont Burger. And for a slightly dressier experience—similar locavore-American sensibility, but with more frills, not to mention more seafood—the owners also run Dressler nearby.
Dumont. 432 Union Ave. between Metropolitan Ave. and Devoe St., Williamsburg; (718) 486-7717.
Prices/Features: MOD (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)