salmaland.com » BK:Fort Greene

BK/Fort Greene: Walter’s

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:29:11 +0000

Is there a mysterious underground tunnel between Fort Greene and Williamsburg? (Besides the regrettable G, aka Ghost Train)? How else to explain the influx of Williamsburg restaurants into the neighborhood? No one is complaining so far though, especially as long as Fort Greene doesn’t actually turn into Williamsburg; one is enough, non? Cutting to the chase: Walter’s is the latest Wburg outpost to open along DeKalb Avenue, and yes, it’s helping to ratchet up the food scene here, at long last. Finally, a place to get a dozen great oysters and a Bloody Mary, or one of the heartier offerings from the fairly straight-ahead, intuitive Americana menu: a short-rib burger, fried chicken, a grilled bar steak, a seaf00d-loaded fisherman’s stew. Of course those all come with very-now flourishes: That burger sits on a brioche bun, with the inevitable bacon slab; the fried chicken is laced with spicy honey; the bar steak has a chimichurri sauce. But retro garlic mashed potatoes are rife all over the menu too, as is horseradish sauce (on the flashback French Dip sandwich). Just in for a snack? The bar menu pretty much nails it: deviled eggs, duck buns, spicy wings, and a luscious Dark and Stormy.

Walter’s. 166 DeKalb Ave. at Cumberland St.; (718-488-7800).

Prices/Features. Moderately Priced/Drink Destination

BK/Fort Greene: Roman’s

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:08:21 +0000

The once restaurant-starved Fort Greene got a little piece of the action when Roman’s opened—serving not just scenesters loyal to the owners’ Williamsburg holdings (Diner, Marlow & Sons, et al) but mainly neighborhood locals who just want excellent food in a fun room, full stop. The short, constantly changing menu of beautifully rendered rustic Italian dishes makes it hard to choose (linguini with sardines; fusilli with pork sausage; a salad of oranges with chiles and mint; Tuscan kale with anchovy dressing and parmigiano) and the bar is an appealing, comfortable place to eat or drink. All this conspires to turn first-timers into regulars. Yeah, the place gets slammed, and you’ll wait for your table most of the time. Wish that weren’t so, but that’s the world we live in, in New York, in 2012.

Roman’s. 243 DeKalb Ave. between Claremont and Vanderbilt Aves.; (718-622-5300).

Prices/Features. Moderately Priced/Drink Destination

Brooklyn/Fort Greene: No. 7 Restaurant

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:55:56 +0000

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. The pyrotechics continue, this time with sandwiches, at the owners’ new No. 7 Sub shop at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan.

No. 7 Restaurant. 7 Greene Ave. at Fulton St.; (718-522-6370).

Prices/Features: Moderately Priced/Drink Destination/Vegetarian-Friendly/Good for Groups

Brooklyn/Fort Greene: The Smoke Joint

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:55:44 +0000

Pic courtesy of The Smoke Joint

Waiting half an hour or more for a table at this barbecue joint isn’t such a drag when you can taste your way around the impressively serious bourbon list (which includes cult favorites like Elijah Craig and Pappy Van Winkle, and roughly two dozen more well-curated, often hard-to-find bourbons, plus a dozen rye and American whiskeys). If you’re headed to BAM and about to run late, you can always skip the table and order your meat at the bar. As NYC barbecue places go, The Smoke Joint is pretty reliable. No, the state of Texas doesn’t have anything to worry about, nor do Kansas City or St. Louis or North Carolina (no real competition anywhere in these parts). But for carnivorous or soul-food cravings—and pre-BAM pitstops—the Smoke Joint does the job admirably, with 12-hour-smoked pulled pork (which you can also have on top of the Black Angus hot dog), smoky collard greens, spicy fries, and meaty barbecued beans.

The Smoke Joint. 87 S. Elliot Pl. at Fulton St.; (718) 797-1011

Prices/Features: Cheap/Drink Destination