Lunch at Superfine

Over the years, I have tried to go to Superfine (126 Front St., at Pearl St., 718-243-9005) a number of times. It was either closed for vacation, there was a private party, or some other weirdness that prevented me from trying it out. Well, everything changed this past weekend, when the stars were aligned and Superfine was open when I went to have lunch (Brunch is only served on Sundays). We were given the Bar Menu which is limited - some soups, a sandwich or two, but no salads. The light is gorgeous with the late afternoon sun pouring in, and the space is interesting, with a bar right when you walk in, and seating up a few stairs to your right and at the rear.

We started with some Butternut Squash Soup. A rich orange color, it was thick, creamy and nicely flavored - a little earthy & nutty.



We then ordered two plates of assorted goodness to share. The Antipasto Plate came with segments of cauliflower, marinated slices of red pepper, Soppressata and the most amazing slices of portobello mushroom I've ever had! Three crusty slices of bread accompanied the plate as well with assorted olives in the middle.



The best however, was the Cheese Plate. Large slices of Manchego, dry, sharp Cheddar and the most buttery, creamy Brie in the world. It was heavenly. Slices of apple and pear joined the cheese and bread, as did a dollop of honey, which I thought was a nice touch. In the center sat a ramekin of roasted almonds. It was wonderful and easy to share.



I'm eager to get back here for the famed brunch, and maybe even for dinner. The bar looks like it'd be a fun spot to have a drink or two as well. Yay Superfine!

Cheese & Bread at The Clover Club

I had imbibed at The Clover Club (210 Smith St., between Butler St. Baltic St., 718-855-7939) before, but never had tried their food until recently. There were a bunch of items on the menu that caught my eye (like the homemade potato chips fried in duck fat and the deviled eggs served four different ways), but we stuck to a simple & traditional cheese & bread plate. With three cheeses and two breads, it's perfect for a light snack shared between two people. This night's plate came with a Gloucester (sharp, flaky), a Piave (nutty and complex) and a Rosso de Langa (a deliciously creamy Italian brie that you can get just down the road at Stinky Brooklyn).



There were slices of French bread and slices of a darker bread with raisins and walnuts that was a terrific match with the Rosso de Langa. The music was great (Ray Charles, Koko Taylor), and the drinks were tasty too (albeit a bit pricey). I chose the Mai Thai (Rum Agricole, White Rum, Lemongrass syrup, kafir lime leaves and lime juice) which was refreshing and a touch spicy. Gotta get back for those deviled eggs!

Dinner at The JakeWalk

So, The JakeWalk (282 Smith St., at the corner of Sackett St., 718-347-599-0294) has been around for a little while, and I kept walking by and would think, "Have to go there", but it took all this time to finally make it there. Boy, were we happily surprised. Our food was really good, and I really like how they have the place set up, with table inside and tables along the wall outside and a big hole cut into the wall so that it feels open and airy. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood. They have a long list of wines, a short list of beers and a number of interesting cocktails. I ordered the Brooklyn Rumble which is made with Rum, Lime, Framboise and Angostura Bitters. It was refreshing and tart, and ever so slightly sweet.



We started with one cheese and one meat. We picked the Fiore Sardo, a Pasteurized Sheep Milk & the Braesola, which I mentioned in a post last week. I told you it's my new favorite thing. The cheese was crumbly and rich, a bit nutty, and delicious. The braesola, well, it was fantastic. A bit sweeter than at Flatbush Farm, but wonderful with the cheese and fig jam!



We also got a salad of Mesclun Greens with pickled haricot verts. Phew, this was quite a mouth experience! Very vinegary, but I like that, and so tasty, with big croutons that helped cut the tangy haricot verts.



BUT, the dish of the evening was the Pulled Pork sandwich with pickles and Avocado Cole slaw. This was incredible. It was slightly sweet, like it had some maple syrup in it, and not smoky or BBQ-y at all. It was more like something my Italian grandmother would make, a slow, stewed pork, wonderfully flavored, tender, juicy and amazing. The spicy Dijon mustard cut through the sweetness and the pickles were nice but there weren't many of them so they kind of got lost amidst all that falling-apart meat. The bread was crusty and the slaw was really good. So creative with avocado instead of mayo, crunchy and flavorful, it was all eaten up!



I'll definitely go back to try some of the other stuff on the menu, like the venison sausage and maybe the fondue. I was told the meat was from an organic farm, but there was no signage on the menu.

The UnFancy Food Show

I SO love living and eating in Brooklyn! The best stuff is happening with food in this awesome borough of ours, and I got to see and sample some of it yesterday at the UnFancy Food Show, the 3rd Annual ode to home-style, local, and delicious food. Held in a narrow lot adjacent to the East River Bar on South 6th Street in Williamsburg, the UnFancy Food Show had it all, from meats to chocolates to cheeses and produce.

As I approached, the first display I saw was a display with crates full of gorgeous greens from the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint. You gotta check this place out! So cool right? Started by two dedicated sustainable food lovers and backed by the folks at GoodeGreen, their veggies will be going to restaurants like Marlow & Sons and will soon be sold at their own "farm stand". For more information email rooftopfarmer@gmail.com. Marlow & Sons also had a table just at the entrance to the main area where they were selling brisket and whitefish sandwiches. I opted for the homemade Brisket (made by Tom Mylan himself) with pickled onions and amazing sweet mustard from SchoolHouse Kitchen, a Brooklyn company that makes mustard, chutneys & dressings (you can purchase these savory seasonings at Marlow & Daughters). The sandwich was one of the best I've ever eaten - juicy, melty brisket, sharp, tangy onions, the softest bun and the mustard! Heaven! It also came with a spear of the spiciest pickle I've ever had, from McClure's Pickles who were also on hand.



Last year I bought a jar of McClure's relish which kept me happy for months - I used it on quesadillas, tuna sandwiches, and anything else I thought it'd be good with. Yum!

So, the place was packed, and full of samples of the tastiest treats from Liddabit Sweets (Jelly Candy made with Cucumber & Mint), Nunu Chocolates (Salty Caramels) and Mast Brothers Chocolates. There were also cheesemongers from Consider Bardwell Farm (which I often get at my local Farmer's Market - get their version of feta, you'll die!) as well as Cellars at Jasper Hill which had samples of an incredibly creamy Blue Cheese. The folks from Salvatore Ricotta were also there, and they were selling open-faced sandwiches with ricotta, thinly sliced prosciutto and a bit of arugula, drizzled with olive oil. These were incredible too - the creamy cheese went so well with the smoky meat, cut with the spicy green.



The prosciutto was being sliced before our eyes and the sandwiches were being sold as quickly as they were being made. I also got to try the salad mix sold by the Queens County Farm which included parsley & dill among the greens to make it flavorful and refreshing, nice after all that smoky, hearty meat! Check 'em out, they're co-hosting a Fourth of July Pig Roast & Camp Out weekend along with Brooklyn Based!

It was so great to see such a large turnout for the UnFancy Food Show, and to know that good quality, local & sustainable food is being sought out and demanded by more and more people.

Dinner at Roebling Tea Room

My BF & I took some of his family to the Roebling Tea Room (143 Roebling St., between Metropolitan & Hope, 718-963-0760) for dinner the other night, and we had such a lovely time. The space is so great; big and open with nice lighting and great wall paper with illustrations of horseback riders. It's such a special spot, and the food is terrific as well.

We started out with some appetizers, one of which was the Roasted Brie, which comes with two great big hunks of a dark, pumpernickel bread and was just incredible.



We also got the Beet Salad with mixed greens, apple slices, walnuts and the creamiest, most delicious Gorgonzola ever. Lightly coated with a tasty vinaigrette, it was so fresh and flavorful.



We also got the Meat and Cheese Plate. There were two kinds of hard salami and three cheeses. I'm not sure what the cheeses were, but one was like a white sheep's milk cheese, one was like Comte, so creamy & nutty and one was like a Gouda. Two big, fat radishes rested atop the dish next to a heaping spoonful of a delicious fig jam and capers were scattered about. This is a perfect dish to share with a few people.



We ordered the Journeyman's Steak with a Juniper Sauce as well. The sauce was incredible, tangy and savory, it livened up the meat in a nice way. The steak was a bit tough though, and therefore a bit chewy, but the sauce was great and made this dish.



It didn't come with any sides, so we ended up ordering an extra plate of the steamed kale which was also amazing. It had a lemony flavor to it, and went nicely with the meat and sauce. It did come with the Half Chicken that we got, but we wanted a little extra.



The chicken was great too. Free range, juicy and nicely roasted, it was meaty and substantial and nicely seasoned. As i said, the Roebling Tea Room is a really sweet place with great food, efficient servers and a rotating menu of seasonal specials and interesting combinations of ingredients.

Wine Tasting in Red Hook

A few weeks ago I was part of a small group of people who got to sample five new wines from the yet-to-be-named Red Hook winery. You read right, there's a winery in Red Hook, just across the street from the Six Point Brewery, with a number of whites and reds developing in their barrels, getting ready for their debut sometime in July. Brooklyn Based teamed up with the fellows who started the winery and presented a lovely wine-and-cheese pairing experience.

There were three whites and two reds, all made from grapes trucked into Red Hook from vineyards on Long Island. Each wine tasted so unique and different from the other, with distinct notes and flavors. I'm still learning about wine, so I can't go into too much detail, but I preferred the whites, and I'm usually a red wine drinker. Again, nothing was named, as the wines are still developing, but a lot of thought and love and effort went into creating them, I'm excited to see what the final products are like!



After the wine-tasting, the table was lavishly set up with yummy cheeses from Upstate and Long Island and slices of crusty bread as well as some smoked lox. Even though most of the food was not from Brooklyn, the experience was so wonderfully Brooklyn, it seemed a shame to not share it. At least most of it was from small NY farms! Although they were serving the incredible ricotta from Brooklyn's own Salvatore Ricotta. Spread on bread (it's also good with some honey drizzled on top) this is a delightful treat. That's it in the photo below, on the plate in the lower right corner.



The big platter to the left had my two favorite cheeses. In the lower left corner is the Cayuga Blue from the Lively Run Goat Dairy in the Finger Lakes region of new York. Delicious goat's milk blue cheese, creamy and tart and wonderful. The cheese in the upper right corner is the Sigit from the Mecox Bay Dairy in Bridgehampton, Long Island. This was a crumbly, dry aged cow-milk cheese, flavorful and yummy.



The two other cheeses were good too, but a little on the mellower side, and I like my cheeses strong! At the bottom is the Shusan Snow from 3 Corner Field Farm in Battenkill Valley, NY. Their version of Camembert made with sheep's milk, it was mid and creamy. At the top of the platter is the Eden from the Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie. Made with cow's milk and washed with apple cider, it has a pungent flavor and smell.

Keep your eyes out for this wine. Come summertime, everyone will be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

Meat & Cheese at Sample

I really like Sample, it's one of my favorite bars on Smith St. (152 Smith St., between Bergen St. and Wyckoff St., 718-643-6622). Not only do they have a wide variety of interesting cocktails and beer, but they have the tastiest little snacks including meats, cheeses, fish and pickled veggies. I went with a friend recently and the following is what we ate.



We ordered the Bresaola, aged dried beef that comes in big slices. It's chewy, like beef fruit leather, and it's marvelous. A bit salty, and earthy and really really good.



We also got come Piave Vecchio, a hard cow's milk cheese that's light and tangy and a dish of the marinated mushrooms, which were fresh, definitely not from a can, and perfectly pickled.



A few slices of apples and crusty bread are included to make for a delicious meal. It's my favorite way to eat actually - with a little bit of everything. Everything is of such good quality and like I said, the cocktails are great. I got the Latin Manhattan which is a twist on the classic drink. Instead of sweet vermouth and bitters it's Bourbon with Tamarind and Lime and it's absolutely delicious and unique. I whole heartedly recommend this place. AND, while we were there, the woman next to us was telling the bartender about an underground dinner party she had recently attended, so food fans of all stripes go there!

Spatzle & Soup at Flatbush Farm Bar(N)

I met a friend on a cold night recently for dinner at the bar next door to Flatbush Farm known as the Bar(N) (76 St. Marks Place, at 6th Avenue and Flatbush, 718-622-3276). I'm a fan primarily because they only serve seasonal fare and organic farm-raised meat, and local products as often as possible. The bar area feels like an old country home as it's decorated with with busted wooden crates and rusty farm tools. There's dark wood everywhere which makes it feel rustic, cozy, and relaxed which is nice.

We decided to eat at the bar and ordered a couple of items. We started with the Ploughman's Plate to share. This came with Cheddar Cheese, Cured Meats and slices of crusty French bread. There were two kinds of meat - one was a hard salami-type and one was closer to roast beef. Both were tasty and good, and the cheese was sharp and dry and delicious. It needed some mustard or jam though, as it was it was a bit lackluster.



I then chose the Spatzle with King Trumpet Mushroom Ragout and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Spatzle are a German style of dumplings usually made with egg. This was a fabulous dish, wonderfully seasoned and flavorful with meaty mushrooms in a creamy broth. I loved it and would go back just for this dish!



My friend ordered the French Onion Soup which was really good too. It wasn't drowning in melted cheese and seemed more delicate than how it's typically served. It was well-balanced, and had one big Gruyere crouton floating in the broth and chives sprinkled about adding to the flavor. Yum.



All in all it was a good outing. I'm curious about their burgers and grass-fed steak and may be back soon to try them out. Mangia!