Outdoor Eateries

It's full-on spring in the 'hood, and the cats over at Brooklyn Based have a great piece up on some of the best places to eat and drink in Brooklyn while sitting outside. Specifically:

Red Bamboo, Chez Oscar, Sushi D, corner Adelphi and DeKalb, Fort Greene

When this corner is jam-packed with outdoor diners, you know it’s spring. For drinks only, try Red Bamboo’s shaded front patio.

I've never been a huge fan of Sushi D, but it's not awful, and I do like Red Bamboo and Chez Oscar a whole lot. Our new favorite watering hole, Rustik, has an outdoor seating area out back that's been great since the weather got nice.

What are your favorite places to eat, drink, and get some sun?

More Rustik

Am I posting too much about Rustik? Maybe, but since I haven't had much time at all to cook or eat out anywhere else lately, it's all I've got. In any event, Clinton Hill Blog finally got a chance to stop in and give it a write-up, and their impressions pretty much jive with our own. Bed Stuy Blog was there even before we were and also seemed to like it.

Seriously, if you're in the neighborhood, check the place out.

Information:

Rustik Tavern
471 DeKalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY
347.906.9700
http://www.rustiktavern.com/

Google Map

New Favorite Hangover Food

Hope everyone had a great three-day weekend. We tied more than a few on during our respite, and twice were in dire need of foodstuffs the morning after. My new favorite Food for Those With Hangover™ is Bergen Bagels. It's hardly a secret to anyone around here, and I've been a fan of their bagels since I moved here. I didn't know (or had forgotten), that they delivered, but on Saturday (and again on Sunday), we gave them a try. Mick had nothing interesting - ham, egg, and cheese on a toasted everything bagel. I tried the reuben (decent but unspectacular) as well as the toasted monte cristo panini. We also tried the Russian panini.

The monte cristo is fantastic. Seriously, order one right now. It's my new favorite thing.

Oh, and one of the hangovers was partially caused by a Friday night at Rustik. We tried the wings and the pizza this time, and both were pretty good. The wings expecially are worth it - they're huge.

Information:

Bergen Bagels
486 Myrtle Ave
718.798.9300
Google Map

Rustik is Here!

We've been waiting anxiously for Rustik to finally open for real, and last night we got our first chance to stop in. The closet bar to us is Sputnik, and I've never really been a huge fan - it's all right, but I've been hoping for a while to have a nice watering hole nearby that would be fun to hang out after work or after going out on weekends. Rustik's perfect.

The space inside is open and inviting, and the decor is very classy - lots of wood and brick. There are shelves with old issues of National Geographic along with an old piano in the back. There's also a great outdoor garden space with a fire pit that will apparently be used for grilling in the warmer months.

Their beer selection is pretty good (Blue Moon on tap suits me just fine), and the bartender Ryan promised that they'd be rotating a few of the beers on tap from time to time. One interesting tidbit is that they don't have any Brooklyn Brewery beer, which is fine with me since while it's all right, you can get it at every grocery store and crappy bodega anywhere in Brooklyn. They've also got a decent wine selection for a bar.

I was surprised that they had a kitchen, and since we hasn't eaten, we ordered dinner. I had the Butcherboy Burgers - three ground turkey sliders stuffed with blue cheesed and topped with sauteed onions and served with greens. Mick had the Clinton Hill chili, also made with ground turkey (that seems to be a theme here). I would have liked it to be a bit spicier, but it was very good. Everything on the menu seems priced reasonably, and there's a lot of thigns I want to try - especially the nachos, which I'll have next time. Lots of the menu items are named for nearby streets which is a bit kitschy, but a fun way to make the place feel local.

We got a chance to talk at length with the owner, Frantz, whose goal with Rustik was to bring an old-fashioned tavern to the neighborhood. Their website boasts that Rustik is the best bar in Clinton Hill, and even if I didn't live literally around the corner I'd be inclined to agree. If you're anywhere nearby, do yourself a favor and stop in. My first impression of Rustik is that it's a really special place, and our neighborhood is much better for having it.

Information:

Rustik Tavern
471 DeKalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY
347.906.9700
http://www.rustiktavern.com/

Google Map

Also, dogs love snow.