Brooklyn, Baby!

Khao Sarn

A short walk from central Williamsburg is the humble Khao Sarn. The interior may be bare, but open the menu and a rich assortment of Thai dishes awaits you. Begin with the Khao Sam, a dumpling foursome stuffed with a sweet mixture of shallots, peanuts, and radish. Or try the Moo-Tod, a sweetly marinated fried pork dish. As an entrée, the spicy papaya salad on the Som Tom Platter left even my Thai dining partner reaching for her Singha. Fortunately, the accompanying sun-dried beef with sticky rice provided a sweet counterpart. A few dish names, like Volcanic Shrimp and Mr. White Man tofu salad, are the only forms of kitsch at Khao Sarn. Everything else, down to the fried banana dessert, is true Thai.

 

Les Babouches

Historically a working-class Irish-Italian neighborhood, Bay Ridge is known for its Italian restaurants. Those who flock there simply to slurp carbonara sauce, however, are overlooking one of Brooklyn’s best kept secrets. Les Babouches is the latest addition to the neighborhood’s formidable collection of Arab eateries. Les Babouches offers traditional foods such as shish kebabs, kefta kebabs, and merguez sausages, but the real gem on the menu is the Moroccan cuisine. The list of appetizers offers a variety of traditional Moroccan salads, all of which come slathered in olive oil. For the particularly adventurous, try the chicken bastella, a phyllo dough pie baked to a crisp and stuffed with shredded chicken floating in a rich, creamy egg sauce. The couscous is sweet and buttery, a good complement to any meal.

 

Foodswings

Vegan fast food paradise is just a hop, skip, and a 30- to 40-minute jump from Columbia. Located in the hipster-filled Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, Foodswings features assorted reasonably priced vegan salads, burgers, sandwiches, soups, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts.

The “Pu Pu Platter” offers the best of Foodswings—Sea Styx, No Chicken Nuggets, and one of each of the amazing drumsticks, which come on “bones,” mini wooden shish kabab sticks. They and all the other “meat” products have that hearty, tear-it off-with-your-teeth meat-like texture that is so absent from most vegetarian “chicken” and “fish.”

The brightly painted atmosphere is topped off by angry-girl music and staff and patrons who are artsy, tattooed, and pierced, in a vegan outreach kind of way.

 

Sweetwater Restaurant

Mere blocks from the Bedford stop on the L, Sweetwater Restaurant is nestled in the midst of Williamsburg’s hipster haunts. Formerly Sweetwater Tavern, the erstwhile dive bar has traded in its pool table and scuzzy bathrooms for a genteel yet homey atmosphere. Pressed tin ceilings and dimly lit sconces set the mood in the retro dining room, where couples cluster in claret-colored booths. The menu combines the earthy flavors of German comfort food like schnitzel with the more elegant French bistro fare of mussels steamed in beer broth. The homemade pea soup, smoky and reminiscent of Indian dahl, is a perfect example of how Sweetwater balances subtly inventive flavors with the appeal of familiar favorites. Though à la carte dishes are affordable, those who indulge in appetizers, dessert, and wine or beer with their meals should expect to shell out a hefty sum.

 

SEA

The entrance of SEA brings your mind straight to the Meatpacking District with its 7,500 square feet of space, bubble-like egg chairs suspended in mid-air, a reflecting pool surrounded by tables for two, two bars, a DJ, and an overseeing Buddha. The décor, bordering on kitsch, is very conducive to a loud, fun crowd. Best of all, SEA is refreshingly inexpensive considering the locale and the delicacies served there. The best dishes are the appetizers, all ranging from $3 to $5. The menu offers martini shrimp—four shrimp wrapped in rice paper, fried, and covered with a honey-chili sauce, excellent dried shredded beef, a green papaya salad, and a great lemongrass-infused tom yum soup.

 

Grimaldi's

The line down the block can’t be wrong. With Zagat rating its pizza the best in the city for seven years running, locals and tourists alike descend in droves to dine beneath the Brooklyn Bridge at Grimaldi’s. The legal battle that founder Patsy Grimaldi endured over the naming of this landmark is legendary, but since 1996 the green awning outside has borne the name that draws the crowds to Brooklyn Heights. The prices are on the high end for a pizza joint but a small pie easily feeds two starving college students. The crust here is key. The coal-fired oven brings it to a perfect crisp, and the cooks are sure to slather it with olive oil. The toppings, especially the fresh mozzarella, are all top notch, and the in-house tomato sauce avoids the sogginess that fells so many pies. Also try the white pizza, made with ricotta so rich that it is hardly ever exported out of the borough.

 

Juniors

Junior’s cheesecake can be described as creamy, smooth, or even orgasmic. Beyond the well-loved cheesecake with a sponge crust, the friendly service and the more-than-decent diner food make the trip well worth it. Their Web site calls it the “most fabulous cheesecake,” their menu says it’s “world famous,” and customers have referred to it as “out of this world” or simply “incredible.” So grab five bucks and go taste it for yourself. But go on an empty stomach, because the rest of the food is just as good (even the pickles).

 

Thai Row

In Williamsburg, a cluster of Thai restaurants have become blazing symbols for the neighborhood—a steely, chic, extravagant aesthetic that puts Apple’s industrial design team in the nursing home. Three sexed-up locales inhabit the tightly packed stomping grounds of Bedford Avenue and its environs. For ethnic food gone hipster, they are the best of Brooklyn.

Together, Planet Thailand, Chai, and Tai Thai are somewhat of a phenomenon. With similar menus just seconds from each other, their ability to stay in business at the same time is a wonder. But still, each brings something unique to the table, so to speak.

Planet Thailand has a rowboat suspended from the ceiling, with water spilling out of it. Half-imbedded glass bottles shine out from the bar, backlit and arranged to look like flowers. The 250-item menu is “modern Thai” with sushi.

Designed by owner Futoshi Fukuda, Chai is a quaint destination, with orchids floating around a circular pool and an iBook at the bar to match the white plastic countertop. The menu looks excellent, not least of all the explanatory note, “steamed is another way to respect ingredients.”

Tai Thai is the least wild inside. But it occupies an important niche with its BYOB policy, and the food is excellent.

 

Relishing the Diner

Come and eat on the countertop where Kelis squirmed and sang, “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”—you won’t regret it. Director Jake Nava was smart to bring his scantily clad diva to Relish, the hottest diner in Williamsburg, packed full of brushed chrome, art deco décor, and urbane fare. Located across from a motorcycle chop-shop on Wythe Avenue, Relish looks like an old-school greasy spoon. Don’t worry, though. This isn’t middle America—it’s still Brooklyn. Inside, dine on warm goat cheese salad and roasted sea scallops. Milkshakes come in chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry.

While Relish is both famous and fancy, the town’s better kept secret is under the Williamsburg Bridge. The aptly named Diner occupies a charmingly funky hovel in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Brunch is highly recommended as Chef Caroline Fidanza serves up real comfort foods like cinnamon toast and pancakes. Almost more beautiful than Diner’s hipster clientele is the sight of the oozing chocolate sandwich.