April 21, 2008

Brooklyn Gets 5 Nods in TONY's Eat Out Awards

We're pretty late to the party on this one, but in last week's Time Out New York, five Brooklyn establishments got shout-outs in the mag's annual eat out awards. Three Brooklyn restaurants/bars were singled out in the readers' choice section, and two in the critics' choice. These are the places that nabbed awards, along with TONY verbiage on the spots:

Readers' Choice Picks:

Best neighborhood bistro
Bar Tabac
Other nominees: L’Absinthe, La Sirène, Régate
Though bistros sprout up as routinely as Duane Reades, this convivial den of steak frites, laid-back Brooklynites and Francophile charm is foremost in your affections. Tabac is Boerum Hill’s beacon because it embodies the bistro ideal: Everyone is welcome. Kitschy Pernod signs, weathered wood and brass aplenty—not to mention the hot live jazz—help set the warm and festive mood. Hefty portions of French comfort classics, such as coq au vin and trout amandine, are superaffordable and, most importantly, available long past midnight. 128 Smith Street, Boerum Hill.

Best new Brooklyn restaurant
Alchemy
Other nominees: Elementi, Fette Sau, Hibino
Medieval alchemists tried turning lead into gold. Park Slope’s Alchemy transformed a hardware store into a London-style gastropub, and you’ve deemed it Brooklyn’s preeminent new eatery. The formula is simple: Fill a brick-and-weathered-wood room with deep booths and filament bulbs, toss in locally brewed beer, add a secluded backyard and fashion lofty pub grub that rivals the fare at the Spotted Pig. Curried fried calamari and tempura-crunchy fish-and-chips appease the hunger of Brooklynites from lunch to late night, while Guinness-flavored pancakes set the gold standard at breakfast. 56 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope.

Best new bar
Huckleberry Bar
Other nominees: B Flat, The Gutter, Smith & Mills
The name says it all: To be a huckleberry is to be the right one for the job, and Huckleberry Bar is just that. Owners Andrew Boggs and Stephanie Schneider have created an experience that will satisfy any boozer’s desire: choice beers, an ace wine selection, serious cocktails and respectable eats. Every detail, down to a DJ who adjusts the soundtrack to fit the crowd and hour, is tailored to give you what you want. They got it right—and you rewarded them. 588 Grand Street, Williamsburg.

After the jump, Brooklyn's two critics' choice winners....

Critics' Choice Picks:

Best melting-pot cuisine
Korhogo 126
Fusion-fueled restaurants have been with us for a long time, for better and for worse. Often the greatest successes are the combinations that aren’t forced, but are rather logical conclusions of shared histories. Korhogo 126—which served straight-up Gallic cuisine when it was Bouillabaisse 126—is such a place. Chef Abdhul Traore, from the former French colony Côte d’Ivoire, effortlessly blends the foods of his fatherland with classic techniques and flavors: France’s beloved escargots are cooked in a spiced Pernod–red wine sauce, and seafood stewed in a lightly peppered tomato broth pays homage to legendary Ivorian and French fish soups. Food this delicious can’t excuse colonialism, but at least something good came out of it. 126 Union Street, Carroll Gardens West.

Best highway to gout
Fette Sau
With a name that’s German for “fat pig,” it seems only fitting that TONY’s salute to culinary hedonism goes to Billyburg’s premier ’cue spot. Locals and destination gluttons throw caloric caution to the wind at the cafeteria-like food station, where a simple flick of the index finger can result in piles of grilled pastrami, ribs with meat that clings tenuously to the bone, and heart-stopping sides such as baked beans with burnt ends and monstrous sour pickles. (All washed down with a nice jug of Kelso lager.) The place can get crowded, so mind your neighbor’s toes—especially the swollen ones. 354 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg.

Eat Out Awards 2008 [TONY]
Photos, clockwise from top left: Fette Sau by noneck; Radegast by ultraclay; Tabac by Matt MacDonald; Alchemy by scaredy_kat.

Posted by Gabby at 9:52 AM | Comments (16)
Categories: Food and Drink

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