Rye
"The whiff of the hipster at Rye is undeniable—note the mismatched flea-market tableware, the salvaged turn-of-the-20th-century decor, the signless exterior," says Time Out New York of the restaurant opened by former Dressler and DuMont chef Cal Elliott. But Carey Jones for Serious Eats is a fan of Rye's "braised short rib sandwich ($8), substantial enough to be a meal in itself, its sultry flavor lightened by a fresh onion jam. Simplicity is not a hallmark of Rye’s kitchen, but it’s the more focused dishes that come out on top."
And Frank Bruni for the New York Times writes, "The real point of Rye is its cocktails, some of which come with the currently fashionable allotment of one large cube of ice, all of which can be savored at a long, gorgeous mahogany bar that visually dominates the dining room. To that end there is, wisely, a menu category for snacks... And a meatloaf sandwich listed with them is a snack the way Godzilla is a garden lizard." How would you rate Rye?
Reviews (10)
eatbrooklynfood wrote a review on October 27, 2009 12:11 PM
I wrote about Rye back in May after a very lovely, flavorful and decadent meal. The attention to detail from the food to the cocktails to the space is precise and excellent. The room is huge, the bar glorious and the Steamed Lemon Pudding Cake...divine!
wine lover wrote a review on October 27, 2009 12:27 PM
i've also discussed Rye here. Not sure that it's "hipster," more just very good and has a self assured cool. been there now a couple of times and both times saw all sorts of people dining including older (like 50-60's+) people clearly from Manhattan and groups and couples that looked like they were from Manhattan too. This is a foodie place for foodies. Also, the bar and cocktails are terrific as is the wine list. Believe that the bartender from Hotel Delmano (Berry & N.9th) did the drinks. Actually, the wine list at Hotel Delmano was a terrific surprise.
Both Hotel Delmano and Rye have fantastic quirky old looking interiors that even though both places are relatively new - they seem like they've been in the neighborhood for years. i guess this is a trend as Blackbird Parlour, the Second Stop Cafe, Five Leaves, and to some extent, Walter Foods are all rocking this vibe.
imagine that rye would be a"brownstoner" type of place.
DitmasSnark wrote a review on October 27, 2009 12:30 PM
^^^ What exactly do "groups and couples that looked like they were from Manhattan" look like?
mopar wrote a review on October 27, 2009 12:41 PM
This style is pervasive in the area. Also at Almacen, Motorino, Dumont, Northeast Kingdom, Moon River Chattel, and more.
dirty_hipster wrote a review on October 27, 2009 1:05 PM
Not sure how much the Delmano dudes had to do with the cocktail list - as they are all classics (unless they are 100 year old hipster vampires, which would be awesome)
Great drinks. Can't really comment on the food much as by the time the food arrives I'm so tanked I'm sure catfood would taste delicious.
Jeremy wrote a review on October 27, 2009 2:55 PM
The food is very good, the interior is nice (though the walls are annoyingly bare/white), but the prices are probably 20% higher than I would consider comfortable. I'm willing to pay, say $40 for a bottle of Spanish wine on the highest end -- but not $69, which is still near the bottom of the list of more expensive French and Italian bottles that break the $100 barrier -- insanity for North Brooklyn. Cool giant ice cubes in the cocktails though.
wine lover wrote a review on October 27, 2009 3:32 PM
i read somewhere that the hotel delmano bartender designed the drinks maybe drink list.
there are definitely now WB people at Rye. just dressed differently. there's a manhattan look to 20 and 30 somethings that have jobs in corporations somewhere that require them to don a suit everyday. their play clothes do not look like a WB inhabitant. you can tell when people clearly made a reservation and have come in arriving to a "destination." make a living reading people and would bet on this.
BTW - the overall look is speakeasy - obvious work which escaped me previously.
wine lover wrote a review on October 27, 2009 3:34 PM
oops meant "NOT" WB people
dirty_hipster wrote a review on October 27, 2009 4:01 PM
We're both half right Wine Lover - the guy who did the cocktail list at Delmano left there and came to Rye - regardless the drinks are good.
Jeremy and Bruni seem to share the same sentiments regarding the wine list. Sure, this place is about cocktails, but it seems stupid to have such a bad wine list in a place that's trying to position itself as a fine, casual dining restaurant. Not everyone wants to drink whiskey with dinner.
littlestmonster wrote a review on October 27, 2009 11:32 PM
The wine list here has changed a lot; it seems like someone else took it over. There are a bunch of good bottles for $40 and under and the pricey Spanish wine is the Rioja Lopez de Heredia, which is quite special. For a 2001, high sixties is a very fair price.
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