Allswell

124 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
347.799.2743

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★★★★
Cards: All Major
Price: Fairly expensive
Hours: Sun-Tue 10am-2am, Wed-Sat 10am–3:30am
Booze: Full Bar
Reservations: Yes
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: http://allswellnyc.tumblr.com/
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Chef-owner Nate Smith, who earned his gastropub stripes at the Spotted Pig, breaks out on his own with this laid-back Williamsburg tavern. The 47-seat space is done up with a reclaimed pine bar, vintage wallpaper in different patterns and brass-hunting-horn chandeliers with matching sconces. Choose from chefly bar grub (like smoked-trout spread or spicy pork-stuffed pastry rounds); heartier dishes (such as roasted lamb or shellfish stew); and greens (including a chicory salad with figs and pomegranate). The drinks list takes a locavore slant with small-production wines and craft beers on tap, plus a selection of market-driven cocktails.

The New York Times says:

With its half-timbered facade, this place would suit an English village. The chef, Nate Smith, formerly of the Spotted Pig, understands the gastropub genre. Much of the food is seasonal and inspired by the euro zone (sardines with sea salt, pork chop with chestnut spaetzle and onions). But it’s clear that Mr. Smith also picked up a British accent, with potted pork, corned beef and cabbage pie, malt-pickled onions, lamb-liver toast with marmalade, and gentleman’s relish (in other words, anchovies). A communal table can be reserved for groups of 8 to 12. “That’s where I’ll serve family-style dinners,” Mr. Smith said

Late Night Menu, 12-3am, Wed-Sat:
Allswell.late.Night

c/o NY Mag

593 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718-599-9899

Cuisine: Southern, American
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$$
Hours: Sat and Sun 11 am to 4 pm., Dinner Everyday 5:00 pm to 2 am
Booze: Beer and Wine
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

After a kitchen fire closed its original location in 2010, the Brooklyn Star is open in the former Lazy Catfish space. Cook Justin Burchill tells us that he and the rest of Joaquin Baca’s team have been working since last August to build the new restaurant. They’ve installed the old tables, chairs, and benches in a space that’s a bit bigger (there are about 75 seats in the dining room) and best of all, in possession of a liquor license. The downside: No woodburning oven, but the core of the menu is the same, with the addition of dishes like roasted veal marrow bones and a chilled grilled lobster tail. The full menu will be served from 5 p.m. till 2 a.m., and there’ll be a list of whiskey-heavy classic and classic-inspired cocktails from bar manager Simon Gibson.

El Amacen

Cuisine: Argentinean, Mexican, South American
Our Rating: ★★★★
Hours: Mon-Thu, 5pm-11pm; Fri, 5pm-midnight; Sat-Sun, noon-midnight
Happy Hour: 5-7pm daily
Cards: All Major
Booze: Beer and wine
Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Menu: http://www.elalmacennyc.com/menu.php
Website: www.elalmacennyc.com
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
NY Mag says:

The name of this quaint Argentine restaurant is Spanish for general store, a detail referenced most in the old-time-shop décor like the front counter, chalkboard menus, and a glass ingredient cabinet. Wooden tables, mismatched chairs, hanging relics, and bread loaves in wire baskets add to the antique feel, but candles and flowers on every table ensure an ambiance that’s more cozy than museum quality. There’s an emphasis on sharing here, with meat-and-cheese platters and a range of small plates, from an extensive seviche bar to cotija-covered grilled corn or the popular avocado fries. A pepper stuffed with spinach, cheese, and corn that’s served over rice and black beans makes a more filling option. The highlight of the anticipated steak section is the costilla de res, braised for nine hours in maté (a South American substitute for coffee). For dessert, flan comes with a trio of chopped fresh fruits, and churros arrive hot and ready to dunk in chocolate and caramel dipping sauces. Recommended Dishes: Choclo (grilled corn), $5; ceviche de bife, $9; flan, $6

Village Voice says:

Nevertheless, one of the best dishes on the menu is Mexican—chile relleno ($14), renamed aji relleno. A huge poblano pepper, still crunchy, pours out cheese, corn, onions, spinach, and rice, and the entire mess sits atop a bed of tomatoes and beans. It’s ugly, but tasty. Other entrées strike an Italian note. Argentineans—half of whom boast some Italian blood—are notorious for preferring gnocchi to other pastas, and bathing them in a cream-laced tomato sauce. Inundated with a brown oxtail ragu, El Almacén’s papardelle ($15) flies in the opposite direction: The ragged chunks of beef have been braised in coffee by a chef who’s chosen to get creative with a traditional Italian recipe. The only real bomb among main courses is the suckling pig: Lechon asado ($16) has been rendered as a sweet-and-sour salad of baby-pig frags mixed with black beans; in the dim light of the restaurant, you can’t quite tell what you’re eating. The menu has evolved since the place first opened six months ago, decreasing the number of taco options but adding ceviches. Originally, El Almacén was the only Argentine restaurant in town that wasn’t a parrillada, or grilled meat specialist, even though the menu contained a small assortment. But recently, a much larger selection was introduced, with the characteristic meats offered as separate items. Served on a tree stump with chimichurri and an angry-looking knife, the ones I’ve tried have been on the money, especially the hulking beef spare rib ($15 each). An assortment of ribs, steak, and chorizo is also available for $38. It’s plenty of meat for two to share, though you might prefer the lamb chops, pork chops, or squishy blood sausage instead. Really, you can’t go wrong in making a meal of appetizers and side dishes at El Almacén. Among the latter ($5 each), find wonderful avocado fries (crisp-on-the-outside green boomerangs served with a dubious “yerba mate ketchup”) and papas provenzal (steak fries seductively sprinkled with paprika and vinegar). While the place is perpetually expecting its liquor license, you’re not allowed to bring in alcohol, though it was permitted in the early months. This is sad, since the best things at El Almacén scream for a glass of red wine. With the welter of Argentinean, Italian, and Mexican dishes, putting a meal together can be a headache. Accordingly, you might just stick with the stenciled words you saw on the windows when you came in. The cold cuts, in particular, are unimpeachable, swerving in Spanish and Italian directions. The $15 charcuterie assortment is a thing of beauty, including hand-cut Serrano ham with a splendid rim of fat, cured and cooked salamis, mortadella, dill pickles, a few stray olives, a pot of creamy mustard, and, best of all, a couple of slices of matambre.

Extra Fancy (c/o Grub Street)

302 Metropolitan Ave.,
(between Driggs Ave & Roebling St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
view map
347.422.0939

Cuisine: Clam Bar/Seafood & Fancy Cocktails
Cards: All Major
Hours: 5pm-4am Daily
Our Rating: ★★★★
Price: $$$
Subway: L to Bedford Ave. or Lorimer St..
Booze: Full bar
Delivery: No
Grub Street says:

Extra Fancy is set to open on Monday in Williamsburg, aiming to establish itself as an “upscale clam shack.” Partners Mark Rancourt (Macao Trading Co.) and Robert Krueger (Employees Only) chose the highbrow-lowbrow name from the side of a seafood-condiment bottle. Chef Ross Florance worked with Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin and was a recent stagier at Noma. Along with a casual seafood menu, expect Extra Fancy to feature entrées priced between $17 and $25. The drinks menu will offer a large of selection craft beers, ciders, wines by the glass, and original cocktails by Krueger and Rancourt. Extra Fancy’s bar will be open from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night, serving dinner from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., with brunch and late-night menus to follow in the coming weeks.

Paper says:

Despite the name, the handsome boys behind new Williamsburg seafood and cocktails spot Extra Fancy aren’t wearing bow ties or suspenders or shiny shoes. They’re just kicking ass making good drinks, pouring rad beers and endearing themselves to the neighborhood. It’s a quiet spot now, but once people figure out it’s there, it’s sure to be overrun with pretty hipsters, cocktail fiends, and late night degenerates looking for something fried (fancily, of course).

1. Oysters and Champagne. A lovely little list of pours, including a Cremant de Jura Rose and a stellar Domaine Tissot, goes well with the super fresh selection of mollusks. And the oysters come over ice inside another GIANT oyster.

2. Summer cider. It’s really not just for fall, especially when paired with beach grub like fried clams and a plate of fish funnel cake. That’s right, fancy-ass fair food. Go for the Newtown Pippin from Original Sin if you want a fresh, crisp bite of beach breeze, and the Dooryard Cider from Farnum Hill if you’re looking for funky lumberjacky flannel.

3. A barrage of beers. A list of ten cans, fifteen bottles, and nine drafts round out the yeast and malt section quite nicely. From cheap-ass to fancy pants, Narragansett to Allagash Black, the beers will satisfy grumpy punk and Manhattanite palates alike,.

4. The new drink of summer, the Ray Ray. A twist on the Pimm’s Cup, this tall glass of Plymouth Gin, Pimm’s #1, Cei-ray Soda, lemon and herbs is like a one-two punch of summertime smelling salts.

5. Late-night food. Show up before 11:30 right now and find an array of rolls (including crabs, clams, shrimp), salt cod pickled pepper poppers, and a whole Cape Cod clam bake on their late-night menu. Soon the menu will be extended until 3 AM, and Extra Fancy will be like a midnight clam shack for housed Williamsburgers

91 South 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.599.3090

Cuisine: Barbecue/Asian Fusion
Our Rating: ★★★★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$$
Hours: Tue-Sun 4pm-Midnight; Closed Monday
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

Zak Pelaccio teamed up with former Hill Country pitmaster Robbie Richter and chef de cuisine Andrew Pressler to open this barbecue restaurant that marries the chiles and curries of Southeast Asia (especially Malaysia and Thailand) to fatty, sustainable meats (the lamb and pork is from Marlow & Daughters; the pork belly comes from Tamworth pigs) smoked over year-aged upstate oak. The big, bold mains are paired with light, acidic sides as well as smoky cocktails from beverage director Andrew Schuman. The space was designed by Pelaccio’s wife, Jori Emde, who employed materials, such as brick, reclaimed from his upstate farm, and includes a bar on the sunken first floor, with most seats on the upper level.

Blackbook Mag says:

Billyburg BBQ bro to equally obese crustacean sis. Fatty Crab’s Zak P. sprinkles his magical Malaysian spices on ‘cue smoked by Hill Country OG pitmaster. Texas vs. Southeast Asia: smoked-fish palm syrup pork spare ribs, American Wagyu brisket bao buns, coriander bacon x steamed yellow curry custard. Fixin’s veer less slaw, more noodles in meat juices, crudite of “rapid transit” charred veggies. Weathered triple-decker also offers swine chandelier, smoked-fruit fancy drinks à la “Foreplay Cock Tail,” the perfectly junior high complement to wet naps.

c/o Daily Candy

312 Graham Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
347.889.7002

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: Fairly Expensive
Menu: www.gwynnettst.com/menu/
Website: www.gwynnettst.com
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Warm up by the fireplace with brick-oven-roasted plates at this seasonal New American restaurant, which takes its name from the onetime thoroughfare of old Williamsburg. Wd~50 alum Justin Hilbert presides over the kitchen hearth, dispatching plates like beef-rib cap with pickled bone marrow and parsley root, and Amish chicken served alongside sweet potato, turnips and dates. Carl McCoy, former wine director at Esca, sees to the beverage program, which includes ten draft beers (Brooklyn Brown, Greenport Duck Porter) and a mostly European selection of vino.

Grub Street says:

Another rustic gem opens in Williamsburg, with Gwynnett St. on Graham Avenue. The comforting-chic-Amish-chickeny-seasonal sweetheart is owned by Carl McCoy, former wine director at Esca, with Justin Hilbert, a wd~50 alum, as executive chef. One unique touch? Warm Irish soda bread with creamy cultured butter, served at every table! Gwynnett St. has 60 seats and is designed with (less unique, but still lovely) hardwood floors, communal tables, and exposed-brick walls.

c/o NY Mag

81 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.384.1441

Cuisine: American Nouveau, Seafood
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $$$$
Hours: 11am-Midnight Daily
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.; J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
We say:

The best damn oysters in New York. Worth the trek to the out of the way location.

Shecky’s says:

With a sly wink amidst the gently flickering candlelight, your waiter presents oysters with Spanish wine and a subtle selection of freshly sliced gourmet meats and cheeses resting atop an array of soft bread. The intimate wooden room warms with light world music, and a mild breeze floats in through the tiny European-style organic market opening out onto the street. If you can’t score tonight, it’s time for some serious re-evaluating. Recently opened (March 2004) by the owners of the nearby Diner, this combo specialty store, wine bar, and secret shucking cellar was made with an eye for romance. On a misty night, the bridge hovers over like the ghost of a clipper ship. Oh, make your move already! This is an aphrodisiac with a business license.

One or Eight

66 S 2nd St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.384.2152

Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Price: $$$$
Hours: Sun-Thu 6pm-Midnight; Fri-Sat 6pm-3am
Cards: All Major
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave. or Lorimer St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
New York Mag says:

Williamsburg’s very first ultra-high-end sushi restaurant boasts a slick white interior and a $40 omakase menu. For the less adventurous, there’s a conventional (but upscale) extended menu of sushi, sashimi, and kitchen entrees.

Time Out New York says:

Deep in the heart of Williamsburg, where the old-timey look is de rigueur, a minimalist place like 1 or 8—the second sushi project from the owner of Bozu—stands out. There’s the stark interior: calming and blindingly white. And the service: reverent, knowledgeable and doting without a hint of affectation. “Atelier of food” reads the restaurant’s confident tag line, and the message is clear: Pay attention, we’re about to blow your mind. Unfortunately, the food fails to back up the fanfare. The fusion menu, from co-chefs Kazuo Yoshida (Jewel Bako) and Atsushi Yokota, begins with a daunting selection of appetizers. On the night we visited, the rotating lineup of terrines included a crock of chalky chicken-liver mousse sealed with artificial-tasting clarified butter. Despite the good-on-paper combination of avocado, yuzu, mango and grapefruit in a lobster ceviche, the dish was unbalanced—so sweet-tart that it overwhelmed the subtle shellfish. Entrées were also seriously flawed. A sashimi platter certainly looked pretty, with its ruby akami, ridged hunks of octopus and coils of silver fluke. But piece after piece, the fish was dry and bland—far from top-shelf. That’s more than can be said for the uni, musty and sour urchin served in a hollowed-out cucumber. Hot dishes were equally off-putting: Pork belly served two ways (grilled over a bed of sauerkraut and deep-fried in a greasy batter) was really just served one way—gristly. Sushi restaurants rarely bring their A-game for dessert, and 1 or 8 doesn’t break the mold. Jiggly shiso flan worked only as a serviceable palate cleanser. The place does have one compelling draw—a tidy collection of rare Japanese beers, including the unusual Coedo Beniaka, made with sweet potatoes. Nutty and robust, it would pair beautifully with a hearty meal—if only we found something here worth eating.

Parish Hall

109 North 3rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.782.2602

Cuisine: American
Our Rating: ★★★★
Price: $$$$
Hours: Monday – Friday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Happy Hour: every day from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Cards: All Major
Delivery: No
Booze: Full bar
Reservations: Yes
Menu: www.parishhall.net/menus
Website: www.parishhall.net
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
NY Mag says:

A seasonal menu that’s “more free-ranging and inventive” than the cooking at always-jammed sister restaurant Egg, with flavors that are “a little bit more subtle, using a lot more herbs.” Think food like a lamb loin with nasturtium pesto and carrot sauce.

The New York Times says

This restaurant is trying to define “regional Northeast cuisine” with local ingredients interpreted by the chef, Evan Hanczor, who has foraged since childhood and was the chef at nearby Egg. George Weld, who owns Egg as well as this newcomer, has a farm upstate that helps supply the restaurant. Among Mr. Hanczor’s dishes are an “underground salad” of raw roots and tubers, seared fluke in a lovage broth and lamb done up with flax and nettle pesto, carrot sauce, chickweed and barley.

Reynards

80 Wythe Ave
(between 12th St & 11th St)
Brooklyn New York,11211
view map
718.460.8004

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating:★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$
Reservations: Yes
Hours: daily 7am – midnight
Booze: Full bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave
Menu: http://wythehotel.com/dining/restaurant/
Website: http://wythehotel.com/dining/restaurant/
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

Andrew Tarlow and Sean Rembold’s (Marlow & Sons, Diner) expand their special brand of thoughtful locavore grub.The loftlike dining room features original brick, scuffed wooden ceilings, and jutting steel columns from the cooperage the place once was; outside is a spacious patio. “We took into account the day-into-night effect,” said Tarlow of the large-windowed space (with original glass) that’s sunny during the day and ambient at night. Chef Rembold is cooking most of the food in a wood-burning oven, and the whole-animal approach is in effect here, too: If you order lamb, you might end up with, say, shoulder, chops, or sausage, depending what’s left. The menu changes daily, with seasonal fare like radishes, toast, and ramp butter, or whole trout with dandelion greens and bacon.

Blackbook says:

B-burg factory is gutted and filled with café tables and chairs and a lovely wood oven. Huge windows, exposed brick, plenty of oxygen. Chef Sean Rembold of Diner and Marlow & Sons does breakfast, lunch, and dinner inside the Wythe Hotel. New American fare, menu changes daily in accordance with local farmers’ market pickings. Whole animal approach, so don’t be calling down for room service.