Zizi Limona (c/o NY Times)

Mr. Mesika doubles as pastry chef. (His grandfather was a baker for the king of Morocco.) A cardamom-laced semolina cake anointed with rosewater syrup arrives in rubble around a mound of vanilla ice cream, with shavings of sesame halvah twisted up into a peak and drizzles of tahini and silan down the slopes ($7). It is an astonishingly calming dessert, the polar opposite of a sundae: there are so many flavors that you want to take your time eating it. Baklava ($6) is almost as light, with spice outflanking sugar, the pistachio-walnut paste seeded with coriander, fennel and ginger, then finished with a syrup of anise, cardamom and cinnamon.

The restaurant, which opened in Williamsburg in September, cultivates an air of unhurry. Enter and the pulse slows. Tables are set a respectful distance from one another. Empty picture frames hang on exposed brick walls, blank as the mind. The only distraction is the soundtrack, which makes jarring shifts: you might start the meal with “Stairway to Heaven” and end it with Jack Johnson. It is a long way to fall.

More information here.

QI Thai (c/o Gothamist)

They’re still awaiting their liquor license but Qi Thai Grill is now open for business. Hopefully it won’t suck as much as Sea.

And here we have the new Williamsburg restaurant QI Thai Grill, a collaboration between Pichet Ong, the creative chef and baker who ran the now-defunct P*ong, Sripraphai Tipmanee of Woodside’s Sripraphai, and chef Kea SiwaSila….

The menu is divided into two parts, with Ong handling the “Grilled” side, creating such items as Grilled Pork Jaw (Kor Mooh Yahng) served with spicy tamarind dipping sauce; Cinnamon Pork & Crispy Pork Belly (Mooh Dang Mooh Grohb), which is described as a “duo of roasted marinated pork and crispy pork belly, sweet Thai cinnamon soy dipping sauce; and Pork Satay (Mooh Sa-teyh). Ong explains, “Chicken satay didn’t originally exist in Thailand, just juicy pork! Served with toasted bread (as Bangkok street food style), peanut sauce and cucumber chutney.” And then there is the aforementioned Ovaltine Pork Ribs (Kra Dook Mhoo O-Wun-Tin), which are slowly marinated in five spices and then glazed “with Ovaltine barbecue sauce.” And be sure to save room for the Cinnamon Pork & Crispy Pork Belly (Mooh Dang Mooh Grohb), a “duo of roasted marinated pork and crispy pork belly, sweet Thai cinnamon soy dipping sauce marinated in five spices.” That’s ALSO glazed with (why not?) Ovaltine.

Tipmanee’s half of the menu focuses on small plates such as Spicy Pork Trotter with Fresh Herbs (Kee Mao kah Mooh); Mango Soft-shell crab (Yahm Puu Nihm) with mango salad, red onions, chili, lime, cilantro; and a Spicy Beef Tendon Salad (Larb Enn). They’re still waiting on the liquor license, but once that comes through you’ll be able to order (deep breath) Krungthepmahanakhon Amornrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. Named for Bangkok’s official name, it’s made with gin, vodka, star anise, ginger, yuzu, lime, Thai iced tea, and guava juice.

More pictures at Gothamist.

Qi Thai Grill
176 North 9th Street, Williamsburg
718.302.1499

Sea sucks

We sure hope so. Sure, Greenpoint’s Amarin is okay, but given the sheer number of places it’s ridiculous how mediocre the food is in north Brooklyn. (And let’s face it, despite its popularity, Sea sucks.) The last time we had good Thai in the neighborhood was when Planet Thai was in its original location on Bedford Ave. That’s why we’re excited about this news:

The owners of the Qi Thai restaurants are branching out with a third location slated to open in Williamsburg next week. Chef Pichet Ong created dishes for the Midtown location, and he will do the same for the new Brooklyn restaurant. But perhaps more intriguing is that the owners have also enlisted the talents of Sripraphai Tipmanee, of the beloved Sripraphai in Queens. Half the menu will be Ong’s dishes, and the other half will be Sripraphai’s dishes. The restaurant will seat 200 people.

The new location of Qi, dubbed Qi Thai Grill, will open next Wednesday at 76 N. 9th Street in Williamsburg.

BrisketTown (c/o Eater)

There are lots of great new places now open in the hood:

Selamat Pagi

From the NY Times:
Indonesian restaurants are scarce in New York, and this one specializes in the cuisine of Bali. The owners are the ice cream artisans Ben Van Leeuwen, Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill, who had some storefront space at their production kitchen and decided to take their love of Bali to the public. Of course, their sweets are served. But before dessert, consider finishing your plate of lemon-grass fish curry, prawn and fish satay, bluefish caramelized with palm sugar, and nasi goreng (a type of fried rice). The chef, Sophia Loch, came from Otto. The pastry chef, Chelsea Wilkes, from Marlow & Sons, is whipping up a Balinese coconut crème brûlée

Williamsburg Pizza:

From Serious Eats:
The pizza was really good: housemade or Grande mozz on the slices, sweet canned San Marzanos strained as the sauce, and an old school NYC slice crust that had a crisp veneer and tender insides, with plenty of color and bubbles to boot…. We [also] had a grandma slice, a regular slice, a slice with apples, gorgonzola, and a rectangular slice with mushrooms and fresh rosemary. None were less than very good, and it’s clear that Coniglio has the chops and the desire to make terrific slices pizza born out of NYC slice tradition at its finest.

(more…)

Their “Eastern European comfort food” looks tasty and they have a heated garden. Let us know what you think in comments. More information here.

Kristophe Menu:

Appetizers

Spicy Hungarian Beef Soup 6.5
in bread bowl

Grilled Bacon 6.5
pickles and honey mustard

Devils on Horseback 7.5
Kurobuta bacon wrapped dates

Sweet Potato Pierogies 7.5
butter, rosemary, thyme

Grass Fed Spicy Beef Tartar 8
with shallots, pickles, black olives

Grilled Mixed Sausage 11
daily selection of wild game sausages

Salads

Kale Salad 9
sweet garlic dressing, quinoa,
red cabbage, tomatoes

Arugula Salad 9
citrus vinaigrette, gorgonzola cheese,
Asian pear, walnuts

(more…)

via Sage

Indie music and Thai food may not seem like the most logical pairing, but a new Thai restaurant on Graham Ave. actually has its roots in the scene. Sage, which opened in May and is located at 301 Graham Ave. (at Ainsley), was inspired by the longtime friends and business partners behind Generation Records, an East Village punk, metal, and hardcore record store that occupied Thompson Street for twenty years. In tune with its musical background, Sage is hosting a photography exhibit later this month that will feature “prominent and influential indie bands on tour in the late ’80s through ’90s, all black and white photography, original and unique prints,” a rep tells FREEwilliamsburg.

The artist behind the exhibit is Bert Queiroz, a Brooklyn-by-way-of-Washington, D.C.-based musician and photographer. Querioz’s website says he “was one of the original members of the punk and hardcore scene that gave birth to such influential bands as Minor Threat, Bad Brains, and Fugazi.” The exhibit will be in Sage’s bar area and will open with a reception on October 30th from 8-10 p.m.

Click here for more on Sage, located at 301 Graham Ave. (at Ainsley).

Via

If you’re a true lush, then you’re likely familiar with the work of Frederick Exley, a daytime drinker/author of works like A Fan’s Notes. He was the prime chronicler of literary drinking in 1960s New York, and now there’s a bar named after him. The Exley, located near McCarren Park in Williamsburg, is owned by the former general manager of Tailor, and it’s being billed as a casual “third space” for neighborhood residents (aka those who can’t stomach another trip to nearby Union Pool). We suppose you can think of it as the boozy Starbucks – it’s housed in a former auto-body repair shop and features colorful murals by local artists.

It’s a small space, with seating for about 35 patrons. The cocktail list focuses on classic American libations and a menu of small bites like sea salt pretzels and a cheese plate will be served. The official opening date is tomorrow, get more information here (1 Jackson Street).

More at www.theexley.com.

Fabbrica (c/o Zagat)

We can’t wait to check it out:

Fabbrica, a café-bakery, pastry shop, and eventual full-service Italian restaurant is now offering baked goods, espresso, and sandwiches until the kitchen’s imminent opening. There’s no set date for the full rollout, but owner Alberto Baudo (who also has Acqua at Peck Slip) hopes it will be in the next week or two. Until construction is finished on the open kitchen, patrons can enjoy an espresso and an assortment of sweets from pastry chef Mirco Del Cecchio — formerly of Balthazar — under the dining room’s seventeen-foot ceilings.

Fabbrica, which means factory in Italian, pays homage to Brooklyn’s manufacturing years with an ironclad exterior, a bar decorated with old gears, large wooden communal tables, and a painted Williamsburg Bridge and Domino Sugar factory mural spanning the length of the back wall.

The menu isn’t final, but with executive chef Simone Bonelli — formerly of Modena, Italy’s three Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana — leading the kitchen, it promises to feature fresh, innovative Italian cuisine.

Fabbrica, 40 N. 6th St., at Kent Ave.; 718-218-7045

Via Gothamist:

Residents and visitors to San Francisco and Oakland have been known to wait on long lines for the grilled sausage at Rosamunde, which is also beloved by vegetarians for its Vegan Apple Sage sausage. Now NYC is about to get a taste, when the wildly popular beer and brats joint flings open its doors in Williamsburg, in the Southside space formerly occupied by the fun-yet-creepy dive Savalas and the snooty-good riddance Masten Lake.

Owner Josh Margolis tells The Lower Haight Blog, “Brooklyn made sense as an east coast location due to its similarities with San Francisco. The neighborhood of Williamsburg is filled with an eclectic mix of people and a Brooklyn version of something close to SF’s Mission or Haight neighborhoods. Our spot on Bedford Ave (between Grand and S. 1st) is Williamsburg’s south side, which is a bit more eclectic than Williamburg’s north side. Not unlike Lower Haight vs. Upper Haight or Mission/24th vs Mission/16th.”