Williamsburg has come on a lot since I first visited it in 2006. Back then it was the newly fledged bohemian area but now it’s hipster central. Again, this isn’t a comprehensive guide, and I’m sure there are plenty of other good places, but these are a few gems that I experienced during my short stay.
The famous Brooklyn Brewery www.brooklynbrewery.com at 79 N 11th St has a large beer hall where you can sample their wares.
Fette Sau (Intermediate A), 354 Metropolitan Avenue, www.fettesaubbq.com
This is a great place for BBQ aficionados, the kind of place I wish I’d opened. It’s canteen style so after waiting in a queue (only a painless quarter of an hour for us) you take a tray and move along the line choosing what you want to eat.
You can pick from a list of roasted meats which are priced by the kilo and weighed out according to your hunger. Next you choose your sides, and then a drink from the craft beer bar before taking a seat at one of the shared picnic tables, either inside or out.
Being a lover of pork I had 250g each of shoulder (B+), short ribs (B+) and belly (A), although there was some good looking Aberdeen Angus on offer as well.
Our sides included some great stewed beans (A), bright green pickled cornichons (B) and some unimpressive German potato salad (C). After a couple of glasses of IPA chosen from the wide selection of craft beers available from another bar, I left a very happy man.
Odd Fellows (Intermediate A), 175 Kent Avenue, www.oddfellowsnyc.com
This is a modern ice cream parlour offering a range of unusual flavour combinations. This is the place to come for your Chorizo Caramel Swirl or your Manchego Cheese with Pineapple & Thyme. I can vouch for the Pecan Pie flavour (B+).
They are very popular and queues are inevitable. We stood in line for a quarter of an hour which wasn’t too bad.
Beco (Intermediate A), 45 Richardson St, www.becobar.com
A Brazilian bar restaurant with a great atmosphere. Several musicians were jamming inside while we sat outside on the terrace and got chatting to some friendly locals, including Frank the Dominican shaman and Laura the English bulldog owner.
To eat, Tom had a Moqueca, a prawn and coconut stew (B+), and I had the Feijoda, the national dish which involves a stew of black beans and various kinds of pork cuts with side dishes of rice, collard greens, salsa, and farofa (toasted cassava) (A). Two pitchers of Caipirinhas sent us rolling happily home.
Williamsburg is a great town! Definitely somewhere I’d live if I could. Preferably in this stunning apartment block, known as The Lotus, at 2 Bayard St.
This is my last NYC post. On to Mexico!