Ballin' at Balthazar

I've had tons of reminders of Balthazar in my 8 years living in New York. Its the kind of restaurant that men respect and bring women to glee. It is certainly a Soho fixture and a New York City landmark. Its red awning is unmistakable and its next door bakery fills the street with the delectable aroma of butter and dough. I knew that one day, my day would come....

On this day, it was unexpected. We were, as usual, starving after a long day of work when we decided to meet up in Soho to run a few errands. As we passed by Balthazar, a smile widened on both of our faces and we figured "there is no way we'll get a table now".... but we thought we'd give it a shot. We walked in, beaming, and requested a table for two. They told us that there would be a long wait for the next table available table. Our smiles persisted; within seconds, they offered us a table near the bar which had vacated. Within two minutes, we went from defeat to ecstasy as we sat down. We shared laughs as we admired the bustling restaurant, its smells, vintage branding and impeccable design.

We decided to share the skate and branzini plates. The branzini was well prepared, but not very memorable. The skate, on the other hand, quickly turned into one of our favorite dishes of all time. Served with piquillo peppers and pine nuts, we believe the perfectly crisp skate was lightly pan fried in salt and butter. The result was soft, silky and delicious morsels of fish that are unforgettable. We capped off the meal with a caramelized ricotta banana tart which set us off into never-never-land.... and cemented the mystique of Balthazar in our minds forever.

All Dressler'd Up

Searching for a restaurant in Williamsburg is no easy task. The different layers of options, from price ranges, to cuisine, to motif presents a palate of diverse options. We wanted to choose something special to top off our amazing day in Brooklyn.

The menu and reviews of Dressler drew us in. Its proximity to a few of the nightspots we wanted to try made it an easy choice. The restaurant's mirrored halls gave space and depth to the narrow venue. The decor felt slightly more trendy than our usual taste, and the service was spotty, making us wait over 20 minutes for our bread and water which definitely brought out the beast in both of us.

Eventually, the food tamed our growling with its simple, hearty, American fare. To start, we had the diver scallops fixed with sunchokes, cauliflower and bacon... finished with wild striped bass, leeks, chanterelles, and truffled sherry vinagrette. Beautiful menu options that were decently executed, in a nice setting. Felt like Manhattan transfixed in Brooklyn, which left us slightly longing for a more authentic experience, either way.... The highlight: dancing off the food at nearby Bembe, a hot latin bongo-drumming nightspot just two blocks away...

Whats up Doc

Sometimes, the best things in life just pop up on you, and you just fall in... such was the case when we fell into Rabbit Hole, a quaint Williamsburg fixture set deep in the heart of Bedford Street.

The table runners were affixed to the kitchen service window which set the entire space a sizzle. The scarves, jackets and sweaters were flying off, but the feeling remained warm and serene. The restaurant valued vintage relics and ascetic purpose: small soda bottles, classic sandwiches, set against unfinished brick.

The inattentive service tried our patience, but we were immediately pacified when our burger and reuben finally arrived. The reuben had juicy, thick cut corned beef and the burger had a homemade taste. The vintage floors of tarnished mahogany squeaked under our foot steps and the garden outside looked inviting. The feeling was classic Brooklyn, and it was a perfect lunch stop for Williamsburg day-goers to hole up and rest their paws....

We 2, Flee 2, Brooklyn Flea!

As a first stop on our rainy Brooklyn weekend, we stopped by the famous Flea Market in Fort Green.

Our hunger brought us to the mexican stand, where we got some homemade fish tacos. The fish was battered on order, and cooked in a tabletop deep frier in front of our eyes. The result was a bit bland, but the salsa verde and red cabbage definitely helped! Set against the gray skies, the colors of our plate seemed even more vibrant and saturated!

Our next food stop was the south American stand, where we got cheese and jalapeno stuffed corn pancakes (cachapas)... now, these were greasy but absolutely delicious treats that made us feel like we were in the streets of Venezuela.

Nice and full, we wandered around the event... the rains brought in less vendors and crowds, which set the tone for a nice leisurely stroll. We were enchanted by the globe terrariums, each with their self sustaining eco-systems of wildlife. At that moment, with our stomachs full, enjoying the sites, sounds and smells, amongst the diverse crowd, we realized that the Brooklyn flea was a terrarium of its own and all at once, we felt satisfied and complete.