the buzz

“Brooklyn's Newest Locavore Heaven: Iris Cafe”

When I moved from Cobble Hill to Brooklyn Heights a few months ago, I was happy to move to a larger more peaceful apartment, but I was really quite sad to leave Smith Street because of its great restaurants and quirky independent shops. Brooklyn Heights has a sad dearth of both of these, with high rents keeping Montague Street populated with chain stores like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor and restaurants with any sort of culinary soul kept at bay. The exception is Jack the Horse Tavern, that's way off the beaten path on Hicks in the Fruit Streets, and a wonderful newcomer called Iris Café.

Iris Café is located on Columbia Place, a charming little side street that's way down almost at the water off of Joralemon Street. It's a street that's popular with families and pups as it secrets a playground and dog run at its end. You'll find it's a bumpy paved road chock full of pot holes, but to me it feels like it should be horse-and-buggy cobblestone with its turn-of-the-last century clapboard houses, and tall old tenements with wrought iron gallery-styled balconies reminiscent of something out of the Garden District in New Orleans.

The street has had a set of empty storefronts for many months, but the opening of One Brooklyn seems to have buoyed retail interest in the area. A new Italian restaurant, River Deli, is slated to open in a few weeks on the corner at 34 Columbia Place, and a couple of months ago, a small artisan sandwich shop featuring local produce and meats was opened by Rachel Graville, bringing a sweet touch of home to this magical old block.

Graville, who has worked front and back of the house in many restaurants and was most recently the events director for Edible Manhattan and Brooklyn, opened the shop two and a half months ago, and has filled the worn brick walled space with mix-n-match tables and chairs, and an open kitchen with a grocery case. It feels like a cross between an old fashioned general store and an indie coffee shop in Williamsburg. The glass grocery case boasts necessities like Stumptown Coffee, free-running eggs from Featheridge Farm, Batenkill Dairy's milk, Vermont soy milk, Kauffman's Orchard Apple Cider, and Fingerlakes Family Farm yogurt.

Sandwiches are all crafted fresh to order and served on butcher paper, or wrapped to go in butcher twine. On her blackboard menu you'll find the Ploughman's, a crusty baguette layered with NY state cheddar,  apple slices, quick pickles, Surryano ham (a Serrano-style ham that's smoky like bacon, from Edwards of Virginia), and onion jam ($9). I loved the Proper Tuna Salad, made with olive oil, hard-boiled egg, pickled green beans, and red onion ($9), but next time I have my eye on the roast beef (from Dickson's Farmstand meats) with chimichurri, horseradish mayo, and lettuce and tomato ($9). Housemade soups ($3.50/7.50) change daily and the roster includes tortilla soup (Monday), meaty chili (Wednesdays), and a Sunday pozole (a hangover cure). She's also making her own pastries like sticky buns, and savory snacks like two kinds of beef jerky (stay tuned for an article in Food & Wine about her process in the next months).

Iris Cafe is open daily at 8am and so it serves breakfast in addition to lunch. There are buttery and fluffy biscuits (plain or ham and cheddar), eggs and soldiers ($3/5.50), and a more serious plated breakfast ($8) of two soft boiled eggs with cheddar grits, housemade salsa, whole wheat toast and Surryano ham.  

Personally, I hope they stay open later than 6pm for early dinners. Our neighborhood needs it.

Iris Café is located at 20 Columbia Place, 718-722-7395. Delivery and catering available.

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