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“The Grocery”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Brooklyn	Moderate	Great

ght. I loved it.

In the intervening years, after I graduated from law school, moved to Manhattan and pursued my short-lived career as a lawyer, things began to change on Smith Street. Indie coffee houses began to replace run-down bodegas, high-end cocktail bars sprang up in former social clubs, yoga reached Brooklyn, and New York City chefs discovered the world across the river. Two couples were at the forefront of the early Smith Street restaurant movement—Saul and Lisa Bolton, who opened Saul, a gutsy neighborhood spot for contemporary seasonal American in 1999 (and who would be rewarded with a Michelin star in 2008), and Charlie Kiely and Sharon Pachter, ex-pats from Savoy who opened The Grocery, a sweet mom-and-pop Greenmarket showcase later that year.
Despite the uniform praise these restaurants have both received, I’d never visited either in my years as a New Yorker. With my move, I decided it was time. (This week’s review covers The Grocery; next week’s will cover Saul.)

Diana joined me at The Grocery, coming over from the Upper East Side on a surprisingly nice Spring evening. She was thrilled for the visit, as she’d been wanting to return to the Grocery for some time. Her enthusiasm really made me happy. I haven’t gotten over my Brooklyn guilt yet. That would be the guilt caused by having people from Manhattan travel to see me here. I hope to get over it soon. In any case, The Grocery is lovely, but you might miss it if you don’t pay close attention. It’s a signless, rather weathered storefront, with just a small blackboard outside announcing its presence with THE GROCERY etched in dusty chalk lettering. Inside, you’ll find a peaceful, quietly elegant room with walls washed in soft sage, worn hardwood floors underfoot and ceiling fans whirring overhead. There’s no music; your voices are the soundtrack. Beyond the petite dining room, with tables cloaked in white linen, is the kitchen where Sharon and Charlie cook. You’ll pass by on your way to the restroom or through to the garden out back. Diana and I sat inside. While Springtime was in full bloom that day, the night was not yet warm enough for an al fresco dinner.

We started with a rosé champagne and looked over the menu that showed off the first signs of Spring—peas, asparagus, ramps, favas, lamb—but at New York prices, unfortunately. Around the dining room Charlie and Sh ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 20, 2008

Other restaurants in Brooklyn :
+ Chickenbone Cafe-- Closed   + Pier 116-- Closed   + Chestnut   + Lunch at Peter Luger's   + 360   + Palo Santo   + The Good Fork   + Porchetta-- Closed Now   + Bocca Lupo   + Flatbush Farm   + DuMont Burger   + Dressler   + Farm on Adderley   + The Grocery   + Saul   + Black Mountain Wine House   + The General Greene   + Char No. 4   + James   + Chestnut   + No. 7   + Vinegar Hill House   + Motorino   + Buttermilk Channel   + Buttermilk Channel   + Vutera   + Watty & Meg    + Prime Meats   + Aqualis Grill   + Jack the Horse Tavern   + Roman's   + Fatty 'Cue   + Thistle Hill Tavern   + Broken English   + Trix, by Dara Pollak   + An Ode to New Orleans in Williamsburg: Maison Premiere, By Dara Pollak   + Brooklyn Wok Shop by Dara Pollak   + Arthur on Smith   + La Vara   + Gran Electrica   + Pok Pok Ny   + Ganso    + Reynard   

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