St. Anselm, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is fantastic. i just love the vibe there. Restaurants are cropping up everywhere, there is still that edgy grit to it that made me fall in love with NYC in the first place. Most of NYC doesn't have that vibe anymore. Our friends bought a place in Williamsburg and we met them for dinner at St. Anselm.
St. Anselm has a very down and dirty feel which I like. Kind of like eating in a groovy bar. It was Sunday night of Labor Day weekend so maybe the staff was low but the service is slow so keep that in mind. There weren't a lot of people there that it took a long time for food to get out of the kitchen. We sat down around 7pm and leave at 10pm. We were happily entertained but fyi. Sorry for the dark pics, I just hate a flash and it isn't bright in there.
We split everything. I suggest that. Each appetizer is interesting but not sure I'd eat any of them by myself. Too heavy. This is the grilled tomato with oozing Burrata doused with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and basil. Nice.
Grilled haloumi cheese with pea greens and long beans. This was really good. Different with lots of flavor.
Radishes with salt and butter. I am just a fan of the simplicity of this dish.
Avocado and shrimp salad. The temperature of this salad was just perfect. A soft avocado stuffed with a tasty small shrimp salad.
I didn't love this one. Wine braised octopus then tossed on the grill and over a slice of a toasted baguette. Not enough octopus and almost too crispy.
Eggplants that had been grilled and served with a deep fried goat cheese and carmelized onions. Really good and I loved the combination of all 3 together.
For dinner we had the sweet tea brined young chicken. They have butterflied the chicken. It is really juicy from being brined. Good but not amazing.
This on the other hand was amazing. Why pretend that we don't put butter on the Axe Handle Rib Eye for two. Keep in mind that if you like something medium rare then order it rare. They are a bit heavy handed. We were warned and ordered it perfectly. I have never seen a rib eye of this size. It was amazing.
The sides are all vegetables from the grill. Cauliflower.
Long Beans. All good and simple.
I love how the board tells you which purveyors they get their meats from.
The desserts weren't great. Raspberry and Pear bread pudding that was too fragrant tasting.
Pot of homemade peanut and hazelnut butter. Interesting taste with pieces of super dark chocolate on the side that weren't that good.
Grilled strawberries with homemade marshmallows, crumbled graham crackers and chocolate. Think of a s'mores with strawberries. Not as good as it sounds.
The wine list is interesting but not huge. It is great to see all these new spots open out in Brooklyn. Lots of creative people who want to open restaurants can still afford to open up something intimate, personal and fun without the high cost of rent in NYC. It is the perfect starting location as the neighborhood is teeming with people looking for a good place to eat.
Afterward we went over to our friends place to hang. They have an amazing dog, Fergus. He is just so sweet and so big. I have never hung out with a big dog as we were always a medium dog family and Ollie is not exactly big. This picture just makes me laugh. Truly a special dog.
Comments (Archived):
OMG love that dog! My little, almost two year old would happily ride him like a pony.
he is just awesome
Welcome to my neighborhood. That dog is certainly famous on the block.
ha. how can he not be? he is bigger than most human beings.
that is such a great shot, you should ask for captions. When I think of one, I will send it along.
Great to see all these spots in Brooklyn. Can’t wait to try Roberta’s and St. Anselm…wish they were around when I lived in Williamsburg/Bushwick in the mid 90s.BTW…What kind of dog is Fergus?
great dane, i believe.
that is the funniest thing i’ve seen in a long time…. . the human looks slightly intimidated…xo
love that dog! there were 2 in wimbeldon park that used to scare humans when they ran up to them. my dog loves playing with them, great pic!