The Grand Bar and Grill
Sunday night was tricky driving back to the city. We hemmed and hawed because of traffic and also the Gay Pride parade which takes over our neighborhood comes nightfall. What we ended up doing was taking the Southern State instead of the LIE to Meadowbrook to the Northern State to the Jackie Robinson Parkway that drops you right into Brooklyn.
We decided to grab dinner north of Williamsburg before making our way across the Williamsburg Bridge back into NYC. We wanted to go somewhere that we could walk in and get a seat. We opted for the Grand Bar and Grill. It has only been open for about six weeks but walking in will soon be a thing of the past when word gets out about how good the food is. Also the country music they were blasting last night added to the whole vibe.
The room really resembles a bar more than a restaurant. A huge bar with just a few tables and lots of floor space. They could easily add 30 more seats in the front. The backroom has a lot of room and it looks like they could do music back there. The woman who waited on us told me that she has worked in several restaurants and this kitchen is incredibly well run. Hence that is why she had zero problems with any changes we made to our meal such as salad, no fries or a plain burger instead of one with the works.
We started off with the organic chicken wings with sweet chili sauce and bacon. Spicy yet sweet and the bacon gave that smoky flavor to the wings. The price is great too. A pretty big bowl for $10.
We also split the shisito peppers. Lightly fried, crispy and just a hint of citrus. Amazing.
There were a few specials that looked insane particularly the octopus ragout over egg pappardelle pasta with crispy proscuitto and citrus bread crumbs. I was kind of bummed that Fred didn't order it. Just wanted one taste. One of us had the burger. Super crispy tasty fries.
Two of us had the Steak Frites. Slices hanger steak with aged balsamic, pepper, herbed butter and fries. I asked for a salad instead which was perfect. Great presentation too.
These are the braised pork spare ribs. They were just falling off the bones with a sauce of blackberry preserves and sherry vinegar that coated the caramelized ribs. Cabbage salad on the side and a few seasonal pickles.
Honestly one of the better restaurant meals I have had in awhile. Impressive. I am going back and next time will be a little bolder and bag the lighter fare and dig into the pasta special.