Ok, well, maybe a bit. But not with the food, that's solid.
Monkeytown, venerable Williamsburg art space meets restaurant, is open again after a month or so long renovation. It doesn't look all that different inside but the menu (and even the drink menu) has been completely revamped. I've always been a fan of the food there, it sort of matches the quirky, off beat film screenings and performances in the back room. The menu is now divided into three distinct categories: Earth (veggies and quasi-meat), Land (meat) and Sea (self-explanatory) and then subdivided into appetizers and mains.
The other night I tried two apps from the Land category: the Grilled Flat Bread with duck confit, caramelized endive and fontina and the Seared Foie Gras with banana guacamole and habanero syrup. Hands down winner is the flat bread; the portion was huge and the duck was super flavorful and not at all dry. Now, the foie gras had a strike against it before it even arrived: I'm not a huge fan of foie gras in non-terrine form; there's something about the consistency I just can't wrap my mouth around (tho I did finish it all as befits a foodnerd!). Aside from that, there was still something a bit off... the flavors just didn't mesh all that well. Firstly, the banana guac was more like a salsa-- it was hardly even mashed-- and then the habanero syrup was overpowering at times. A friend had the Wild Mushroom Quinotto, a risotto-like dish made with quinoa instead of rice, goat cheese and asparagus and quite delicious. I went back again tonite and had, again from the Land menu, the Soy Braised Short Rib on top of curried watermelon as an appetizer and Grilled Karabuto Pork Chop which came with cheddar grits and collards; both were excellent. I'm usually wary of grits north of the Mason Dixon line-- especially with grandparents who hail from North Carolina-- but these were great.
My favorite drink, the Blackberry Bramble, sadly was nowhere to be seen on this new drink menu so I opted for a Basil Dark & Stormy which is dark rum with basil, molasses and ginger; pretty nice and not as herb-y as I thought it might be, which was good.
Last but not least: dessert. Always one of M-Town's strong points, I was bummed I didn't have room for any the other nite but tonight I was not to be deterred by an almost full stomach, I just had to try one of the new items and after much decision, settled on the Caramelized Banana & Walnut Empanda with cinnamon ice cream which was gone from my plate it in about a minute. Need I say more?
Monkeytown
58 N 3rd St (btwn Wythe & Kent)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718/ 384-1369
Oinks: 4/5
Why Bother: consistently tasty food; decent prices; interesting roster of events
Average Setback: 2 apps & a cocktail-- $31; 2nd visit: 1 app, 1 entree, 1 drink + dessert-- $50; a double feature of Dirty Dancing & it's Bollywood counerpart screened simutaneously -- priceless.
Monkeytown, venerable Williamsburg art space meets restaurant, is open again after a month or so long renovation. It doesn't look all that different inside but the menu (and even the drink menu) has been completely revamped. I've always been a fan of the food there, it sort of matches the quirky, off beat film screenings and performances in the back room. The menu is now divided into three distinct categories: Earth (veggies and quasi-meat), Land (meat) and Sea (self-explanatory) and then subdivided into appetizers and mains.
The other night I tried two apps from the Land category: the Grilled Flat Bread with duck confit, caramelized endive and fontina and the Seared Foie Gras with banana guacamole and habanero syrup. Hands down winner is the flat bread; the portion was huge and the duck was super flavorful and not at all dry. Now, the foie gras had a strike against it before it even arrived: I'm not a huge fan of foie gras in non-terrine form; there's something about the consistency I just can't wrap my mouth around (tho I did finish it all as befits a foodnerd!). Aside from that, there was still something a bit off... the flavors just didn't mesh all that well. Firstly, the banana guac was more like a salsa-- it was hardly even mashed-- and then the habanero syrup was overpowering at times. A friend had the Wild Mushroom Quinotto, a risotto-like dish made with quinoa instead of rice, goat cheese and asparagus and quite delicious. I went back again tonite and had, again from the Land menu, the Soy Braised Short Rib on top of curried watermelon as an appetizer and Grilled Karabuto Pork Chop which came with cheddar grits and collards; both were excellent. I'm usually wary of grits north of the Mason Dixon line-- especially with grandparents who hail from North Carolina-- but these were great.
My favorite drink, the Blackberry Bramble, sadly was nowhere to be seen on this new drink menu so I opted for a Basil Dark & Stormy which is dark rum with basil, molasses and ginger; pretty nice and not as herb-y as I thought it might be, which was good.
Last but not least: dessert. Always one of M-Town's strong points, I was bummed I didn't have room for any the other nite but tonight I was not to be deterred by an almost full stomach, I just had to try one of the new items and after much decision, settled on the Caramelized Banana & Walnut Empanda with cinnamon ice cream which was gone from my plate it in about a minute. Need I say more?
Monkeytown
58 N 3rd St (btwn Wythe & Kent)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718/ 384-1369
Oinks: 4/5
Why Bother: consistently tasty food; decent prices; interesting roster of events
Average Setback: 2 apps & a cocktail-- $31; 2nd visit: 1 app, 1 entree, 1 drink + dessert-- $50; a double feature of Dirty Dancing & it's Bollywood counerpart screened simutaneously -- priceless.
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