The Brooklyn Star

33 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn, NY

5.9

map & more

Neighborhood
Brooklyn
Williamsburg

718-599-9899

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
February 17, 2010

Being David Chang’s wing-man apparently gets old pretty quickly. Despite having been a part of one of the most obsessed over and successful Manhattan food empires well, ever, Joaquin Baca decided to sell his Momofuku shares and open his own spot in Brooklyn. Can you blame him? It’s no fun when the other guy gets all the credit (and curses at you all day). Baca’s departure from Momo and his “return” to the Southern flavors he was brought up on has created a nice little food buzz across the dining community, so we decided to check it out.

We dropped by The Star before Hot Chip played Music Hall of Williamsburg a couple of weeks back. It’s an inviting spot, with a humble demeanor and a laid back, first come, first serve attitude. We were pleasantly surprised to grab a table without having to wait during prime time. While there certainly are some gems on the menu (we dug the cornbread, bacon wrapped trout and the country fried steak), some of the more traditional dishes left us scratching our heads. The Dr. Pepper ribs were just bad, which is ridiculous considering our waitress claimed they were everyone’s favorite. The braised pork shank was massive, but it was missing the magic. Unfortunately, The Star isn’t the home run we were expecting. More like a solid double in the gap. If you order right, you can have a successful face-stuffing feast – you get a ton of food for the price. Arrive hungry, leave full (and with leftovers), but don’t expect to be blown away.

Photo Credit: Robyn Lee/Serious Eats

Food Rundown:

Cornbread
Served hot out of the oven, in its own cast-iron pan (which you know we love). This is absolutely necessary, and when you order, spend the extra fifty cents for bacon and jalepeno. The bread is moist, the bacon smoky and the jalapeño adds a spicy kick.

Romaine Salad with Bacon Buttermilk
Full romaine leaves gettin’ sloppy in a bowl of some kind of awesome bacon buttermilk ranch dressing. Definitely recommend this.

Half Rack Dr. Pepper Ribs
Our waitress claimed this half rack appetizer was the single most popular thing on the menu. This “signature dish” sounded great on paper, but was a total let down. The ribs were wet and chewy – you had to put in overtime just to get the meat off the bone. Next time I’m going for the fried pig tails. The table next to us was getting down on them and they looked amazing.

Spicy Fried Chicken Wings
Although the sauce had a bright orange glow to it, these meaty wings weren’t of the buffalo variety. They were cleverly sauced with a combination of smoky bbq, pickled carrots and scallions (stealing a page from Momofuku’s repertoire). These were solid wings, and we would definitely get them again.

Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Hot Slaw
See, I have a problem…I can’t not finish food that’s in front of me. My buddy at work can sit for a full day with a bag of cookies on his desk, slowly eating one at a time and saving some for the next day. I’d take that whole bag down in five minutes. I have zero will power. It’s hard to believe I polished off just about this entire plate of crunchy goodness and still had room for liquid dessert – Jameson.

Bacon Wrapped Trout, Anson Mills Grits, Braised Leeks, Pecans
We’ve never had a bacon wrapped trout before, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The combination of the smoky bacon, salty skin and moist fish all was amazing.

Braised Pork Shank, Mashed Potatoes, Collard Greens
Aspiring musicians who cram five humans into a two bedroom apartment need to listen up. This pork shank could feed your starving hipster family for a week. It’s an absolute monster. Unfortunately, it’s lacking in the flavor department and more closely resembles the giant plates I used to fill at the college dining hall than those I purchase at NYC restaurants. Still, at under twenty bucks, this is move if you’ve got ironic mouths to feed.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy with Scrambled Cheesy Eggs
Cheddar cheesy eggs covered in sausage gravy and served over The Star’s homemade biscuits. Not a bad way to start your day.

Shrimp and Grits with Bacon and Fried Eggs
Shrimp and grits are hot right now – they’re poppin’ up on menus all around town these days. This one has eggs and if you’re a shrimp & grits lover, it will do. If not, avoid.

Cinnamon Bun
The Star does good work with their buns, breads and biscuits. Excellent cinnamon bun.