Traif

229 S. 4th St., Brooklyn, NY

8.2

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Neighborhood
Brooklyn
Williamsburg

Cuisine
American

Nearby
Knitting Factory

347-844-9578

Official Website

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By Andrew Steinthal
October 4, 2010

Traif is awesome. It’s exactly the kind of restaurant we enjoy hanging out at, and would happily set up shop here permanently if we weren’t constantly running around trying new places. Infatuation Nation was in our ear about this one, and, as usual, the good people who email and tweet at us came through with a winner. The name says it all. Traif is a Hebrew word used to describe everything us Jews aren’t “supposed” to eat like pig and shellfish, and that’s exactly what they creatively celebrate.

The restaurant has a great vibe, vibrant but low key with excellent music choices (Frightened Rabbit, The Roots), an open kitchen and nice sized garden in the back. It’s a great option for parties of 6-10 as the menu is meant to share and the spacing at the table is perfect for group conversation. Most importantly, the food is fantastic and the price is right. We’re concerned though; for some reason, Traif isn’t getting the love it deserves. It was only half full when we recently stopped by, and a friend of ours who lives next door reports that’s generally the story on most nights. It’s possible that the location is holding it back, as it’s off the beaten path in Williamsburg a bit. Or maybe people just don’t know about it yet? Whatever the reason, we need to change that. Get Traif to the top of your hit list and tell your friends. This restaurant needs to succeed so they can expand to Manhattan and take their Thai Spicy-Sweet Chili Glazed Calamari and Strawberry-­Cinnamon Glazed Baby Back Ribs to the big time.

Food Rundown:

Duck Confit Lettuce Wraps
One of their signature dishes, this one cannot be missed. It’s a make your own lettuce wrap with shredded duck confit and some other good stuff aka banana-tamarind prik, whatever that is. It is delicious. Check the Twitpic.

Braised Pork Belly
Possibly my favorite thing on the menu, the crispy chunks of tender marmalade covered belly are served over a slaw-type salad with avocado, corn and tomato. Incredible.

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
Even their attempts at a healthy dish are delightfully gluttonous as the rabe is served with roasted portabella, truffle toast and a big fat fried egg. We dig it.

Thai Spicy-Sweet Chili Glazed Calamari
Yup, it’s as good as it sounds. Fried calamari with all kinds of extra flair that brings to mind the blue corn meal crusted calamari we love from Yerba Buena Perry. Make sure you order two of these if you’re with a big group; it’ll go fast.

Strawberry-­Cinnamon Glazed Baby Back Ribs
Traif really knows how to make your mouth water just by their descriptions alone. Who in their right mind could possibly come here and NOT order strawberry-cinnamon glazed ribs? Not us, you know that. While the flavors weren’t overwhelming, they complimented the meat quite well. Definitely order a plate of these.

Lamb & Chorizo Meatballs
Uh huh. That happened too. And it was awesome.

Fresh Alaskan Spot Prawns garlic, olive oil, pimento
The one dish we’d advise not to mess around with, these prawns weren’t as good as everything else we sampled. Although they sound good, skip ‘em.

Seared Foie Gras
Damn, breakfast for dinner never tasted so good. Seared foie gras is served with fingerling potatoes, ham chips, an egg sunny side up with maple and hot sauce. Ridiculous; check out the pic.

Bacon Doughnuts
What better way to end a super healthy dinner than with bacon infused doughnut holes with dulce de leche and coffee ice cream on the side? Obviously, this was awesome.