It’s official, we need to get to Brooklyn more often. I can’t believe we’ve been sleepin’ on Marlow. I knew it was on the second I laid eyes on this place, before I’d consumed any food or drink. Marlow my friend, you had me at hello. It’s friendly and inviting; a funky oyster bar relatively small in size but big on personality. A fitting selection of funk, soul and electro sets the mood. As I look around, soak in the positive vibe and notice all the quirky antiques and liquor bottles lining the walls, it feels like a nice hybrid between San Francisco and NY. The employees are just as much Bedford Ave as they are Mission district and look like the kind of group who’d be a good time to kick it with. Even if the food wasn’t good, I’d happily come back to hang here. The fact that the food is great is an added bonus. If your approach to life is the same as ours – work hard, play hard, relax hard – then you’ll appreciate what Marlow brings to the table. Discovering places like this is what the Infatuation is all about. Before my wedding, I’m bringing my wedding party here for whisky and oysters.
How awesome is Brooklyn Bowl? Think back to your youth and that ultimate birthday party/bar mitzvah/sweet 16 spot. That rare place that provided anything and everything your heart could desire. 10-year-old Steinthal could hang out at Sportime USA and never, ever get enough; batting cages, skee-ball, video games, laser tag, that ridiculous push the quarter over the ledge game, and on and on. I currently feel the same way about Brooklyn Bowl; a music venue, bowling alley, bar, and restaurant all rolled into one. This place is unbelievable and pays attention to all of the important details. Huge screens everywhere play classic movies and TV shows from Planet Earth to Wall-E to Seinfeld to VH1 Classic. Their music selection is top notch, and on our last visit, Rolling Stone editor/Sirius XMU radio host Jenny Eliscu played an appropriate mix of current favorites including My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, and Radiohead mixed in with some classics from Todd Rundgren and Bob Seger. Pitchers of Brooklyn beer flow for under $21, which is cheap by NYC standards. Speaking of reasonable prices, bowling lanes are only $40 an hour for up to 8 people. Oh, and did I mention that they’re going to be hosting football on Sundays? Oh yes, full NFL ticket. But the best part about the whole situation? Blue Ribbon provides all the food. You can get dirty on apps while you bowl and they offer a full menu of classics at the restaurant.
In case you haven’t noticed, Cobble Hill is fully stacked with great restaurants these days, many of which are new Infatuation favorites. Right at the top of that list is Char No. 4, and it’s easy to see why. It’s essentially my New York City dream house – a warm, inviting space with a wall of bourbon and a smoker. When we sell this website to Excite or Lycos or whoever is spending money these days, that’s totally what I’m buying. I guess for now I’ll have to stick with my current method of tossing a few woodchips into the toaster and ripping the batteries out of the smoke alarm.
While smoking meat is definitely a huge part of what Char No. 4 does (you’ll notice that damn near everything on the dinner menu is a “house smoked” something), it’s not all just ribs and brisket sandwiches. This is Southern influenced food in New York City, and you will find some really creative things on the menu, like the insanely good lamb pastrami, a ridiculous crispy sweet potato gnocchi, and a more than respectable brunch. We recently decided to put it all to the test by bringing in some palates even more discerning than ours. One of our favorite new bands hails from Dallas, and we decided to introduce them to Southern food, Brooklyn style. Take a look and see what happens when Char No. 4 meets Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights.
Oh Brooklyn. You’re so close, yet so far away. It definitely takes extra motivation to get Immaculate Infatuation to venture to BK, especially Dumbo. How anyone can live there and not go completely insane from the constant noise accompanying living under two bridges is beyond me. It makes you empathize with the troll from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”. However, when we heard that a couple who met on the job at Freemans (one of our all-time favorite restaurants) opened Vinegar Hill House (V.H.H.) in Dumbo, we took it as a sign that it was time for Infatuation to expand out of borough. So without further ado … drum-roll please … we present our first Brooklyn review.
The first thing that will hit you when you walk into V.H.H. is the heady smell of smoldering firewood coming from the wood-burning oven in the open kitchen. V.H.H. has a more rural feel to it than Freemans, although they are definitely cut from a similar cloth. Feel like you’re eating in an eccentric friends dining room filled with vintage chotchkies and old family treasures? That’s because you are. The owners actually live in the house directly behind the restaurant and use the tree laden patio in-between for quaint garden dining. The old time vibe is cool, but they might want to look into some new outdoor furniture. We witnessed a fully plated table across from us crumble to the ground, spilling fine food and wine everywhere. It was kind of nuts.
Despite their lack of functioning furniture, the Hill House is well worth the trek to BK. It’s hip without giving off that “too cool” vibe some restaurants can have. The food is outstanding and, for a change, affordable.
We’ve been spending a lot more time in Brooklyn lately, and it’s not the indie music scene or girls in ironic glasses drawing us in (please god let that trend end soon). We know we aren’t exactly breaking any news by telling you there are outstanding restaurants all over the borough, but now that some ground has been covered in Manhattan, we’re ready to start expanding the Infatuation empire. It’s business time in BK.
Prime Meats has been on our list for a while now – we love Frankie’s Spuntino (owned by the same people), and we love meat. We also happen to be big fans of old timey things, and Prime Meats was meticulously designed to feel like it came from old timey New York. There’s a beautiful antique bar, the staff all look like extras from Gangs of New York, and you should know that, just like in the 1890’s, they only take cash. The menu is heavy and meat-centric, but most everything is incredible, especially the steaks and anything that sounds German, which is pretty much everything. Before you go, know that this is the kind of place you make a night of. You will likely wait a long while for your table, will likely drink far too many vintage cocktails, and will more than likely want to die from eating so much. As long as you plan accordingly, you should come away happy.
Giveaway: Dinner On Us
