Diner

11. November 2009 American, Brooklyn 0

85 Broadway between Wythe and Berry Streets in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718/486.3077
about $140 for three people, with cocktails, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

We waited for our Marlow & Sons seats at the Diner’s bar next door. After comparing the menu between the two sister restaurants, we knew we had to go back to the Diner to try theirs out. The Diner had the more exciting and elaborate menu for less of the wait. Weeknights are definitely less busy, but this block which used to be dominated by Peter Luger’s, is no longer quiet. Hipsters in plaid shirts congregate outside to meet friends, smoke a cigarette and finish a cocktail.

The menu is longer than next door’s and for some reason, management expects the servers to memorize the entire thing including the details of each dish. We cringed as our waitress struggled to remember what was in the pork rilette. I wanted to pat her hand and comfort her when she juggled her words between the frisée and the market salad.

The only struggle involved when the food came was who would get a bigger bite of which. The butternut squash apple soup was delicious and hearty made even better by chanterelles. The flatbreads’ caramelized onions came through so strongly, I wished I could serve them as appetizers at home. The specks of apples on them just showed how much the restaurant was taking advantage of the seasonal produce. Someone in the kitchen was definitely making them with love.

The beef burger was to die for: meat juice escaped from our mouths without the bread breaking up and getting soggy. The mussels were a good match to our basil cocktails and cold lagers and the market salad was a wonderful break that cut through all the lardon.

We were aching by the time the waitress came back for the dessert options. We saved her from having to recite and write them on our paper tablecloths by skipping them entirely.