Duck meatloaf at Buttermilk Channel.
The New York Times Dining section named the eleven most memorable dishes of the year, and two of them (that’s 18%!) can be found within blocks of each other on Court Street: the duck meatloaf at Buttermilk Channel (524 Court Street) and the Prime Manhattan at Prime Meats (465 Court Street). Sure, the latter is a cocktail, but Times counts it as one of their eleven most memorable dishes of the 2009.
THE DUCK MEATLOAF AT BUTTERMILK CHANNEL Buttermilk Channel roared onto the Brooklyn dining scene late last year with family-friendly service, an excellent wine list and a great deal of comforting food. Popovers and fried chicken don’t make year-end roundups, though. Rich, raisin-studded, thyme-infused duck meatloaf does. Doug Crowell, the restaurant’s owner, is pairing the meat with puréed parsnips zipped on orange and star anise. You could do that at home, too, or try it alongside the pommes aligot.
THE PRIME MANHATTAN AT PRIME MEATS There are a lot of people here who appear to have dressed for a Vancouver trapping expedition, attended a gallery show in Bushwick, and then had the idea to mush over to Carroll Gardens for absinthe. But this restaurant from the brilliant team behind the Frankies empire, while not even yet completely open, has wonderful food and a truly inspired drinks menu arranged by Damon Boelte. His Manhattan, built out of 100-proof Rittenhouse rye, Dolin sweet vermouth and bitters made at the restaurant out of buddha’s hand, a lemony citrus fruit, is a glass of refinement afforded only artists and dreamers: a direct portal into an imaginary 19th-century New York City.
I really can’t understand the excitement surrounding Prime Meats’ cocktails. They are average, at best. I recently had two of their specialty cocktails and was underwhelmed, knowing I could get better at several bars in the neighborhood. The food was very good, though.
There is more to making a great cocktail than having a silly mustache and arm garders … and by the way, it’s 2010.
Gotta say the 1 thing that keeps me away from the place are the reported get-ups/uniforms, wasn’t everything a nickel when people dressed like that?
Got to second the duck meatloaf at Buttermilk Channel. It’s amazing.