Dine In Brooklyn Week is Finally Returning, So Here’s Where to Eat on the Cheap
Hey, remember Dine in Brooklyn, last seen in 2013? A holiday akin to Christmas in the restaurant world with its plentiful cut-priced promotions? Well, now, it’s back, having slipped under the shadow of Manhattan’s flashier Restaurant Week. So, spread the word that from August 11-22, scores of participating local eateries will serve $28 three-course dinners, $15 two-course lunches, and $12 brunches. When you support the local businesses of Dine in Brooklyn, your wallets and your stomachs will be rewarded.
Butterfunk Kitchen
Everything on the regular menu (with the exception of the ribs) is included in the Dine In prix fixe at Brooklyn Commune’s new soul food-meets-Pennsylvania Dutch spot. Which amounts to access to over a dozen different items, including crawfish hushpuppies dunked in old bay remoulade and lemonade and buttermilk-marinated fried chicken flanked by brown sugar biscuits and mason jars of “chocolate silk” i.e., an opulent pot du crème.
1295 Prospect Ave., (917) 909-0421, Windsor Terrace
The Pines
Gowanus’ most innovative eatery is offering a single set menu for Dine in Brooklyn, but it’s hard to find fault with the options: think summer squash and zucchini with dill creme fraiche and savory granola, chicken poblano sausage over quinoa and corn, and chocolate cake plated with beet pudding, raspberries, and creme fraiche ice cream.
284 3rd Ave., (718) 596-6560, Gowanus
Werkstatt
If you balk at the thought of hefty Austrian fare during the dog days of August, know that Thomas Ferlesch–formerly of Fort Greene’s Thomas Beisl–employs an elegant touch that’s well represented on his Dine in Brooklyn menu; think a quintet of Viennese salads or a seafood gazpacho comprised of shrimp and calamari, or greaseless cylinders of schnitzel (wiener, chicken or pounded celery root). Others include a vegetarian/gluten free eggplant terrine, succeeded by plum cake or apricot palatschinken, a type of lacy, Central European crepe.
509 Coney Island Ave., (718) 284-5800, Flatbush
Barano
Rubirosa’s longtime chef, Al Di Meglio, has pledged his allegiance to Williamsburg’s south side, slinging wood-fired pizzas topped with housemade mozzarella, local tomatoes and basil, as well as Ischian specialties such as ricotta cavatelli alla pummarola with chilies, arugula and red wine poached peach salad, and grilled chicken with charred green beans and scallions. All of it is available during Dine In Brooklyn.
26 Broadway, (347) 987-4500, Williamsburg
El Born
Being that they’re a shareable Spanish tapas destination, El Born isn’t following the standard, three-course progression. Instead, they’re offering a an assortment of Barcelona-inspired bites for $28, such as their top-selling patatas bravas, a shot glass of gazpacho, mini chorizo sausages, blistered shishito peppers with bonito flakes, and traditional pan con tomate.
651 Manhattan Ave., (347) 844-9295, Greenpoint
Grandchamps
This all-day café serves homestyle Haitian fare in Bed-Stuy, including pork griot, smothered in a scotch bonnet infused marinade, turkey tasso, delivered bone-in with a side of fried plantains, and legume–a stew of chayote squash and assorted vegetables, poured over rice and beans.
197 Patchen Ave, (718) 484-4880, Bed-Stuy
Tuscany Grill
One of the more refined residents of Bay Ridge’s Red Sauce Row, it’s worth braving the R-train for a trip to this 20-year-old Tuscan trattoria–for antipasti like pan roasted clams, paired with grilled country bread, as well as rustic pastas such as fresh pappardelle, in a braised short rib ragu, or a house-brined double cut pork chop, weeping juice over sweet grapes or hot cherry peppers.
8620 3rd Ave., (718) 921-5633, Bay Ridge
Prawn Shop
While shellfish selections are a rarity on reduced-price Restaurant Week menus, this sustainable seafood enthusiast isn’t pulling any punches, supplying starters like a plate of raw oysters and chilled prawn cocktail, followed by a ½ pound of head-on prawns or mussels in a beer and butter broth, and a cast iron-baked brownie capped with torched marshmallow for dessert.
669 Union St., (347) 599-0296, Park Slope
Rose Water
Park Slope’s local-seasonal trailblazer is taking a buck off their regular farm-focused market menu for Dine In Brooklyn (and charging only $14 for optional wine pairings)–a categorical steal for chilled pea soup with Finger Lakes dry riesling, roasted pollack with North Fork refosco rosé, and blueberry coffee cake teamed with muscat de beaumes de venise.
787 Union St., (718) 783-3800, Park Slope
