Bar Susanne is a New Winner on The Williamsburg Waterfront

By Scott Lynch

Bar Susanne is located at 6 River Street, near Kent Avenue and South 5th Street, and is currently open from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily

There are few spots in Brooklyn more pleasant on a nice summer evening than that southern end of Domino Park, where there’s always a nice breeze, the Williamsburg Bridge towers dramatically above, and the views looking out over the water are simply spectacular. 

Adding to the list of waterfront attractions is Chef Jackie Carnesie—the mastermind behind Nura (RIP) and Kellogg’s Diner‘s brilliant Tex-Mex overhaul—who just opened the beautiful new spot Bar Susanne along the East River, and is loading the menu with delicious seafood. “After doing Kellogg’s for two years, I wanted to get back more into a traditional kitchen,” Carnesi told Brooklyn Magazine. “And something that’s not open 24 hours. Plus, I’m really excited about this spot because it feels so New York. Not just because of the views and all that, but also because we’re really highlighting local seafood.” 

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

Said local seafood greets you as you walk in the door, a glorious cascade of mollusks, cephalopods, and crustaceans; fodder for the chef’s raw bar offerings. This includes oysters, of course, which are served straight-up on a half shell—there were three varieties on hand when we went last week—but most dishes come with an extra bit of that Carnesi magic.   

Razor clam ceviche with passionfruit aguachile, $18 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Pickled mussels, $14 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Crab salad, $24 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

“It’s a nice French-y, Italian-y, coastal bistro menu, with a little bit of me sprinkled in,” she said. “The use of cilantro, a lot of lime, pickly things… it’s really hard for me to stray too far from that. You’ll always find a jalapeno on my menu. I like to keep things fun.” The razor clams, for example, are prepared ceviche style, soaked in a potent passionfruit aguachile, then placed back into their shells and topped with tiny cubes of hibiscus jelly. These look amazing, and will wake your palate right the hell up. Mussels are pickled and poured over with a zingy, coconut jugo verde; the crab is made into a creamy salad, spiked hard with pickled chilies. 

French fries with “all the sauces,” $14 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Caviar service (trout roe on egg salad), $28 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

And though I didn’t try Bar Susanne’s shrimp cocktail on night one, I did fall in love with the shrimp shell aioli that comes with it. Carnesi also gives you a crock of the stuff when you get the sprawl of excellent french fries. There’s a nifty caviar dish too, one of those egg-on-egg type deals (in this case, Japanese-style egg salad topped with trout roe) that vibes luxurious while still feeling playful. Other snacks include a pile of hefty ridged potato chips studded with of boquerones (aka the Bar Susanne fish and chips), a crudite bouquet with spicy cilantro dip, and some chicken liver mousse served in one of those stemmed ice cream dishes. 

Squid with beans and mustard greens, $29 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

In addition to the liver, two other turf-based dishes appear on the menu as well: an eight-ounce dry-aged cheeseburger, and a La Pera Farms roasted half chicken. Me though? I stayed in the surf for my entree, a fantastic, almost-soupy squid dish thick with beans, mustard greens, and blobs of peppy salsa verde. 

Strawberry tart for two, $26 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Mango sorbet “oyster shooters,” $10 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

There’s no actual seafood in any of the desserts, but the delightful strawberry tart is shaped like a swimmer (it’s also tangy, flaky, buttery, and gooey). And the “oyster shooters” are a blast, a mollusk-shaped bite (or two) of mango sorbet infused with coconut creme anglaise and cilantro served in a shell.     

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

The booze program here is run by co-owner Milos Zica, who’s poured at places like Fata Mandi Employees Only, and cocktails cost around $22. The space itself is a stunner, thanks to the work of co-owners Matthew Maddy, a James Beard Award-nominated designer, and Marisa Maddy Ripo, who applies her extensive fashion industry experience to the look of the room. James Freeman rounds out the ownership team, bringing his decades of Brooklyn-based hospitality experience (at the likes of Sweet Science and Sally’s) to ensure the place feels friendly and lively.   

“It’s great for a date night or a celebratory type of thing,” said Carnesi, “but since we’re located literally in an apartment building, we’re definitely cultivating a regulars culture as well. We’re in this little nook in Williamsburg, a little bit of an island, and I think that’s going to be really fun. On a beautiful day it’s crazy over here.”