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“Buttermilk in Brooklyn”

I don’t know about you but when I hear the words “Buttermilk Channel” I think of a rich and delicious drinkable stream brimming with sweet cultured cream, flowing through some sort of magical cinnamon coffee cake world under a marshmallow moon. Dreams are lovely aren’t they? In reality, this stream is the name of a narrow body of water that separates the Brooklyn waterfront from Governors Island (it’s definitely not drinkable). But it’s now also the name of a new American bistro in Carroll Gardens owned by Doug Crowell (former GM of Blue Water Grill) who has tapped executive chef Ryan Angulo (ex Stanton Social, Picholine, Aqua, and Al Forno) to create a seasonal menu that’s very well suited for the neighborhood (read: reasonable and approachable fare, the sort you want to eat every night of the week).

You can start out at the bar with a glass of wine from their all-American wine list or a frosty pint from their New York State beer list and a few snacks like house made pickles ($3), maple & bacon roasted almonds ($4), Caputo's mozzarella with warm anchovy sauce ($5), or a platter of sausages from Schaller & Weber served with warm sauerkraut, spicy mustard ($9).

Sit down to dinner and you’ll have to choose between first courses like a Delicata squash tart with house made ricotta, brown butter, and organic greens ($9), pumpkin and braised bacon soup with poached egg ($7), and spice-rubbed baby back ribs with winter vegetable slaw and cider glaze ($10).

Main courses are wonderfully merciless on the waistline: duck meatloaf with creamy spinach ravioli and duck jus ($20), bacon-wrapped brook trout with johnnycakes and leek confit ($19), and buttermilk fried chicken with cheddar waffles and winter vegetable slaw ($18) and a big fat burger made from a signature mix of house-ground meats served on a Tom Cat bakery parker roll with grilled onions and house pickles ($11). My only issue is that there are no buttermilk biscuits on the menu. I guess I'll live.



Daily blue plates include Monday’s Heritage pork cheek schnitzel with creamy celery root and prune jam ($21) and Tuesday’s whole leg of Jamison Farm’s lamb with caramelized cauliflower and anchovy-olive butter ($20). A separate Vegetarian Menu on request.



The restaurant sort of matches the chef’s menu in that it’s inviting and welcoming with a 12-seat butcher block-topped bar, pew banquettes from a nearby church, and a communal table crafted from beams reclaimed from a demolished Red Hook shipping warehouse by local furniture-maker Ralph Gorham.

Bonus trivia from the PR: Buttermilk Channel is located across the street from St. Mary Star of the Sea Church (467 Court Street; established 1855), where Al Capone was married in 1918.



Buttermilk Channel opens tonight and is located at 524 Court Street, corner of Huntington, 718-852-8490. It is open for dinner, Sunday-Wednesday, 5:00-11:00 PM and Thursday-Saturday, 5:30 PM-Midnight; and weekend brunch (which begins in December), Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM.

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Posted: November 25, 2008 - 4:17 pm

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