Carol Gardens just got way more awesome. A new ‘rant just opened up this week called Buttermilk Channel. Keeez and I went over tonight to scope out the scene and check out the menu and it was DELICIOUS. Here’s what prompted our visit (via
Brownstoner):
Now Open: Buttermilk Channel
524 Court Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 852-8490
“Ryan Angulo, who was chef de cuisine at The Stanton Social, is Buttermilk Channel’s executive chef. He makes his own pickles, cures his own bacon, and has otherwise devised a casual menu featuring things like chicken and waffles and duck meat loaf (take that, duck meatballs),” says Hugh Merwin for Gothamist. Buttermilk Channel opened yesterday, and if you visit during their first week of business, they’ll take 10% off your check.
DAMN RIGHT. We started off our meal with delicious cocktails. Keeez had the dark and stormy remix (they call it a Fair Harbor) that had a really hard, herby kick. My “Morici” included Jack Daniels, Lillet Blanc (so the new shit) and some kind of punchy Italian bitters that gave it ‘tude.
To start, they gave us a bowl of three tiny popovers (we ate them before I could get a picture). They were filled with a small amount of goat cheese, drizzled with local honey, and sprinkled with crunchy flakes of sea salt. As a huge fan of bread and butter, it ain’t easy to win me over with other little snacks before a meal. But, these were perfect.
Next, we ordered the house-made pickles:
There were two kinds of cukes, served in a soft-edged ramekin with thin slices of pickled onion. The long stalks of dill were crisp and refreshing, and the sweet and sour chips were zingy and tangy. I’ve never met a homemade pickle I didn’t like, and these were no exception.
For our apps, Keeez ordered the short ribs and slaw and I had an apple and cranberry salad. We hated both of them:
Just kidding. We basically gnawed on our plates.
The salad was pretty basic, but it was dressed with olive oil and lime juice and some smoky element which made it interesting. The short ribs were crusty on the outside and melty off the bone inside. Keeez loved the accompanying slaw, too. To me, it just tasted like slaw.
I know these pictures are dark and hard to see, but bare with me. Next, I ate cheese:
Tonight on cow tap, there was a blue cheese, a hard-mild cheese, and some washed-rind gooey thing. They were served with “roasted grapes” (totally bland and boring) and local honey. The mild cheese was nutty and awesome. The gooey one started off mild but packed a punch. I didn’t really eat the blue cheese, but Keeez thought it was aiight. The sheer AMOUNT of cheese they gave me was staggering, and to try all three was only ten bucks. Quite the deal.
Keeez had the trout wrapped in house-cured bacon. My LORD was that some smoky bacon. He said it was the most tender and moist fish he’s ever had in a restaurant! It came with adorable little johnny cakes and a huge piece of kale.
Then we had espresso and sped home to post about dinner (me) and paint another coat of greenscreen paint of the bedroom wall (obvi not me). Two more things I want to mention:
1) Keeez and I always sit at the counter. The service is better, the bartender always comps us something(s), and we don’t have to sit across from each other and pretend to have a “real conversation.” Our server tonight was AWESOME. She was super knowledgeable, very friendly, and had a semi colon tattooed on her arm (kinda alt). But then the bad-acne dude who sat down next to me? STANK. He must’ve been some shady food blogger for assholes@food.geocities.biz/stick-up-ass.com, because he was rude as shit. He complained or audibly sighed about pretty much everything. I h8 sitting next to ungrateful twats while I’m enjoying my meal and tipping 40%. It ruins the spirit of excess. If you wanna be a dick, please do so privately.
2) Buttermilk Channel offers only American wines! We had an awesome dry Reisling from Washington. Almost all the wines they offer are less than 50 bucks a bottle. Also, the beer comes in a cool old-timey chilled mug. And they have Porkslap.
So! Check this place out. The food, the folks (minus acid-face), the drinks, and the service were all great. It was a lovely experience. OH, and I totes forgot; I also had sweet potato croquettes. Dag. Those ruled too.
By Hello Nurse
