[Pigging by Wilfrid: June 27, 2011]
Could Bushwick (oh, sorry, East Williamsburg - yeah, right) become the new East Village? As far as dining and drinks go, anyway?
It will take a long haul to get there. Not that The Morgan isn't a worthwhile step in that direction. And about five minutes from the same L Train stop as Roberta's, in case you are wondering whether it's worth reading this review.
He then shrewdly honed his chef credentials by offering a lengthy tasting menu - by application only. If it's rare and kind of secret, New Yorkers love it. Apparently it's good too.
But Roberta's is in the middle of nowhere, right? Well, it's conveniently accessible from Manhattan - if the L Train is running. There is now a comfortable bar in walking distance, The Narrows, serving "craft" beers and pretty good cocktails if the right person is mixing them. Northeast Kingdom, previously reviewed, is an enjoyable modern bistro - although hardly a destination.
And now there's The Morgan, a restaurant opened by music-biz people with no feel for SEO. If you want to know about The Morgan, be prepared to learn a lot about The Morgan Library and Museum instead. Really, apart from an uninformative Facebook page, this joint seems to hide from the Web.
Opened slowly on an unlikely corner of grimly grey Bogart Street, The Morgan does have a huge backroom with stage for live music events and djs. Thankfully that all stays in the backroom. In front, a simple, comfortable tavern. Bar, bar-stools, tables, green banquettes. Neither huge nor tiny. Comfort food - burgers, fries, flatbreads - cheap beer ($4, wow).
And some fancy grub too.
Take that foie gras plate above. Seared Hudson Valley foie gras, the sidewalk blackboard boasts. I can't tell you how incongruous this is on a street best known for a vast Boar's Head delivery hub. On this occasion, the kitchen had devised a sharp rather than sweet frame for the morsel of duck liver. The meat had made the acquaintance of some passion fruit. The garnish was fresh fruit - mild blueberries, sharpish blackberries and - wow - super sharp raspberries. The mellowness of the foie just about held up, helped by some slightly toasted bread fingers.
Gripe: I know foie is expensive, but there wasn't a lot for $24. Most of the menu is much less expensive. You could make a full meal, for example, out of The Morgan's take on fish 'n' chips in a basket.
Bloater tails, in an excellent crisp batter. Fries I couldn't fault - hot, crispy, skin-on but thin, healthily seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs. Bloater tails remind me a little of rock salmon (or rock eel), a popular offering in British chip shops in my youth. Firm fleshed, every piece had a slightly gelatinous but inedible single bone through the center, and you kind of ate around it.
Bloater tails have a spiky little bone, and you're well advised to eat around it too. A little messy, but worth it for the savory flesh. No messing tartar sauce was great for dunking the fries.
Having kicked up the fish'n'chips, could the kitchen make pork belly interesting? They did a pretty good job. Belly - not too fatty - cooked sous vide. A quail's egg on top. A brunoise of Georgia peaches triangulating the dish in a sweet direction. What the heck was the yellow purée? Well, it was nice, and there's no menu online to check. Sue me.
The truly unexpected aspect of The Morgan, as I think everyone can see, is the very un-Brooklyn style of plating. Several entrées were being served on large, square white plates. Every dish I saw was neatly arranged with a meticulous fretwork of sauces and purées (okay, the bloater tails were deliberately presented "in-a-basket" style. The food is good enough for the chef's decorative instinct not to come across as silly. Maybe just a little overwrought.
Drinking won't do much to your check. Very cheap beers. Wines are consistently cheap too, but not awful. $10 to $12 bottle prices, correctly multiplied by three. Glasses around $7 or $8.
This is a labor of love. I saw one of the owners staring happily at the blackboard specials, just admiring the fact that the place exists. If you don't want to stand in line at Roberta's, here's your plan B.
Get a proper website.
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