Eat in Greenpoint is Simply Great

After reading the New York Magazine review of Eat, our interest was piqued enough to trudge 15 minutes through the slush and melting snow on a frigid Thursday night, all the way to Meserole and Leonard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to give it a try.

Seasonality is at the core of Eat… whatever is available at the local green market is what you’ll be eating.  So it’s difficult to say exactly what will be on the menu.  This poses a big challenge for us (and all wine lovers) because it is also BYOB!  But hey, a BYOB in New York with great food is a “problem” that we are more than happy to deal with…

The first thing you might notice about this place is its simplicity and intimacy.  There are only about 8 tables staggered along the narrow room.  Past the tables, you’ll probably notice two people quietly working in the tiny kitchen (one of which is Jordan, the chef/owner) at the rear and sometimes one more server/general helper circulating.  Yes… it’s a tiny operation!  A huge chalkboard adorns one of the walls, listing the daily menu and some information about the ingredients’ sources.  The decor is sparse, but tasteful.  It just oozes relaxation vibes.  There is nobody to take your order or set the table, so grab yourself some cutlery and once you’ve made up your mind on what to eat, walk over to the open kitchen and let Jordan know what to cook up.

The first visit we brought a couple bottles of red – 2007 Gouleyant Cahor and 2007 Brunet Pinot Noir (at least, we think it was Pinot), a VdP from Southern France.  The rustic fruit of the Gouleyant was great with the red beans, cabbage, potatoes and other winter vegetables in all of our dishes.  We were so pleased with the simple, straight forward food and incredibly cheap prices (our meal was $27 excluding tip and wine) we went back the following week.  Figuring the food would be similar, we thought about how we could play around with the pairings a bit.  This time, we brought a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay – again, the wine worked very well… particularly with the plate of thinly sliced black radish with flecks of aged cheddar cheese.

We are very lucky to have a restaurant of this kind in Greenpoint, so if you haven’t already gone, please head over there and give it a try so we don’t lose any other great restaurant/bars!  And when picking out your wines for a BYOB like Eat, remember to think seasonal flavors but don’t be afraid to mix it up either.  Winter doesn’t HAVE to mean red wine.