I'm not dead or otherwise incapacitated. I'm just a graduate student. As such, I have been feeding myself quite poorly for the last two weeks, because I've been consumed by new classes, new homework, a new babysitting gig, and no sleep.
There have been a handful of shining culinary moments, however. As soon as I can secure the official menu from the evening, I'll be posting in detail about my friend Will's 30th birthday dinner, which was held at the new Park Slope restaurant Palo Santo, thanks to the generosity of chef/owner (and Will's friend) Jacques Gautier.
I also enjoyed a delicious dinner at 12th Street Bar and Grill this past Saturday. 12th Street (1123 8th Avenue, Brooklyn) has been a favorite of mine for brunch since moving to the neighborhood (their Sunday Eggs and chicken-apple breakfast sausage are mouth-watering), but it's taken me three years to finally get there for dinner.
I was tempted by their burger, which comes highly recommended from various sources. At $8, I am guessing that means it's worth it. But I decided instead to go with the appetizer special of goat cheese croquettes with caramelized onions, daikon radish sprouts, and tomato coulis, and then a medium-rare hanger steak au poivre with seasonal greens and pommes frites.
The croquettes were delicious, but there were far too many onions than were necessary for the three of them. Never one to want food to go to waste, I piled the rest on a slice of 12th Street's house bread (flavored with anise seeds) and polished it off. Not bad.
The hanger steak was very good and cooked just right. I'd remarked on the way into the restaurant that the place across the street (Johnny Mack's) has delicious french fries, but little did I know that the pommes frites at 12th Street are pretty spectacular themselves. My only beef with them (ha ha) was that they were salted too heavily, which made them a little less desirable on their own. Combined with the steak and the greens, though, they were just right. So perhaps the salt was strategic.
One of the things I've always enjoyed about 12th Street is the decor. It has high tin ceilings that are painted a dark pewter color, nice ambient lighting, and an ever-changing selection of artwork on the white walls. Al Green playing in the background was a smooth touch.
My dinner experience was proof positive that 12th Street isn't a one trick brunch pony; their food is the real deal. When all was said and done, though, I had positively no room for dessert, so a square from my stash of Green and Black's Maya Gold organic chocolate bar did the trick at the end of the night.
Lots of Manhattanites refuse to make the trip to Brooklyn just to eat out (don't even get me started), but regardless, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, 12th Street is definitely a safe bet for a good and affordable meal (brunch will run you about $15, and entrées range from $16 to $22).
