It’s been a year or so since I’ve heard
the word "gastropub," yet here it is again in the form
of KitchenBar, a newcomer to south Park Slope. This restaurant/bar
ups the ante as a gastropub-family-style-dining-restaurant-art-and-performance
venue.
Phew!
That’s a heavy load for one small place.
Christine Iu, who opened her new eatery in March, modeled the
place after The Golden Heart Pub in London, a restaurant-bar
situated in a neighborhood of artists, musicians and writers.
"The community around the Golden Heart is a lot like the
people around here," Iu told GO Brooklyn. "I wanted
a place where our neighbors could eat a good meal at around $25
per person, see their art hung on the walls and listen to great
music." (Fifteen percent of the sale of artwork goes to
Free Arts New York City, a nonprofit organization that offers
arts mentoring for at-risk children and families.)
The space Iu has fashioned is one part rec room (with lots of
wood, a beamed ceiling replete with wagon wheel chandelier and
Woodstock-esque murals) and one part swank bistro (with a few
chic upholstered benches and a long bar lit with woven, conical
shaped fixtures). The music – mostly jazz played at a conversationally
tolerant level – is conducive to a good time. On Tuesdays, Iu
hosts a jazz jam session where anyone can join the scheduled
band. On Thursday evenings, she plays hostess to different jazz,
rock-a-billy, country and funk-jazz ensembles.
The moniker KitchenBar is apt, as the bar is well stocked and
there’s a cohesive, reasonably priced wine list and a cocktail
menu. Two drinks with compelling ingredients are the "KB
Bellini," made with prosecco and mango nectar, and the "Guava
Cosmopolitan," a fruity blend of Absolut citron, guava nectar,
cranberry juice and a slice of candied orange.
When Iu opened her eatery, she offered tapas and "family
sized" tapas, which were actually huge plates of food that
could sate at least four hungry diners. Since one chef has departed
and a new consulting chef has reworked the cuisine, the word
"tapas" has been dropped. Now you begin with "firsts"
followed by "entrees" in large single servings or the
bigger, group-sharing plates.
The word "tapas" applied to KitchenBar’s early menus
was confusing. So was the cuisine with its something-for-everyone,
Mediterranean leaning dishes. The dishes now favor only Italy,
and are lighter and cleaner tasting, with a stronger greenmarket
take on ingredients.
The weak point in the round up was – and remains – desserts.
During my first visit, I ordered the KB Sundae made with house-churned
vanilla ice cream, brandied caramel sauce and candied pecans.
It sounded great and tasted fine, but the sweet was long on nostalgia
and short on flair. The summer dessert roundup is still heavy
on gelato (they use the excellent Il Laboratorio del Gelato brand),
with the sundae swapped for a grilled banana split.
The ricotta cheesecake with fresh berries should be avoided.
There’s no crust, the strawberries are not yet ripe, and the
fruit’s soak in balsamic vinegar only adds to their sourness.
You’re better off following the example of many of the restaurant’s
patrons: order one of the house-infused grappas, with flavors
like honey or sage, and the cheese plate with a selection of
Italian varieties, and call it a night.
The "tapas burger," a house favorite judging by the
number ordered on the evenings I dined at KitchenBar, remains
on the menu. The burger is actually three smallish, juicy patties
topped with either Parmesan, manchego or feta cheeses on delicate
brioche rolls. They’re gobble-worthy as is, even better paired
with crisp steak fries treated to a heavy shake of sea salt.
Another signature KitchenBar dish is the house-made sausage,
with a different variety served each evening. The boozy pork
sausage spiked with bourbon and green onions is worth a trip
over to the South Slope.
So are creamy-centered, fried eggplant slices with a crisp crust
of a peppery, chili-enhanced topping. A dollop of creamy "tsatsiki,"
(the Greek yogurt dip made with cucumbers and mint) cools the
mouth while it complements the heat of the vegetables.
And, if you’re a liver freak like me, you’ll love the "chicken
liver mousse." Like everything I’ve tried on KitchenBar’s
new summer menu, the spread, which thickly coats crisp, buttery
slices of toasted country bread, is richly seasoned, but not
so assertive as to overwhelm the ingredients. In other words,
it’s delectable.
It wasn’t love at first bite for an entree of fusilli (long,
curly pasta) tossed in truffle butter with sauteed arugula and
a tangle of portabella and shiitake mushrooms. But the next taste
– the slightly salty, nutty, ricotta salata (Italian ewe’s milk
cheese) that crowned the dish – brought the earthiness of the
truffles and mushrooms into high relief, while the arugula’s
slight bitterness lent complexity to the works.
If one dish can sum up the chef’s take on simple food pairings
– as well as capture the uncomplicated way diners prefer to eat
this season – it’s the brook trout with olives. The smallish,
crisp skinned, head-on fish is centered in a sea of quickly sauteed
green and black olives and halved cherry tomatoes, as if the
creature snoozed on a bright, polka-dotted beach towel. The fish
is moist and sweet inside; the olives’ briny assertiveness tamed
by their quick sit on the heat; and the tomatoes add color and
a sunny note to the works. I could eat the dish until fall chills
the air and be a happy woman.
So many restaurateurs set up shop hoping to draw in the entire
community. But visit some of those places and the majority of
patrons seem to be culled from the same age and economic group.
On Tuesday evening at KitchenBar, a jazz trio headed up by Greg
Ruggerio played quietly; a woman shared the tapas burgers with
her little girl; a guy in dusty work clothes polished off a family
portion of grilled skirt steak; and a couple in their 20s were
letting their parents pick up the tab for the meal.
Whether you think of KitchenBar as a gastropub, a bistro, an
arts venue or a jazz club, its appeal to all of the South Slope
community is undeniable.
KitchenBar (687 Sixth Ave. between 19th
and 20th streets in Park Slope) accepts American Express, Discover,
MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $7-$25. The restaurant serves brunch,
lunch and dinner daily. For reservations, call (718) 499-5623.
