Down-home dining: Profiles of cheap-eats classics
1. DuMont Burger
314 Bedford Ave.; 718-384-6127; dumontrestaurant.com
The name of this tiny no-frills restaurant in the Williamsburg neighborhood touts the sandwiches, but it's a side dish that steals the show: the meal-in-itself DuMac & Cheese, which almost lives up to its $14 price. It arrives in an oblong crock, topped with a glorious golden crust that protects a luscious mix of radiatore pasta, bacon and cheddar and gruyere cheeses. Once you dig in, you can't stop. Those burgers are very good, though not transcendent: The $12.50 DuMont comes on a grilled brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles; a $9.50 mini version substitutes toasted ciabatta for the brioche (stick with the brioche, and be alert for overdoneness). Vegetarians can munch a $10 chickpea burger on brioche.
Top treat: DuMac & Cheese, $14
2. Beer Table
427 B Seventh Ave.; 718-965-1196; beertable.com
Anytime the entries on the brew list outnumber the seats, it's a very encouraging sign. In this Park Slope neighborhood outpost, it's 24 seats vs. 25-30 beers ($9 to $106 per bottle), almost all of them rare and/or exotic and chosen with connoisseurs in mind. The upscale snacks created to accompany those brews set the bar even higher: caramelized thick-cut bacon with salted potatoes ($10); German pork sausages with frisee, potatoes and dark mustard ($16); deviled eggs ($4); and especially a slice of rustic bread spread with olive oil and ricotta cheese and topped with roasted almonds and fruits (apricots, golden plums or whatever is in season) that have been stewed with onions and lemon to give them a savory bent.
Top treat: Fruit- and ricotta-topped sesame bread, $8
3. Motorino
319 Graham Ave.; 718-599-8899; motorinopizza.com
Competition among Brooklyn pizza parlors is as fierce as anywhere in the country, and the number of serious contenders seems to grow every few months. This 10-month-old pizzeria-with-extras in Williamsburg is leading the buzz, thanks to its superior Neapolitan pizzas ($9-$16 for a 12-inch pie). Nearly a dozen perfectly blistered varieties come out of the wood-fired oven, and the top-notch toppings include house-cured meats, mozzarella di bufala or burrata cheese, and seasonal items such as ramps, sweet peas and Brussels sprouts. Those meats can also be ordered by themselves as an appetizer ($5), along with artisanal cheeses ($4) and note-perfect salads ($6-$8), including a Caesar with a snowy mound of Parma curls and a single anchovy.
Top treat: Pugliese pizza with burrata, broccolini, sausage, fresh chilies and garlic, $15
Easy splurges: Low-cost dishes at the hot new places
4. Al di La Trattoria
248 Fifth Ave.; 718-783-4565; aldilatrattoria.com
This charming, 50-seat Italian eatery with communal tables and mix-and-match décor was one of the pioneers of Brooklyn's modern dining renaissance, and the lines out the door (no reservations are taken) indicate it's still a must-visit for foodies from outside the trendy Park Slope neighborhood. Chef Anna Klinger specializes in Venetian dishes made with fresh seasonal ingredients. Excellent freshly made pastas include casunziei (ravioli stuffed with red beets and ricotta) and tortelli filled with spring peas and mascarpone; the half-dozen entrees are highlighted by whole roasted orata (sea bream) with tomato, black olives and lemon/mustard/butter salmoriglio sauce.
Cheapest pasta:Casunziei, $12. Others, $15-$19.
Cheapest entrée: Saltimbocca alla Romana (pork loin scaloppini with sage leaves and prosciutto), $16.50. Others, $17-$24.
Worth trading down? Yes. Both the pasta and the saltimbocca were fine values; achieve further savings by swapping out the pasta for one of the $9.50-$13 antipasti dishes, particularly the $10 stewed cuttlefish with oxtail and polenta.
5. Diner
85 Broadway; 718-486-3077; dinernyc.com
First-timers should be prepared to take a few minutes to wrap their heads around this extremely hip eatery near the Williamsburg Bridge. The setting is a renovated 1920s Kullman diner, complete with tile floor, low curved ceiling and a long dining bar, and it's possible to order a classic burger for $12 — or $36-$80 steaks. But the rest of the menu is a long list of quirky and creative specials that changes daily and doesn't contain any prices. So one never knows what to expect or how much it will cost (unless you ask). A chilled soup of broccoli puree was spiked with pickled rhubarb and fried shallots; a plate of tiny grilled duck hearts was adorned with radishes, snap peas and jalapeno butter; and roasted halibut came with grits and ratatouille sauce. What else lies in store — who knows? Just go.
Cheapest appetizer: Chilled broccoli puree, $8. Others, $8-$14.
Cheapest entrée: Grass-fed beef burger, $12. Others, $16-$24 (plus $36-$80 steaks).
Worth trading down? Hard to say. The burger is a fixture of the permanent menu, but the main reason for visiting is the eclectic specials that change daily.
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