A little less cheese and a little more critical reviews today...Ever go to a restaurant where you felt like you could execute the food better, faster, and more eloquently than the place you were dining? Or a bar where the drink you ordered was made far worse than the same cocktail you might make in the comfort of your own home? At brunch today, criticisms were flowing left and right at our table of eight folks.
Brooklyn Star, located on Lorimer Street, right north of Metropolitan Avenue, in Williamsburg, is a comfort food, Southern cuisine sort of joint. There are plenty of fried items on the menu and actually only one option for those of us who do not eat meat. The menu clearly states, "no modifications, no substitutions," so that ruled out me ordering anything besides the yogurt with fresh berries and homemade granola. I know quite a few Southern / comfort joints around town that have at least one hot (aka eggs) and one cold (aka yogurt) vegetarian dish, apparently Brooklyn Star wasn't one of them. The lack of vegetarian options was not even the worst compliant -- half hour plus waits for food when there were maybe a total of a dozen other people in the restaurant was close to the top, if not at the top, of everyone's list. The kitchen staff kept basically pacing through the dining room, casual yes, but slightly unprofessional and completely frustrating. To add to our issue list was my absolute favorite -- they simply did not have mustard for a friend when she asked for some to add to her sandwich. What sort of restaurant does not have mustard? It is not like my friend was asking for vegemite or an obscure condiment, it was mustard!
Ok, so don't get me wrong not everything was bad about Brooklyn Star -- they did have some inventive brunch drinks that were made quite well and if I was in the neighborhood, I would most certainly go back to have a drink at the bar. The food portion, I think I could do without in the future. But I'd heard quite a bit about the restaurant so I am glad I tried it. Worth the trip for a cocktail for sure, and if you're into that whole fried chicken and waffles sort of cuisine, you might have a greater fondness for the food than I did. My yogurt was completely fine, the berries fresh, and the granola done well, but surely nothing to write home about.
Brooklyn Star
593 Lorimer Street
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