BROOKLYN STAR

The Brooklyn Star
33 Havemeyer St
(between 8th St & 7th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211




The Brooklyn star is another spot that was hiding right under our noses. It's a fairly new restaurant in Williamsburg started by the ex-chef of the famed Momofuku franchise. I guess he must have a southern background because they specialize in exclusively southern dishes like Dr.Pepper Ribs, Pulled Pork, Shrimp and Grits, and the cast iron Mac'n Cheese w/bacon. Now normally I wouldn't consider trying the dish mis-named Country Fried Steak for my project. You would never hear it called that in the South. It's just like being in Philly and saying Philly Cheese Steak. You just don't do it. But due to the reputation and good reviews I'm granting an exception in this case.

The place is quite small and simple and definitely feels like the food is what counts the most. Immediately I see a huge brick oven centered in the back of the kitchen that just confirms my notion. We started with a sampling of items from the menu that's divided into two categories: Small and Big. The cornbread which was pretty good, is made to order in a real cast iron skillet with bacon and jalapeno. The mac'n cheese is also served in the cast iron and with bacon. It was delicious with an excellent crust and good cheeseyness. Another item we had to try was the Dr. Pepper Ribs. I couldn't really make out the Dr. Pepper flavor but still quite tasty. Although, it's not the baby back or spare rib cut that you might have thought, but actually the short ribs and served in a bowl. Perfect for sharing.

Now, lets get down to business. The Chicken Fried Steak comes out, two medium size and two small size steaks. The crust was definitely deep fried and walking on the wrong side of the line into crunchy territory. The pieces could have been pounded a little thinner, but not way too thick. The gravy was a bit meagerly applied. A good CFS should be completely blanketed in white gravy so I asked for some more and proceeded to blanket. The gravy was actually very tasty and as I've mentioned before can save a Chicken Fried Steak. It certainly helped in this case. As I've experienced with the deep fried CFS's they tend to risk being over cooked as was the case here. A couple of pieces were too burnt to eat. The taters were delicious though and helped to satisfy my taste buds. Over all a great dining experience but not the best Chicken Fried Steak unfortunately. The wait staff was excellent and attentive as you would expect from such a small intimate place.

I came back the next week with the crew and everyone left full and satisfied. I ate the Shrimp and Grits which was absolutely ridiculously good. Perfectly seasoned and broiled shrimp in a bowl of grits with a fried egg layered in there. The only thing missing was the cheese.

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