Out On the Town: Red Hook Tavern & Pitt's
Friday Night On Van Brunt Street
Welcome to Out On the Town, a regular Paid Subscriber exclusive where I break down a recent visit to a particular bar or restaurant—whether an old favorite, a new spot, or a first-time visit to a “new to me” joint.
Today’s double-feature includes two of my regular Red Hook stops just a block away from each other, starting with dinner at the bar at Red Hook Tavern followed by an early nightcap at Pitt’s to try out some of the new cocktails that just dropped on the menu.
Out On the Town: Red Hook Tavern
Last week after my first “Demystifying Amaro” class at Accademia Dante wrapped up, I walked down MacDougal to Emmett’s and snagged the only empty seat at the end of the bar and ordered a takeout sausage and ham deep-dish pizza to ferry with me on the Lyft ride back home to Brooklyn. It takes 30-40 minutes to bake, so I nursed a pilsner while scrolling through my phone. The two fellows next to me turned their attention my way to ask for some NYC restaurant recommendations and I offered my usual rotation of favorite spots in the Big City and Brooklyn. I’m not that adventurous or interested in chasing down the hot new resy and instead tend to frequent and support familiar places that I know will be a sure thing, and more important, make me feel welcome.
Hovering near the top of that short-list is Red Hook Tavern, a spot I used to frequent on a nearly weekly basis, but I’ve been a homebody the past few months trying to focus on my writing and try not to spend too much bread so I haven’t lived up to my regular status. Pitt’s, also in Red Hook, is probably the newest restaurant where I’ve putting in an effort to become a regular. The few times I’ve stopped by for drinks and a bite, I’ve then had a nightcap up the block at Red Hook Tavern on my way home. Due to their popularity and dearth of available reservations that comes with that, the bar at the Tavern isn’t the kind of bar where you can just hang out for a drink without eating, but a perk of being a longtime regular and friend of the bar is that they’re kind enough to bend the rules and let me post up at the corner near the dish pit to say hello to the crew and have a drink before going about my merry way.
Since I hadn’t put in a proper appearance in a while, to maintain the balance of home and away games, I switched up the game plan on last Friday evening had dinner at Red Hook Tavern and then drinks at Pitt’s.
My dear friend and associate Connor Johns, the Head Bartender at Red Hook Tavern, was on vacation up in Maine so I missed seeing him but I was in good hands with Eli behind the bar. Like almost every other guest at Tavern I assumed going in I would be ordering their signature Tavern Burger. On Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. they share a live feed series on Instagram called “At The Pass” and there’s a hypnotizing zen-like effect to watching the cooking and assembly of dozens upon dozens of burgers on sizzling away on the seasoned plancha. But after ordering a “Metric Pils” on draft from Industrial Arts Brewing Co. and consulting with Eli I made a game-time decision on the starting lineup and mixed it up a bit, benching the Tavern Burger for my next visit.
I always start things off with the Shrimp Cocktail, one of the best price for value shrimp cocktail situation around with six shrimp for $12 (or 12 for $20). When I’m in the mood I’ll do a half-and-half move with a dozen East Coast Oysters riding shotgun on the icy platter with the shrimp but stuck with the basic set-up this time around. Run a squeeze of fresh lemon over the chilled shrimp, dusted with Old Bay seasoning and curled like swimmers jumping off the the high-dive to make a savory splash into Chef Bun’s housemade cocktail sauce.
It was around this time that South Brooklyn bon vivants and Friends of LAST CALL David Kaplan and Cat Weaver (David served as a LAST CALL Guest Correspondent for the Columbia Street Waterfront District City Guide) walked in while there wasn’t room at the bar they were able to hold court at a nice table outside.