Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
It's been 2 and a half years since we went to Hunter's a restaurant in Brooklyn with a neighborhood feel. We did not go back because of the time it takes us to go to Brooklyn, picking mainly restaurants in Manhattan. Well, that's definitely a mistake in a way, this place serving a very good cuisine made of classic dishes composed of sustainable ingredients.
There was no major changes in that place since the last time we went, except the back of the restaurant, where tables have been replaced by a large table, creating a space perfect for large groups.
When they handed me the cocktail menu, I remembered that when we went, they participated to a competition in Brooklyn called the Shaken and Stirred best of Brooklyn cocktail. So, I decided to try one, instead of having wine. Interestingly, several cocktails have the name of fictional characters like Shere Khan from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, Boba Fett from Star Wars or The White Walker from Game of Thrones that I decided to try. It was made with vodka, St Germain, cucumber puree and lemon juice, a drink refreshing, with a nice acidity, with a perfect amount of vodka that let the other components shine.
Menu wise, they had few dishes that were there when I came, like the butternut squash agnolotti that was fantastic. And to be honest, I hesitated to re-order that one. No, instead, we got a bunch of other dishes and we asked for smaller portions considering the feast that was going to be served to us. For the appetizers, we got:
The burrata with broccoli tempura:
The burrata was deliciously creamy, but what I noticed the most was the broccoli tempura that were crispy and fantastic dipped in the chili aioli. I mean, these are broccoli, not the most attractive vegetable for me...But the crunchiness of the fried tempura batter made it succulent!
Then was the marinated mushrooms with arugula and shaved parmesan: quite good, especially if you love mushrooms.
Then, the last appetizer was the mussels, served in a garlic miso butter broth. I liked that dish: the mussels were of a nice size, well cleaned and perfectly cooked. And the sauce was delicious: it was tough not to dip all the bread in it...They might want to do a moules-frites (mussels and fries) dish with that: that would be awesome!
Then came the entrées. We could not resist trying their Angus beef burger, smothered in Vermont cheddar and served with pickled onions and a cilantro-jalapeno aioli.
They were definitely generous with the amount of cheese and each inch of the meat was covered! It was an ok burger for me, the meat being slightly overcooked and dry (I ordered it medium) and the ratio bread/patty more in favor of the bread...
Then was the truffled mac and cheese made with parmesan, cheddar and gruyere: definitely a hit, with a delightful creaminess that kind of made it addictive (also the fact that they do not use processed cheese like some places do!).
Last was the braised beef served with polenta, mushrooms and some greens. The meat was perfectly cooked, with no need for a knife to eat it and was perfect with the creamy polenta, mushrooms and greens that gave a comforting note to the dish.
And then was dessert...And it was a sampler! I wish all restaurants would propose a sampler, especially when there are so many good choices that you do not know which one to pick.
The sampler was composed of:
Ricotta fritters and dulce de leche: my favorite. It was very addictive and the fritters were so good that I did not even need to dip them in anything.
Nutella bread pudding: delicious and a crowd pleaser if you love nutella (there was a nice amount on it).
S'mores: a classic. However, I was disappointed as the marshmallow were not torched...
We definitely had a succulent dinner at Hunter's and were not the only one, this place getting crowded later that night. I really like the feel of the restaurant that, as I mentioned the last time I went, reminded me of some places I used to go when living in Paris: warm with a neighborhood feel. So, the food is good, the cocktails are good and the atmosphere is good. Three goods that would make me want to go back!
Enjoy (I did)!
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