Tsuta
Where: 22 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 | Dumbo
Last week I was lucky enough to end my showings next door to the newly opened Michelin star-rated ramen place in Brooklyn Heights. Just in time for the line to form. At 4pm, I secured a place at the bar for a late lunch/early dinner.
The menu has five different types of ramen including two signature truffle ramen from the original Tsuta location in Tokyo, which I will start actively seeking now because adding truffle to ramen is absolutely delicious, especially with a side of Chashu Pork. They also have a Brooklyn exclusive, the restaurant added a vegetarian miso ramen made with okra, leeks, and lotus.
The owner’s recommendation, apart from the main dish, is the Japanese edamame. The menu also has gyozas, kara-age fried chicken, and Kurobuta pork dishes.
All of Tsuta’s ingredients are natural and sourced from different parts of the world including Japanese chicken, Iberico pork from Spain, and local clams. Owners are also looking to partner with local beer and sake breweries to supply them with booze. In the meantime, they’re serving up Kizakura’s Japanese-style IPA.
Oldie but goodie, the speakeasy-style burger joint (no pun intended) is hidden behind a curtain in the lobby of a fancy hotel on West 56th Street. To get inside, you make a left down an unmarked hallway just past the hotel's check-in desk, a neon burger beckoning you to the "secret" entrance. The wood panel and white-brick walls are still covered in the same graffiti, as are the movie posters, stickers, and stiff-backed wooden booths.
No matter how many times I've turned the corner into this room, it still blows me away how cool it is that this place exists. It totally doesn't belong here, and it's increasingly tough to find anywhere in the city that feels like this anymore.
The Cheeseburger, which you can get as double but has plenty of heft as a single, is cooked to order — in my case, medium rare, but you do you — and should be ordered with "the works:" lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, mustard and ketchup, which all kind of blend into a special sauce. It's meaty, and juicy, and the simple Arnold white bread bun does its job just fine.
The French Fries, served in a brown bag, are slightly soggy, plenty salty, and delicious. And don't miss the dessert: A huge gooey Brownie with a side of vanilla ice cream, both drizzled in chocolate sauce and daubed with strawberry syrup. So sweet, simple, and satisfying. Really, it's all perfect — just totally hits the spot.
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