Henry Public: Try Again in a Month or Two

*Updated 12/23*

Hidden in Cobble Hill, Henry Public, a new gastropub with speakeasy-ish drinks, now joins anti-Smith Street restaurants Lucali, Bocca Lupa and Hibino on Henry Street.

The cozy saloon atmosphere and friendly staff, makes this place an easy choice to hang out in--much better scene than sister bar Brooklyn Social-- but be warned that, Henry Public is still going through its soft opening. Id wait at least a month or 2 before pursuing the joint again.

Bone marrow was delish, but then...
Last Thursday they ran out of hamburger buns.
Yesterday they didnt have any burgers at all. WTF.
Its a good grass-fed burger, but definitely poorly managed kitchen.


And sadly, the drinks were weak in alcohol content.

After 4 cocktails each (+1 beer) you would hope the money you were spending ($11 each) would get you slightly buzzed. Instead we "ooo-ed and ahh-ed" at the Kold-Draft ice cubes and soberly analyzed each sip:

-Wide Awake: Tasted and smelled like formaldehyde
Made with gin, lemon, fresh ginger, ginger liqueur, and scotch
-Brooklyn Ferry: Tasted like Robitussin, gummy bears and Fred Flinstone vitamins
Made with rye, Carpano Antica, maraschino, and absinthe
-Kings County: Best tasting one yet--ordered 3!
Made with rye, lemon, sugar, egg white, and a port float
-The Beecher's: On the sweeter side but worth ordering 2--minus lack of buzz
Made with pimms, lime juice, orange liquer, and dry cider

I mean sometimes the company is more important than the actual food and restaurant right?? We stayed till 2AM, noone kicked us out, service was good, environment welcoming....they just need to tweak some of the other issues... like cash only.

Henry Public
329 Henry St., nr. Pacific St.
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
718-852-8630

Hidden Inside the Swanky Meridien Hotel: Burger Joint

After 458 reviews on yelp.com...do I really need to blog about this? Is it even a secret anymore?
Im no burger connoisseur--but I know what I like-- and I actually liked Burger Joint better than Shake Shack and my gourmet burgers so Im sharing the news! (In N Out still wins, but thats not in NY).

There's 2 entrances, 57th through a red velvet cocktail lounge, or back on 56th, which shoots you straight to the entrance. A neon sign, leads you to the dingy Burger Joint, that despite being 'hidden' is seriously packed. Dont expect to have a 10hour conversation here-- it's really eat and go.

The menu is simple: a burger with or without cheese.

The hands holding the burger are from a 6" tall friend, so the perspective makes the burger look pretty small--they really are pretty substantial.

Anways, the best part of the meal is the meat-- medium rare, thick and juicy. We topped it off with "the works"-- cheese, lettuce, tomatoe, onion, pickles, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and enjoyed every bite. All it needed was Shake Shakes potatoe bread and I would have been in heaven!

Fries, greasy, as you can tell by the bag-- not better than McDonalds, but almost as good.

Le Parker Meridien
119 W 56TH St, nr 6th Av
212-708-7414