Technically, Fair Weather Bushwick has been slinging coffee on Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick for about two years. But now owner Ebru Brun is shifting gears in a big way, transforming a daytime caffeine destination into an elegant nighttime eatery with a tasting menu executed by chef and partner John Creger. For a section of the neighborhood dominated by chain restaurants and bodegas, this is a big change of identity.
Tuesdays through Thursdays (the restaurant is closed on Mondays), Creger will serve a 10-course tasting menu with one nightly seating for 22 guests at 8 p.m. There's no set menu, as dishes will change weekly, but the opening menu included "deconstructed" Cold Spring River Clam Chowder—a grilled clam served in its shell with potato puree, bacon, leeks and trout roe—and Satur Farms beet ravioli with pesto ricotta and spiced pumpkin seeds. White Castle Crave Cases these are not.
Creger's got experience behind the line at some pretty gourmet establishments, including stints at Le Cirque, Employees Only and Gallow Green; not bad for someone who's self-taught. The tasting menu runs $65 per person, certainly on the more affordable spectrum of similar offerings; for context, Roberta's-run Blanca charges $195 for their, which, in fairness, is about twice the length. There's also the option for a $30 beer pairing.
Fridays and Saturdays are geared to a more casual affair, with an a la carte menu in place of the formal tasting menu. Small plates include Quinoa Fritters ($12) with saffron aioli, anchovies and pickled onion and Grilled Oysters ($8) with blood orange, trout roe and nori. Entrees are rib-sticking like the Potato Gnocchi ($16) with mushrooms, black garlic, meyer lemon and gremolata and a Scallops dish ($19) with parsnips two ways (pureed and made into chips), white balsamic and coconut.
274 Wyckoff Avenue, 347-305-3736; weather
