Cafe Reviews: Feb 2008

Oak Cafe (361 Graham Ave (between Conselyea St & Metropolitan Ave), Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 387-1245

Cafe Lyon (351 E 12th St (between 1st Ave & 2nd Ave), New York, NY 10003 (212) 375-8483)

Williamsburg's Graham Ave has been a stretch of old school real estate slow to adapt to the neighborhood's shift from Italian working class community to upwardly mobile yuppie stomping grounds; most of the shops within, say a 15-block stretch, have existed for 25+ years: pizza parlors, cafes brewing real old world espresso at half the Starbucks' price, funeral homes, Italian butchers and delis. A few early adopters settled this area a few years back, but with disappointing results (an atrocious new American restaurant Fanny's, a tasteless vegan slop kitchen, Mighty Diamond, two dive bars of non-interest, Daddy's and R Bar) or at best mediocre success (Loco Burrito does decent Tex-Mex if you order selectively and keep a salt shaker handy). Cue the long overdue wine bar with small bites and few bigger plates, Oak Cafe.

Warmth exudes from behind curtained doors and windows when approaching the cafe, glowing from dozens of tiny votives or dimly suffused with sunlight in the afternoon. Coziness is a key feature in this sort of woody and dark decor and when done stylishly = brownie points. Luckily the food if not spectacular is not disappointing either, committed to tried and true standards, executed well and without a pretense of pointless experimentation. An exception would be the Olive Oil Ice Cream with Salted Caramel ($6): Thordis A pronounced it absolutely rich - if not sweet - enough to qualify as a decadent dessert. Otherwise, you order a Turkey Club ($8), you get a Turkey Club, but a really really nice one with fresh-baked turkey, ripe tomatoes, smoky thick-cut bacon and creamy avocado. Same for the Grilled Four-Cheese Sandwich ($8), sided by a mound of lightly-dressed mixed greens. Everything tastes clean and fresh and seems to have sprung from a spotless kitchen. Recently a Main Course salad of Greens, Goat Cheese and Chili-Roasted Pecans ($9) also got a thumbs-up of approval. Only three or so wines are served by the glass, odd for a restaurant extolling its voluminous cellar, but all are decent and the red and white variety are priced nicely at $5.

Why oh why must it have been the coldest night of the year when Cafe Drake and Jen Lazzaro braved the frigid streets for Unconditional, Brett Leonard's new play at The Public Theatre. Ostensibly concerned with the burden of race in NYC but hampered by abundant cliches, the play - with a blasting soundtrack and convulsive lighting - nonetheless whetted our appetites for classic bistro fare at nearby Cafe Leon. Cafe L was an old haunt back in the proverbial day for us, that quaint brick-lined (vaulted ceilings as well!) neighborhood oasis reliable for well-priced simple French cooking. Today, the prices have escalated and some of the charm faded, but soothing candles and a nice bottle of Cotes du Rhone ($29) warmed us up and smoothed the edges. Soon the edge would slightly return via a personable yet saucy server, too familiar as a waiter but a nice guy we're sure! All was quite good: Pan-Grilled Calamari doused with butter and lemon and charred to perfection ($8), creamy Tuna Tartare ($11) that could have used toast points to scoop up the rich mash and somewhat dry but flavorful and tender Moules Frites ($15). As it should always be at any decent bistro, the fries (extra order for $5) were outstanding and addictive.