Sharon Bowman
Sharon Bowman
I had one of the best meals in recent memory at Rose Water in Brooklyn on Saturday.
It was a balmy evening, and my friend and I sat out in the enclosed terrace (for now, drop-down transparent blinds until the wooden ones are installed for the winter). John Tucker was afoot, and he is just a fantastic guy — with a fantastic wine list. He's attentive, affable, and just the real deal.
So, where to start? A 2014 Vouvray from Michel Autran (imported by Mikes Foulk and Wheeler) was a great discovery, and the food was eye-poppingly good.
The combination of great produce, contrasting textures, and thoughtful flavor combinations was compelling.
We sampled small dishes of mackerel sashimi with amazing microgreens; mission figs with goat cheese, crunchy pistachio and watercress; and beets with burrata, olives, some kind of intensely delicious crunchy black rice, and gooseberries.
Then on to a dish of potatoes (small, halved, cooked) with coarse-grained mustard, crème fraîche and potato chips atop. This a gift from kind Mr. Tucker.
Medium dishes (mains for us) were one of my all-time favorites, a polenta round with an egg over it, surrounded by duck ragu, and a risotto with black truffle and butternut squash.
In lieu of dessert, we ordered another glass — Villemade Cheverny white for my friend, and Eminence Road Pinot Noir for me — and as the evening drifted on, John joined us with a glass of Bordelet Poiré Authentique for himself and we shot the breeze.
Fine times in Brooklyn.
Also, I have to mention that the service from all the staff was just incredibly subtle, on point, and kind. My friend is a reeeeeeeeeally slow eater, but we never felt pressed or the like. And conversation flowed between tables as we discussed our food and shared impressions and pleasures with neighbors. The friendliest thing possible.
This place is the real shiz.
It was a balmy evening, and my friend and I sat out in the enclosed terrace (for now, drop-down transparent blinds until the wooden ones are installed for the winter). John Tucker was afoot, and he is just a fantastic guy — with a fantastic wine list. He's attentive, affable, and just the real deal.
So, where to start? A 2014 Vouvray from Michel Autran (imported by Mikes Foulk and Wheeler) was a great discovery, and the food was eye-poppingly good.
The combination of great produce, contrasting textures, and thoughtful flavor combinations was compelling.
We sampled small dishes of mackerel sashimi with amazing microgreens; mission figs with goat cheese, crunchy pistachio and watercress; and beets with burrata, olives, some kind of intensely delicious crunchy black rice, and gooseberries.
Then on to a dish of potatoes (small, halved, cooked) with coarse-grained mustard, crème fraîche and potato chips atop. This a gift from kind Mr. Tucker.
Medium dishes (mains for us) were one of my all-time favorites, a polenta round with an egg over it, surrounded by duck ragu, and a risotto with black truffle and butternut squash.
In lieu of dessert, we ordered another glass — Villemade Cheverny white for my friend, and Eminence Road Pinot Noir for me — and as the evening drifted on, John joined us with a glass of Bordelet Poiré Authentique for himself and we shot the breeze.
Fine times in Brooklyn.
Also, I have to mention that the service from all the staff was just incredibly subtle, on point, and kind. My friend is a reeeeeeeeeally slow eater, but we never felt pressed or the like. And conversation flowed between tables as we discussed our food and shared impressions and pleasures with neighbors. The friendliest thing possible.
This place is the real shiz.
