Black Tree Brooklyn Review

By Leah Alfieri

Williamsburg just got a little trendier, because Lower East Side favorite Black Tree is just about to open a new location in Brooklyn. Boasting adventurous urban fare made with exclusively local ingredients, chef/owner Sandy Dee Hall is sure to impress diners with his creativity, his flair for the out-of-the-ordinary, and his passion for the farm to Brooklyn ideal.

To kick things off with a drink, Black Tree’s (soon to be) signature cocktail, their Barrel Aged Margarita, was a reflection of the restaurant’s commitment to using only local ingredients: the bar doesn’t use citrus in the cocktails, as that would break the 100-mile local rule. This margarita, however, wasn’t crying out for citrus. It was mellow and refreshing, and it seemed to go hand-in-hand with the aesthetic of the space—airy and rustic, but always with an innovative twist.

The dine-around experience featured tastes of Black Tree Brooklyn’s future menu, some highlights of which included a rabbit taco and a duck liver mousse on pickled green tomato. The taco, served on a squash slice and with a generous cilantro garnish, had just enough vegetable to cut the gaminess of the rabbit, but still honor its flavor. The mousse and tomato introduced flavors that would become tropes of the evening—the pickle on the tomato came up several more times, each iteration bringing the sort of briny pop to a dish that only really excellent pickling liquid can.

In fact, the restaurant plans to offer 60 different varieties of pickleback shots, each with it’s own unique brine to toss back after the whiskey.

Other tasting options included a duck bhan-mi, with a wonderful pickled carrot and spicy aioli, and my personal favorite—a pickled green tomato with mustard ricotta and tuna. The star of the bite was the mustard ricotta, which really came out of left field for a cheese that usually mellows a dish down, not amps it up.

Black Tree Brooklyn will officially be opening its doors this month. Head to the Williamsburg location for fresh, local food that delivers a refreshing twist on Urban American classic cuisine.