Five Leaves

Five Leaves in Brooklyn is a fantastic place. Full of energy, Australians, and delicious food. Let's get right to the good stuff. S and I shared two apps.

Grilled asparagus with sunny side up duck egg, pine nuts & young ginger - lemon butter AND The house made ricotta with figs, fresh thyme, honeycomb, maldon sea salt and fruit-nut bread. I usually fear asparagus because at my house it has always been prepared the same way and sometimes turns out...rubbery. This asparagus was crisp and flavourful. The best part was breaking the duck egg and watching the yellow stream spill over the spears. This dish was divided easily with 4 spears being served. Next we got the Cheese, Fig, Bread combo. S didn't like it as much as I did. The bowl of ricotta cheese had honeycomb nestled in waiting to be discovered by the delicious bread. It was an interactive dish fun for the hands and mouth.

 For my main course, at the recommendation of a friend I indulged in the Five leaves burger with grass-fed beef, fried pineapple ring, house pickled beets, harissa mayo, organic sunny-up egg, with a side of truffle fries. Again, I got to break another egg! It was messy and ran all over my hands and plate. The combination of beets, eggs, pineapple, and ground beef was so interesting and fulfilling. The messy burger was juxtaposed with my Aperol Sprtiz in an elegant champagne flute containing aperol, prosecco, orange peel, and a sugar cube (yes, very similar to the drink I had at Gramercy Tavern). S enjoyed the Grilled Whole Brook Trout (as a vegetarian she did not partake in my meaty mess) and sipped on the Winthrop Gimlet which was quite refreshing.

I did not take this lovely picture.

The atmosphere was hip and happening - I sound like my mom. The street noise was a little irritating as we sat on the sidewalk but we dealt with it as it was a lovely evening. Our Australian waitress was a hip lady who was friendly and enthusiastic about our meal plan. As always I must comment on the bathroom. It was clean, lit, and a latch lock (does anyone else have the same fear that someone will walk in the bathroom with those button locks?). The sink was leaking but was being fixed as soon as I exited. After our meal we stepped into Hipster Central - McCarren Park where S and I felt completely out of place in our Banana Republic and Loft outfits, but yet right at home as we had just experienced a superb meal at a local restaurant.