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SCENE & STORY

To many a resident of Gotham, Spuyten Duyvil—by its location in hipster-infested Williamsburg alone—always seemed too precious to be true: a craft beer bar built in a narrow old railroad apartment with a wide old wood bar, lovingly scripted chalkboards, creaky wood floors, pressed tin ceilings, and apothecary knickknacks, all completely dedicated to the enjoyment of “rare and obscure” Belgian and other European beers. Fuggheddaboutit. The upshot is that by leaving the bar alone to the “rare and obscure” sorts of folks—beer geeks and assorted arrivistes equally content with a PBR or rare Flemish geuze in hand, whatever seems cooler at the time—New Yorkers have given the bar a break, and the concept works just about as well as the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter. Which is to say, as New Yorkers sometimes do, it’s “freaking awesome.” Today Spuyten Duyvil (loosely, “spitting devil” or “in spite of the devil” in Dutch, depending who you ask) has earned its rightful place among the great craft beer bars of the nation. A round of beers here with the cheese plate and its Brooklyn-made pickles would make the perfect stop before hitting Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Bowl, and local BBQ palace Fette Sau.

PHILOSOPHY

Rare and obscure—what else matters?

KEY BEER

Start with shared bottles of De Ranke’s Kriek, then work your way up through a flask of Wostynjte Mustard ale, which is actually made with mustard seeds, giving it a delicious kick. Graduate to a 750-milliliter Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise, and finish it all off with the world-classic Trappist monastery-brewed Rochefort 10. Who’s cool now?

BROOKLYN DOES BBQ

FETTE SAU

354 Metropolitan Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11211

(718) 963-3404 • fettesaubbq.com

Pork belly much? If you’re in the area long or late you owe it to your self to seek out some incredible dry-rub barbecue from heritage livestock smoked over red and white oak, maple, beech and cherry wood; a huge American whiskey list; and craft beer taps from the likes of Kelso (with growler sales to go).

BEER TABLE

427-B 7th Ave. (between 14th St. & 15th St.) Brooklyn, NY 11215 • (718) 965-1196 beertable.com • Established: 2008

SCENE & STORY

A tiny Park Slope eatery with a ballooning reputation (and a new growler filling shop in Grand Central Station), Beer Table aims to make up for what it lacks in square footage what it offers in terms of flavorful cooking and a tightly curated international beer list built for pairing. Its exposed brick walls, smooth, handmade wooden tables, and jars of pickled and dehydrated vegetables are instantly embracing. The main reason to be here is the kitchen, which issues forth hearty, inventive, and broadly European flavors—think smoked eel, Grafton village cheddar melted on toast, caramelized pork belly, hashes and veal, white beans, and waffles (at brunch) with assurance. It’s an ideal place for quiet conversation beneath the tufts of mugwort and Mason jar light fixtures decorating the overhead space. Stop here en route to Park Slope’s Prospect Park or the historic Greenwood Cemetery, one of Brooklyn’s least-visited but most worthy points of interest (and eternal resting place of Duke Ellington, Margaret Sanger, William “Boss” Tweed, Leonard Bernstein, and countless other noted Gothamites).

PHILOSOPHY

Owners Justin and Tricia Phillips and chef Julie Farias are dedicated to raising the place of beer in fine dining one small inventive plate and tableside conversation at a time, and they’re all friendly and approachable.

In many ways it’s a perfect little scene, but while the beers change almost daily, the prices are on the high side (drafts for $7 to $12; bottles up to $100 and over). That quibble aside, it’s definitely worth seeking out. Ask about their prixe fixe, which has been a great deal in years past.

KEY BEER

Dieu du Ciel! is one of North America’s best micros, but since it’s up in Montreal, the beers aren’t exactly common in New York. Beer Table however,