We Pledge Allegiance to Northeast Kingdom
I don’t even know where to begin reviewing a place like Northeast Kingdom. For me it’s like reviewing my country — though have I even been to Michigan or Oklahoma or Oregon or Idaho or Arkansas or 40 other states? No. But I have had foie gras and corned brisket and artisan cheeses and pickled beets and Chimay Rouge and dozens of other house-defining items at NEK. So I would say that my favorite neighborhood restaurant, in most ways, is far more important to me than my country.
Northeast Kingdom is homey and comfortable. In the afternoon, bright and cheery and in the evening, dim and elegant; NEK’s muted patterns and textures, mountain-chic decor, and rustic details complement the New American, “hipster homestyle” cuisine. Back in the day it had communal tables, but they have since been replaced by standard tables — the old ones were space hogs and it had begun to be a crush to get a seat any night of the week. Even with the new arrangement, it can still be difficult to get a seat without waiting; the bar is sometimes two people deep.
I have eaten there at least 50 times in the past year and a half for brunch, dinner, or even just bar snacks. At brunch, the only thing that can take me away from my beloved croque monsieur — full of thick slabs of chewy, salty bacon and topped with a perfect béchamel — is when I order the French toast: long, sugary slices of crusty wheat bread with just enough custard to thicken it up without leaving it sopping, and fresh seasonal fruit on the side. At Northeast Kingdom, they only have real maple syrup, something I can’t believe is not at least an option everywhere. No Aunt Jemima slime here.
At dinner, though I am usually a meat man, I can’t resist the ploughman’s salad: greens tossed in a light dressing served with a hunk of cheddar; a hard-boiled egg; sliced, pickled beets; and the most mouth-watering house-made pickled veggie chutney ever, and long pieces of baguette topped with slices of extra-creamy butter. Other items my friends and I have eaten and loved have been buttery-briny mussels, tangy corned veal, tender skate with olives, and what Luis calls the best fish and chips he’s ever had — better than authentic English A Salt and Battery in the West Village.
Recently, the gang went back with an unusual request for our waiter, Ryan: bring us some of the best stuff from the kitchen, whether specials or menu items. He was taken aback at first, but after consulting with the manager, he worked out a plan. We sat drinking and talking for a bit, and in no time plates began to appear before us.
The first was the goat cheese croquet — a disk of fried chèvre atop a pile of red and golden beets on one side, and marinated cucumbers on the other. Not much to it, right? But as a starter, it was just what we needed to open our palates — split 5 ways, it was the perfect amuse bouche. Then came the portobello mushroom carpaccio, which was far better than I would have imagined. Outside of salads, I rarely order dishes that do not have meat in them (and even then…), but the mushrooms were so meaty and earthy and chewy — pretty substantial, and held their own with the salty Garrotxa cheese, hazelnuts, and arugula.
The star of the show was the flawlessly cooked pork loin with super sweet fig chutney, potatoes mashed with bacon and sauteed spinach, and pencil-thin roasted asparagus. We all agreed that we’d leave our respective significant others to be one with the crispy, melty, herby fat attached to each bite of the surprisingly tender meat.
Runner-up was the hanger steak satay with peanut sauce, with perfect blackened caramelized edges that gave way to medium-done meat. The sauce wasn’t overpoweringly peanuty, though Jessica actually thought the meat was so good it didn’t even need the sauce.
Other delicious dishes we had were crispy, peppery duck confit with an inside so soft it was nearly spreadable; strong-flavored flaky smoked salmon; spiced lamb sausage on top of a barely-set square of polenta; and the frisee Farmer’s salad, with goat cheese, beets, potatoes, and yellow tomatoes tossed in the house dressing.
For dessert, I went with my old standby: homemade banana cream pie, which is just inconsistent enough to always be a surprise. After our night of gluttony, each of us could just barely muster a single bite.
Northeast Kingdom was a wonderful place far before competition would have forced it to be. At brunch, neighbors wave across the dining room. At night, you can have a romantic dinner, get plastered with your friends at the beautiful wooden bar manned by cocktail experts, or party your ass off in the basement lounge. This diminutive space in Bushwick’s industrial fringe represents everything creative and cultured and attractive and delicious about our community — New York City’s avant garde of cool. For these and many other reasons, Northeast Kingdom is the capital of us.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
What you said about your dessert “…which is just inconsistent enough to always be a surprise.” sums up how I feel about the restaurant as a whole.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
it’s okay.
what we need is a french bistro.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
this place is alright. Definitely not worth the $
September 9th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Great photo. I also pledge allegiance to Northeast Kingdom. It used to be inconsistent, but the food has just gotten better and better and now we often prefer it to other old favorites such as Dumont. The service used to be slow too but it’s not anymore, and it’s very comfortable with an amazing atmosphere. And it feels like it’s more than just a restaurant. Bushwick would not be the same without it. (In case you’re wondering, I have no connection of any kind with Northeast Kingdom except I eat there once or twice a week.) Great burger and lamb burger also.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Wait. The Kingdom has a burger now? The bartender once told us they occasionally thrown it on the specials menu, but I’ve never seen that/tried that. Something about the way they cook back there makes it difficult, she said.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
two words:
mushroom
sandwich
September 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I really don’t understand the complaints about the price. It’s very reasonably priced for the quality of the food, and there is a substantial list of sandwiches for the frugal.
As for the burger, it is over-seasoned!! this is the true NEK crime.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
just curious, how much is a pint there?
September 9th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
They need to greatly improve their wine selection. Last year there were definitely more, and better, choices. And $10 for a glass of so-so wine is outrageous.
I second the motion for a French bistro, something like Fada which is my favorite place for brunch
September 10th, 2008 at 12:52 am
the first and only (though i’ll try again) time that i’ve been here was last weekend. i was excited until i waited almost an hour and a half (though downstairs with drinks) for a table that was supposed to be ready in 30-45 minutes. and we showed up at 7 pm. in their defense, they were slammed, the majority of tables occupied by extremely large parties. i worked in the restaurant industry way too long and completely understand that when it’s like it was last saturday, there’s nothing the servers can do. except at least come down and apologize for the wait. maybe even comp a drink or two. a simple apology would have extended our patience. instead, we left and got thai food at a place on knickerbocker (which i guess is newer? and really good for the price). the unfortunate thing about this past saturday is that it was evident that although the staff could do nothing to alleviate the situation (except of course acknowledging it and apologizing, which they didn’t), they obviously didn’t give a shit about us. which is something i know the owners would be displeased about especially since two of the people in my group have vowed not to go back. we were more turned off by the fact that they constantly ignored us than we were about the actual wait.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:46 am
This is in response to Josh.
I was actually the one and only server at Northeast Kingdom last Saturday night and I hugely apologize that you felt we didn’t give a shit about you. But honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Last Saturday night was a record-breaking night for our restaurant and it was a bit overwhelming. I agree that someone should have apologized and accommodated your hour and a half wait. I hereby (for the second time in this post) apologize to you and your party. And I really mean it. The thing is, our tiny restaurant is tiny. If a party, especially a large one, lingers for a bit it only adds and adds to an impossible wait time for those on the list. This was largely the case last Saturday night.
When I first started working at NK, it was a highly casual, sporadically busy little place in no-man’s land. We have a small staff and an even smaller kitchen staff/space. But now, we are crazy busy nearly every night of the week. Improvements have been made and more are sure to follow. But we (particularly chef Andrew) continually strive to bring forward thinking dishes to Bushwick. And for those who complain we are too pricey, might I suggest a glass of chalkboard wine ($5) and a sandwich (under $10)? All the chalkboard selections are decent at worst (in fact I prefer our chalkboard red over any of our other reds by the glass) and the sandwiches are generally very tasty.
Like most restaurants in their formative years, we have our glitches. But I honestly think our restaurant as a whole has been consistently improving. And I’ve grown proud of where I work.
This is not a plead for you to return again, but merely an attempt to explain that until there is another dining opportunity at the Jefferson stop, waits will be long (particularly on Fri/Sat nights). I will personally spread the word at my workplace to communicate more thoroughly with the parties on the wait list. Your complaint will not be ignored. Wait times are always approximate, but in the future I hope we can accommodate you more.
Sincerely,
Scot Bowman
Bartender/Server, Northeast Kingdom
September 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Scot,
No problem. I wasn’t bashing the restaurant or fishing for an apology. Like I said, I am excited to go back and have my expectations (which remain high) fulfilled. And you’re right, as I explained to my party, that all it takes is for one large group to decide to stay and drink after their meal for it to throw off an approximated wait time. Although, if a table is done eating and wants to continue to hang out and drink, would it be inappropriate to ask them if they would mind going downstairs in order to accommodate the long list of people who want to eat? Kind of just trade places. I think the current patrons would understand and should be excited that a restaurant in their hood would be busy enough to ask that of them. Maybe not. Who knows.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
To answer k: Pints range from $5 - $6.
September 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Great Review Jeremy.
I have not been here enough, maybe just 5 or 6 times. But I have always enjoyed myself. It’s great for whatever your mood is. I had been here for brunch and dinners with friends, a dinner date, and I brought my parents here for Brunch when they visited (LOVE the pint-sized bloody marys, in fact, those are some of the best Bloody Marys I have had in NYC!) My parents loved it too. I am happy to have it in our neighborhood. I have not yet visited the lounge downstairs, but I will make it a point to do so. In general, the neighborhood nightlife scene makes me feel kinda old.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Thanks for the review (and dinner) Jeremy. And to answer Pixie, I actually think that the exact opposite is true. The wines on the menu have gotten increasingly better, and the chalkboard selections are great ($5), so not sure why anyone needs to spend $10 for a casual dinner in the hood, but it’s nice to have the option for a special occasion.
I’ve been living in NYC for 11 years, in over 8 different neighborhoods. This is the first time I have really had a neighborhood restaurant–in that sense I’ve always heard about but never experienced. I could talk at length about how much I love the food and wine, but it’s the atmosphere, the people, the staff, and the tone set by the owners that has made this place so special to me. I’ve met so many awesome people there, many of whom have become close friends. Thank you NEK!
September 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
If we’re reviewing food venues, I would like to declare Life Cafe a pretty bizarre situation -
the music is played for the people working there - the rest of us are eating in their living room (or discotheque)
the food is mediocre and trumped up as “cheap for the starving artist” - what a load of bullshit
it’s painful. we need more.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I absolutely adore the Kingdom. That is all.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I second paige & jessica’s comments!
September 11th, 2008 at 12:27 am
this place is great, some nice people work here, i love the tiny diorama in the wall by the bathroom especially
my only gripe is with the sandwich bread, rough on the gums
but maybe im just sensitive
September 11th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Scot, great response. I am very happy NEK is thriving. (And sad for selfish reasons, of course) We’ve always had a great time and in the last year we’ve had some stellar meals there.
And Dresden, 6 words for a great ‘life’: turkey burger with bacon and swiss.
So awesome. I don’t know what it is: frozen patty or hand made but damn, it’s good.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Speaking of Life Cafe, if you order carefully at NEK, it works out to be about the same price, and the food is WAY better at NEK. I think it’s really funny how atmosphere and decor can confuse people into thinking one place is so much more expensive than another when really that isn’t true.
I was about to say the same thing as Scot: The $5 chalkboard red is the best red on the menu. That is an excellent price for a decent wine in NYC.
Also, a good deal (but not all) of the produce at NEK is organic. Isn’t that nice?
Thank you, thank you, thank you NEK for existing. And see you tonight. A friend of mine is visiting from out of town and we have to show it to her.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
my understanding about the burger situation is that it’s kept off the menu as a matter of principle. they put it on special on mondays and tuesdays to throw us wimpy’s a bone, but don’t hold your breath for a permanent addendum to the menu.
and that’s pretty much my only bone of contention with nek. i think it’s great, but i wish it had burgers. cuz they cheap and always delicious. i get tired of their other sandwiches.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Overall good, but quite heavy on the $. They keep the burgers off because they don’t have a grill and it’s hard to keep an item like burgers on the menu without one (for real). I really don’t see how they would even fit one into that kitchen. I think it was just cheaper and easier to start the restaurant without one (that’s my theory). Owner thinks he better than burgers. They give everyone the “matter of principle” line as an excuse.
October 6th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Woah, bitter.