Jacque Medina

@livinmedinaloca

On our journalistic quest to find the perfect Bushwick date spot just in time for Valentine’s Day, we asked our readers to throw some suggestions our way on Facebook. Last week, we took the top contenders and made a poll. 

The results are in, and the most popular date spot in Buswick is: Faro.

To be honest, I am very new to the Bushwick dating scene and I’ve been desperately trying to avoid it at all costs. And though I had heard endless praise of Faro’s fantastic food and intimate atmosphere, I had never been. So I took my roommate, both as a way to get an objective assessment of Faro’s romance factor, and as an anti-Valentine’s Day power move, and I was not disappointed. 

First, the place is drenched in the kind of lighting that seems specifically engineered to make everyone’s cheekbones pop. The entire staff is so friendly, and when I got the chance to speak with the restaurant’s chef/owner, Kevin Adey, he seemed appreciative but not entirely surprised that Faro was at the top of the list of Bushwick’s best date spots; I mean, standing in the glow of Faro’s high ceilings and hanging industrial lights almost made me forget about my pre-Valentine’s Day loathe-sesh, so, hey, I get it. 

Normally I’m a beer in a can kind of woman, but we started with cocktails because of the literally thousands of Yelp reviews noting how great they are. I got this delicious pink number. I’m not even sure what was in it, but I had to ask the server how to pronounce the name. It was garnished with a cherry and pineapple leaves, and I felt fancy, which I could definitely see contributing to the romantic date vibes. 

I, like Oprah, have a passion for carbs. Faro’s bread did not disappoint me. It was fantastic and still warm from Faro’s signature oven; the cultured butter was also delightful, and I honestly could have ended the meal there and been happy. But let’s talk about this cauliflower salad. 

In a lot of respects, I am an adventurous eater. In other respects, I’m still a country bumpkin with a lot of random food aversions. This cauliflower salad may not have set off my must-eat radar right away, but it was amazing and I’m so glad I tried it. I’m not even sure what kind of witchcraft chef Kevin must have pulled to get cauliflower be that melty, rich, and delicious, but I 10/10 will be ordering that again.

For an entree I got squid ink pasta. Again, I had never had never tried squid ink pasta before, but black noodles intrigue me and I love shellfish. By this time I was pretty full but I finished every (surprisingly spicy) bite, and I only slightly alarmed the people at the table next to me by standing up to take pictures of my food (they were on an actual date).

Dessert was definitely the highlight of the evening. We ordered one of each of their main dessert options: chocolate olive oil cake and peanut butter panna cotta. I can’t really describe how it tasted because I was having a spiritual experience, but that’s definitely a good thing. 

Overall, I definitely understand Faro’s romantic appeal now. Flattering lighting, Michelin star food, Sex and the City-caliber cocktails, and desserts that caused me to have an out-of-body experience all contributed to an experience ideal for the perfect Valentine’s Day. Maybe next time I’ll take an actual date.

Featured image courtesy of Faro. All other images by Jacque Medina for Bushwick Daily.