The area surrounding the Myrtle-Wyckoff L train might not be known for its gourmet offerings, but one restaurant is trying to change that. Fair Weather Bushwick, the coffee shop turned fine-dining restaurant, is ready to make their part of Bushwick the next great dining destination.
Partnering with chef Jon Creger, owner Ebru Brun has transformed the once laptop-happy coffee shop into a full service restaurant offering weekday lunch, weekend brunch, a la carte dinner and tasting dinner on Tuesdays.
A la carte dinner, served Wednesday through Sunday, is comfort food with a modern twist. With no dishes that cost more than $16, dinner at Fair Weather won’t hurt your wallet. One recent menu: pork belly glazed with harissa and maple and served with Zatar-flavored quinoa potato gnocchi in a black garlic cream and ‘Nduja mac n’ cheese.
Pork Belly
Gnocchi
‘Nduja Mac N’ Cheese
Keeping the food accessible yet still gourmet is what Brun and Creger set out to achieve with Fair Weather. “We are a New American bistro and our focus is dinner for locals at the moment. People in Bushwick come for our brunch, but don’t know we offer dinner or they are simply used to [going off Jefferson],” Brun tells Bushwick Daily.
The place transforms on Tuesday, when the curtains are drawn and the ambience is increased for the 10-course tasting menu dinner (one of few in Bushwick). Given the limited working space, it’s amazing to see high-concept dishes come out of the same space that used to make lattes and sandwiches. Modeled like an intimate supper club, each tasting dinner begins with a champagne reception, then goes straight into a 10-course tasting ($65) menu. The menu, which changes weekly, features produce from local farms, seasonal seafood and local, organically raised meat, with the provence of each ingredient listed on the menu.
Highlights from the early spring menu include a deconstructed clam chowder – a clam grilled and cooked in its own juices then presented in the shell with potato puree, bacon, crispy leeks and trout roe.
Deconstructed Clam Chowder
The chef personally introduces each course, selects the music and chooses local beers to pair with the meal. Considering that tasting dinners in Manhattan can go for up to $300 per person, Fair Weather is offering an affordable take on the tasting menu concept.
Transforming a popular coffee shop into a fine-dining restaurant is certainly an unexpected move, but for Fair Weather Bushwick, it’s just part of growing up.
Fair Weather Bushwick 274 Wyckoff Ave, Bushwick. Dinner Sunday, Wednesday & Thursday 6pm – 9pm and Friday – Saturday 6pm – 10pm; Tasting Menu ($65) Tuesday 8pm (one seating, 7:30pm bubbly reception; no a la carte); Lunch Monday – Friday 11am – 4pm; Brunch Saturday & Sunday 9:30am – 4:30pm.