Expect Lots of Mezcal, and Even More Plants, at This Six-Seat Bar in Williamsburg

Taking notes from Claro, Aldama, Chavela’s, and others Mexican restaurants in the borough, a bar devoted to sipping — not shooting — mezcal will open in Williamsburg on September 29. The six-seat bar is located on the second floor of Fandi Mata, the Williamsburg brunch destination known for its many plants and impossibly high ceilings. The restaurant’s collection of mezcals, curated by Fandi Mata partner Milos Zica, formerly of West Village cocktail bar Employees Only, can be sampled in tasting flights or mixed into a half-dozen cocktails.

The Mediterranean restaurant opened its doors earlier this year in a bi-level space that Grub Street likened to an “over-the-top postindustrial jungle.” The building, which previously housed a mechanic shop, has since been outfitted with plants, a sprawling bar, and a pizza oven that spits out paper-thin, Roman-style pies.

“I’d rather be sitting at home eating pizza,” Grub Street says of Le Pavillon

Sitting in the dining room of Daniel Boulud’s Le Pavillon restaurant, Grub Street critic Adam Platt would like you to know: “I’d rather be sitting at home eating pizza in my loose-fitting pants.” In a rare (mostly) negative review, the critic finds that the newly opened Midtown restaurant is still finding its sea legs. “Boulud has decided to throw his hat into the crowded vegetable-forward ring,” he writes, with mixed results. The grilled avocado came out “mushy” and overall the tweezer-produced plant dishes “seem a little busy,” he says.

Introducing Leland Eating and Drinking (and Baking) House

The team at Leland Eating and Drinking House in Prospect Heights appears to be expanding its bakery. The restaurant known for doing it all — nose-to-tail butchery, in-house fermentation, etc. — already makes standout cinnamon rolls and sourdough loaves, but there’s apparently more to come. “The first step to expanding our bakery + making space for our new oven,” the restaurant shared in a Instagram post on Thursday.

Stylish and functional

Our exact thoughts looking at these hand-drawn “choking victim” t-shirts from Bushwick natural wine bar Cherry On Top.