When the name's right there in front of your face, you wonder why it took so long for a restaurant to be named Cooklyn. As a borough that loves celebrating itself, you'd think someone would have made the logical leap to pundom sooner. That's what Anthony Theocaropoulos—a chef who's worked with Masaharu Morimoto, Mario Batali and Michael White, to name a few—has done in Prospect Heights, opening a restaurant that "celebrates" the borough's artisanal overload. Oddly, there's not an Edison bulb in sight.
The railroad-style restaurant will serve some gussied up comfort food like Lobster Mac and Cheese ($15) topped with a soft poached egg; Chicken Pot Pie ($19)—free range, of course—with chicken sausage; and Venison Wontons ($9) with whole grain mustard. As a nod to Theocaropoulos's Greek roots, Lamb Buns ($4 each)—think bao—with feta cream, fresh dill and pickled daikon. The borough precedent gets set with Brooklyn Bread Company loaves, a cheese plate by Stinky Brooklyn and Toby's Estate coffee.
There's an emphasis on wines, with about 30 available by the glass ($8-11) or quartino ($11-18. Though there'll be offerings from Red Hook Winery, more small wine producers from the northern Mediterranean will be featured. Beers come courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery, KelSo and Carroll Gardens's Other Half Brewing.
659 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 347-915-0721; website
