Wedge salad with bacon, credit Grub Street/Melissa Hom
We still miss Park Luncheonette, the corner cafe overlooking McCarren Park had some of our favorite pizza in the neighborhood. That said, we’re excited to try Bernie’sm which opened on Tuesday. The 50-seat restaurant is from the team behind the stellar Frankel’s deli and the focus is on old school dishes like Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Clams, Chicken Paillard, and Marinated and Grilled steak. Old schools drinks like Martinis and Old Fashioned are available as well. From Grub Street:
The team also runs nearby Frankel’s Delicatessen & Appetizing, which, when it opened in 2016, seemed to have originated with the owners’ reflexive response to pangs of nostalgia for places like Murray’s Sturgeon Shop and 1970s-era Zabar’s…. The new restaurant is in the hallowed old Park Luncheonette space, which began in 1931 as a Depression-era mom-and-pop sandwich counter. The quirky, pizza-forward reboot in the space shuttered last year, and most of the interior fixtures left the building around the same time. Starting nearly from scratch, the team salvaged a few marble countertops. McEwan and Frankel tracked down vintage Tiffany-style lights and commissioned the new pleated, oxblood seating. The new tablecloths are red-checked and covered with butcher paper, and there are crayons on the tables.
Bernie’s, 334 Driggs Avenue (at Lorimer Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 347-529-6400