A Question of Taste

A Question of Taste

At Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Fish & Lobster, quality trumps shortcomings

By Laura Kusisto in the Wall Street Journal

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. is the sort of spare, one-note restaurant that turns on the central question of whether the food is any good.

The wine is served in juice glasses, the dining room on a recent evening was downright chilly, and the staff clad in wool caps and trucker hats had a decidedly laissez-faire attitude toward whether water refills came regularly and entrees arrived together.

But all of that becomes instantly charming with the first bite of a smooth and peppery daily crudo in extra virgin olive oil with citrus and sea salt ($7), or some warming chowder with a daily selection of fish ($6).

The restaurant has acquired some early renown for its fish tacos ($10), but that isn’t all that’s good, by any means. Try the tokubetsu fish bowl with rice, ponzu sauce, vegetables, a soft egg, wasabi mayo and nori, and a market seafood that is posted on the blackboard each day ($12). A recent special of a salmon burger with sake was more moist and flavorful than its usual counterparts (market price).

There is also a spot to buy fresh, uncooked fish with knowledgeable and patient staff willing to discuss at length the sustainability and preferred cooking method.

Owner and executive chef Adam Geringer-Dunn, who had little prior restaurant experience, said he opened the restaurant because for all the artisanal meat and cheese shops in Williamsburg and Greenpoint there was nowhere good to buy fish.

“There are markets here and there…but they smell terrible, you don’t know where the fish is coming from,” he said.

One challenge of Mr. Geringer-Dunn’s focus on sustainably sourced fish is that sometimes things simply aren’t available. With a recent spate of bad weather in New England, certain dishes were simply out of the question.

“We haven’t had clams for several weeks because all the clams are frozen in…You need a chain saw to cut through the ice to get oysters,” he said.

The restaurant isn’t staking its name on sides or desserts, but try the fried Brussels sprouts with ranch dressing ($7), which were much better than they sounded. The meal is nicely rounded off by a slice of the tangy Key lime pie.