Black Tree Brooklyn

Why Come Here? Locally sourced, single-animal dining; you’re feeling something “Brooklyn” tonight

Last Friday I may have stumbled into the most Brooklyn place in all of Brooklyn. The fact its name includes both a plant and a color should have been the first tip off. Or that the inside is painted with a seemingly random assortment of graffiti style murals. Of course there was Indie music blasting throughout, but that’s pretty much everywhere in the ‘burg.

But it’s the food & drinks where Black Tree truly takes Brooklynism to the next level. Everything is sourced locally, from the vegetables and meat to the beer, liquor and wine (maybe the last one wasn’t necessary?) The bartenders make their own bitters although no one is quite sure what the Number 4 is supposed to taste like. The menu features only a single sustainably sourced animal of the week which is used nose/snout/beak- to- tail and makes an appearance on about half the menu. Did I miss any Brooklyn stereotypes? If so, you can probably find them if you poke around a little here. But hey there’s nothing wrong with being the Brooklyniest restaurant. After all, if there’s one thing Brooklyn does well (besides irony) it’s food.

And kidding aside, Black Tree is a fun place to eat and the food here is quite good. It’s divied up between some heavy vegetarian apps, salads and then everything made from the animal of the week. If I had one complaint, it’s that it would be tough to eat a light meal once you delve into the meat section. Here’s what we ordered:

DiPalo Burrata The only non-duck item we ordered and it appears to always be on the menu. The creamy cheese comes in a bath of olive oil with a loaf of freshly baked ciabatta. Even though the last thing you need here is more carbs and cheese, it’s hard to imagine not starting your meal with an order.

Bao Combining crispy duck skin, pickled pear and scallion relish in a pillowy boa provides a great texture and delicious sweet-savory mix.

Combo #93 It’s a “combo” so you get two separate dishes in one. First, there’s a spring roll stuffed with a chunk of spiced duck leg, ricotta and scallions (anyone else getting the feeling this place only has about 6 ingredients?). Anyway it’s delicious. The other part of the combo is the fried “rice” – which is actually wheatberry, one of those ancient grains that’s may or may not be better for you but undoubtedly is so hot right now. The smoked duck and mint are a nice blend but it lacked the pizzazz of other dishes.