Artisanal Artisanal is ostensibly a brasserie, but its true mission is to coddle the fromage-obsessed. Picholine cheese-meister Terrance Brennan here offers a menu in which many dishes involve cheese. We've entered a convoluted time for New York restaurants. It hardly matters, since the place gets it almost completely right, from the meticulously weathered mirrors, foosball table and late hours to the tasty charcuterie plate, steak frites and knockout cassoulet. It was only a matter of time before Middle Eastern cuisine joined Fort Greene's roster of eclectic restaurants.
Simplicity is also the key to the excellent food.
For a unique taste, try the loomi, a sour Iraqi drink made from sun-dried lemons. The food, a standard roster of bistro classics, is so user-friendly, it almost greets you by name. Standouts include the skate with brown butter and a perfect steak frites. The place has yet to acquire the sexy patina of other bistros, but given the area and the restaurant's generous smoking section, it shouldn't take long to develop. Cooke's Corner For weeks, curious Upper West Siders kept poking their heads into Cooke's Corner, asking when the restaurant and wine bar would open.