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The New York Times says Patois is closing, but a New York Times commentor on the same piece says the Smith Street French restaurant (one of the first on the street back when the neighborhood wasn't such a destination) is just reopening across the street. Regardless, it brings me oh-so-quickly to my mixed feelings about Patois. I've had two incredible dinners there, two so-so ones and a very disappointing brunch. All of my hohum experiences probably wouldn't have left such a bad taste in my mouth if it weren't for the distasteful service. The food is actually quite good (except for brunch), but when the watiers insist on showing a disaste for having to serve their customer, the charm eventually wears off. [Insert standard French joke here.] Anyway, I do like seeing 20 people stand outside for brunch on the weekends, makes me feel like I know something they don't.

I came to the Southern-leaning, bacon-smoking, whiskey-pouring Char No. 4 with high expectations. My six years in Atlanta gave me a hunger and appreciation for downhome cooking that I've only been able to fill in New York from my own Brooklyn kitchen (with the notable exceptions of the now defunct Pies and Thighs and Dinosaur Barbecue). The question, of course, can a fancy new kitchen really turn out the downhome flavors?

Before tackling that question, a few words about Char's sizeable front bar. It is backed by whiskeys galore and fronted by a neighborhood cotlilion with more relation to the West Village than sleepy Brooklyn. I feared this overflowing scene pointed to an overextended reservation system, but, no, the  people who stood three-deep when we arrived were there when we left. The neighborhood's thirst for a good whiskey bar, it turns out, takes much quenching.

And to the food. We started, as many around us did, with a dish that resembles Wisconsin more than any southern state: cheese curds. It's a form of cheese with which I'm not that familiar, but it doesn't take much getting used to, especially when deep fried. Simply put, these little gooey cheese nuggets are delicious. I didn't hear the squeak that is a sign of fresh curd, but perhaps that squeak is negated by the crunch of the fried coating. Either way, it's an auspicious start to the dinner ahead.

On to the piece de resistance: bacon. The scent of smoked bacon in the restaurant is so thick and mouth-watering that we joked at our table about having to washing our clothes and hair a la the days when smoking indoors was legal. We started our tour of smoked pig products with the appetizer of black-eyed peas and bacon. It arrived beautifully plated, two extra thick-cut strips of bacon atop a pile of peas. No southern mamma (mine included) would cook a vegetable without bacon, and it really does highlight the rich black-eyed pea flavor. But what I really cared about was the bacon, that's almost a cross between a thinly cut pork belly and a thickly cut slice of bacon, with a smokiness so pervasive you never forget the smoker, nor would you want to. 

As if the scent of bacon wafting through the restaurant isn't enough (it isn't), smoked pork products permeate most every dish, but the one I liked best was one of the more simple: the pulled pork sandwich. Pulled pork sandwiches are not normally served on real plates with cute little onions in dishes for garnish (high-on-the-hog, if you will), but the various trappings took nothing away from the pork's flavor and its Carolina-leaning sauce. Yum.

We finished things off with a dish of butter pecan ice cream that had been liberally doused in whiskey. I lapped up the last remaining whiskey-ice-cream-soup, unabashedly, with my spoon. Anybody tried the brunch?

There are two things you need to know about Char No. 4, Smith Street's newest restaurant (196 Smith Street between Warren and Baltic streets). The first is that the restaurant makes its own bacon--an authenticity that can't be doubted thanks to the decidedly bacon smell eminating from the wood-toned, modern interior. The second important bit of Char data is evidenced on the wall of bourbons that regally line the bar from counter to ceiling. Char is serious about bourbon. There's more than 150 of them, and they can be had for $4 a taste or $200 a glass. No bourbon stone is left unturned, and that means Wild Turkey is just as available as a 20-year reserve. So, bacon and bourbon, not a bad combo. What about the food?

I have yet to taste, but I am rather excited to try the gussied up southern food menu, especially brunch. The brunch menu is chockfull of comfort foods--bacon cheddar grits, shrimp and grits, a BLT made from fried pork bely, a chopped pork sandwich. Yum, a definite tasting and review to come.

Come out to our final Suspiria party at Deity this Friday (7/25). DJs Mike McGill, Ladycreme, Dennis, and Under Pressure will keep the beats bangin' from 10 'till your legs give out.

Club Deity is located on Atlantic Ave between Hoyt and Bond.

This is your last chance to catch us before we go on vacation for the rest of summer.

When most A-list celebs walk past me I barely blink an eye, but when I saw a certain BMW park in front of DUB Pies on Columbia Street and watched a certain tall, goateed man get out with his strawberry blonde-headed wife and two adorable children, I got as giddy as a school girl. Yep, I had a "Real Housewives of New York City" sighting of Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen on Sunday, and I will now feel a certain kinship with the family whenever I dig into a DUB Pie. For more on the McCord-Van Kempens, check out the recent NYMagazine article.

NYMag also took that nice photo above.

Get your fill of disco, electro, and other classic at Suspiria this Friday. After this week's event, we're going monthly.

Suspiria is at club Deity's cellar on Atlantic Ave. The fun starts at 10pm, no cover.

Get your Os on Friday 6/6 as Bethany, Adam, Dennis and Kenny spin all your favorite techno, electro, disco, italo and house.

Suspiria is our bi-weekly DJ night at Club Deity on Atlantic Ave. Don't leave Brooklyn to get your kicks, stay in the 'hood!

Electro-funk heavyweights Ladycréme, Jon G, Carrie White[noise] and Giant Pander will bring you some serious body-jackin-jamz this Friday at Deity.

If you're lookin' for something to do in Brooklyn, this is your night!

Come on out this Friday (5/09) to Club Deity at 368 Atlantic Ave (between Hoyt & Bond). The Only Thing More Awesome Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Night Are The First 288.

We've had a last minute line-up change. Tal will not be DJing Suspiria tonight (4/11). In his place, I will be making my first public DJ appearance in over 10 years. Check out my last mix "Dionysus And The Pleiades," for a sample.