Food and Drink: February 2008 Archives

Ah yes, how much do Brooklynites like to eat. Probably just as much as they like to talk about how much they like to eat. This Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., drop by DUMBO's Powerhouse Arena to hear from local food/drink authors Kara Zuaro ("I Like Food, Food Tastes Good"), Phoebe Damrosch ("Service Included") and David Wondrich (writer, mixed drink expert). The talk will be led by Gabrielle Langholtz of Edible Brooklyn. The event is $15 and proceeds benefit P.S. 107. Buy tix here.

According to the sign in the window, the New St. Clair Restaurant (at the corner of Atlantic and Smith streets) opens for business tomorrow. I can't actually say I went to the old one, but the new one sure looks nice.

So we hit up Schnack Sunday night to say goodbye. And although one of the employees confirmed the restaurant was closing, he said he didn't know when. Did I mention that when we showed up at 6 p.m. we were the only ones there? Two more tables trickled in after we ordered.

For our goodbye meal we bucked our usual fries and went with onion rings. They were missing some of the seasoning I remember, but were otherwise satisfyingly crisp and just greasy enough. An hour or so later, it hit me that pregnant women probably shouldn't eat onion rings if severe heartburn is in any way bothersome (it is), but I can't blame Schnack on that.

Burgers were, as always, tender, juicy and delicious sandwiched between their fluffy white mini buns and coated in that addictive Schnack sauce.  You can say many things about why Schnack has fallen from its perch, but it's not the quality or tastiness of its slider. I think you could even make a pretty convincing argument that Schnack helped kick off the New York slider trend and did so with quite a bang.

So what is the reason for its descent from glorious burger haven to rundown, just-about-to-be-closed burger shack (besides reported loss of lease)? Well, I think raising the prices was a mistake. Or at least it was a mistake when patrons have to put up with generally incompetent service, unsurprising moments like flat draft root beer ($3.50 each), and an overall feeling that no one has cared about what condition the dining room is in, in quite some time. That, and no more beer at the restaurant that pioneered the beer shake (you can bring your own). Just like our root beer, the fizz is gone.

There are rumors that it will relaunch in a new location, and I hope if and when it does, a few lessons are learned.