Sailor is a Small, but Mighty Spot Serving Exemplary Renditions of Familiar Classics
Chef April Bloomfield teamed up with folks behind Happy Cooking Hospitality to burst back onto the NYC dining scene in Sept of 2023 after a near three-year hiatus, and she certainly hit the mark here.
I guess I should explain why I felt compelled to visit a restaurant twice in the span of 16 hours (see my first post, “Le Veau d'Or Makes Everyone Feel Like a VIP”). Sailor was not on my radar until I came across their MLK Day brunch event back in January on Resy. I scooped up the last available reservation and began to research. I found the New York Times 3-star review among other glowing write ups. I knew I had to try it, even though I am NOT a fan of brunch, where food is typically not the priority. The food is an afterthought at brunch. It is simply an excuse to get plastered at 12pm on a Saturday.
At least, that’s what I thought. Sailor changed my mind.
Within a month of brunch, I returned for dinner to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday. Leading up to dinner, the Sailor team reached out to ask how they could make the experience more special for the birthday boy—i.e., does he have any cheeky nicknames, what is his favorite song, etc. I’d never seen anything like this before and answered immediately with “Big Moike” and “Digital Love by Daft Punk”. When we turned up at the restaurant, they had a menu with a “Happy Birthday Big Moike” message across the top for him. Our server also confirmed the appropriate pronunciation of the nickname with me prior to his arrival—he understood the weight of the assignment. Right after the desserts hit the table, Digital Love blared from their speakers and needless to say, Big Moike was taken aback. That is a moment he will not soon forget.
After that, I saw the perfect opportunity for a Sailor “bang-bang” on a gloomy weekend in March. Friday dinner, right into a Saturday brunch—and hope we don’t have the same server both days. Dinner was delicious, as expected, but as much as it pains me to say, their brunch has a death grip on me. We had a 12:30pm reservation and arrived at the general area around 12:20pm by car, which should have given me plenty of time to find a spot. Right? Wrong. I proceeded to drive around frantically for 15 minutes before shimmying my way into a spot my SUV had no business being in. We then ran–admittedly, very slowly–to Sailor and apologized to the host for being late. He informed us they were running even later which was a pleasant surprise.
As we awkwardly stood in the 10 square foot area between the entrance, bar room, and host stand; we were approached by our server from the previous night. She was surprised to see us and asked “Trying to walk in for brunch?” and I said “Oh no, I psychotically made a brunch reservation to follow up our dinner the night before.” Slightly frightened, she joked “Oh man, if I had known, I would’ve set you guys up on the cots we have in the back.” I would have gladly accepted.
The host told us our table was still occupied and offered a complimentary beverage while I waited. On my first visit, I was introduced to Kimino sparkling yuzu juice (sold at Whole Foods), which is now my favorite beverage, so I had to get one. While I sipped on that and waited, I did my best impersonation of a rotating tower fan to limit the amount of sideways movement and not bump into any patrons or servers passing through the busiest area of the restaurant, which also happens to be their “waiting area”. I also made sure not to knock into the light dimmers immediately next to us as those in a similar situation did for 5-10 minutes at dinner the month before. The host finally accepted that the party at our table was totally oblivious to the absurdity of sitting at a brunch for three hours–especially as the first seating–and promptly sat us in a booth in the bar room. I had noticed this table was occupied by six people the night before, so as a party of two, I felt like royalty.
Sailor lives on the corner of Dekalb Ave and Clermont Ave in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Both street-facing sides of the restaurant employ near floor to ceiling glass windows which allows sunlight to flow in during the day. There seems to be a unique glow and radiance in the restaurant during the daytime because of this. This clearly attracts passersby as I constantly see people popping in to try to get a seat without a reservation.
Peeking in on Clermont Ave
The bar room has a boisterous energy fueled by the always packed bar which is reserved for walk-ins. The walls in the bar room are littered with nautical themed decorations and artwork that reminded me of being aboard an old ship. Once seated, I never wanted to leave.
Maritime decor scattered upon exposed brick in the Bar Room
Service here is familiar, comfortable, and kind; and their navy blue aprons fit the theme well. Any front-of-house employee who happens to be walking by your table won’t hesitate to clear any empty plates, cups, etc. in an effort to make more space for everyone. However, at one recent dinner, their efforts were no match for the amount of food ordered. They had to bring out an additional table to house a portion of our items that could not squeeze onto our main table. And I have to say, I’m now a major proponent of the side table movement. Although I blame my lack of self-control first and foremost, silver goes to their enormous plateware and tiny tables.
Thankfully, our brunch items were able to fit onto a singular table (large enough for 6). We ordered: French Toast, Yogurt with Coconut Granola and Pear Butter, Sailor Burger, and the Comte Omelette. We also ordered their drip coffees which cost $5 and included free refills which may be my single favorite thing about this place. The french toast and yogurt hit the table first as dishes are served as they are ready. I learned this the hard way when my server politely declined my request to have the ginger cake and french toast served as a second “dessert” course during my previous visit. Now that I know the level of cooking here, I will gladly eat my dessert first if that’s how Chef Owner April Bloomfield rolls.
A singular, thick piece of brioche is perfectly caramelized in butter resulting in a golden to dark brown crust on top and bottom. From there, it is mounted with a pad of salted butter, a quenelle of dense whipped cream and a generous pour of hot maple syrup. I know, I know, how good can a piece of french toast be? The answer is–far better than you think. The interior of the french toast is creamy as if it would spill out like lava if not for the hard sear. The butter and whipped cream slowly melt from the heat of the french toast and maple syrup and cascade down causing white ripples in the pool of syrup that collects at the bottom of the plate. The cold vanilla cream, hot nutty syrup, salty butter, and rich french toast make an exceptional combination.
French Toast with Maple Syrup + Vanilla Cream
The yogurt with coconut granola and pear butter holds its own. It was served in three segments–a few dollops of greek yogurt, a pile of granola with coconut, almonds, raisins, and pumpkin seeds, and a pear butter that has the consistency of caramel. (Currently, the Spring set of this dish features rhubarb butter.) The variations in textures–dense yogurt, crunchy granola and nuts, and silky butter–make this a very enjoyable and not overly sweet bite.
Before we could finish this, our burger and omelette arrived. The burger is served on a charred housemade roll that is reminiscent of an English muffin due to its chewiness, but better because of its crusty exterior. Melted onions and cheddar are served atop the thick patty, as well as a side of crispy, golden brown fries. Fries–delicious and salty–as expected. However, with an inch and a half thick patty, you run the risk of under seasoning it because the interior of the burger will not be seasoned and accounts for the vast majority of its content. In combination with the deeply caramelized onions and salty, liquified cheddar, it was not lacking salt, but I was not blown away by the flavor of the beef itself. It didn’t seem to stand up to the other elements of the burger. It was subtle and when the patty consists of 75% of the burger as a whole, it better be doing the heavy lifting. Still, it was very good and I admit–I may have been corrupted by the smash burger phenomenon.
My expectations for the omelette may not have been as high, but they were blown out of the water, wherever they were. There is nothing simple about executing a classic french omelette well. Theirs was tender with no browning of the eggs and runny curds dripping out both ends. It was garnished with a smear of creme fraiche and a heap of fines herbes–tarragon, parsley, and chervil. Inside, the comte cheese was cloaked in warm egg blankets and slowly morphed into its desired gooey end form. I cut an all-encompassing piece from the middle of the omelette, ate it, and was left baffled as to why my french omelettes don’t hold a candle to Sailor’s. I guess I’ll have to keep eating theirs over and over again until I figure out the reason for the discrepancy–in the name of research.
Soft Omelette with Comte + Fines Herbes
On a previous visit, I tried the confit vegetable and goat gouda quiche which changed my perception of what a quiche could be. Once again, quiche does not appeal to me. I’ve had too many dry, dense, flavorless quiches in my day. Sailor’s is in a league of its own. The egg mixture is encased in a thin, flaky shortcrust pastry and stands tall at ~2 inches. The top layer of crust sets it apart by providing a pot-pie-like eating experience. The interior is fluffy, perfectly seasoned, and cheesy. They do not skimp on any component–especially the funky gouda and vegetables cooked in fat. It is garnished with a cluster of well-dressed bitter greens which eat sublimely well together–rich, decadent quiche with the crispy, acidic radicchios. This is now a non-negotiable.
Confit Vegetable + Goat Gouda Quiche
Sailor is my top Brooklyn restaurant. The food is paramount, and they’ve yet to provide a sub-exceptional experience–brunch and dinner services included. The front of house seems happy to have you in their home, which should be a given in hospitality, but is actually few and far between in my experience. They go out of their way to make a special occasion that much more memorable and will have you wanting to return ASAP–maybe even the next day. To get the full Sailor experience, come for weekend brunch, reserve one of the two bar room booths or pull up a stool at the bar, sit back and enjoy the ride–it’s impossible to go wrong.
Number of Visits: 4
Favorite Dishes:
Brunch - French Toast with Maple Syrup + Vanilla Cream, Confit Vegetable + Goat Gouda Quiche, Soft Omelette with Comte + Fines Herbes
Dinner - Green Toast with Parmesan, Smoked Arctic Char Pate with Parsley Oil + Pastrami Spices, Mussel Toast with Tomato + Aioli, Half Roasted Chicken with Herb Butter, Green Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette + Pumpkin Seeds (available at both services), Crisp Onion with Cheese + Bread Broth
Reservations:
Available on Resy
Lunch + Brunch Reservations - released at 11am on Mondays for the same week
Dinner Reservations - released at 11am two weeks in advance of the date.
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