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Char No. 4, no relation to Chanel No. 5, must be Brooklyn's—or at least Smith Street's—first bourbon-centric whiskey bar and restaurant. You can sample over 300 whiskeys here but probably not in one ecstatic sitting, although, borrowing a page from the wine world, every tipple is available by the one-ounce pours. The name of the place refers to the practice of heating the oak staves used to make bourbon barrels. There are four degrees of char, No. 4 being the most intense. The smell of charring oak is said to be not unlike that of a good pit barbecue—fitting, considering chef Matt Greco's southern comfort menu of house-smoked bacon, a chopped-pork sandwich, and cheddar curds with pimento sauce. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Related Stories

Best of New York Awards

• Best Pastrami (2009)
• Adam Platt's Pick for Best Sandwich (2009)

Featured In

• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2011 (1/3/11)
• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2010 (1/4/10)
• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2009 (1/5/09)
• Restaurant Openings: Char No. 4, Café Select, and Five Leaves (9/22/08)

Recipes at Char No. 4

• Kentucky Royale (2011)