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This scruffy little joint in Greenpoint exudes quirky genius. It's the kind of place where the bathroom walls become a local cartoonist's canvas, where Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy, wafting through the kitchen window, serenades diners in the leafy, Fred G. Sanford–esque garden, and where the handwritten menu, which changes every day, is scribbled with oddball disclaimers. The chef-owner, Liza Queen, is from upstate New York, but you detect a southern accent in her food (starting with the bowl of addictive boiled peanuts that’s served instead of bread) and in its leisurely delivery. The kitchen has a knack for vegetables and a reliance on local produce, and smoking is done out back, before service, on a grill that sits against the wall among brugmansia flowers and plastic Adirondack chairs. Much of the food is served room temperature, which often emphasizes its bold flavors and the chef’s aggressive seasoning. This isn’t the place for timid palates, but it’s a bit of heaven for those who like their red-leaf-lettuce salad embellished with “hard core blue cheese” and smoked walnuts, or their double-roasted fingerlings (served with barely cooked calamari) doused with malt vinegar. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

There is a $15 corkage fee.

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld's Full Review (9/26/05)

Featured In

• Cheap Eats Guide 2006 (8/7/06)
• Recipe: Roasted Northern Spy Apples (12/12/05)