Meadowsweet

Chef Polo Dobkin returns to Brooklyn, opening a joint venture with wife Stephanie Lempert in the former Dressler space where he worked — and received a Michelin star — in the early ‘00s. The space is rugged and airy, with whitewashed pine from Kentucky, and a spectacular hanging herb garden, the bounty of which is used for the cocktail menu. The mostly New American food menu, which is subject to change daily, excels in seafood, like golden tilefish with sweet piquillo pepper, or squid-ink fettuccine with peekytoe crab and bottarga. Small portions are an issue that runs through the menu, so consider doubling up on Dobkin’s creative starters, or splurge on the five-course tasting menu. The desserts delight: Try the chocolate-and-peanut-butter semifreddo, an ice-cream-like treat that comes with toasted marshmallows, hazelnut, and caramel. For something lighter, brunch-time duck hash, cinnamon-sugared doughnut holes, and a facsimile of ‘ino’s lamented truffled egg toast are a great draw.