By Nate Freeman 9/01/11 8:54am

Dining

Isa, on the inside.

Taavo Somer’s New Williamsburg Spot: His Last In New York?

Savvy restaurateur Taavo Somer has avoided the “hipster” appellation since the opening of Freemans, that taxidermy fantasia on the Lower East Side. The aggressive grizzly man pose of the alleyway eatery aside, Freemans is still a nice place to have a bite. We like to go when our father or brothers are in town — why pass up a perfectly good dumb joke?

Now Mr. Somer has made the logical progression and chased the Freemans Sporting Club scruff across the L to Williamsburg, where he will open his first Brooklyn-based place, Isa, next week. And then he could be done. Read More

By Nate Freeman 8/23/11 7:53pm

Dining

Diner off the rails!

The Wee Hours: The Last Days of M. Wells Diner

The general manager of M. Wells, perhaps one of the best-reviewed new restaurants of the year, didn’t want to talk about the sexual harassment scandal.
“The only people that know what transpired would be the server’s butt and the hand,” said Deven DeMarco.

The Observer sweated out the 7 train to Long Read More

By Nate Freeman 1/27/11 11:36pm

Rebirth

Could Tavern On The Green Be Saved?

Word got out yesterday that Tavern on the Green may be on the fast track for a new era of pond-side dinner opulence. The beloved Central Park restaurant has been closed for over a year since union and bankruptcy issues shut the doors in early 2010, but it seems to have found a savior in Read More

By Nate Freeman 12/20/10 4:16pm

Booking Ahead

Life, Death and The Meat Hook: Inside the Williamsburg Meal Straight Out of a Saw Movie

Devotees of exclusivity, greasy sausage and cruel food-related masochism should look no farther the The Meat Hook, Williamsburg’s — and, perhaps, the world’s — most potent concoction of mouth-watering dishes and outright punishment.

The butcher shop serves only brunch, and it serves it only on Saturdays. It can accommodate just two people per week. And, Read More

By Nate Freeman 12/17/10 3:32pm

Dining

Sam Sifton Bans Toddlers From Peter Luger

Peter Luger, New York’s gold standard for steakhouses, served its first porterhouse in 1887. It’s been a fixture  on Williamsburg’s south side forever (predating even the trucker hat). It’s grander than just a restaurant: It’s an institution.

But if you’re a dad looking to take mom and the tots out for some supper? Try another Read More