Meadowsweet was awarded a Michelin star in 2015, a year after its opening. The owners, Stephanie Lempert – director of operations – and her husband Polo Dobkin – executive chef – wanted their guests to feel comfortable in a laid back yet tidy and well thought out atmosphere.
The décor plays an important part in the coziness of the restaurant: the warm colors used for the furniture, the whitewashed brick walls, the meadowsweet herb delicately represented on the paper wall behind the bar, and the beautiful mosaic-tiled floor.
The picture in the middle of the restaurant represents the family’s upstate property where Stephanie and Polo grow part of the vegetables they use in their kitchen. They also have a garden where they grow the herbs they use, including in their cocktails. We can feel the desire to create inventive dishes using fresh and farm-to-table products. Every single dish we ordered had well-balanced ingredients and an appetizing appearance. No complaints on the service side: it’s charming and professional.
Some of the dishes have a highlighted Mediterranean accent such as the Spanish octopus served with potato, roasted pepper, chorizo, and olives, and the squid ink linguine and fresh Long Island squid with roasted tomato. And let’s not forget the Cavatelli pasta and braised duck ragu with an Italian flavor.
We also ordered the baby artichokes salad with shaved Parmesan and baby arugula as an appetizer.
It was crispy and fresh.
The tasty smoked St Louis ribs were delicious.
The menu changes according to the market and season. For the appetizer, we ordered the Scottish salmon with morels, sea beans, asparagus, and Swiss chard. The taste of all the greens combined was amazing.
The wagyu sirloin steak was perfectly cooked, red, and yet warm and tender. It was served with potato, roasted maitake, cippolini onion, and spinach puree and truffle bordelaise.
The spiced duck breast with rhubarb, smoked labneh, and blackberry was excellent.
The sweet/savory taste was well balanced.
For dessert, we opted to try the three dishes on the menu and share among the five of us. My favorite was the rhubarb tarte tatin with lemon thyme and vanilla bean ice cream. It was creative to replace the apples with the rhubarb and it worked quite well.
The flourless chocolate cake served with espresso ice cream, cocoa hazelnut crunch & caramel.
The rose water panna cotta with raspberries, pignoli tuile, and passion fruit; I love rose water.
Meadowsweet has an interesting cocktail and wine list. They also offer dessert cocktails and wines along with Sherries and Port to finish dinner with a hint of sweetness!
Meadowsweet
149 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
📞 (718) 384-0673
