Save The Date | The Best Date Spots In Greenpoint

Brooklyn, I’m trying to save your dates. Why? Because dating in this town is a crap shoot and our time is the most valuable thing we have. So why spend it searching for a place that will make up for that awkward first drink? Why assume that the atmosphere will relieve the pressure of making the moment and the date and the night count? Why wait for that perfect scene or time or place to say, hey,  baby, let’s get out of here?

You pick the person. I’ll tell you the where to start, what cocktail to order to set you up perfectly to move down the street and into a progressive dinner of shared plates and shared space and blurred lines. From there to central Greenpoint’s best-kept secret for unique cocktails and with comedy pairings, and finally to one of the last remaining and most true late-night dives for your last shot (or a few) to make some bad decisions.

And assuming this all goes according to plan (hint: it will), where to find the best croissants and cappuccinos in the morning.

Start saving your dates, Brooklyn. I’ll show you how.

 

I get it, this place looks a little pretentious, with their ultra-fancy decor, nearly standard 2-hour wait time on the weekends, and those tiny-little bandanas the staff wear tied oh-so-tightly around their necks. But go in, sit at the bar. Because beneath that air of ostentation lay some of the best cocktails and most intriguing food menu presented with absolute pristine service. The last time I was there, the bartender, despite having a nearly-full bar, delivered my cocktail and confidently reviewed all of the components with me. “This is the Bitter Storm, made with Aveze Gentian, a splash of lemon, a fortified French wine called Macvin, a bit of pear and a key bump of cocaine sprinkled on top.” Then he walked away and served the next guest; no wink, no waiting for me to laugh nervously or question him. And in this experience, you feel the essence of Sauvage; an air of complete pretension followed boldly with flavors that won’t quit and then mildly with a mood of ostentation that needs not and will not make any excuses. Nor should you.

Go to Sauvage. Your date will be impressed that you’re not intimidated, and as soon as you enter you’ll both feel like you’re in the in-crowd. Get the Sloe Moon’s Rose or a glass of the Domaine de L’amandier Syrah to settle into the seductive scene.

 

Tapas are made for sharing and help make a date more engaging, more intimate, and inevitably will make the scene a little more sexy. The seductive ambiance at El Born doesn’t hurt either. This Catalan outpost on Manhattan Ave transports you to Barcelona with its intimate atmosphere, perfectly-curated wine list, and tolerance for making out in public. Get the patatas bravas, the pimientos de padron, the montadito del bou, the pa amb tomaquet, the jamon. If you really like your date, commit to a paella (which is basically the next step before moving in together). To drink, take advantage of their two-for-one gin and tonic deal on Thursdays, and now on Wednesdays too. Sneak out of work early and into their amazing happy hour for 1/2 price bottles of wine, $5 sangria, cheap pica-pica and $5 tortilla espanola. Which, if you’re not familiar, consider the tortilla here first. Then get there fast.

You know that a place named after that spiky and rare little shellfish’s private parts is going to have some sex appeal. Bar Uni has an atmosphere that was made for romance with a menu built by a chef trained at Morimoto who is also an amazing wordsmith, so everything here feels a bit poetic. What you might not have expected to find here is a spot in Central Greenpoint to fill the nightlife void that was sucked out once Manhattan Inn and Matchless were chased out of the hood. Check their calendar here and stumble in with your date for cocktails, comedy, live music, late-night dance parties, and so many other amazing events. And listen, I’ve been trying to get them to put corn on the menu for a while now, so you could go and have the Bar Uni Corn. If you could help to push forward this agenda, it would be helpful. Tell your date too.

An unironic dive bar in North Brooklyn? Do they still exist? They do. And These are the bars we must embrace for they seem to be the dark, grimy unicorns among streets filled with cheese slates and small plates and Edison bulbs illuminating rustic walls dotted with air ferns. And, given their affinity for dangerously low lighting (or maybe just mismanaged utility bills) and shot-and-beer specials, it’s a perfect place for you to embrace the night and the moment and each other. Until 4am and then, you know… you just might want to get a little frisky from the whiskey.

There are plenty of debates about the best bagel in town, the best slice in town, and any other bread-based urban delicacies that we New Yorkers feel the need to have an unyielding opinion on. But the best croissant in town? That seems to be the croissant that’s in your hand or on the office communal table at the moment. If you agree, it makes me realize that you’ve never been to Charlotte Patisserie. The impossibly light, buttery layers melt seductively upon contact with your tongue as you and your new lover unbashfully hash over last night’s happenings. And plan to make them happen again, and again, and again in how ever many layers you desire. Take your date here. Then skip work and go back home and make love.