Where to Eat | Westlight, at the William Vale

North Williamsburg has become a place for tourists. It’s the meat packing of Brooklyn, I cringed overhearing someone say, but then have found myself saying too many times. so where do we find ourselves among the noise? We don’t hide from it, we need to find a way to embrace it. to get above it. to be part of it because if not, well… I guess we all move to Maspeth.

And the best way to get above it? From 22 stories up, where you’ll see all the chaos below in its best light. at Westlight, Chef Andrew Carmellini’s loungey love child atop the William Vale hotel.

let’s face it, we’re all seeking a heightened dining experience, whether it’s so local it’s from the farm you’re seated within, a secret supper club that encourages guests to strip down to fully appreciate the raw and vulnerable dishes being served, or a multi-sensory adventure that allows you to touch, smell, hear, and taste while completely blindfolded… Westlight brings you an equally heightened experience while avoiding gimmicks and staying grounded and true to what’s best about food in New York, even while being way way above it. The cuisine is inspired by street food, which makes me wonder what streets Andrew Carmellini has been eatin’ on, because these tapas-like plates have been reinvented with a fresh, edgy flavor combinations with a relentlessly seasonal appeal. it’s made for sharing, so go with friends, stay through sunset, pair with cocktails and experience the best thing to come up in North Williamsburg.

When the elevator door opens on the 22nd floor, it feels nearly like being transported in time. the interior of Westlight brings a nostalgic feeling of old New York cocktail bars. With a distinct art deco inspiration, you feel like you should be smoking and listening to some jazz-age seductress on a fuzzy microphone and making lustful promises and dangerous business deals in equal proportions. Outside, the stunning skyline views and uncompromised look into the heart and soul of Brooklyn create the ambience from the glass-walled terrace. Free binoculars allow you to finally see into the clear glass apartments of all the fancies who have moved into your ‘hood. oh and of course, Westlight offers absolutely impeccable views of the sunset, nightly.

the dolores royale, which is how my night started and i think perhaps led to a bit of the demise. it was dangerous and smokey but felt like a conversation with a good friend. bright, familiar, and you wanted it to never end.

admittedly and unabashedly i had a few glasses of rose and a few (or mose) glasses of the cave. both were refreshing, crisp, and paired perfectly with sunset and absolutely everything we had. because should sharing foods be paired with bubbly, happy wines? yes, of course they should. and you can’t go wrong here.

this was my favorite dish out of the 4, and not just because i recognized immediately that tequila is of course the cure for everything so i was sure it does salmon oh-so-right. every single bite of this dish was perfectly balanced, avocado and caviar and raw salmon. it made me not want to share although, i’m never one to forget my manners. i painfully took my turns while yearning for more.

Now I’m not a fan of shrimp cocktail. I find it tacky and painfully uninventive and I hate how people in the south react to it. “Oh, and they had shrimp cocktail!” as if to offer some vindication for mary-jo’s shameless stock-the-bar the backyard cookout. These rubbery little crustaceans all sit there, socializing smugly around a proverbial pool of glorified ketchup. ugh. However, the shrimp cocktail dumplings put skrimps in their proper place; folded into delicate bite sized dumplings and spiced to perfection and dipped into a fine little soy ginger sauce. They were a delight.

a new addition to the menu, this dish was light and fresh and perfectly mixed with locally seasonal vegetables. and it reminded me inevitably how great it is to be surrounded by water and by so so many coastal areas with absolutely impeccable seafood.

 

Westlight is located at 111 N. 12th st. 22nd floor.

Sun-Wed 4pm-midnight

Thurs-Sat 4pm-2am

Happy Hours – all of them.

the westlight paints northern williamsburg in its best light, showing that the best way to combat gentrification is to be above it. elevate your dining experience and realize that change should be embraced and with food and views this sweet, it’s oh-so-easy to embrace it.