Diner - Williamsburg

Since its opening Diner has been at the forefront of the Brooklyn foodie scene. Its commitment to local, sustainable agriculture and fresh, top quality ingredients (including meat cut at its own butcher shop across the street) made it one of the growing number of destination restaurants in South Williamsburg and an appearance on the “Outer Burroughs” episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations - former Times “Under $25” critic Peter Meehan proclaiming it the best burger in New York - made this a must-visit.


Diner is the sister restaurant of Marlow and Sons and the two eateries share owners, purveyors, a relentless commitment to finding the best responsibly farmed seasonal ingredients and a common wall. Free-range, air-chilled chickens travel from Quebec, beef, lamb and pork are sourced from grass-fed, hormone-free, non-antibiotic farms in New York State and Pennsylvania and organic produce comes from Blooming Hill farms in the Hudson Valley.

While Marlow and Sons is a dimly lit rustic cafe Diner is every bit its name. It presents a face of Formica and dingy art deco with bright lights showing off slightly faded upholstery evoking lifetimes of late-night drunken dinners or hung over early morning cups of coffee. The menu - which changes daily - sports the same brand of refined Americana as its neighbor, though it's larger with a focus on entrées instead of small plates.

The cheeseburger ($14) is served with french fries and the kind of little condiment dishes that I am an absolute sucker for since scooping ketchup out of a glass with a small spoon is infinitely more satisfying than forcing it from a plastic squeeze bottle or coaxing it out of glass bottle. The fries were wonderfully fried strips of fresh-cut potato that had a nice crunch on the outside but were light and smooth on the inside. The burger itself was cooked exactly to temperature on a perfectly sized brioche bun. It was wonderfully juicy and tender, but since tomatoes are difficult to find in New York in March they were understandably absent from this burger. As a result it was screaming out for something sweet and fresh to cut through the salt and fat of the beef. The lettuce and lightly pickled onions tried valiantly to fill the gap, but were just not enough to balance the dish.

Overall the burger was quite good, though missing a little something to put it over the top. Sample dinner menus reveal refined preparations of traditionally "peasant" meals, though as mentioned above the menu is seasonal and changes daily. Definitely worth a look for dinner, though the brunch menu I had (in New York in March) seemed less than exciting.

Diner
85 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211