Achilles Heel
Housed in a warmly restored dockworkers’ bar from the 1900s, Achilles is exactly the kind of non-restaurant restaurant that makes Brooklyn great. Chef Lee Desrosiers makes the most of his postage stamp–size kitchen by supplementing his one induction burner with the restaurant’s fireplace or an on-the-sly sidewalk grill rig to delicious, smoky effect. The food is quirky and of the tradition of “small plates meant for sharing,” which is to say that less…flexible diners may find their dining experience a little challenging. But expect perfect oysters, lovingly prepared off-cuts of meat, tangy homemade ferments, and seasonal vegetables treated with reverence. Natural wines, smart-but-not-smart-ass cocktails, and local suds keep everyone loose. New Yorkers will tell you that the corner of Greenpoint it’s on is literally the Middle of Nowhere (it’s six blocks from the train). But when golden hour light is shining through those west-facing windows, there’s no place we’d rather be.
PRO TIP: If traveling from downtown Manhattan, do yourself a favor and take the East River Ferry to India St./Greenpoint. It drops you off two blocks from the restaurant, and you can’t beat those skyline views. Taking an Uber home? You won’t be able to drop a pin until you’ve walked a block to Franklin Street. Why do people think it’s in the Middle of Nowhere again?
THE DETAILS: Open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday; noon till 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Make it a long day.
