Some friends and I wandered into Bussaco late last Tuesday night. The place looked attractive and lively. Turns out they were having a dress rehearsal or something and we were turned away.
We were like, hey, we can pretend to be customers and drink some wine.
We will, however, be back next Tuesday night because it sounds like this new Park Slope restaurant is going to be quite the destination for NBC (that’s New Brooklyn Cuisine: see below). It also looks like a very nice place to get some wine.
I just came across the first story I’ve seen about the new restaurant in the old Black Pearl space on Union Street, which opens on Monday, October 6. It was on Grub Street, of course.
Bussaco will be the latest in New Brooklyn Cuisine (NBC) — and this place is so Brooklyn that the communal table is made from white oak salvaged from Prospect Park. Beat that! Chef Matthew Schaefer is embracing the term, though he also uses plain ol’ “New York cuisine” to describe dishes influenced by his time at Judson Grill under Bill Telepan (they get a touch of refinement thanks to Schaefer’s recent stint at Le Bernardin).
The chicken and waffles, for instance, are far from what you’ll find at Little House on Clinton: The brined, buttermilk-fried poussin is inspired by his southern wife’s recipe (it’s his favorite thing to eat). Another personal touch: The pastrami duck breast (with pumpernickel-bread stuffing) comes with sauerkraut made from his mom’s recipe of onions, apples, duck bacon, and caraway.
Bussaco’s owner, Scott Carney —a former partner at Gotham Bar and Grill and the Tonic in Chelsea — is also a seasoned sommelier whose wine list shies away from massive markups. There’s also a full bar, and in a week, an accompanying menu that will include a lobster roll, burger, and homemade pickle plate. Menu items for now:
expensive, but worth it.
Just returned from dinner at this restaurant and it was fabulous! Everything was delicious, esp. the octopus and the salmon tartare appetizers. Also the beef/sweetbread entree. Service was very attentive. The space is large, almost California-ish. I personally prefer cozier, more intimate settings, but the husband dislikes the typically New York restaurant where you’re sitting on top of your neighbor. I will definitely go back.