This week I am taking you to Brooklyn neighborhood, Cobble Hill. You can find few restaurants on each block there but Battersby serves distinguish dishes that are definitely worth stopping by. Battersby was opened in 2011 and it is run by two chefs, Walker Stern and Joe Ogrodnek. This venue is almost a “whole in a wall”, there is no sign, it is long and narrow room with tables, with pretty much no décor, which creates a style on its own. You come here for the food, not for the ambience or décor.

We were offered two tasting menu options: 5 course for $75 and 7 course for $95. You are not presented the menus so you really do not know what you will be eating; you are only asked if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions.

We chose the 7 course-tasting menu to have a chance to fully try everything Battersby has to offer. Before our dinner started we were served amuse-bouche and foccacia bread with whipped ricotta butter.

Vegetable muesli with buttermilk yogurt (amuse-bouche) – summer like flavors and the presentation, refreshingly light and sour yogurt covered with crunchy tiny pieces of vegatables.

Asparagus soup – warm and salty, comforting cream soup with a hint of sweetness

Hamachi crudo with clams and lime juice - fresh and soft piece of fish with addition of clams and cucumber, very light dish, that is very popular on tasting menus nowadays

Roasted and grilled salsify – this vegetarian dish made an impression on me; it was spicy (chilli sauce), crunchy (peanuts) with mint that soothed the spicy kick you tasted at the end of each bite.

Burrata – this traditional Italian cheese was taken to the next level, amazingly soft, almost melting cheese covered in spinach. Sounds simple, maybe too simple, but it was delicious.

House made spaghetti with crab meat and mayor lemon – I never order pasta and for that reason I am not an expert; however, I enjoyed this bowl of spaghetti. Surprisingly neither pasta or creamy sauce was heavy, crunchy breadcrumbs added a layer of different texture that was needed. This is was first dish that could be considered an entrée. Also not often you are served pasta on tasting menus, which was unexpected choice.

Roasted polic with roasted endive – this was my least favorite dish. It was too plain, it was missing seasoning, the roasted endive was too oily and had liquorish flavor that did not complement plain fish. Raisins and capers that were the garnish did not rescue this dish. Unfortunately this was boring and disappointing plate.

Chicken breast with morels and asparagus – this was last dish before the dessert, the execution of the bird did not leave us to want more. The meat was soft and juicy; I enjoyed the combination of morels with asparagus, which was still crunchy. Even the skin on the chicken did not feel fatty; it was simply perfect.

Rice pudding, white chocolate ganache with pineapple ice-cream, toasted pineapple, lime sorbet and mango granita with chilli – this multi layer dessert was good, but you can tell there is no pastry chef. This was the weakest point of the dinner, it was sweet and good, but it was missing the creativity of other dishes. That is the only part of the dinner where an improvement is needed.

This week’s winner for the best dish is vegetable muesli with yogurt. I know it was only amuse-bouche, not really a course but it was amazing. The idea of making muesli out of veggies and the tasty yogurt were perfectly balanced cup of heaven.

I enjoyed Battersby a lot; it is one of not too many places where I would definitely come back. The service was very quick and professional, the dishes were tasty and creative and the amount of food you receive is worth every penny you spend here. I think it would be nice if they hired a dessert chef so the last bite can match the rest of the dinner.

Cuisine: Modern American

Avg price per person: $75-$95 tasting menu only

Attire: Casual

Overall Rating: 4 plates