Walter Foods

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
April 24, 2009

FRIED HALF-CHICKEN
253 Grand St
(Roebling St & Driggs Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-387-8783

Two recent experiences at Walter Foods had the same effect on me: total contentment from a fun meal out. The casual Williamsburg eatery serves comfort surf and turf, and the atmosphere is upbeat in a low-key kind of way. Most memorable to me is the service, and you hardly hear that these days. On both occasions, our waiter and waitress were engaging and fun, offering honest opinions while never pushing. If I lived in the vicinity, Walter Foods would be a regular hangout.

A friend who lives in the neighborhood had been raving about this new joint, so on the way to his housewarming party, I decided to have dinner there. The restaurant was bustling, as expected on a Saturday night, but the wait for two turned out to be only about 20 minutes, which gave us enough time to sip an apricot sidecar at the bar. It was just what I wanted — hard liquor softened by its fruitier counterpart.

While we waited, I glanced over the menu and was tempted to order pigs in a blanket to accompany our drinks. But my dinner companion pointed out that there was no room at the packed bar for our snack. So I waited till we were seated, and I’m glad I did because it turns out that Walter’s pigs in a blanket are not the little finger foods I always crave, but rather a chorizo baked in one “blanket” empanada style, which requires a bit of knife work. The accompanying Catalan sauce, romesco, completed this Spanish pig. While I like chorizo, I was so fixated on a regular frank in pastry that I finished this one with mixed feelings, partially wishing that the flavors were simpler.

Before the pigs in a blanket, we ordered oysters, one each of Hama Hama, Blue Point and Beau Soleil. Ironically, I had stopped in at Blathazar that very same afternoon and had been overwhelmed by the large displays of oversized raw bar platters in the massive and overcrowded institution. At Walter Foods, however, I felt more at ease in the intimate atmosphere. Coincidentally, co-owner Danny Minch used to be a bartender at Balthazar.

I ordered a special that night, three-cheese ravioli (mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta) in a simple tomato basil sauce. A basic dish, it tasted of all the homemade goodness I love, and I cleaned my plate! My companion’s fried half-chicken with smashed potatoes, white gravy and spicy honey was also a hit, especially the spicy honey on the side, which added another dimension to the crispy fried pieces of dark and white meat.

Dinner, from drinks to our peach cobbler dessert, was utter comfort that hit the spot. And our waiter, John, had so much character and presence, that it was a pleasure to chat with him in between courses. By the time we left, I already felt like I was a regular and knew I wanted to return. But this time, I wanted to see what Walter Foods was like during daylight, so we returned for brunch this past weekend.

I always associate the weekends with Bloody Marys, so I was torn between a Bloody and a drink from their classic cocktail list. Then I saw the oyster shooter, which solved all my problems since I had wanted oysters to begin with, and what could be better than an oyster in a Bloody Mary? The shooter arrived in a glass twice the size of a shot glass – a couple of these alone would make a good meal. The oyster was a Blue Point, which, also large and meaty, matched the drink. I ended up having four oyster shooters, requesting my last one with a creamier and smaller Beau Soleil instead, and the wait staff accommodated my every request. They really get the concept of service without attitude.

The highlight of my main course, breakfast sandwich of two eggs with bacon in a brioche bun, was the hash browns that came with it. A recent conversation with a friend pointed out that you rarely find hash browns on Manhattan brunch menus; it’s predominantly home fries. Luckily hash browns can be found in Williamsburg and are made well, both here and at Egg. My companion ordered the lobster club with bacon, avocado and tomato on toasted Pullman, which was delicious, and is also on the regular dinner menu.

Though my egg sandwich was rather ordinary, our brunch experience was again a delight as I enjoyed my oyster shooters and the conversation with our lovely waitress. Any time I needed anything, our waitress, our former waiter, John, or the maître d’ would stop by. The entire atmosphere of a restaurant relies heavily on the management and staff, and at Walter Foods, that staff is friendly and exudes cheer. It makes the whole dining experience like eating at a friend’s house.

Open until two am on the weekends, and with the outdoor seating in the back opening up in the next couple of weeks, Walter Foods seems to have just the right combination of everything: surf, turf, midnight snack, brunch, classy cocktails, and outdoor seating. It’s a welcome addition to the Williamsburg food scene.

Also in American, Brunch, Chicken, Seafood, Williamsburg