Although New Yorkers must wait some time to return indoors for dining, fear not as one outdoor eatery in Brooklyn will have you enjoy each moment spent on its lovely garden touched patio.
Ten Hope, perched on Williamsburg’s Hope Street will transport you away from a strained New York City and into a calm, little world where vines drape down in such a way that rivals Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
You’ll be offered hand sanitizer upon entry to the 2,500 square foot outdoor dining space, which serves many yet leaves each table with an intimate feel for diners.
Ten Hope’s currently modified menu offers some rather unique and trendy cocktails, such as a jalapeno flavored margarita — which ideally balances a kick from its spice to the beverage’s natural sweetness.
Executive Chef Travis McGinty’s hint of Mediterranean cuisine is surely noticed in the appetizer mezze platter of tahini hummus, whipped feta, babbaganush, which is served with freshly warmed flatbread and za’atar olive oil.
It came by way of an experiment that this reporter realized what a magnificent mixture comes from combining both babbaganush and whipped feta cheese onto a delicately seasoned piece of flatbread.
When it comes to a main course offering, Ten Hope has a rather unique chicken dish that’s origin is a dense one to say the least.
The chicken cooked beneath a brick isn’t a colloquialism — it’s actually chicken pressed beneath a construction slab in efforts of retaining the bird’s juices and flavors, friendly staff explained.
And juicy it is.
Accents of a spice can be tasted while divulging into this brick-ly beast, which is paired with the old American favorite side known as summer succotash of lima beans, baby corn, and more sweet flavors and a dill aioli.
Other splendid offerings include shrimp and scallop ceviche, burrata salad, and a shakshuka flatbread with baked coddled eggs, shakshuka sauce, feta and herbs for the brunch crowd.
For those that prefer taking a much more traditional route at the table, the ‘Smash Burger’ is surely the route to take.
It’s a seven ouncer topped with white American cheese, caramelized onion aioli, bread and butter pickles served beneath the burger’s cheese with a thick side of hand-cut fries and that same dill sauce.
That burger is sized proportionately and only champions of the plate will be able to finish such an entree in one sitting after downing the mentioned appetizer dips.
The hand-cut fries pair well and lightly with the dill aioli, which also gives a cooling zest when eaten with the burger too.
All in all, if you’re looking for a delightful return to some normalcy, look no further than Ten Hope.
Ten Hope, Ten Hope Street, Williamsburg, Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 11 p.m.
