Inside Bar Blondeau, a natural wine haven from the team that created the hit Brooklyn restaurant Le Crocodile.
A generation after SoHo transformed from artistsâ lofts to a neighborhood packed with big-name retail outlets and tourists, Williamsburg saw a similar evolution away from its roughhewn past into a hipster mecca and now a place where thereâs an Apple Store, Hoxton Hotel and J. Crew. And while not everyone living there is sure to welcome the last decadeâs new tenants in North Brooklyn, chefs Aidan OâNeal and Jake Leiber have made for excellent neighbors since arriving.
In 2019, the team behind the beloved Greenpoint French-Canadian-ish bistro Chez Ma Tante set up shop in Williamsburg, joining forces with restaurateur Joe Neidrichâwho has launched spots including Acme and The Happiest Hourâto take up residence in the Wythe Hotel. Together they opened the hit Le Crocodile, which earned a stellar three-star rating from Pete Wells over at The Times.
Photo: courtesy Liz Clayman
The team is now at it again, this time on the sixth floor of the same building. At Le Crocodile, they created a French brasserie with a New York attitude; upstairs theyâve opened Bar Blondeau, their take on the Parisian wine bar thatâs grown out of the City of Lightâs Bistronomy movement, where expertly crafted food meets natural wine in an unpretentious space.
At Le Crocodile, OâNeal and Leiber serve up dishes like escargot with parsley, Pernod and fennel, venison steak tartare and roast chicken with herb jus and frites. At Bar Blondeau, itâs smaller plates, inspired by France, Spain and Portugal, with an emphasis on seafood. Thereâll be swordfish with aubergine, almonds and raisins; lobster salad with basil and pesto, and oysters with apples and ginger. Le Crocodileâs sommelier Rafa GarcĂa Febles also joins them to curate the wine program. The natural wines from around the world will include pĂ©t-nats, chillable reds, orange wines and more. Bar manager Sörine Anderson leads the cocktail program that includes four non-alcoholic options like the Old Fashioned made with the zero-proof spirit Ghia.
Photo: courtesy Liz Clayman
Perched on the hotelâs sixth floor, the projectâs architects took full advantage of the Wytheâs outstanding views across the East River. They designed the restaurant so that most of the 70 seats are positioned in a way that lets diners peer out of the floor-to-ceiling windows to gander at the Manhattan skyline. That vista, combined with OâNeal and Leiberâs cooking, may mean the chefs wonât wear out their welcome in the neighborhood anytime soon.