From Dive to Delicious
The Incarnations of Sweetwater
By Megan Batista
Sitting in the well-worn rich mahogany leather booths in the back of Sweetwater Restaurant, it's hard to imagine that only five years ago it was home to one of the dingiest metal/punk dive bars this side of the river.
Instead of pool tables, the back room is now lined with booths and bistro-style tables with just the soft light of candles and a warm glow from the kitchen that makes one feel like a guest in someone’s home. During warmer months, patrons lounge and eat in the back garden patio which, while spacious, carries out the intimate atmosphere that permeates indoors.
While the sheer physical metamorphosis of Sweetwater's interior and its inviting ambiance could be enough to pull in a crowd on any given day, it's truly the homey, upscale cuisine that keeps customers coming back. Rustic new American fare is the only way to describe the innovative and fresh dishes. Paired with an equally alluring, yet small, wine list, everything at Sweetwater leaves you satiated with the type of food you expect to find at an upscale bistro in Manhattan, only without emptying your bank account.
Start with the warm beet and goat cheese salad – large enough to be a main course. The beets are perfectly cooked with a hint of cinnamon that is a perfect accompaniment to the tangy, smooth goat cheese. The cannelloni stuffed with smooth ricotta in a sage butter sauce is comfort food at its finest.
The finest menu item would have to be the pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto over mashed potatoes in a green apple and balsamic vinaigrette reduction. Even the burgers are anything but ordinary. Try the lamb burger with tabouleh or their famous beef burger with caramelized onions, both tasty, although a bit difficult to eat since they're served on an English muffin.
If you’re looking to impress a date, have family in town, or just feel you deserve a great upscale meal without the high prices, you owe it to yourself to seek out this gem tucked away on the quieter end of North 6th St. So don’t be tantalized by all the über-trendy places that seem to have become Williamsburg’s own versions of Starbucks - because most likely you’ll just walk away unsatisfied, broke, and with bragging rights that won’t matter in a week.
SWEETWATER RESTAURANT
105 North 6th St.
718.963.0608
www.sweetwaterny.com
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A.P.C. Opens New Surplus Store in Williamsburg
By Julie Fishkin
The subtly understated yet ultra-chic label A.P.C. opened its surplus store in Williamsburg where it has until now maintained a warehouse location.
Occasionally, this location would hold giant warehouse sales of old-season items, and the line to enter would span several blocks from Kent to Wythe and around the corner. For some, creator Jean Touitou’s vision of minimal essence for maximum expression of style is devoid of excess but not of bold expression. For others, it's esoteric French “cool” that’s still just a little too expensive.
The new Williamsburg location at 33 Grand St. is perhaps an antidote for the corporate strongholds of American Apparel on North 6th and Brooklyn Industries on Bedford and Broadway, whose mass market approach has fooled the fashion-savvy masses into mass-produced trends that scream conformity rather than the unique styles our denizens attempt to cultivate with such precision. Indeed, A.P.C. joins the ranks of other smaller labels and boutiques such as Built By Wendy at 46 North 6th St., Jumelles at 148 Bedford Ave., and Oak at 208 North 8th St.
As a bigger name brand, however, A.P.C. leaves some locals skeptical. “I do shop at APC, as do many of my friends,” says gallery director Lumi Tan, “but find it ridiculously overpriced. Of course we are paying for an image and fetishization of simplicity and cleanness, which is kind of funny because people live in our neighborhood for an image of grittiness! But I was really excited to hear about the surplus store, as were most of my friends (especially the rich ones). I'll probably check it out in [the] first couple weeks it's open, but I am expecting to be disappointed,” she concludes. “It's like going to Woodbury Commons or somewhere else with a fantasy of coming out with sacks of $20 goods when all you really can find is socks and belts that were still a little more than you wanted to pay."
The brand's signature androgynous style combines a militaristic sensibility with a keen sense of flare. Charming French schoolboy uniform jackets, straight-leg trousers, and exquisite floral blouses define the style of Touitou's creation. Fun accessories such as oversize belts, canvas bags, printed t-shirts, understated loafers, or even old school vans are some other essential items the stores carry. For the Touitou, the surplus store is a natural progression for the brand's U.S. presence since he has had that warehouse for storage. Still, as a surplus store, the items available will depend on what is left over from the previous season, which may prove disappointing for some customers.
The new store will not alter the image of Williamsburg as an epicenter for creative minds and fashion victims of varying degrees. In fact, it will perhaps only augment it. However, as more warehouses turn into luxury condominiums and expensive boutiques, we can naively lament the consequences of expanding gentrification and the changing façade of the neighborhood while we embrace the changes and shop away. Vita Raykhman, a graphic designer, points out that “[A.P.C.’s opening] is basically a natural progression very much in line with the current style of the neighborhood, considering stores such as Oak have been selling selections from the A.P.C. line for a while now. In terms of whether or not it contributes to the gentrification, I think, is like asking if the opening of a Starbucks adds to the gentrification of Soho or the Upper East Side. That ship has sailed, know what I mean?”
Ultimately, A.P.C.’s new surplus store, housed in a large warehouse on 33 Grand St., will fit in perfectly in the neighborhood, if for no other reason than for its name, “Atelier de Production et de Creation.” Its premise fits perfectly into the overarching mindset of our creatively bent yet overpriced community. Whether the tacit air of indifference is obvious to the tourists not in the know doesn’t even matter. Whoever doesn’t approve can just move to Park Slope.
