When news came that Hecho en DUMBO was going to pack up and head across the East River -- hence becoming Hecho en Bowery, opening early this year -- the natives of the bridge-flanked 'hood became restless. Did this mean that Tuesday night would mean played-out Superfine or ho-hum Rice? Luckily, the proprietors at DUMBO General Store that had hosted Hecho's P.M. culinary pursuits (it was a pop-up restaurant of sorts) did the locals a solid and brought in their own chef to handle three meals a day. David Conn, formerly of a Nashville restaurant called Edisto, known for its Low Country cuisine and smokerie, officially took over the evening shift at the cozy, communal space in November, and while his new menu is notably short on the cotija cheese and chorizo that won Hecho its fans, it has some persuasive ingredients of its own -- like the habanero jus that accompanies the braised oxtails ($18) and the downright irresistible cayenne-spiked honey-maple sauce that makes the chicken-fried chicken and waffles ($8) the must-devour appetizer. Skip any other starters and salads to save room for the robust (and oversize) entrees, like the shrimp and grits topped with Creole gravy and pork belly ($17) or the strip steak served with bone-marrow-slathered toast and a parsley salad for good measure ($19). And if you can't get enough, feel free to head back the next morning for the sweet-and-savory brie-stuffed French toast ($11) that's bound to make you a regular.
 
DUMBO General Store
111 Front St.
DUMBO, Brooklyn
(718) 855-5288
dumbogeneralstore.com

Photo from The Brooklyn Paper