Restaurant of the Week: Buttermilk Channel

Though its provenance was vague, it seems fair to assume that the milk and honey supped by the gods were local offerings; proven or not, every restaurant cropping up of late has seemed to take this unspoken edict as graven commandment. Sure enough, proximity is next to godliness at Carroll Gardens' new Buttermilk Channel, where much is made of the regional specialties. The beer on draft is from Brooklyn's Kelso Brewery, the mozzarella hails from Caputo's up the street, and the sausages from Manhattan's Esposito's and Schaller & Weber. Even the restaurant's name comes from a nearby spot on the map. (It's the mile-long strait that separates Brooklyn from Governor's Island.)

From this New York-favoring ingredient list comes a surprisingly peripatetic menu, one that leans southeasterly but makes plenty of room for steps in all directions. Fried chicken and duck meatloaf are off-kilter made-in-the-U.S.A. staples; a tastily gamy pork cheek schnitzel with prune jam ($21, on Tuesdays) is only one of several German-inflected options. Rather than try to cobble together a sensible meal from any one locality, go for a bounty of small plates: snacks like the smoky maple and bacon roasted almonds to start ($4), or a hefty pot of musky chicken liver mousse, accented with brandied cherries ($7). A delicata squash tart with house-made ricotta and brown butter ($9) was lovely, if a trifle soggy. Occasional mushiness is, as it happens, the Channel's biggest flaw -- a too-silken dessert of bread pudding needed more bite.

Nevertheless, there's plenty to recommend Buttermilk Channel and overrule its occasional slips. The charming room, anchored by a communal table made from repurposed Red Hook factory beams, emphasizes tastefulness, an especial relief after a season or two of eating beneath faddish taxidermy. Mountable game, apparently, isn't among the area's better offerings.

524 Court St.
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
(718) 852-8490

Photo from eater.com