[What You Should Order At...] Hamilton's

Image by Park Slope Lens

WHAT YOU SHOULD ORDER AT... is a recurring column designed in kind for your opinionated asses and our lazy asses.  We're going to pick one Park Slope Windsor Terrace resto a week this time and recommend our favorite dish at each.  Are we right?  Are we wrong?  YOU KNOW YOU WANNA WEIGH IN. 

On more than one occassion, I've been fairly up front about my Windsor Terrace citizenship in my posts. I've clocked almost 12 years in WT and I continually love it for its quiet (slightly) suburban neighborshood feel. But in my decade(ish) here most of my friends and most of my socializing were down in Park Slope 'cause, let's face it, up until about two years ago there was fuck nothing up here to do. 

But times they are a changing. And with the influx of priced-out or growing families from the Slope settling in our parkside hamlet we're getting some good stuff this way. One of those stuffs comes in the form of a great little restaurant/bar called Hamilton's. Located at 2826 Fort Hamilton Parkway at the corner E. 4th Street and started by the folks who own Alchemy down on 5h Avenue, Hamilton's is a great spot to grab a beer and a nice cheap meal. Since this place is literally around the corner from my apartment I've had almost everything on the menu.... no joke. And I've had brunch there 3 times which is also well worth the trip.

Image via Alchemy.com/HamiltonsHere are my can't go wrong suggestions for dinner: first off know that everything you order is sensibly-sized here so you never walk out of the place feeling like a complete pig... but get some starters, they won't fill you up and I suggest an order of Smoked Marcona Almonds and the Marinated Mixed Olives, both of these dishes are simple and have two completely different but complimentary tastes. Both also go well with a draft beer or a glass of wine. They're also just the right size so everyone at your table gets a little taste but doesn't ruin their appetite.

For the main event I seriously love their Grass-Fed burger. "But J Charles, you moron, we have 8,000 places in Park Slope to get a burger." Yes, I hear you, but this one is different. (This is going to be rife with sexual imagery, so deal) It's the juiciest, thickest and meatiest burger I've had in years. It's hard to get a hold of. That thing just drips down your arm. And it's on a simple, unpretentious bun which just absorbs all that juice that doesn't escape. Also it comes with a side of Potato wedges, not fries per se but seasoned slabs of potatoes cooked just right. If you're not a fan of paprika, tell them to leave off the seasoning.

That's not me, but they are all chomping down on those tasty burgers.

Wait, vegatarians come back. If you're ever green in mind and diet get the Farro Salad, that's my second favorite thing on the menu, totally veg friendly and one of the tastiest salads on their menu. It's all about the shaved fennel and sherry vinegarette.  If they have dessert like their outragous bread pudding or dark chocolate and sea salt souffle thingee, don't be an idiot, order one or both. They are beyond. If you're on a diet, cheat. Again the desserts are sensibly sized so if you share, your belly won't even register the calories. 

So if you want to get out of the Slope and talk a walk across the park or take the F or G train two stops to Fort Hamilton Parkway OR the B67 to Fort Hamilton and McDonald Ave, it will only cost you 15-20 minutes. It's a totally different vibe up these parts. And now with summer here, you can sit outside either in their front garden or on their little side "beer garden." I promise it will be a tasty diversion.