I’ve started going out early recently. Partly because I am getting old and tired but also because you can avoid the crowds and get into hot spots if you go early enough.
I had not been to Draft Barn previous to this night, but I assumed it was a hot spot, partly because it was in up-an-coming Gowanus. Well, Gowanus doesn’t seem quite as lively as I had expected. I think there are just pockets at this point (but give it a few years and it will be hipster central). And when we arrived to Draft Barn at about 6:30, I was amazed that there were only two other people inside. Even though it was a Monday night.
The place is awesome. It’s a huge cavernous hall for drinking beer and eating gut bomby Hungarian pub food. It made me think of an indoor Beer Garden. The beer list is massive, the bartenders are surly (but helpful), and the beer bread (actually known as beer croutons) made the Top 100 list this year.
We ordered our brewskies – I got a dunkel (a dark lager) and I placed an order for the beer croutons (which are not on the printed menu). I was amazed at how quickly they came out of the kitchen. Maybe they had an order ready, but it almost seemed like we got them before we actually ordered them. We didn’t, but it seemed like it.
These are a brilliant concoction. They’re cubes of brown (rye? pumpernickel?) bread that have been soaked in beer and then deep fried and garnished with a generous amount of salt. They were the most addicting thing I have eaten in a long time.
First off, I was amazed at how hot the croutons were considering they came out so quickly. They must have literally come right out of the fryer (there was no time for any other option). They were crispy, but not overly so so they still had a soft tender bite to them. The salt was not overwhelming but brought out the flavors of rye, yeast, and grease. They were amazing.
It was the perfect complement to our rich warming beers. I had to actually remind myself to drink because my hands and mouth were too busy dealing with these addicting little nuggets. I’m glad I got to experience them, I just hope on a more lively night, plenty of other people get to enjoy the Draft Barn experience.
Would Draft Barn’s Beer Brea make my Top 100 of the year? They were really dangerous. Dangerously delicious. So I have to rate them a 9 out of 10 because it’s totally worth the trip to Gowanus just to try these brilliant bar snacks.
