Cafe Kestrel
Cafe Kestrel is a (barely) 20-seat restaurant with white-tiled floors, white lace curtains, and dainty plates on white tablecloths. These elements suggest you could sip tea in a ballgown here, hoping excellent manners prevent spills. In practice, though, this Red Hook restaurant is less prim and proper and more of a quirked-up hangout.
We get the sense the place is run by a group of friends who woke up one day and decided to cook for everyone they knew. That warm, DIY attitude extends to the sign out front that states the hours "for now,” and a note on the menu that assures a soup du jour on stormy days. The rotating menu, too, reads like a collection of dishes that someone just decided they were hungry for. Some of it leans "wine bar," like oeufs mimosa or three fried zucchini blossoms each topped with an orange rind, but then there's also a beautiful salad, some equally beautiful mac and cheese, and Sunday night curry.
Because the menu changes so much, not everything you eat here will be perfect. Those zucchini blossoms filled with crab might arrive oversalted, while a seasonal heirloom tomato dish won’t be salty enough. But by the time you’re finished your meal, Cafe Kestrel will have won you over with its charm—with its backyard that's so nice it's almost ridiculous, with its freezing cold martinis, and with the free popcorn that comes with your drinks just because.
Two things on the menu, however, are perfect every time: the side of creamy, dreamy mac and cheese, and the hulking grilled burger, which seems entirely out of place on a menu that can lean precious and pricey, but is actually our favorite thing here. It rivals the burger at Cafe Kestrel’s famous neighbor, and warrants a visit to the land of no trains.
Burger
This 10oz brisket blend behemoth, which dwarfs both its plate and everything else on your table, is smothered in peppercorns and draped in a sauce that tastes like a pickle-heavy special sauce had an affair with au poivre. The burger comes on a sesame seed bun, with your choice of cheese, and a slab of onion à la nearby Red Hook Tavern. On the side, there’s a pickled Fresno pepper and also McDonald’s-esque fries with ketchup and aioli. During happy hour (on weekdays from 5-7pm), pair it with a martini for $30.
Garden Salad
Cafe Kestrel usually has a few salad options, all of which are reliably good and covered in olive oil. We catch ourselves thinking about a garden salad we had here in late summer with little gems and blanched green beans, all smothered in a peppery crème fraîche-based dressing.
Chicken
A very nice roast chicken. Crispy, blistered skin, sweet and salty hits from dates and capers, plus a squeeze of lemon juice and little carrot rounds to drag through all the chicken fat.
Sunday Night Curry
If you had the time to buy squash at the farmers market and wash your rice thoroughly, we know you'd make something like this. You just might not have the time.
Mac And Cheese
This is the sharpest, richest, sauciest mac and cheese we've had in some time. It's fantastic. Order a side of these shells all for yourself.
Fries
Perfect. No notes. Order these as well.
Dessert
The sweets change, but if the saffron rice pudding is available, you are required to order it. It’s got that signature caramelized crust on top, and an almost savory saffron flavor in each bite.
Location
Great: An 8 should be on your must-try list, because 8s are great. These spots are worth making an effort or crossing town for. High 8 territory is where we start approaching excellence.
Suggested Reading
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