Swoony's
What To Get and How To Get In
How to get in: If you have been following along with my posts, you will remember one of my first posts was about Sal Lamboglia’s Cafe Spaghetti in Carroll Gardens. Just around the corner, Sal Lamboglia recently opened a new American restaurant called Swoony’s. Making it onto the Infatuation’s Best Burger List and their Brooklyn Hit List, Swoony’s has become popular, however just like Cafe Spaghetti, it is not impossible to get into. If you are going with two people, you can walk in as they have a 10 seat bar that they hold for walk-ins. Reservations are released 14 days in advance at 10am and you do not have to fight all of NYC to get them (*cough* Don Angie). We went with a group of six people on a Wednesday night and had no trouble booking it two weeks in advance. I recommend doing this just to secure a spot, but last minute reservations are usually available as long as you don’t mind eating at 5 or 9pm.
Vibe and drinks: The inside of Swoony’s has a dark, cozy, sophisticated vibe. It was packed and had a very lively vibe, with music playing and the buzz of the young crowd. What I loved was the little antiques and old pictures around the restaurant, reminding me of the setup of Cafe Spaghetti. I only got one drink on this visit as it was my birthday and I was hungover from the day before :) I got the Pistachio drink, which was a mix of mezcal, pistachio, lime and rose. The drink came in a martini glass (my favorite!) and was the perfect balance of smoky and sweet. The pistachio surprisingly worked very well with the mezcal and was a very well-balanced drink.
Food: To start we got the Whipped Goat Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Shrimp Cocktail, Prawns with Garlic Sauce (this was a special), and Crab Louie Salad. The goat cheese appetizer was an amazing start to our meal. The goat cheese was soft and fluffy, topped with chili crunch and served with cucumber and grilled bread. I’m not even a huge fan of goat cheese, but this dish was so good - a perfect mix of salty and spicy, and paired well with the crunch from the cucumbers. Another great appetizer was the brussel sprouts, which were served on top of a horseradish sauce and topped with shallots and breadcrumbs. I loved how charred and tender the brussel sprouts were and they worked so well with the spicy and creamy horseradish sauce. The shallots and breadcrumbs on top added a nice crunch.
The shrimp cocktail was given to us on the house, which was very nice, however I would not order these again. There was nothing special about them, just four pieces of shrimp with a cocktail sauce and a Tabasco aioli. On the other hand, the prawns with garlic sauce were delicious! They came with the head on and were smothered in a delicious, buttery garlic sauce. The prawns were tender and the sauce paired well with it. Our last appetizer was the crab louie salad, which was also very good! It came with crab meat in a mayo sauce, jammy egg, asparagus, cucumber and tomato. The crab was so flavorful and fresh and it worked so well with the crunchy vegetables.
Our sides for the table were the Creamed Spinach and the Butter Beans. The creamed spinach was mixed with caramelized onions and topped with breadcrumbs. I loved this dish! It was very rich and creamy, and I loved the texture that the toasted breadcrumbs added. The butter beans came with braised kale and they had a soup-like consistency. This was another delicious side, a lot lighter than the creamed spinach, but just as flavorful!
For our mains, we ordered the Dorade, Chicken Paillard, Short Rib Au Poivre, PEI Mussels, and Swoony’s Burger. The Dorade came served on top of a Manhattan clam chowder style sauce. The fish was tender and flavorful and I loved the tomato-y clam sauce. The chicken paillard was one big piece of chicken that was prepared Greek-style, with tzatziki, oregano and a Greek salad on top. This dish was simple yet packed so much flavor and the chicken was cooked perfectly. The mussels were also another simple, yet flavorful dish. The mussels were in a creme fraiche, garlic and mustard sauce and the sauce was so good and creamy.
My two favorite dishes of the night were the short rib and the burger. The short ribs were so tender, they melted in your mouth and were coated in a delicious peppercorn cream sauce and served with fries. It was the most unique preparation of short ribs that i have had. All the flavors worked so well together and the meat was delicious! Last, but not least, was the #1 dish of the night - the burger. This burger made it on my list of best burgers in NYC. There were two patties, Thousand Island dressing and American cheese, all nestled between a Portuguese bun. The burger was divine - seasoned perfectly and so juicy. The dressing was something I would have never thought of using, but it worked really well! My favorite part was the Portuguese bun, which is pretty much a very wide English muffin, and it did what most burger buns don’t - kept all the burger components inside. Nothing was spilling out the sides as the bun was large enough and I thought this was genius!
For dessert we ordered one of each thing - the Chocolate Mousse, French Toast, and Vanilla Soft Serve. All three desserts were absolutely delicious. I loved that they took three simple childhood desserts and jazzed them up. Out of the three, the French Toast was my favorite but you can’t go wrong with any!
Overall: I loved Swoony’s! The vibe was great and the food was delicious. I recommend getting yourself a reservation two weeks in advance so you don’t have to stress about walking in. Come with a big group and try a bunch of appetizers, mains and desserts!
Must-orders: Whipped Goat Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Creamed Spinach, Short Rib Au Poivre, Swoony’s Burger, French Toast, Chocolate Mousse
I am out here SWOONYng for that burger
I want that pistachio drink!!