Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, New York, New York City, Williamsburg, Where to eat in Brooklyn, Where to drink in Brooklyn, Oysters, Absinthe, Cocktails, Seafood, Restaurant, Bar, Restaurateur Krystof Zizka, Restaurateur Josh Boissy, Bartender Maxwell Britten, Chef Lisa Geffen, Sherry, Wine, Muscadet, Wine List, Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, Best Seafood, Oysters and Wine Pairing, Oysters and Absinthe Pairing

Maison Premiere

Food & Drink

It’s an absinthe and oyster tavern that's bringing drinking and food culture back together. We're known mostly for cocktails, seafood and wine, but offer a range of dinner items and desserts as well.

Oysters & Wine Pairing

For wine, my all time favorite paring is Savagnin from the Jura with East Coast oysters. Specifically, I would recommend the Mystic oyster. It’s grown off Noank, CT, and is one of my top 5 favorite oysters. For Savagnin, I'm currently loving the expression from Domaine de la Loue. Savagnin is never mentioned with other classic oyster wine pairings, but it really should be talked about alongside Muscadet, Manzanilla Sherry, Stout, Chablis, Absinthe, and Blanc de Blanc Champagne.

[Check out the Maison Premiere menu.]

Oysters & Absinthe Pairing

I would have absinthe verte from my favorite absinthe distiller, Ridge Distillery in Montana. I really like it the classic way (with water and sugar) and pair it with a West Coast oyster.

The anise, mint and cold water pair well with an Elkhorn oyster from the Willapa Bay in Washington state. It’s an oyster with a very strong, almost musky flavor. This oyster isn't for everyone, but the absinthe pairing really softens some of the funkier notes of the oyster.

[Check out the Maison Premiere menu.]

Absinthe

Absinthe is a versatile ingredient for cocktails from both an aromatic and blending perspective, and Monsieur Britten (Maxwell Britten) and our bar staff have created a list of killer absinthe cocktails. You can’t go wrong with Imperial Opal, Absinthe Colada, Kill Devil Frappe, or my personal favorite Hemingway’s ‘Death in the Afternoon.’ It’s a simple drink made with just Champagne and Absinthe, but it’s also very hard to get a good one. It’s my choice for an aperitif.

 

A RESTAURATEUR’S Guide

Find | Markets

New Amsterdam Market

They have a very selective group of purveyors and you can't go wrong shopping here. I recently went for the Gathering of the Fisheries and my favorite purveyors are: Jasper Hill, Village Fishmongers, Adirondack Beef Company, Amagansett Sea Salt.

100 Peck Slip, New York, NY 10038

T: 212.766.8688 | newamsterdammarket.org

Find | Wine Shops

Passage de la Fleur

It’s a natural wine shop owned by Fifi, the founder of The Ten Bells. They specialize in natural wines. I like how the store is not trying to please everybody; they only offer wines that they personally respect and enjoy.

573 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238

T: 718.398.1800 | passagedelafleur.com

Find | Butchers

Paisanos Meat Market

This is hands down the best place to buy meat in Brooklyn. I travel each week to the other side of Brooklyn. I love the dry aged T-bone steak.

162 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

T: 718.855.2641 | www.lospaisanosmeatmarket.com

Find | Ice Cream

OddFellows Ice Cream Co

My friends know me as an ice cream fiend and sometimes I sneak out of work to eat some over at chef Sam Mason's new place. They offer some incredible flavor combinations without losing the essence of what ice cream is all about.

175 Kent Avenue, New York, NY 11249

T: 347.599.0556 | www.oddfellowsnyc.com

Eat | Restaurants

Le Veau D’Or

One of three remaining old-school French restaurants in New York. It seems like the menu has not change since the 1930s.

129 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022

T: 212.838.8133

Grand Central Oyster Bar

A New York classic, one of the few remaining. Opened in 1913. Of course, I go for the oysters, but I also love staring at the arched terra cotta tile ceiling. It’s simply amazing.

89 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017

T: 212.490.6650 | www.oysterbarny.com

Balthazar

No explanation needed. Keith McNally is a huge influence.

80 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012

T: 212.965.1414 | www.balthazarny.com

Diner

I have been living in Williamsburg for over 10 years, and hands down I would bring a visiting chef here. It’s a New York haven. The restaurant does not get proper credit for its influence on Brooklyn's rise in the culinary scene. The ambiance, wine and food are all equally superb.

85 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11249

T: 718.486.3077 | dinernyc.com

Imperial Palace

A Cantonese seafood restaurant in Flushing, Queens. Flushing is out of the way for most New Yorkers, but everyone should take the time to travel there because the dishes are top notch and better than most places in Chinatown in Manhattan. My favorite dishes include sliced abalone with black mushrooms, Dungeness crab with sticky rice steamed in a banana leaf, and of course the giant oyster with XO sauce.

13613 37th Avenue, Queens, NY 11354

T: 718.939.3501

Bun-Ker

A Vietnamese restaurant in industrial part of Ridgewood, right past Bushwick and the infamous, Pumps. This is my new favorite restaurant in New York to take friends, dine alone or order takeout. And if it couldn't get any better, it's BYOB. My favorite dishes include Bahn Xeo (crepe with shrimp, bacon, egg, bean sprouts), Cha Ca La Vong (crispy ginger turmeric flounder), Tom Thit Ram (caramelized wild shrimp, bacon, basil, rice), and Long Bean Salad with Coconut Flakes.

46-63 Metropolitan Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385

T: 718.386.4282 | bunkervietnamese.com