The Queen's Hideaway

Fifteen. More. Days.

Sob.

Some would point out that I'm halfway there. They do have a point. But isn't self-pity sometimes so much more satisfying than optimism?

While you ponder this existential dilemma, let me tell you about a meal we had last night with our friends who were married in July. They live in Williamsburg, like Ben, and since we seem to avoid dining there like the plague (I don't know why! We like Williamsburg, we really do!) their suggestion to have dinner in, well, Greenpoint, technically, was quite welcome.

The Queen's Hideaway is a well-reviewed little restaurant on a desolate street that leaves much to be desired. The interior is warm and cozy, though, and there's good music playing, and a bookshelf full of cookbooks to read while your friends make their way to meet you, all of which go a long way to make you feel at home. The wine list is a little cutesy, but well-edited and the red Anjou we order is lovely. The menu, to fans of Prune, say, will be familiar - it's a mix of down-home cooking spruced up with good-looking vegetables and interesting flavor combinations.

I'm a little resentful once the waitress explains that the special category on the menu called "Greenpoint" is for the neighborhood folks who shouldn't feel put upon by the prices of the rest of the menu. "Greenpoint" has a few sandwiches for around $10 to $12. The main courses on the menu (for us high-rollers who don't live in Greenpoint) range between $12 and $17, so I'm not really sure why the Greenpointers get singled out for being poor and the rest of us feel bad for rolling in dough instead of the menu being divided into "dinner sandwiches", for example, and "main courses". But, you know what? This isn't my restaurant and I realize I'm being defensive. So we order and move on.

Jenny has a salad with buttermilk dressing that is cool and tangy and the most delicious restaurant salad I've had in a while.


Steven orders a Brussels sprout and sausage succotash that is smoky and sweet and complex, with a delicious broth that just begs for crusty sopping bread.


Ben orders zucchini fritters that aren't much beyond pasty and bland, despite the hot dipping sauce.


And I have stewed, bicolored cauliflower that's mixed with cranberry sauce (a strange and not necessarily inspired combination, though the cauliflower itself is delicious) and pumpkin seeds that are tough and unchewable. (I keep having to spit them out delicately in my napkin. My poor dinner companions.)


With the exception of Jenny's salad, the plates are all dusted heavily with black pepper, which catches in my throat and mutes some of the lighter flavors struggling to come through. Our main courses don't escape the tyranny of the pepper mill and I begin to wonder why the chef feels the need to cloak her cooking in this dull, gritty heat.

I order a piece of trout over soft grits and root vegetables. The fish is sweet and delicous, the grits creamy and corny, the vegetables are caramelized to within an inch of their lives. Everything would be so tasty if the pepper darkening everything weren't so prevalent. I can't finish my dish.

Ben and Jenny both order stewed chicken that comes in a thick gravy with cornbread French toast, but again, it's over-seasoned and the lighter flavors that I know must be there are completely smothered.


Steven gets the gumbo that is crammed with three kinds of meats and served over white rice. It's rich and delicious, but at this point, all I can see are the unrelenting specks of black pepper everywhere - EVERYWHERE - and I'm tired of it all.


What I really like about The Queen's Hideaway is that the plates are relatively small for restaurant standards, which means we can taste from everybody's plate and not roll out of the restaurant feeling gluttonous. What I also like is the price tag - our three-course meal (we finish with beignets and sweet potato pie), with wine, comes to forty dollars a person.

What I wish? Is that someone would take the pepper grinder away from Liza Queen, the chef, and manage to convince her that her bold, lusty cooking would taste so much better unadorned.

Comments

[Lia]

Luisa, great post, especially because the Brooklyn girls and I were just discussing Queen's Hideaway for out next BGN outing! Do you think we should reconsider, or would it be worth it??

[Maya]

My God, it's like Attack of the Killer Pepper People! I've never seen so much pepper! It came through loud and clear in your photos. Gak!

[Sarah]

Despite the prevalence of pepper, I still think these country dishes sound deliciously homey. Maybe next time you could try the "I'm deathly allergic to black pepper" line? Ugh, but why is Greenpoint so hard to get to from Park Slope?

[Rose]

I posted the other day for the first time after discovering your post re NYT no-knead bread. I've read through a lot of your past entries and just wanted to say that I love your blog. If I had the time, it's exactly what I would do :)

I'm sure you've seen the pate sucree recipe from City Bakery (and accompanying Cranberry, Almond & Caramel tart) in today's LAT - I think I'm going to try it this weekend...

[Tanna]

Oh my goodness what an amazing thing for a restaurant to have cookbooks! and diners can read them! I think that is super.
beignets and sweet potato pie: that would win me over!!

[AnnieKNodes]

In the words of Bon Jovi, "Oooh, oh, we're half-way the-ere!" Great job so far, Luisa.

I agree with Sarah. Those dishes do sound great. Hope she lightens up on the pepper.

[shuna fish lydon]

ONLY 15 more days? Boo Hoo!!

[eg]

I know it had been a lot of work for you but for us readers this has been a terrific month. And it doesn't have to be just about food....

I actually like pepper a lot but I prefer to taste my food first and then add pepper if I feel it is needed. On the food. Not all over the plate in a little black snowstorm!

[Luisa]

Lia - I think it's a really cute place, and definitely worth trying out. The menu changes so often that I can't tell you what to order, but I did love that salad and maybe if you go you can say that you're allergic to black pepper and that will make them hold off? Who knows! I'd love to know what you think when you go.

Maya - Yeah, I realized that when I was posting them. Sort of funny, really.

Sarah - point very well taken, I think that's the way to do it. The almighty G train, if you're so inclined, does stop relatively close to the restaurant. Just be prepared for a somewhat creepy walk from the subway.

Rose - thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I've had Maury Rubin's cookbook for a few years but I've never actually made one of his tarts. You can be sure that I'll be making at least 1 of the 2 recipes from yesterday's article next week for T-giving! Tell me how the nut one works out for you.

Tanna - I agree. Such a nice touch.

Annie - heh, I did have that song running through my head yesterday...

Shuna - You're nuts, lady. But I like that spirit. ;)

eg - that's so kind of you to say! Thank you.

[edie]

Since I live around the corner from the Queen's Hideaway, I must inquire:

Is it Franklin that you consider "a desolate street that leaves much to be desired"? Why?

And what in the name of God makes the walk from the subway "creepy"?

As far as the "Greenpoint" section of the menu goes, might it not be the locals are being rewarded for being, well, locals, return customers, so to speak?