Seated on the front patio as the sun sets over the East River, you take a sip of your vodka-jalapeño-passion fruit cocktail. “Care for any more of this particularly elaborate and well-crafted torched hamachi sushi roll?” Your date asks, hoping you’ll say no. “No,” you say, though you do, and you pat their hand reassuringly and take a bite of foie gras-duck rice instead.
This epic scene of chivalry and romance brought to you by our imagination, with ample inspiration from Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill, a behemoth of an eatery that happens to specify all of its components in its name, now open on the Dumbo Waterfront.
You’re getting to know this Empire Stores complex pretty well these days. Smile to Go, we mentioned just the other day. Cecconi’s, where you’ve hopefully been at some point this summer (if not, go). A Dumbo outpost of Soho House is in the works, which you may or may not know by now. But today, we’re focusing on this massive opening from an eatery that started in Miami and then opened in Vegas before making its way here.
You’ll use it for more-casual-than-Cecconi’s-but-not-too-casual dates, group outings, birthday dinners, the like. There’s no shortage of space. It’s got a hip, modern, cavernous feel, and a general design that wouldn’t feel out of place in Miami or Vegas: curved red leather booths, stone walls, an open kitchen and a raw bar in the back. To say nothing of its 2,000-square-foot front patio on the promenade.
“But what about the consumables?” You might ask, visions of the aforementioned hamachi rolls dancing in your head. Well, the menu’s mostly small plates, with some sushi and more indulgent mains in the mix: Korean-style short ribs, yellowfin tartare with avocado purée, lobster BLT sushi rolls, duck-and-waffles. It’s one of those order a bit of everything for the table and pass it all around situations. You know the kind.
We’ve got a bounty of photos of the space, drinks and a hell of an octopus dish in here, so please do follow us into the slideshow.
VITALS
Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill
55 Water St
(inside Empire Stores)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-473-9555
