Leland Eating and Drinking House

Brooklyn Restaurant Leland Is the Best Neighborhood Restaurant | Eater NY

"Community really feels real here, thanks to monthly butchering classes that showcase a whole-animal program, the annual Dog-O-Ween with pup cups and homemade treats, mahjong nights, and an easy-going atmosphere that makes me want to come back for more. Brunch and dinner both deliver, with smoked pollock fritters — fluffy, fried balls of white fish and potato on a bed of horseradish tzatziki — as a must-order to start. At brunch, the tortang talong stands out, the eggplant omelet acting as a canvas for a peppery salad of arugula, cherry tomato, lemon, and pecorino. Dinner specials rotate, but in the colder months the mushroom toast is worth a trip on its own, coated in shiitakes, oyster mushrooms, and a marsala cream so good it changed how I think about the sauce. The vermouth list is extensive; start with vermouth service ($11 to $17)—your choice of fortified wine served with a twist, an olive, and sparkling water for a DIY vermouth and soda (I’m partial to Tximista’s crisp bianco). For the latest specials, I keep an eye on their Instagram stories." - Mary Anne Porto