gertrude’s

Eat at Brooklyn Restaurant Gertrude’s Before Going to Barclays Center | Eater NY

"You can feel like you’re in a Brooklyn grandmother’s cute home at this Prospect Heights Jewish bistro: there’s a colorful vegetable mural, mismatched floral plateware, bathrooms with sketches of famous New Yorkers (hi, Keith Hernandez), and mirrored shelves with duck objects. Restaurant meme master and chef Eli Sussman churns out good, easygoing New York comfort foods with higher-end touches, and from co-owners and couple Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson, the restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously — on a recent visit, the team was playing one of the Austin Powers soundtracks. The latkes are plump potato fritters amplified with dabs of crème fresh and roe, two to an order; the texture is nice and creamy without losing the integrity of the latke. Share the Black and White cake, an ode to the iconic black and white cookie in the form of a six-layer slice alternating chocolate and vanilla. Pickles are often overlooked, but don’t make that mistake here: the full plate comes with slices of beets, carrots, asparagus, and long pickles, lightly spicy in a nice way. For a low-key dinner before a concert or a game at the Barclays Center within walking distance — or just a great neighborhood meal — the prix fixe “Best of Gertrude’s” menu is a great deal at $65, with shareable starters like the seasonally changing spaetzle, a choice of entrees (alas, the burger isn’t included, but the seasonal fish is great and huge — my iteration was a whole trout covered with halved tomatoes and cherries), and that cake." - Nadia Chaudhury