OSTUDIO

"OStudio is a creative co-working space and cafe in Bed-Stuy where you’ll find artists making big beautiful ceramics and quilts. At 5pm, candles replace laptops, and the room transforms into OStudio at Night, a super casual wine bar with some of the best small plates in Brooklyn. Color-blocked cafe tables remain, as do the smocks hanging in the front, left over from that week’s tie dye workshop. Aside from a few tea candles, the only other indication that you’ve entered after-hours mode are the chefs who materialize behind the cramped coffee counter. They’re here to make art too. At the top of the menu you’ll find a permanent list of small plates, followed by the wine bar’s latest exhibit: a smattering of rotating dishes from chefs in residence. The guest chef changes from week to week, but it’s usually someone with an intriguing background and pop-up pedigree, like Mexico City’s Giuseppe Lacorazza or Filipino American chef Woldy Reyes. Dishes from the rotating menu tend to be playful and unpretentious, and you get the feeling that the guest chefs are encouraged to fully express themselves. In the past, we’ve had a sweet n’ salty crudo with pickled cherries by Jay Wolman and an umami-rich twist on burrata from chef Greg Wong. Topped with fermented black bean sauce, it made us feel excited about burrata again just when we thought (well, hoped) that we were finally entering the Post-Burrata Period in small plate history. House chef Omri Silberstein’s bright, seasonal dishes are just as special. A plate of maitake mushrooms crisped with seaweed butter will make you pause at first—mixing something as earthy as a mushroom with the taste of the ocean takes a minute to get used to—but it’ll become your favorite dish by the second bite. Come by for a casual weeknight date or catch-up. This isn’t the wine bar where you wear your little black dress. You could walk in with paint-stained overalls and fit right in. Think of your meal here as a gallery visit, only this time the cheese plate you’re usually hovering over is the art. Food Rundown Roasted Maitake Mushroom W/Seaweed Butter A dense, meaty mushroom gets a silky feel and some briney umami from seaweed butter, and it's topped with a little horseradish to add some spice. This dish has a particularly strong mushroom taste, but if you're into that, it's a must-order. Cured Scallop With Chanterelle Mushrooms On this plate, cured scallops, hot pink daikon, yellow chanterelles, big jewels of roe, and an herbaceous green sauce come together to look like an abstract watercolor. No one flavor overpowers the others—you get a little spice from the radish, sweet and salty fish flavor from the roe, and fruity notes from the mushrooms. Nardello Peppers With Goat Cheese This dish consists of chevre cheese, sweet Jimmy nardello peppers, and tropea onion tossed in a little olive oil. Add some bread on the side, and you have a deconstructed deli sandwich from the fanciest Italian deli in New York. Coconut Flan The flan is truly a dream. It's chock full of shredded coconut and only mildly sweet, so you can eat it with the dulce de leche and cream on the side without being overwhelmed with sugar. Chicken Pho OStudio isn't married to the small-plate concept. They generally let chefs do their thing, which sometimes leads to bigger entrées, like this chicken phở by Greg Wong. Loaded with herbs and onions, the phở tasted like it came straight from the farmer's market." - Neha Talreja