Walking into Fort Defiance on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook is a shock of the senses. Immediately you are struck by the stark contrast of the bright teal walls with the darkly stained wood. If you hadn’t already guessed you are stepping into a hip place, the tables covered in assorted vinyl prints and the black and white checkered floor spell it out for you.
Unlike the hip spots you might find around Williamsburg or Chelsea however, you do not feel like you are walking into a members only club. Instead, you are greeted by not one, not two, but three separate people (one being the proprietor himself, St. John Frizell who is firmly rooted to his location behind the bar, making one of his many renowned cocktails.)
The menu at Fort Defiance is not big or elaborate. In fact, some things seem downright strange – pimento cheese and ritz crackers is a staple on the menu – that one might not necessarily want to go out and spend money on when they have it sitting back home in the fridge. But Fort makes itself clear that it is not strictly a restaurant. Upon it’s opening, Frizell said his idea when coming up with Fort Defiance was that, unlike many other areas, Red Hook doesn’t have its own “third place.” A third place, as he describes, is that place between home and work, where people can spend time and interact with others; otherwise known as a ‘hangout spot.’
A third place it is indeed. On any given day at any given time, you can see the bartender chatting it up with one of the customers sitting at the bar, enjoying coffee that has been dripped right in front of them, or even a glass of their homemade seltzer, self-proclaimed as the “Best in Brooklyn.”
For lunch, there is a nice selection of sandwiches, the most famous being the larger-than-life muffuletta. A traditional New Orleans sandwich, the muffuletta is piled high with an abundance of cured meats and cheeses topped off with an olive tapenade and placed between two spongy pieces of focaccia-like bread. It’s a big sandwich. Ranked number six on The Village Voice’s countdown of the top ten sandwiches in New York City, it’s also causing a big stir.
Other sandwiches offered include a smoked salmon sandwich that comes on thinly sliced whole wheat bread slathered with cream cheese and topped with cucumbers, red onions and watercress. As far as sandwiches go, this is refreshing. Not too heavy and packed with flavor. The buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, while not as light, still doesn’t make you want to go home and take a mid-afternoon nap. Or perhaps that’s the extremely strong Counter Culture coffee they serve.
While the sandwiches are exemplary, it is the hamburger that is the stand out. Made with chopped short rib meat from the man who supplies Shake Shack himself, Pat La Frieda, this ain’t your average burger. Unbelievably juicy, the only downside to a burger like this is that the bun gets overly soggy in a short period of time. It’s a sacrifice worth making. With a burger like this, proper etiquette goes out the window. The juices don’t just drip down your face, they flow, so be sure to have any and all camera phones ready. Monday nights are “Burger and a Beer” nights, where you get this hefty burger and one of their tap beers for just $12. A tip of advice, get the Sixpoint, it’s brewed down the street and is as fresh as can be.
If beer isn’t your thing, don’t worry, it isn’t really Frizell’s either. A mixologist, his cocktail menu reflects a preference for more old-fashioned and classic drinks. The Warwick Bramble, made with gin and black currant liqueur is refreshing and made not too sweet with the addition of lemon. The king of cocktails however, is the Tom Collins. Made with gin, lemonade and seltzer and served in a tall glass with a straw, it is dangerously easy to drink. So easy in fact, that there is a super-sized version that comes in a whopping 24 ounce glass and is referred to as the Sumo Collins.
To finish up a day, a night or something in between (except from three-five, when their kitchen is closed), there are a few desserts to choose from. While a couple of the desserts rotate seasonally, the chocolate pudding is a mainstay. And with good reason; it is absolutely decadent – though a little less whipped cream, perhaps – and could easily be shared between two people despite it’s seemingly small serving size.
The service at Fort Defiance is as friendly and accommodating as you are likely to find anywhere and you are certainly encouraged to “hang-out” even after your meal or drinks are finished. After all, it is your third spot.
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