I live on the Upper West Side, so going to Greenpoint is a big commitment. It actually happens to be my favorite neighborhood in the city, but I have to take three trains to get there. But when places like Lingo open up, I take notice and plan an outing. Not only was the trip relatively painless, but the meal was just outstanding. A creative menu with impressive variety and near flawless execution. The service was excellent: attentive servers, speedy water refills, dishes perfectly spaced out. Not a wrong note all evening.
Made a reservation here for 8:15pm on a Saturday night. We arrived 10 minutes early but they were able to seat us immediately, which was nice. Our table was positioned such that we could see just about every element of the space: the dreamy light fixtures, the open kitchen, and the peaceful covered patio. The design is simple yet elegant yet very down to earth, suiting the neighborhood nicely.
As usual, we started with drinks. I couldn't not start with the Ume Martini (nikka vodka, umeshu, young pickled plum), as I'm a sucker for both martini variations and anything featuring umeshu. Despite my general aversion to vodka, I enjoyed this drink a lot (nikka vodka is also a lot better than ketel one, etc., imo). My husband got the Ichigo (roku gin, nigori sake, strawberry, lemon, egg white), which was light, fruity, floral and delicious. For our second round, I got the Lingo (akashi japanese whisky, lemorton calvados, sakura bitters, absinthe) which was a solid Manhattan variation, while my husband got the Hinagiku (espolon tequila, yuzu kosho syrup, lime, orange liqueur, shiso salt), which was a margarita variation. I didn't try his but he said it was just okay.
The food here is definitively reminiscent of Japanese cuisine, but it's more of a Japanese-American fusion, with many different noticeable influences. Plates are meant to be shared here, though it's not imperative. I'd recommend it, though, because you'll get to sample more of the menu and the prices are quite fair given the quality of the food. If this restaurant was in Manhattan I'd imagine your bill would look very different. In any case, we loved absolutely everything we ordered. Eats, below:
Albacore Tuna w/ crispy crepe, fresh herbs, yuzu kosho verde: A+
This was a very creative, beautifully presented, utterly delicious raw tuna dish. We've eaten crudos and tartares of various sorts at countless restaurants, and many begin to feel the same. This one stood out. The crispy crepe is a fun way to add the crunch these types of dishes play with, and it served as a perfect vessel to consume the fish.
Grilled Cabbage w/ tahini, chili oil, herbs: A
This dish was surprisingly filling but we still destroyed it (we as in I ate 75% of it because I couldn't get enough and my husband isn't a big cabbage fan). The sesame, the spice, the umami, all of it worked beautifully together.
Crispy Cauliflower w/ lime curry crema, soy glaze, aleppo: A+
Fried cauliflower is a classic American dish, but this rendition is as elevated as it comes.
Hamachi Collar w/ smoked cherry tare, sweet corn coulis: A+
Probably one of the more unusual dishes of the night, but we both loved it. Neither of us had tried hamachi collar before so it was a new experience. The collar was in a barbecue-type sauce and the dollops of corn sauce were delicious and added to the flavor profile quite nicely.
Niman Ranch Skirt Steak w/ wasabi sour cream and onion, heirloom carrots, walnuts: A
I'm not a big fan of steak but my husband is so we ended up ordering this instead of the tartare. The steak itself was perfectly cooked and paired beautifully with the wasabi sauce. As an aside, the sauces, coulis, cremas, oils, and the like here were just sublime. read more