8
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, AUG. 4, 2019
THROWN FOR A LOOP: Award-winning pastry chef Francois Payard combined
American ingredients and French techniques to create this White Chocolate,
Strawberry, and Froot Loops layer cake.
BY BILL ROUNDY
He’s a big fi sh in a big park.
A pair of new eateries, helmed
by a renowned French chef,
dropped anchor in Brooklyn
Bridge Park last week, as part of
the new marina at the base of Pier
Five. The bistro Estuary and the
bakery Ebb & Flow occupy neighboring
spaces in the Park-side corner
of the One Brooklyn Bridge
building. The culinary director of
both spaces, James Beard awardwinning
chef Francois Payard,
wants his new restaurant to be a
welcoming spot for the Brooklyn
Heights community.
“We don’t want it to be pretentious,”
said Payard. “We want to be
a neighborhood brasserie, with a
lot of fresh fi sh and seafood.”
The bistro features a raw bar,
tuna tartare, and a seared Scottish
salmon on the menu, along with a
selection of steaks, salads, burgers,
and other entrees, with prices
that mostly range from $14 to $29.
“The menu — I think it is affordable,”
said the acclaimed pastry
chef. “It’s not cheap — we’re not
a diner — but it’s not ridiculous.”
The bistro has 150 seats inside,
with an additional 48 spots available
on the outdoor patio, which
offers fantastic views of downtown
Manhattan, as well as the volleyball
courts nearby.
It also features a wrap-around
cocktail bar, serving Brooklynmade
spirits and beers, along with
an affordable wine list.
Helping Payard to run the
kitchen is executive chef Danny
Brown, who previously worked
at Circa Brewing Downtown, and
who earned a Michelin star for
his Danny Brown Wine Bar and
Kitchen in Queens. Brown, who
said he is excited to show off his savory
seafoood tarts, sees the brasserie
as a mid-point between the
park’s the ice cream stands and the
high-end River Cafe.
Next door is Ebb & Flow, a graband
go bakery that sells coffee, soft
drinks, pastries, sandwiches, and
pre-made full meal boxes. It may
remind people of another wellknown
chain store, said Payard.
“We’re like a Starbucks, but
better!” he quipped.
The French pastry chef’s
touch is clear — for instance, the
breakfast sandwiches use fl uffy
croissants as bread, and can be
quickly heated in a toaster oven.
Serving a bacon and egg sandwich
is a new development for
Payard, who was named “Pastry
Chef of the Year” by Bon Appetit
magazine.
“It is the fi rst time I have been
so Americanized,” he said.
The space, which has only two
seats inside, is designed so that
visitors to the Park can grab whatever
they need for a picnic, and Payard
makes it clear that Estuary
and Ebb & Flow are two different
spaces.
“One is take out, the other is sitdown,”
he said.
The only thing the two share
are Payard’s fabulous layer cakes,
which can be purchased by the
slice at either spot.
Estuary in Brooklyn Bridge
Park’s Pier 5 159 Bridge Park Dr.
at Joralemon Street in Brooklyn
Heights, (718) 521–6744, ext. 1, www.
estuarybrooklyn.com. Open Tue–
Thu, noon–3 p.m. and 5:30–10 p.m.;
Fri, noon–3 p.m. and 5:30–10:30
p.m.; Sat, 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. and
5:30–10:30 p.m.
Ebb & Flow at the same address,
(718) 618–9775, www.ebbandfl
owbrooklyn.com. Open daily 8
a.m.–6 p.m.
PARK PLATTER
Bistro and bakery open at Brooklyn Bridge marina
/www.ebband-flowbrooklyn.com
/www.estuarybrooklyn.com
/www.ebband-flowbrooklyn.com
/www.estuarybrooklyn.com
/www.ebband-flowbrooklyn.com
/estuarybrooklyn.com
/owbrooklyn.com