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Once upon a time, in a land known as Williamsburg existed a small town, a Monkey Town. The ruler, Montgomery Knott, felt that restaurants in the isle of Manhattan had become too expensive and bland. King Monty wanted more entertainment when he dined, more fun, more jesters. So he hired a royal chef, Coleman Lee Foster (Chanterelle, Bouley, Gramercy Tavern) to create “experimental food and classic dishes from a country that doesn’t exist” and employed entertainers from all walks of life to amuse his subjects.
Today, Monkey rests in a converted garage hidden in an oddly residential part of Williamsburg. It has two dining rooms, the front room with a grungy elegance; is strictly a dining room. Extra-high corrugated metal ceilings, white cushioned couches and pale wooden tables are refined and a huge mural of a palm tree with handmade objects of yarn and wood add whimsy to this airy space.
For whit, head to the back room where you’ll find a perfect square space with floor-to-ceiling projection screens and videos playing on all four walls. A square ring of low daybeds provide seating and are perfect for getting intimate. The back room only seats 32, so reserve and arrive early or you’ll be sitting on the floor or standing in the back.
According to Knott, “We have created a permanent space that privileges video art, short films, feature-length films and documentaries, outside traditional galleries, movie theaters, museums, or clubs. We will also host live music, dance and other original performance. We will commission surround sound installations and continue our 'Bathroom Sound Series'. We plan to establish an artist residency.”
With a wide array of shows ranging from arty movies and porn, to documentaries and live music with trippy audiovisuals, its possible to find a good fit for most, but be sure to check the schedule Monkey Town HQ to find the show that’s right for you. No matter what you choose, once seated amongst the largely hipster crowd, you can relish in being at the hippest dinner theater ever.
Were I citizen of this fictitious country, I would petition for the braised short ribs ($15) to be my national dish. Served over a crunchy curried oatmeal cake with a fricassee of caramelized cipollini onions and precious heirloom carrots, the meat was substantial enough for all the villagers to share - tender enough to fall apart in a brisk wind.
Start off any meal with the cheese plate ($12) assembled from Saxelby Cheesemongers or the fois gras (oddly listed as market price, both times it was $11) which is tender and unctuous, served with a crisp sweet and sour vinaigrette, but is the only dish lacking in substance. Alternatively, the butternut squash soup ($6) is a creamy rendition with a rich savayon sauce and decorated with vanilla candied apples.
Pan seared striped bass ($20) is tender with a crisp skin, and enhanced, not overpowered, by its semi-sweet dashi-yuzu broth and roasted shitakes. It is served with baby bok choy that is toothy at the start but limp if sitting in the broth too long. Butter basted shrimp ($16) offer a generous eight large crustaceans with a grainy and creamy goat cheese polenta, ragout of red onions, scallions, shitake mushrooms and an original tomato-thyme beer sauce. The fresh soba noodles ($12) and truffled mushroom risotto ($12) offer similar levels of sophistication and layered, complex flavors for paltry prices.
The $8 original cocktails are unique and a relative value. Try the grapefruit-ginger Caipirinha, lavendar ilantro mojito or Monkey Town Manhattan. Subsequent visits always seemed to call for a $5 draft beer of De Konink or Brooklyn Lager from the brewery just a few blocks away. With a wine list that tops off at $40, Monkey Town could quickly turn into monkey around time.
Desserts at $9 are ambitiously priced, though solid for the most part (largely because of the addition of new pastry chef, Seth Caro). Opt instead for a round of spiced cider tequila shots ($4) which will make any night seem like the town’s yearly fiesta of all things artsy and culinary.
58 North Third St. (Wythe Ave.)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 384-1369
Monkey Town HQ
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