Openings

A Look Inside St. Anselm, Soon to Start Deep-frying Hot Dogs in Williamsburg

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While in preopening paperwork limbo, Joe Carroll took a moment to describe his newest project, St. Anselm, the “haute snack bar” he plans to open later this month, next door to his beer bar, Spuyten Duyvil, and across from his barbecue joint, Fette Sau. In the beginning, he says, “We wanted to do a simple hot dog joint.” But that modest plan, aided and abetted by his father, also Joe, who’s a partner here with his son and daughter-in-law, Kim, ultimately spawned a menu that reads like an unfettered celebration of regional specialties and nose-to-tail eating.

Much of the inspiration came from Carroll’s Jamie Oliver–unapproved childhood diet, like the “Newark-style hot dogs” that are deep-fried, stuffed into a split pizza bread, and crammed with crispy potatoes, onions, and peppers. (St. Anselm’s pork-and-beef dogs are custom-made by Karl Ehmer, predominantly from Duroc pigs, and fried in beef tallow.) There’s also a two-ounce homage to the White Manna sliders of Carroll’s North Jersey youth. “I’ve been studying what they do for years,” says Carroll. The trick, he’s convinced, is preparing them on a very low-temperature flattop “so they cook in their own juices.”

Other fatty delights will include scrapple, goetta, and sausages, all made in-house; relics like humble pie and chicken à la king; a pork-neck-bone dish the Carrolls fell for in Las Vegas; and the ominous sounding “Skin 3 Way.” Regional sandwiches include Trenton pork roll (“Spam-ish and salty,” says Carroll) and beef on weck. Offal, as you might imagine, is liberally sprinkled throughout.

To drink, the Carrolls are delving deeper into wine than at their other establishments, with an international selection heavy on half bottles and sold for a lower-than-average markup. And like Terroir Tribeca, St. Anselm will be serving wine on tap — in this case, Red Hook Winery’s Chardonnay and sparkling Brooklynbrusco, the latter a riff on the Lambrusco of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna, prized for its refreshing knack for cutting through the fatty flavor of cured meats. It sounds like a match made in meat lover’s heaven.

Preview the menu below, then click through the slideshow for a look inside.

St. Anselm’s Menu [PDF]

St. Anselm is scheduled to open the week of April 19 at 355 Metropolitan Ave., nr. Havemeyer St., Williamsburg; 718-384-5054.

A Look Inside St. Anselm, Soon to Start Deep-frying Hot Dogs in Williamsburg