When heading to the Barclays Center to watch the Nets get drubbed or BAM to catch a movie, it’s not difficult to make a game plan for dinner: there are a number of high-quality bars and restaurants nearby, including Emily, Faun, and even Franny’s. It goes without saying, then, that it takes a lot to stand out, but Lady’s, which opens tomorrow, has all the pieces in place to make a mark of its own.
The crew behind the restaurant, Sweet Nuthin’ Hospitality Group, comprises a number of veterans of the New York restaurant world, including James Beard Foundation-nominees Matthew Maddy, a founder of No. 7 Restaurant, and his sometimes collaborator Nico Arze. Kathryn Weatherup, of Weather Up, will handle cocktails, and the chef is Aaron Harsha, who worked at Michael White’s acclaimed Marea.
The menu is heavy on pastas, like chestnut campanelle and corzetti with sausage, and pizzas, like one with mushrooms and fonduta. And while it’s not a clam pizza, Harsha’s dipping his toes into the shellfish field with a cockles, lardo, and lemon pie. But you’ll also see blistered cabbage with calabrian chili and sausage alongside veal parmesan with sweetbreads, as well as some dishes to share like American hackleback caviar with pizza in place of blinis. Cocktails are a mix of classics, such as the Pedro Martinez (dark rum, Punt e Mes, maraschino), and originals, like one named for Nets center Brook Lopez (bourbon, Earl Grey, campari, fernet, and lemon.)
Menu [PDF]
Lady’s, 572 Fulton St., nr. Rockwell Pl.; 929-307-2822
