Ship's Biscuit

It’s easy to write about well established food joints because the opinions are well formulated.  It’s rare that I’ll rely on my own experience exclusively since my taste buds may be biased, I had the right dish at the right time, or the owner happened to drop by before I arrived.  Saltie, in the former Cheeks Bakery location, is one such eatery that’s new enough to have escaped the cult of popular opinion and critics.  I’m relying purely on my own instincts here…and all bets are on that my instincts are usually correct.  If you’re in Williamsburg and it’s lunch time, head over to Saltie!  But be warned, the food isn’t recession-special material…two experienced chefs formally from other successful ventures run the place so you get creative top quality renditions of lunch food. 

The no nonsense interior…exposed brick and shiny white tile pairs well with the straightforward menu.  Yet that’s where the simplicity ends.  Flavor combinations ranging from smokiness to brine are showcased elegantly in their nautically themed sandwiches like the Captain’s Daughter (Sardines and pickled egg with Salsa Verde on Focaccia); the Longshoresman made with meatballs and yogurt sauce; The Clean Slate (hummus, pickles, miso, pickled okra, wheatberries on flatbread); the Spanish Armada (potato tortilla, roasted red peppers on Focaccia); and the Scuttlebutt (hard boiled egg, tomato, olives, capers, peppers on Focaccia).  The Ship’s Biscuit, well suited for breakfast, is a soft scrambled egg and ricotta tucked into a fluffy biscuit.

Do not leave without grabbing one of their homemade ice cream sandwiches.  Two unconventional flavors, a salty caramel and Eton Mess are messily pressed between two crunchy homemade chocolate cookies.

photo courtesy of Saltie