NYCReview
Bar Beau
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Whether you live nearby or it takes you two subway transfers and a stroke of luck to get there in under an hour, you probably find yourself in need of a casual date spot in Williamsburg fairly often. You could go to a sit-down restaurant, but then you’d risk waiting 20 minutes for the check after your date makes that second comment about the occult. You could also go to a wine bar, but you want to eat something a little more exciting than a $32 charcuterie plate with three slices of day-old baguette. That’s why you should know about Bar Beau, which you can confidently use for any type of low-commitment date night in the neighborhood.
During the day, Bar Beau is just a small storefront across from an elevated section of the BQE where you can grab a coffee or snack. The front room shuts down in the evening, though, and they start serving cocktails and food in a big, attractive lounge in the back. This dark room has candlelit tables in case you want to discuss your hesitations about doggy daycare with a significant other, but there are also plenty of seats at a long marble bar where you can grab drinks with someone who also, coincidentally, never does “this whole Bumble thing.”
The space feels equally like a restaurant and a bar, and the food and drink menus also work no matter how you want to use this place. Drink-wise, you’ll find some great cocktails, most of which are infused with unusual ingredients like aloe and poppy seed absinthe, as well as a short but interesting selection of wines, in case you want to try something (a lot) funkier than a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc. Get some small plates to go with your drinks - like the creamy chicken liver mousse with bacon, or scallop corn fritters that taste like briny hushpuppies - and you’ll be very happy.
All of that said, the large plates are disappointing. The broth-less udon tastes like dry cacio e pepe, the skirt steak’s only flavor comes from its thick sauce, and the seafood rice has very little actual seafood. If you’re looking for a full dinner, we’d suggest you head to Llama Inn, Lilia, or Kings County Imperial, which are all within a couple blocks of this place.
Come to Bar Beau when you want a few high-quality cocktails with someone whose middle name you don’t know yet, or for a late bite after a show at Brooklyn Steel. The music is stuff you’ll want to sing along to, the dark space and strong cocktails will make you lose track of time, and the company, well, that’s up to you.