Greenpoint has seen a whole host of new restaurants open over the past year or so. One of the interesting things about this is that we get to witness their growth and development as they evolve to meet local tastes and demands.
The Bounty (131 Greenpoint Ave) is a great example of this. The restaurant opened gently last spring as an evening spot with simple, good food, and has recently extended its offerings to include weekend brunch, a daily oyster happy hour, and a gorgeous outdoor space.
The Bounty, run by owners Lance Hess and Kevin Ang, has a stylish nautical bias. The interior is boat-like with artful use of reclaimed wood, a vast canvas sail stretched across the ceiling and a dinner menu that, among other things, boasts plenty of good seafood (think tuna tartare, clam fettuccine and baked orata). The newly completed garden space is sunlit, bright and beautiful, and makes for a perfect area to linger over a quiet brunch with the weekend papers.
The brunch menu has been created by new chef Evan Sloan (Chez Moi and River Park). It includes dishes such as a pea shoot salad with breaded soft boiled egg, a house burger with tomato jam and French toast sticks with rosemary maple crème anglaise.
All bread products are made in-house by the talented Kevin Ang who trained at Roberta’s and talks about the exact science of bread making with great passion. He also applies his scientific culinary mind to the creation of the house cocktail menu.
When we visit for a late brunch one hot Sunday afternoon, the alluring cocktail list is calling our name and we cool off with a refreshing Summer Fizz (gin, Campari, navel orange, lemon, honey, bitters, soda) and a Pixie (gin, St Germain, elderflower liqueur, cucumber, chamomile tea syrup).
To eat we begin with some awfully good house-made ricotta with pickled blueberries and fresh baguette. Bounty granola is also house-made (and among the best I’ve had) and is topped with yoghurt, seasonal fruits and honey.
Eggs Florentine are elevated by exceptional English muffins, coddled eggs and the use of pea shoots instead of spinach. A dish of ‘sunny-fried rice’ makes for a nice alternative eggy brunch option. It’s fresh and flavorful and comes with radish, scallions, smoked pineapple and blackened kimchi.
For those after a hangover cure, the Bounty biscuits with gravy are an excellent bet. We try the mushroom gravy which is hearty and delicious but there is also a tasty looking sausage option.
It’s worth mentioning that for a truly decadent brunch experience you should go late afternoon (brunch ends at 4pm) and run over into the fabulous $1 oyster happy hour which is from 5-7pm Tuesday-Sunday.
The Bounty, 131 Greenpoint Ave
Weekend Brunch: 10:30am-4pm
$1 Oyster happy hour: 5-7pm Tues-Sun
Dinner: Tues-Sun
The restaurant is closed on Mondays.