New Chef at Nights and Weekends…New Reasons to Linger Over Another Cocktail

Whilst most of us Greenpointers are huddling together trying to keep out the winter chill, the folks behind Five Leaves and Nights and Weekends are off sunning themselves in California as they create the next installment of their growing culinary empire at Ace Hotel Palm Springs…alright for some! Nonetheless, back in Brooklyn, their flagship restaurants are certainly not going neglected, and Nights and Weekends recently rolled out some tasty menu additions under new chef Charles Imbelli.

Charles (formerly of fine-dining spot Chanterelle, and Harlem’s Red Rooster) worked with Five Leaves’ Ken Addington in setting up the events menu at L.A. Chapter last year. He returned to Brooklyn in September to take over the kitchen at Nights and Weekends, where he’s been cooking up a storm with their signature Latin American flavors. His first new dishes were introduced in December, and we went went along last week to try out some of them out.

When we arrived at 10am on Sunday they’d only just opened up and we had the place to ourselves, along with an air of peaceful serenity I don’t normally associate with Nights and Weekends. This is great to know for Five Leaves fans who want an alternative to waiting outside across the street on a cold weekend morning.

Here’s what we tried:

Buckwheat waffles topped with banana mousse and studded with salted peanuts and candied kumquats.  These feel festive and sophisticated, perfect for sweet-toothed brunchers and those deserving a weekend treat.

A hearty bowl of porridge made from the new holy trinity of breakfast grains: chia, quinoa and amaranth. Topped with goji berry syrup and fresh mango, this makes for a responsible but delicious breakfast choice without sending sugar levels through the roof.

Huevos Purgatorios boasts two eggs atop a rich tomato sauce thick with morsels of bacon and topped with a dollop of mashed avocado. Scattered with jalapeños and cilantro this will warm your icy cockles like nothing else.

Meanwhile, a dish of warm soft polenta is like a savory comfort food hug(!) packed with shreds of chorizo, and finished with charred scallions and a fried egg.

Though brunch starts at 10am, the all-day menu is served through until 2am, which is worth remembering for those seeking late night munchies in Greenpoint. The menu is created with the bar environment in mind and, as always, includes easy to eat choices such as tacos, sweet and spicy wings and a ‘Juicy Lucia’ burger on a cheese-stuffed patty.

When we stopped by at night to try the evening menu, we were impressed by a fresh and herby roasted pumpkin salad finished with curried pumpkin seeds, and a top-notch sandwich of mezcal-cured salmon with herbed cream cheese, caper aioli, and pickled red onions on toasted 7 grain. We also wolfed down some Carnitas Mofongo: yummy hot balls of slow cooked pork shoulder, sweet plantain, and chicharones, just the thing to stop all those tequila-based cocktails going to your head.

Nights and Weekends is at 1 Bedford Avenue. They are open daily from 10am-3am.