Earlier this month, a new restaurant called The Mouth (20 Marcy Ave.) opened in the space connected to Brooklyn Art Haus.
Together, Brooklyn Art Haus and The Mouth are an art gallery, performance space, restaurant, bar and a coffeeshop all in one and often all at the same time. The description may sound like a mouthful, but co-founder Isaac Bush is incredibly passionate about the shared space and what it can achieve.
Bush is the executive director at Brooklyn Art Haus and now also the beverage director at The Mouth. His goal is to create a place open to everyone, where artists and art enthusiasts can connect and collaborate while immersed in art. A second, more tactical goal is to operate a dining destination that subsidizes the art.
The Mouth opens early with all day coffee service kicking off at 9 a.m. The newcomer serves coffee from local Williamsburg brand Partners. There are croissants, muffins, and cookies, throughout the morning and afternoon, plus larger dishes for lunch like paninis and a dip platter.
Brunch is served on the weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and happy hour is offered daily from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. with specials on wine, beer, cocktails, and mezze.
Dinner service begins at 5 p.m. with a Mediterranean-inspired menu crafted by Naama and Assaf Tamir, the executive chefs at Lighthouse (145 Borinquen Pl.). Using seasonal ingredients, the chefs created a menu that includes several shareable appetizers, a few entrees and a small selection of sides.
The appetizers, dubbed small talk on the menu, start with an assortment of dips reminiscent of Lighthouse. The choices are hummus, smoked labne, romesco, whitefish salad, and herbed goat cheese and feta balls with burst tomatoes and garlic confit. All come with pita. Other appetizers include roasted kohlrabi, burrata, ceviche nachos, chili crunch shrimp, and a salad.
The menu’s entree section, cheekily termed mouthfuls, includes a Mediterranean sandwich called a sabich, a cheeseburger, mushroom pasta, Arctic char, and steak frites. The entrees come with fries, a side salad, or a pickle pluck, which is a variety of pickled vegetables.
The drink menu includes sparkling, red, white, rose, and orange wines. The cocktail sections offers specialities, like the Mr. Bogart with rye whiskey and rum, followed by twists on classics like a white Negroni with gin. There is also a small selection of beer and cider.
The Mouth adheres to the growing trend of offering non-alcoholic cocktails. One option is the refreshing Haus Spritz which contains hibiscus, ginger, lemon and soda.
Any of these drinks can be enjoyed throughout Brooklyn Art Haus and The Mouth’s sister spaces that have a very clear connection and flow.
The restaurant and bar area acts as a rotating art gallery with work on the walls behind the tables. After dinner, guests can also browse the adjacent gallery which is currently displaying work from incarcerated painters.
Past the adjacent gallery is an area for rehearsal spaces and then a performance venue. Guests can carry drinks (or even dessert) into the performance venue to enjoy during a show.
The Mouth is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and is closed on Mondays.