Boutros

Boutros Restaurant Review:

Boutros is a handsome restaurant on Atlantic Avenue, where Cobble Hill meets Brooklyn Heights. The menu is a sort of meeting place, too. Chef-owner Allen Dabagh is of Lebanese and Syrian descent. He cooks New American fare with influences from his heritage, classic technique and beyond. Take a hearty, bright starter of bulgar fried rice. Dabagh adds sujuk, a dry, spicy sausage popular in the Balkans and the Middle East, plus egg, crispy Brussels sprouts and enoki mushrooms. The bowl is much greater than the sum of its parts. Ricotta agnolotti are pillow soft, full of depth from slivers of smoked trout and fennel. Their Brussels sprouts, tossed in a sweet-savory concoction of black garlic and honey, will convert even those who are Brussels averse. And where else can you get a highbrow version of Chinese takeout Beef and Broccoli? Boutros’ version is kicky with shichimi togarashi and a deep, beefy gravy. The terse, thoughtful wine list includes bottles from Burgundy to Napa and Austria. Cocktails are balanced and creative, and Boutros pours beers from Florida, New York and the U.K. Don’t leave without an unbaked cheesecake, rich and topped with poached pear and red wine sorbet.