Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights is not exactly known for its rapid turnover of restaurants. A good thing if you’re a long-time local who likes being a regular, less exciting for those nights when you’re in the mood for something different.
Jules, a nifty new whole-pie, table-service pizza restaurant which opened a couple of weeks ago in the former Fifty Henry Wine Bar spot, gives you the best of both worlds.
The folks running the place, chef Julian DiChiara, front-of-the-house pro Hallie Lahm and designer Colin McTigue, are all Brooklyn natives, and all have deep ties to Brooklyn Heights generally and Henry Street specifically. Lahm’s dad, for example, has been at the helm of nearby Henry’s End since 1973 — as Hallie puts it to Brooklyn Magazine, “I’ve been involved with Henry’s End my whole life. I know everyone in this neighborhood!” And, among other kitchens on his resume, DiChiara cooked for 15 years at Jules’s physical predecessor, Fifty Henry.
But while the team is intimately familiar with the community as a whole and the actual space itself, Jules is also totally its own thing. “This is not a reopening, or a new chapter, of Fifty Henry,” says DiChiara. “It’s something completely different. It’s a whole new restaurant.”
Pizzas are the star of the show here, 14-inch, six-slice whole pies that boast a tangy, firm crust — crisp, but not crackery crisp — and topped in both classic and slightly more creative fashion. My party made quick work of three different varieties the other night, and our favorite was probably the soppressata picante, generously laden with funky meat, fiery peppers and gooey fior di latte. This was sloppy, gloppy, full-flavored delight.
Broccoli rabe and soppressata picante pies, $26 each (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Also very good was the cheese-free tonno pie, with chunks of oily tuna, punchy Moroccan olives, and crushed tomato buried beneath a blanket of arugula.
Tuna, olive, and arugula pie, $26 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
The three-cheese (ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan) bitter broccoli rabe pizza satisfied as well. Other options include a white clam pie, an eggplant parm pie and an oyster mushroom and fennel sausage beauty with ricotta cream.
Broccoli rabe and ricotta cream, $26 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
There are some not-pizza things to eat here too. The trio of whole roasted sardines was delicious (ask for some bread to mop up the fishy, lemony oil on the plate), though the celery salad with bottarga could have used more of the latter to justify its $18 price. And for the completely pizza-averse, Jules also offers a whole roasted chicken for two.
Sardines with lemon and herbs, $19 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
A boozy baba al rhum heads the dessert list, but if you also want your alcohol in a glass there are cocktails for about $16, glasses and bottles of wine, and a couple of Italian beers on tap.
And, so far, the neighborhood is stoked about having somewhere new to go.
“We’re very pleased with the response from the community,” says DiChiara “Hallie, Colin, and I did all this work here, including the physical build out, so it feels good to be in a different phase of Jules, after eight months of working by ourselves inside what I used to call the “dusty house of sand.’ It feels good to see people in here, everyone enjoying this idea you worked on for so long. It’s very gratifying.”
Jules is located at 50 Henry Street, at the corner of Cranberry Street, and is currently open on Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11, and on Sunday from 5 to 9.
The post An all-star team of Brooklynites open a terrific new pizza restaurant on Henry Street appeared first on Brooklyn Magazine.
