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Saturday, February 11, 2012

CULTURE

Food Bytes: Doug Crowell of Buttermilk Channel

 

Buttermilk Channel is the stretch of water between Brooklyn and Governors Island. Legend has it that before New York Harbor was dredged in the 1890s to allow for cargo ships, farmers in Brooklyn would herd their cattle across the tidal strait to graze on the Island’s lush fields.

At Buttermilk Channel, Doug Crowell’s Brooklyn restaurant, the back of the menus picture an image of the popular eatery's namesake waterway, a place that once defined the life of the Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

“We call it an American bistro,” says Crowell of his establishment, a favorite of Tyra Banks, Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, not to mention the hordes of locals who flock there daily for all-Americn classics like fried pork chops and waffles and Crowell's famous pecan pie. “I always make pecan pie, but in my family, I’m the only who eats it." Crowell says. "That’s one of the perks of owning Buttermilk Channel: I get to eat pecan pie every day of my life.”

Other favorites on the menu include house-made charcuterie, short rib hash and green tomato soup with cayuga blue grilled cheese, all made using seasonal, and whenever possible, local ingredients. (The eatery sources its mozzarella and prosciutto from stores only a block away and all beer it serves is from New York State.) Chef Ryan Angulo, whose most recent gig was as Chef de Cuisine at Stanton Social in New York's Lower East Side, is the mastermind behind the menu.

When designing the restaurant, an elegant yet homey interior featuring wooden chairs, creamy walls and warm light, Crowell looked to eBay to accessories the space. “I did a search on ‘Brooklyn sheet music’” he tells us, picking up posters for the Guy Lombardo song "Give Me the Moon Over Brooklyn" and the movie "Cowboy from Brooklyn," starring Ronald Reagan, which are now framed on the walls, along with other vintage photographs of a Brooklyn marathon runner and local horse races.

“I’ve been using eBay for a long time,” Crowell says. “I collect old menus—historic menus from historic restaurants. I have hundreds of them in books and archival boxes. It’s amazing—the graphic design in the early 20th century. Restaurants used to be more fantastical. They used to offer more escape. I guess we’re more cynical now. I have a menu from when Macy’s opened. It’s this really wild menu. It has all these flavors of ice cream and on the other side of the menu, it has an article about putting your money in the Macy’s bank.”

Crowell’s recent eBay purchases include a spike toaster for cooking hot dog buns and four ice crushing machines that the restaurant uses when serving oysters.  He also tells us, “I just purchased an old legal-size clipboard that was used by a furniture company from upstate New York. I wanted to display the menu in the window on an old-fashioned clipboard.”

Doug Crowell's eBay Wish List:

Roll over items for details
Hank Mobley’s Second Message Vinyl LP
(buy it now price, $34.99)
What Do You Say, Dear by Maurice Sendak
“We want to cut some pages out of old children’s books and use them to make signs for the restaurant.”
(buy it now price, $4.95)
Map of Buttermilk Channel, New York Harbour 1900
“There are so many cool maps on eBay and it’s amazing how cheap they are. This one shows the body of water that the restaurant is named after.”
(buy it now price, $39)
Menu from Jones Beach, NY, 1939
“I collect menus. I have hundreds of them. This menu is die-cut in the shape of a seahorse, which is pretty amazing.”
(buy it now price, $150)
Note Card from Child’s Restaurant, Coney Island
“I’m obsessed with the Child's restaurant chain that was all over this region from the late 19th century through the 1950s. This one is from Coney Island, which is extra cool.”
(starting bid, $14.99)
Cookbook from the Ritz Carlton, New York, 1941
“A 1941 cookbook by the Chef of the Ritz Carlton. This is an amazing slice of New York culinary history.”
(buy it now price, $106.34)
Vintage Carnival Restaurant Menu
“My menu should look more like this. More can-can girls!” 
(buy it now price, $7.99)
New Vitamix Blender
“This is a beautiful, top-of-the-line blender. It kind of feels like driving a sports car. Would like to give the chef one for his birthday.”
(buy it now, $395)
Snowman Ice Shaver
“We use these ice shavers to make shaved ice to serve oysters. I burn through a lot of these.” 
(buy it now, $10)
TWA Menus London-New York
“Airline menus are usually really boring, but these New York-London TWA menus are beautiful.”
(buy it now price, $5)
Food Bytes: Doug Crowell of Buttermilk Channel

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