Brooklyn Star: Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn

Last February Joaquin Baca's year-old restaurant Brooklyn Star burned down. In retrospect that wasn't such a bad thing. For one, we gained Best Pizza, which took over the old space (plus the same serious wood burning oven), and sometimes comes scarily close to fulfilling its bold moniker.

The other benefit is that Brooklyn Star, which reopened in March and whose menu has been updated, but still features a heavily Brooklyn influenced take on classic Texas favorites, is now in a much larger space on the other side of the expressway. This is both an asset and a curse. The interior is oddly bland, with green and white walls and wooden tables and floors. If it weren't for the obligatory hipster waifs you wouldn't know this is Williamsburg. There's a sense of humor though, with a nod to Chuck Norris and a declaration on the menu that the Fritos are sourced from Plano, Texas.

On to the food...

Red Rooster: Critics Gone Wild

Of all of the restaurants to open this year, few have garnered more attention than Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster. Fresh off his victory on the second season of Bravo TV's Top Chef Masters, Samuelsson managed to turn that momentum into a frenzy of pre-opening hype, leaving both critics and layman alike salivating at the chance to sample his food. Located on Lenox Avenue, just down the street from the iconic Sylvia's, writers immediately dubbed Samuelsson's Red Rooster a shining beacon of hope for this historically vibrant, but economically impoverished section of Harlem. Reservations were booked weeks out in advance, white people were traveling to Harlem, hell had officially frozen over!

Peaches Hothouse: Raising the Heat in Bed Stuy

There are only a handful of restaurants in Bed Stuy quite like Peaches Hothouse on Tompkins Avenue. Sure, there's Saraghina and a few others pushing an artisanal ethos through an emerging (though underserved) neighborhood, but Peaches Hothouse, from the owners of The Smoke Joint and Peaches (proper), is surely the only place where you can find an approximation of Nashville fried chicken shack in the middle of Brooklyn.

Inside is cramped, and you may find yourself uncomfortably close to your neighbor (but this is OK-- strike up a conversation, or better yet, challenge the manhood of the guy on a date sitting next to you in a hot chicken-off). At peak times, Peaches can be packed full and understaffed (you've been warned). If you're less inclined to ruin someone else's meal, order a beer or a drink ("likker" as they call it) and wait for your fiery chicken to arrive while grooving to the blues blasting over the speakers.

Hill Country Chicken: Much Ado About Nothing

In the weeks which proceeded the opening of Hill Country Chicken, the foodie blogosphere was ablaze with anticipation for the Hill Country team's latest venture. Earlier this year New York, as well as most of the United States, was subjected to the endless buzz surrounding KFC's Double-Down, so it came as no surprise that Eater provided early scoop on the latest entrant into the ever-expanding fried chicken scene. But New Yorkers love them some good chicken, a fact so apparently obvious that even visiting San Francisco chef, Daniel Patterson, provided a nice soundbite for the media when he questioned the city's fascination with the crispy bird in anticipation of the recently held Le Fooding event.

Tales of lines that spilled onto the street and early problems initially kept me away from Hill Country Chicken, but chalk it up to curiosity and an empty stomach to motivate a visit which was punctuated by some disappointingly mediocre, but pricey fried food.

Brunch Bets: Seersucker

Go ahead and add Seersucker to the city's gradually expanding list of southern-inspired restaurants. Located on Smith Street in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, Seersucker is the creation of Arkansas-native Robert Newton. Recently featured in Food and Wine, the restaurant has received mixed reviews. But in the wake of Brooklyn Star closing, which Eater reported may be more than just a temporary hiatus, MW and I trekked to Seersucker looking forward to their southern take on brunch. Sadly, our hopes were never realized as we were served a series of poorly executed dishes.

Brunch Bets: Pies 'N' Thighs

For weeks I had read countless reports about the re-opening of the beloved Pies 'N' Thighs that specialized in serving crispy fried chicken and homemade pies. Forced to close due to concerns from the Department of Health about their smoker; I wanted to experience first hand what all the fuss was about. But it wasn't until MW and I passed the restaurant's new location under the Williamsburg bridge before we decided to eat there ourselves. Originally it was our intention to eat dinner there; but after reading on Pies 'N' Thighs ever-evolving website that they serve brunch we quickly changed our minds and prepared ourselves for some chicken and waffles.

Brunch Bets: Egg Restaurant

Brunch...the under-appreciated meal that borrows the best from breakfast and lunch menus. But often we're too tired or hungover from last night and have to settle for some greasy eggs or pancakes that taste of cardboard at the nearby diner. It is for exactly this reason that we are starting the Brunch Bets segment. Our goal, to explore New York's better (and sometimes poorer) brunch experiences in hopes that you can at least have something to look forward to after your walk of shame.