Steps away from the bedlam of Bedford Avenue, a restaurant called Egg serves Southern-inspired food. While there is no shortage of flashy fare in the Williamsburg neighborhood, this venue thrives by keeping things simple, with menu items centered on fresh meats and produce sourced from owner George Weld’s upstate farm.
On a recent Thursday evening, a fellow foodie friend and I sat down for dinner just minutes before the last thunderstorm rattled New York City. Dry and cozy inside, we munched on warm roasted peanuts and watched the lightening sizzle in the sky through the wide-open front doors. The two baby-toting young couples, a mother and her young son—who doodled happily with crayons on the white paper tablecloths—and a large group of girlfriends combined with the buttery aromas quickly soothed our rain-battered spirits as we waited hungrily for our chorizo and egg sandwiches to arrive.
The $10 sandwich arrived oozing with homemade chorizo and scrambled eggs from free-roaming hens, all topped with salsa verde and pickled jalapenos. It fell deliciously apart like an overstuffed sloppy Joe, leaving a plateful of tender, spicy chorizo for the picking. A sour bite of fixings was perfectly offset by a sweet brioche bun from Amy’s Bread and a generous salad of greens from the farm. Our next dish, the Pork Four Ways, featured hearty servings of flavorful pork shoulder, chorizo, pulled pork and homemade pork sausage, all seasoned with care.
For dessert, a seasonal pie of summery strawberry and rhubarb was topped with freshly whipped cream. Like the rest of Egg’s menu items, the pie showcased the farm-fresh ingredients, without being overdressed or sweetened. A moist pound cake was accompanied by a generous amount of custard and ice cream, which soon sent us on our way for a much-needed walk through the now sunny, wet streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The farmer and new father who opened Egg in 2005 after a career in academia admitted he is “constantly astonished” by how hard it is to run a farm business. (Even though Weld’s childhood roots have helped him acclimate to a new lifestyle; his mother was an avid gardener and raised the family on a farm in Virginia.) “We bought from farmers when we could—eggs and watermelons from the back of a truck in our town and a side of beef from the slaughterhouse,” he explained.
Although Weld developed the seasonal menus and most of Egg’s recipes himself, he is uncomfortable calling himself “Chef” and credits the talented cooks who’ve been by his side at the restaurant. Yet while he claims to have kept his expectations for Egg low this year, the crowds who devour everything from homemade sorghum granola to grass-fed beef hamburgers indicate that Weld has created something special, and hopefully, lasting.
How to get there: Take the L train to Bedford Ave. Open Mon-Tues, 7am-3pm, Wed-Fri. 7am-10pm, Weekends 9am-10pm. Cash only. (Egg, 135 North 5th St., Brooklyn, 718.302.5151, pigandegg.com)
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram