{"id":132,"date":"2008-04-06T16:03:54","date_gmt":"2008-04-06T20:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/2008\/04\/06\/tea-time-with-a-twist\/"},"modified":"2019-11-10T20:03:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T00:03:55","slug":"tea-time-with-a-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/132\/tea-time-with-a-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"In Memoriam: The Roebling Tea Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: After 12 years in Brooklyn, the Roebling Tea Room shut down in 2017. For current ideas on where to drink tea, check out our guide to NYC tea shops.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the name fool you. Roebling Tea Room<\/strong> serves much more than tea. There is a brunch, daytime and dinner menu, and inventive drink concoctions like the rosemary hot toddy. It is a good place for those who toil with ordering until they know what the other person wants, or if your friend is on the wagon but you\u2019d like a pint\u2014you can pair tea with an appetizer, a cocktail with dessert, or order a full meal.<\/p>\n

For the laissez-faire, settle in on one of the long, comfortable couches in the back. The interior is usually dim and moody, but the high ceilings and large windows prevent any sense of claustrophobia. Homey wooden tables and the green-tiled bar dominate the room, while a patio in the back waits for better weather (which might just be tomorrow).<\/p>\n

The menu changes seasonally and the current term is christened \u201cBleak Midwinter 2008 AD.\u201d It isn\u2019t so bleak, however, that Roebling can\u2019t provide an uplifting brunch menu with dishes such as salt cod hash browns or baked cheddar eggs with raisin fennel toast. If you\u2019re very hungry, try their big Dutch-style baked pancake. One pancake is big enough for two people, served with stewed pears, baked-in cherries, and spiced butter. And if you\u2019re tired of the ubiquitous Bloody Marys and mimosas, Roebling provides more interesting items like \u201cGrog Galois\u201d\u2014a unique mix of honey mead, lemon, and soda.<\/p>\n

The dinner menu includes appetizers like snails, chive, and pistou on brioche and meat plates with chestnut preserves. Entr\u00e9es include rabbit stroganoff, drunk beans with polenta, and the ever-popular macaroni and cheese. Attending to our eco-conscience, Roebling features grass-fed and free-range meats, and tries to use local and organic ingredients where possible. While Roebling is \u201cnot currently composting,\u201d said one waitress, \u201ca lot of things are in transition for spring,\u201d and the change of season should herald even more earth-friendly measures.<\/p>\n

Desserts, surprisingly, are hit-or-miss. Try the vanilla bean panna cotta. It\u2019s served in a generous bowl, features a perfectly pliant top and extremely satisfying, creamy vanilla interior. The apple crisp is to be avoided. There aren\u2019t nearly enough apples and too much topping, which itself is thick and stale.<\/p>\n

While Roebling is no secret to local Williamsburgers, it remains fairly unknown to the Manhattan-centric. On your way over you\u2019ll pass bars Spuyten Duyvil and Black Betty, which may lure you to the area a second (or third) time.
\n
\nHow to get there:<\/strong> Take the L to Lorimer St. Walk west on Metropolitan until you hit Roebling. Roebling Tea Room is part of a brick building and will be on your left. <\/em>For detailed directions from anywhere on Manhattan, click the HopStop link below.<\/em> (Roebling Tea Room, 143 Roebling St., Brooklyn, 718,963.0760, roeblingtearoom.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo: Courtesy of Roebling Tea Room.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: After 12 years in Brooklyn, the Roebling Tea Room shut down in 2017. For current ideas on where to drink tea, check out our guide to NYC tea shops. Don\u2019t let the name fool you. Roebling Tea Room serves much more than tea. There is a brunch, daytime and dinner menu, and inventive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[320,314],"tags":[15,145,57,9,194,186],"class_list":{"0":"post-132","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-outer-boroughs-destination","8":"category-dining-nightlife","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-dining","11":"tag-restaurant","12":"tag-reviews","13":"tag-tea","14":"tag-williamsburg"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":14521,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/04\/2392907292_bc8f159126-300x225.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}