{"id":3016,"date":"2009-05-12T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2009-05-12T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=3016"},"modified":"2013-04-28T11:46:37","modified_gmt":"2013-04-28T15:46:37","slug":"heath-ledger-bar-five-leaves-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/3016\/heath-ledger-bar-five-leaves-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"Heath Ledger’s Five Leaves Lives Up to Great Aussie Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the seam, where fast gentrifying Greenpoint meets the Williamsburg bar strip, a charming American bistro with an Australian accent caters to empty bellies at its own comfortable pace. With the likes of Sharkey\u2019s Auto Driving School flanking one side and mom and pops running the rest of the block, the triangular storefront of Heath Ledger’s Five Leaves<\/strong> fits well in its working class neighborhood.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One late Friday morning, I stopped by to explore the breakfast menu. I ordered the ricotta pancakes, which arrived garnished with berries and a sizable cut of banana. As I plotted my attack, Jud Mongell, the owner, stopped by the bar where I sat scrutinizing the fluffy stack. \u201cPour some more on there. Don\u2019t be so skimpy with the syrup!\u201d he teased. I asked why he had numbers scribbled on the back of his hand. \u201cIt\u2019s what I owe the fish guy,\u201d he shared with a grin, noting that the grilled salmon (accompanied by braised leeks, artichokes in a lemon chive broth) seemed especially popular with the ladies.<\/p>\n

The clientele appeared to share a penchant for plaid and designer thrift while tattooed bartenders sport trucker hats and engaged in easy conversation with regulars who stopped in to shoot the breeze. Throughout the day, passersby bobbed into view at the \u201cCoffee To Go\u201d window for their caffeine fix before hustling to their next destination. Apparently, dinnertime draws a crowd made up mostly of pairs. \u201cIt\u2019s more fancy at night,\u201d says Alston Paresa, who has worked the bar since Five Leaves opened last September.<\/p>\n

With a persimmon-colored bench stretched across one wall, distressed timber planking, and maritime furnishings (note the oversized prow-shaped bar and the submarine door to the loo), the quirky interior provides a striking setting reminiscent of outdoor dining, but on the inside.<\/p>\n

Off-the-menu dishes change daily with Aussie elements that pervade the regular breakfast, lunch and dinner listings. Some favorites are available from noon to midnight, like the savory and subtly sweet house burger, which is topped by fried pineapple and a mouth-watering golden egg served sunny side up.<\/p>\n

While Jud\u2019s friendship with the late Heath Ledger kindled their partnership on Five Leaves and helped put this cozy corner bistro on the dining map, it\u2019s the Aussie accents that make it irresistible. After all, there are few things more disarming than a neighborhood joint whose regulars jokingly plead, \u201cPlease don\u2019t write about this place ’cause then everyone will know\u2026\u201d in an effort to defend home turf. Still, if you must come, they recommend you try the oysters.\u00a0
\n<\/em>
\nHow to get there: <\/strong>Take the G train to Nassau Ave. (Five Leaves, 18 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, 718.383.5345, fiveleavesny.com<\/a>) Open 7 days, 8am\u2014 12am, <\/em>cash only.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos: Amy Cao<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the seam, where fast gentrifying Greenpoint meets the Williamsburg bar strip, a charming American bistro with an Australian accent caters to empty bellies at its own comfortable pace. With the likes of Sharkey\u2019s Auto Driving School flanking one side and mom and pops running the rest of the block, the triangular storefront of Heath […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":14478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[320,315,314,770,774,752],"tags":[31,15,300,145,32,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-3016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-outer-boroughs-destination","8":"category-day-trips","9":"category-dining-nightlife","10":"category-food-drink","11":"category-restaurants-food-drink","12":"category-subway-2","13":"tag-bar","14":"tag-brooklyn","15":"tag-celebrity","16":"tag-dining","17":"tag-nightlife","18":"tag-reviews"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":14478,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/4946529217_bccf497929-225x300.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3016","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\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}