After many unsuccessful attempts to get a table over several visits to Williamsburg, we finally had an opportunity to dine at the Fat Canary last week. Locals and tourists have extolled the virtues of this foodie Mecca for years. Since getting a reservation is such a challenge, the answer could be as simple as waiting for a seat at the bar where the full menu is available.
Having dined at the Trellis, Le Yaca, and Blue Talon Bistro, it was hard to imagine that Fat Canary could so outshine her restaurant brethren with delicious and artfully prepared food paired with world-class service. They excelled at food, service, and decor.
In addition to an impressive menu of seasonal items, the bar offers a fine selection of craft cocktails; I sampled the blood orange martini and the fig shrub old fashion. Both were well-executed variations of classic cocktails.
Our starters were the Caesar salad and the tuna tempura. While the salad was good, the tuna tempura was truly memorable. Wrapped in seaweed, flash fried, served on a bed of avocado, cucumber, and radish – perhaps the best tuna appetizer I’ve had outside a sushi bar.
Our mains were a well-executed filet and an exceptional pork chop. While the filet was deliciously paired with rosemary fries and asparagus, it was the pork chop that stole the show. A tour de force for the taste buds, the grilled to perfection chop was paired with a goat cheese souffle and sauteed apples.
For dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse cake. Layers of rich chocolate mousse paired with layers of chocolate cake covered in a luxurious chocolate ganache. It’s no wonder Fat Canary was ranked one of the top 100 restaurants in America by Open Table.
The Accidental Treasurer 