Enjoying Crown Heights at Mayfield

After moving to our new neighborhood, we've been exploring in search of the best restaurants. These days, normally with our little one in tow, our criteria has changed a bit. We need places with a little bit more space to park a stroller next to our table. We need quieter places, where the music and conversation doesn't overwhelm the baby. We need early dinner hours, so we can get in and out before the baby's early bed time. We need big bathrooms with changing tables. And we still need good food and good wine. That's a lot of requirements!

So, we've been fortunate to find a restaurant like Mayfield so close to home. It has most everything we now look for in a top notch restaurant: space, early dinners, and...the food. Fresh, seasonal ingredients. A menu with both simple, comforting items as well as some more adventurous fare. A diverse and interesting wine list (but nothing local, unfortunately).

We snuck in a little before dinner hour one night, grabbing a couple of glasses of happy hour wine before the kitchen opened. A Tempranillo got our taste buds watering, ready for dinner. With an appetizer of sweet and smokey roasted brussel sprouts, the wine was a fruity counterpoint to the earthiness of the sprouts. Dinner was Buttermilk Quail with garlic and greens with dipping sauces, and Fish and Chips. The red wine was suited to the quail, a sweet fruitiness to add to the sweet buttermilk. It didn't seem right for Fish and Chips, so a glass of Torrontes was in order. A light bodied wine with a big mouthfeel, it had some crisp tropical fruits that were expected, but also some floral notes that were surprising. Those floral notes didn't pair well with the fish, but the meal wasn't a complete loss.

We like to explore new restaurants, but it's important to have favorites as well. A place you know what you are getting when you walk through the door, and that you know will give you a happy evening. We are still exploring, we'll be happy to return to Mayfield again soon.