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Community Corner

Thistle Hill Tavern, Not Just for Grub

With interesting cocktails, the 15th Street eatery is more than just a place to grab a bite.

In the days of yore, pubs and taverns weren’t simply places where weary patrons could order up hot food and cold drink; they also served as community centers where friends and neighbors could talk, joke and laugh, surrounded by the soft glow of a warm hearth.

While you won’t find a fireplace at Park Slope’s , you will discover an establishment that not only evokes the same sense of community as the pubs of old, but also injects that “local” spirit into all of its wares, from its meticulously crafted menu of locally-sourced dishes to an inspired cocktail list, replete with new takes on old standards.

Thistle Hill Tavern is a tavern in the true sense of the word — it is equal parts somewhere to grab a beer and a quick snack, or somewhere to enjoy a long, leisurely meal.

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 “Our customers are all right here,” said David Massoni, Thistle Hill’s proprietor. “90 percent of our customers walk to the restaurant. Our core group of customers is our locals and our regulars, and they’re here three or four nights a week.”

And with good reason, too. Located on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 15th Street, Thistle Hill forgoes the many distractions most modern taverns call “amenities,” instead opting for an atmosphere that is uncomplicated, casual and friendly.

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“We really wanted to make this place as if it has always been here… almost remaking something that might have been here a hundred years ago. People can walk here and enjoy it and we can get to know them as well,” said head bartender John Bush, a 23-year industry veteran, who spent 13 of those years bartending at Niagra in the East Village. 

On the whole, the space emphasizes the easy pleasures of natural conversation over garish amusement, but don’t take that to mean the Tavern’s rustically simple décor equates to equally dull fare.

On the contrary, Thistle Hill’s commitment to locally-sourced cuisine and libations has instilled its menu with a certain air of specialty, the sense that what enters one’s mouth is truly special precisely because the ingredients come from either right at home or very close by.

Take, for instance, the Brooklyn Gin & Tonic ($10). What is, essentially, a standard gin & tonic is tremendously altered by the addition of Gowanus-distilled Breuckelen gin and Q Tonic Water (also from Brooklyn), resulting in a beverage that is a bit less sweet and a tad more effervescent than the norm, with subtle floral undertones and a surprising butterscotch after taste.

Or, for something completely different, take a sip off a Howard Hughes ($12), one of Bush’s signature spins on a bar staple — in this case, the Aviator cocktail. What was once too often an over-sweet mixture of gin and cherry liqueur becomes a complexly flavored kick in the pants, courtesy of mulled amarena cherries, mint and a healthy dose of A.B. Smebby cherry vanilla bitters (another Brooklyn outfit).

While on the topic, let’s not neglect the bar’s draft beer selection from the Six Point, Kelso and Brooklyn breweries, all—you guessed it—from Brooklyn, and the extensive wine list featuring selections from Brooklyn Oenology and Red Hook Winery, as well as a number of other bottles from wineries across Long Island, upstate New York and around the world.

According to Massoni, Thistle Hill's problem, if it can even be called one, is the danger of customers thinking of it only as a restaurant, rather than a pub equally dedicated to both ends of the food-drink spectrum. Massoni hopes the neighborhood might take the hint with the addition of a new late-night happy hour from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The new happy hour, which kicked off last weekend, will feature $3 draft beers, as well as a can of Tecate and a shot for $6.

Of course, to not make mention Chef Rebecca Weitzman’s outstanding cuisine would itself be folly. Once again, locally-sourced goods are a fixture on this ever-changing, seasonal menu, which (currently) features a succulent Long Island duck leg confit with warm spinach, dates and Spanish blue cheese ($17), a fragrant pan-roasted Long Island fluke with curried black lentils and celery root puree ($24), and a crispy pumpkin fritter ($8) that has its roots in old-school pub food.

Obviously, Thistle Hill isn’t for the rambunctious, late-night, swill-drinking set (though that may soon change) but its clientele isn’t exactly narrow, either.

Anyone who can appreciate a meal or drink accompanied by quality small-talk is sure to have a great time. And if they have a fascination with locally-produced consumables, too? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake.

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