Dassara

Location: 271 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY

Last summer an anomaly appeared among Carroll Garden’s steadfast array of rustic Italian joints.

With an eclectic hip-hop soundtrack, creative bar menu, and neon signage, Dassara pledged to be anything but your average ramen spot. It’s half a year later and they’ve made good on that promise. Owner Josh Kaplan and his team combine seasonal ingredients with local food culture — just take a look at their now-famous Deli Ramen which throws pastrami and mini matzo balls into the noodly mix.

Dassara is continuously experimenting, and while their ramen is always a good bet, they highly recommend keeping an eye out for their specials and new bites they might be beta testing.

Here’s what we ate tonight that wasn’t on the menu:

Crab Cake Bun

What it is: Crab cake with avocado, arugula, pickled red onion, and ginger scallion mayo on a fluffy asian bun.

What we think: It’s a crabby patty your favorite sponge would flip for.

Inside Info: Order and eat at the bar — the place gets crowded fast. Also, Josh has his iPod on shuffle which is great for you if you grew up listening to rap in the 00’s and haven’t heard that Afu-Ra record in a minute.

Bonus Inside Info: There’s a heated Toto toilet seat in the bathroom. If you’ve never had the pleasure of treating your derrière to one of these suckers try it out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Written by: Kat Manalac
Photos by: Jon Snyder