Stopped in Cobble Hill’s new Sadie’s Kitchen at 243 Degraw St. yesterday for lunch. Billed as a Southern cafe, the decor is as close to adorable as you can get. Pink stools and green, floral wallpaper hover above red, white and blue floor tile and amateur portraits of countrified women hang on the walls. The space is small, so there’s only a few tables and stools dotting the area. And as a reader pointed out, there are no strollers allowed at any time–even if it’s empty and you’re ordering take-out.
The menu is heavily focused on macaroni and cheese and offers a choice of gluten free pasta (for an extra $2). There are actually ten different types of mac n’ cheese, some of which look fab, and some of which sound a little frightening. The most child-friendly dish is the Miss Sadie’s which comes with stewed tomatoes and potato chip topping. Others are definitely aimed at the adult crowd, like May-Belle’s Mac with kielbasa, Gorgonzola, brussel sprouts and bread crumbs or Mrs. Ling’s Mac with Chinese five spice duck, smoked Gouda and sesame panko bread crumbs. Then there’s Miss King’s Mac, which is only served Friday and Saturday. Stuffed with Alaskan king crab, raclette, tarragon, sherry and chive bread crumbs, this one haunted me a little, but I guess you can’t knock it til you try it.
Unfortunately, I gave up ordering macaroni and cheese at restaurants once I started making it on a regular basis for my children, so we went straight to the Big Biscuit Sandwiches, of which there are four. The short rib was not available that day, so we ordered a BBQ duck and fried catfish po’ boy. The duck came in a spicy plum sauce with arugala and brinjal chutney. The meat was bright and tender, nicely accompanied with a spicy crunch from the greens. The po’ boy was delicious, yet messy–with a tartar-type sauce easily breaking up the soft biscuit–and layered with zingy pickled okra. I could have eaten an entire bowl of that okra if it was offered (hint, hint Sadie). The salads are limited to sides like macaroni, potato and cole slaw and I found myself wishing for something lighter somewhere on the menu. Soups and beans include a succotash chowder and baked butter beans.
Then there are the baked goods. Pies on display included a sweet potato pie and shoo fly pie, though you’ll find a board with daily selections up in the corner. As we were leaving, an entire cookie sheet of sherbet-colored orange blossom cupcakes also came out for display–a perfect bite for after-school snacks.
Prices aren’t cheap, but are on par with other new places in the hood. The pasta starts and $7 and goes to $15 for lobster-studded mac n’ cheese (a throwback to my 90′s memories of Asia de Cuba’s lobster mash) while sandwiches are between $8 and $9. There’s no kid-sized meals so you’ll definitely be taking some home if you’re not sharing. Hopefully they’ll change their policy on strollers when the place is empty, especially during the day when it’s mainly parents with children not yet in school. Nobody’s going to leave a sleeping baby out in the cold to order lunch to go. All-in-all, the food was certainly good, but for the same price I may be more prone to head to Court St.’s Van Horn or Mooburger where the selection is greater and the space larger. I’ll be interested to see if it becomes a go-to after-school spot for the sweet-set like Brooklyn Farmacy. Only time will tell but we certainly wish them luck!