The gale-force winds amid the spate of shiny new high rises on Williamsburg’s gusty waterfront is capable of convincing you that you’ve teleported to the Arctic Circle come February, which also functions as the perfect excuse to visit Brooklyn lair Shelter, which is a fitting hybrid ski chalet and whisky bar, aptly peppered with more taxidermy than your nearest local NRA stalwart.
Officially labelled an Argentinian empanada and pizza bar, the oasis doubles as the ultimate venue at which to pull up a stool at for a stiff drink on an overbearing Monday, where you can douse your sorrows with an Alice in Wonderland, The Immigrant, or any one of your bartender’s bespoke concoctions. While the weekend sees the location transform into a mecca for the IPA-guzzling hipster crowd, mid-week, the crackling fire fills the space with the soothing sense of chilling out in your parents’ cabin in the woods – if that hideaway had a fully-stocked bar and an on-call mixologist.
For those not hooked on the perpetual patented fashion week-diet, where the only calories of recommended consumption are of the alcoholic liquid variety, Shelter’s brick-ovens are capable of whipping you up a hand-made personal pizza, drizzled in truffle oil and laced with D.O.C. mozzarella, or crispy empanadas stuffed with belly-warming goodness.
Fresh jalapenos nabbed from the owner’s sister restaurant, Rosarito Fish Shack, are dutifully responsible for giving a delicious kick to a spicy margarita, which lights up the back of your throat like an angry hipster debating a meagre tip while trying to order another round “on the house”.
Communal tables and well-worn couches add to the venue’s ‘home-away-from-home’ vibe, so long as you’re there before the top knots and plaid shirts hit, while dim lighting and live jazz adds to the smoky relaxed ambiance, making it the perfect date spot for that companion you’re not ready to test an actual winter weekend away with, just quite yet.
