St. Anselm - Williamsburg

Flip

Three and a half years ago the owners of St. Anselm opened their doors in Williamsburg to offer grilled food with a close and affordable supply of meat and fish. The result is a resounding success; they don’t take reservations and there’s a line day after day with regulars wanting the flavour of their products.

A special flavour because almost everything here touches the grill at some point: beef, lamb, octopus, clams, even the avocado. The chef from Portland, Katrina Zito, thought only for an instant before telling us which three plates are the best. A potato puree with truffle oil, gratin spinach, and of course the flank steak. As you’d expect in a restaurant where everything is grilled, the meat is the undisputed star.

To cook their high quality meat, they go for simplicity in the process and technique in the execution. Seasoned with pepper and salt, grilled until they obtain the exact internal temperature they want (120 – 125 degrees measured by thermometer), and leave it for 10 minutes to get the best flavour from the juice. So that everything is how you like it, they have six levels of cooking (blue, rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well and well). If you’re a big group, the rib roast is ideal for sharing.

It doesn’t end there – there are multiple options to choose from. There’s chicken marinated in lemon and tarragon, one of the chef’s favourite dishes. The fish also stands out on its own: salmon, trout, mackerel …

St. Anselm shares a patio with its sister brewery, Spuyten Devil, and is located in front of another restaurant with the same owners, Fete-a-sau. There the meat barbequed and differs from St. Anselm in that they also offer smoked and marinated meat, in a more relaxed atmosphere. When you pass by these businesses, we guarantee the smell will make your imagination run wild.

Go early for dinner to avoid the lines and enjoy a beer at Spuyten Devil until your table’s ready, spring is almost here after an apocalyptic winter and the patio is divine.