The Hungry Russian

Black Swan
1048 Bedford Avenue between Clifton Place and Lafayette Avenue

Bed Stuy is definitely an area that requires some serious exploration! I haven’t been there in ages. A good friend of mine lives there and she recently moved into a new apartment in the neighborhood so I decided to check out her new place and pay her a visit. Most of my friends know me quite well and know that I am usually hungry and this time was no exception. Being completely unfamiliar with the neighborhood, my friend took me on a brief tour of the area while enroute to a restaurant called Black Swan. She has never failed me before in the food department so I was quite confident that I was in for a treat. The place itself was beautiful. Dark and full of heavy wooden tables. A skylight adds light as well as large glass paned doors that lead to an outside area.  This is definitely a spot for a date night. The only thing that was somewhat slightly distracting was a large monitor hanging on one of the walls which was showing a basketball game. Black Swan does have a separate bar area with more monitors for the sports crowd so frankly I think having that one monitor in the dining area slightly takes away from the feel of the place. And now let’s talk food!

Veggie Empenadas: Delicious! The crust was absolutely perfect! Hot and flaky with the perfect crunch to chewiness ratio. Inside each empenada you find a yummy gooey cheese followed by some peppers, bits of potato, and some other veggies. The empenadas were so good that I almost forgot about the sauce that accompanied them which was something with the consistency of mayo but much more flavorful. These empenadas are a must have!

Salmon BLT: I ordered this dish and foolishly told them to hold the bacon. Once again my attempt at trying to eat healthy continues. This dish arrived with an actual piece of salmon on top of a soft brioche bun followed by lettuce, tomato, avocado slices and a spicy aoli sauce but alas, no bacon :(. The dish looked a little odd because of the large piece of salmon wedged between 2 buns. It’s as if it was trying to be a salmon burger without the salmon patty. Trying to eat this thing was definitely messy because the salmon was just not staying put between the buns and falling apart. I had to immediately switch to knife and fork before I wound up with salmon on my crotch. The salmon itself was great! The skin was nice and crunchy and the salmon, although cooked all the way through, was juicy and tender. The spicy aoli had a great kick to it that added to this sandwich. I only wish I didn’t pass on the bacon because that probably would have taken this dish to another level for me. Last but not least I cannot forget the salad that came with the salmon. Lots of good greens in a very tasty, slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing. I will definitely have the Salmon BLT again except next time I won’t skip on the bacon!

Date Cake: Any good meal deserves a good dessert I always say. I also always say that there is always room for dessert but that is because I have a horrible sweet tooth. The waiter mentioned something about a date cake. I really love dates! Perhaps it’s because I usually enjoy any dessert that’s overly sweet and decadent. So I decided to go with the date cake. Take cake itself was approximately 3 inches or so in diameter. Perfect for one and perfect for greedy dessert people like me although I did share this time. The cake had a wonderful thick and rich texture. It was moist and full of sweetness from the dates. The sauce surrounding the cake was delicious and sweet with some resemblance to caramel. You cannot have dessert without a good coffee or latte and I must say that Black Swan makes a very good latte.

I was very happy with my meal and Black Swan left a great impression with me. Black Swan is perfect as a bar and so far their food has been quite good. I will most certainly return to try some of their other items such as the Black Swan Burger, the Mac n Cheese, and the Cornmeal Fried Catfish Sandwich.