Good Eats At Sel de Mer
Tap It!
By Emily Kropp
in Good Eats
on January 08, 2010
Dive in for some seriously good seafood at Brooklyn's tiny-but-mighty Sel de Mer.
Don't be fooled by the humble facade: inside the doors of 374 Graham Avenue is a sea of delectable delights. With a rotating menu of specials (mostly fish and shellfish), there is a something for everyone at Sel de Mer. 
The dining room is small but cozy, and the overall design feels like being inside the cabin of a ship (or what I imagine that to be like, anyway). There are oil paintings on the walls of men with thick beards, and the menus are lacquered onto the bindings of old hardback books that are likely no longer in print. We walked in around 7:30 and found that there were two other occupied tables. They waitress asked if we had a reservation, and initially we thought she must have been kidding. But not moments after we sat down, the dining room flooded with customers, most of whom seemed to be veterans to the restaurant.
With so many tasty choices, we found it seriously difficult to decide on what to order. In the end, everyone was pleased with their respective choices and we passed our plates around to taste. The New England clam chowder is a hearty, classic staple, and the mussels with fries was the perfect combination to whet the appetite. Of the many intriguing main dishes, we liked the whole fish special (a tasty branzino when we were there), the fishcake sliders, and the burger topped with smoked gouda and pancetta. For dessert we shared a molten chocolate cake that was gone in 60 seconds, and my mouth is watering now just thinking about it.
All in all this is a yummy neighborhood spot that offers something new every time you're there. If the consistent entrées aren't enough to keep you coming back, then the specials certainly will be.
Will you dive in to Sel de Mer?