I do not find myself in Brooklyn that often.

Recently, I went to the Monet and Venice exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.

It was lunch time and I thought we would drive to Red Hook and check out the highly touted Red Hook Tavern.

I have heard great things about the intimate restaurant that has been feeding and mixing up adult beverages since 2019.

When we arrived the line was 20 deep at 12:15pm. It persisted right through our departure.

I gave me my name and hoped for the best.

10 minutes later we were ensconced at a counter window seat facing the outdoor In a place that manages to make minimalism feel downright sinful.

First things first. Yes, it is the burger you have heard about. The one that has food critics fanning themselves like Southern debutantes using words like transcendent.

The Red Hook Burger is juicy, indulgent, unapologetic.

But let’s rewind.

Walking into Red Hook Tavern feels a little like walking into a sepia-toned dream where time slows down, cocktails are stirred with care, and the lighting is so flattering you’ll forget your age. There is wood paneling, worn floors, vintage lighting and there is charm.

The staff has that perfectly balanced Brooklyn attitude…friendly, but not too friendly; attentive, but not hovering like a helicopter parent.

We decided on a Romaine Wedge Salad which was cold, crisp and deliciously embellished with bleu cheese, sourdough crumbs, a huge hunk of thick Nueske applewood-smoked bacon with buttermilk herb dressing ($21).

My husband ordered the Fish and Chips, a perfectly battered, airy pollock fish that was crispy and flavorful served with delicious tartar sauce, malt vinegar, and hot, well done frites ($28).

I selected the time honored Dry-aged Red Hook Tavern Burger on a toasted bun with lettuce and tomato and surprisingly good American cheese which I normally detest. The burger is made from a rich blend of dry-aged beef, cooked carefully with almost constant flipping on a griddle for a perfect, even char with white onions and frites ($32).

The menu also includes East Coast Oysters ($24/38), Shrimp Cocktail ($12/20), Ham Croquettes ($16), French Onion Soup($18), Chicken Caesar ($24), Pasta Carbonara ($26), Oxtail Cavatelli ($28), Malfaldine (mushroom stroganoff $28) and a Smoked Turkey Sandwich ($21).

Finishing off the delightful lunch experience was a dessert consisting of creamy gelato with real hot fudge ($12).

You can tell the neighborhood is in transition with higher rents and more boutiques and restaurants on the horizon.

Red Hook was opened by Billy Durney in 2019. His goal was to created a place to offer classic New York tavern fare and a tribute to the city’s old-school taverns like Peter Luger.

It’s comfort food dressed in a well-tailored leather jacket, classic, confident, and a little bit bad in the best way.

Red Hook Tavern is worth the trip and the wait.

In a city where everyone is trying too hard to be cool, Red Hook Tavern just is.

Red Hook Tavern 329 Van Brunt Street Brooklyn, New York. Open daily for dinner 5-9:30, lunch Thursday-Sunday 12-2:45pm. Reservations on Resy.