Just opened In Prospect Heights, Gertrude’s is a perfect Brooklyn bistro 

By Scott Lynch

Prospect Heights is clearly excited about Gertrude’s, the brand new restaurant from chef and industry meme-king Eli Sussman (formerly of Mile End, still running Samesa) and Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson, the couple who also co-own Williamsburg’s great “Jew-ish diner” Gertie.

On opening night last Thursday, the walk-in crowd started gathering on the sidewalk about 15 minutes before the doors opened, and within half an hour the place was packed.

Opening night (Scott Lynch)

Families came out in force — Adler says that the first four tables seated all requested high chairs — but the bar was bustling right from the get-go as well, with locals knocking back oysters and martinis, and one couple half-joked that they were still tripping from the Dead and Co. show the night before. A solid Prospect Heights mix.

“Gertrude’s is a Brooklyn Bistro inspired by our Jewish upbringing and by the established New York City restaurants — like Balthazar, Prune, and Joseph Leonard — that we’ve come to love,” Adler tells Brooklyn Magazine. It feels festive and vital. Buzzy but warm. A place where you can become a regular. And the food is fantastic.

All three of the partners spent months working out the menu, but the kitchen is Sussman’s realm, and he nails it. The Gertrude burger, for example — an absolutely essential component to any good neighborhood spot — is delicious. We ordered it “Reuben style,” with Russian dressing and sauerkraut added to melted Swiss and horseradish sauce, but both versions of this messy beast are served on a specially baked challah bun.

Gertrude’s burger, “Reuben style,” $23 (Scott Lynch)

The accompanying fries are excellent, too, but you can sub those out for Sussman’s latkes if you wish, which also rule. Or double up on your fried potato intake and get the latter as an appetizer, topped with crème fraîche and just enough trout roe to make you feel special.

Latkes and roe, $19 (Scott Lynch)

Other first-rate starter options include beef tongue sprinkled with crunchy bread crumbs and schmeared with a punchy parsley sauce, and challah rolls that come with a crock of literally the best butter I’ve ever had in my life (it’s loaded with duck fat).

Crispy beef tongue, $12 (Scott Lynch)

There are a few big salads — the salmon Niçoise tasted great, though it was a bit skimpy with the fish — and a couple of raw bar options, headlined by the baller Le Grand Gertrude, a tower of oysters, smoked fish, salmon pâté and piles of roe.

Salmon salad Niçoise, $23 (Scott Lynch)

Then consider the “spaetzle of the day,” which at the opener was loaded with a zippy short rib goulash. Adler says there will always be a vegetarian spaetzle option as well.

Short rib goulash spaetzle, $24 (Scott Lynch)

Other dishes that we’ll try next time: dill pickle brined chicken,  whole artichoke with preserved lemon, and eggplant schnitzel. Don’t wait until next time for dessert though. The slab of “black and white” seven layer cake is the obvious choice.

Black and white seven-layer cake for two, $15 (Scott Lynch)

But if you’re here with a crew, get the Oddfellows strawberry and vanilla sundae as well, and pile the ice cream onto the pastry.

Strawberry and vanilla ice cream sundae, $12 (Scott Lynch)

Cocktails are $15 (when’s the last time you had a Long Island Iced Tea?). The Dirty Gertie martini is made with dill aquavit and pickle brine.  There’s a bunch of $60 and $75 bottles of wine, lots of beers and ciders, and, in a salute to Sammy’s Roumanian (RIP), ice cold vodka shots can be boisterously downed as well.

Like Gertie, Gertrude’s is named after Adler’s grandmother. “If Gertie is a Jew-ish diner,” says Adler, “Gertrude’s is the Jew-ish bistro.” The previous tenant here was the beloved James. Adler, Jackson and Sussman, who all live within a 10-minute walk of the place, are well aware of the hold that bistro had on the neighborhood.

“We want Gertrude’s to be like the hub of the community,” says Adler. “We have a real potential to be a restaurant that can be something to everybody, and the response so far has been really heartwarming. Our plan is to be open every night very soon, and serve lunch or brunch three days a week sometime in July or August. Seven nights a week is really important for us. It’s the neighborhood corner bistro. I want to be there for the neighborhood every day.”

Gertrude’s is located at 605 Carlton Avenue, at the corner of St. Marks Avenue, and is currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., with expanded days and hours coming soon.