A date plan
Date · Fort Greene
A Fort Greene night that moves from a hidden cocktail den to a vintage-chic dinner table, and closes with French café charm and a glass of something natural.
Fort Greene · $$ · Bar
There's no sign on the door — just a quiet knock into one of Fort Greene's best-kept secrets. Dick and Jane's is a tile-lined, dimly lit cocktail bar where the drinks are serious and the atmosphere does the heavy lifting. Let the bartender talk you through the menu; these are not the cocktails you skip.
~2 min walk (0.1 mi). Walking from Dick and Jane's to Roman's, cut through the residential blocks of Adelphi and Cumberland — the brownstones along here are some of the most beautiful in Brooklyn, especially lit up at night. Slow down and take them in.
Fort Greene · $$ · Italian restaurant · Cocktail bar
Roman's is the neighborhood restaurant Fort Greene deserves: worn-in wooden tables, vintage touches everywhere, and a menu of locally sourced small plates that changes with the season. Order a few things and share them — the pasta and whatever protein is on tonight are reliable highlights. The wine list leans natural and the room stays buzzy without ever getting loud.
~7 min walk (0.3 mi). From Roman's, it's a short stroll south on DeKalb toward South Elliott Place. Café Paulette sits right at the edge of Fort Greene proper — technically just at the neighborhood's southern border, but still very much in the spirit of the evening.
Fort Greene · $$ · French restaurant · Bistro
Cap the night at Café Paulette, a little slip of Paris tucked onto a quiet Fort Greene corner. Slide into one of the red leather banquettes, order something sweet off the dessert menu, and ask for a glass from their organic wine list. It's the kind of place that makes you want to linger well past when you should.