Publication: Newsday | The Brixton Review | By Erica Marcus
Never have I seen a culinary trend take over Long Island as quickly as the gastropub. Overnight, it seems, brass chandeliers have been replaced by Edison light bulbs, wainscoting scrapped in favor of exposed brick. Beer taps, once concentrated at the center of the bar, now extend along the whole length of it. Bartenders (renamed mixologists) spend their nights “crafting” cocktails from ever more arcane ingredients, while chefs have increased the number and complexity of dishes but have decreased their dimensions.
Among the scores of gastropubs that have opened recently, The Brixton distinguishes itself in its focus on quality and attention to detail. The 4-month-old Babylon spot is a partnership between Brad Wilson, Frank Bragaglia and Matt Murray, the owners of Patchogue’s Public House 49, and chef Phil Pasfield, formerly chef de cuisine at Starr Boggs in Westhampton Beach.
The minute you enter the restaurant, you are struck by its beauty. Wilson and Bay Shore interior designer Marcie Gorsline took gastropub clichés and elevated them with unexpected elements such as industrial casement windows and Danish modern chairs with sea-green velvet upholstery. In the bar, a chalk mural depicts fantastic flowers and the season’s signature cocktails.
That bar, managed by Bill Carlo, occupies the front of the restaurant, and sitting there you’ll get quite a show. One bartender mixes drinks while another tends to the oleo saccharum (a syrup made from sugar-muddled lemon peel) and a third bearded gentleman transfers house-dehydrated banana slices to a waiting vat of Hamilton Demerara Rum for its overnight infusion.
