Local Business Spotlight: Fort Defiance

Straddling the line between bar-cafe-restaurant and neighborhood-gathering-spot, lies Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

(Fort Defiance's Huevos rancheros: tostada, pork chili, cheddar, sour cream, and two eggs over easy, Cheddar Biscuit Egg Sandwich: with ham, jalapeno jam, and fried egg, a fizzy cucumber Tom Collins, and the Breuckelen Corpse Reviver, photo copyright TheDrift 2013)

Opened and operated by St.John Frizell (of Good Fork, and Pegu fame), with head chef Matthew Fleming, Fort Defiance is named after a Revolutionary War-era fort. Not only does Fort Defiance serve delicious food and beverages, but with its windows and door flung open to the streets, it's somewhat of a local living room for the neighborhood.

(photo copyright TheDrift 2013)

In addition to serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, Fort Defiance also features a full bar with incredible cocktails, as well as a well-edited wine list stocked by award-winning wine director, Alex Halberstadt.

Fort Defiance embodies two major emerging trends (1) a backing away from niche markets, and a return to a one-stop-fits-most-needs and (2) an emerging fashion/lifestyle/food trend for Spring/Summer 2014 of hawaiian and tropical influence (we're calling it "tropical storm"). On Thursday nights, Fort Defiance also hosts a tiki-themed night entitled, Forbidden Island, where bartender Zac Overman guides patrons on a tour of all things Tiki. Explore exotic drinking opportunities like the many-feathered Jungle Bird, the alliterative Vicious Virgin, or the mighty Samoan Fog Cutter—all paired with a bowl of Forbidden Noodles.