Interview with Cosmin Zamboni at Wallabout Seafood Co.

Wallabout Seafood Co. is one of the newest restaurants on DeKalb Avenue in Fort Greene. It lives in a beautiful Brownstone on the corner of Adelphi St and DeKalb Ave. The space itself is quite unique in that it is a duplex with a spiral staircase right next to the entrance which leads you to a quieter dining space. Even though the restaurant is only two weeks old, Wallabout is run like a well-oiled machine. The owners are not new to the restaurant industry; they also run some other fabulous restaurants such as Woodland in Park Slope, Forno Rosso in Downtown Brooklyn, and Cheese/Grille on the Lower East Side.

The owners and investors were first drawn to the Fort Greene area. When they found the Brownstone, they realized it would be an ideal space for their next restaurant. They did their research and for a year one of the investors ate, drank & breathed Fort Greene. He ate at all the restaurants, found which ones were the most popular and at what times. He learned about the history and the culture of the neighborhood, and saw that there were many wonderful restaurants, but none that brought the combination of fine dining and seafood together in the way that Wallabout would once it opened.

I had the good fortune to interview the General Manager, Cosmin Zamboni late Friday afternoon, before service started. I wanted to know how the restaurant started out on such a high note, when so many places flounder for the first few months before they find their character.

Cosmin’s answer was simple: start small. While the chef Peter Larsen, was very accomplished having worked abroad (in Copenhagen and Marseilles) as well as locally (in establishments such as Artisanal and Nobu), he kept the menu’s size to a minimum with seven appetizers and six main courses. Fish from Fulton Market dominate the menu, but there are a few dishes that stand on their own, without the support of a fish accompaniment. The one fish-free appetizer is an Heirloom tomato salad, which is simply delicious with avocado, pickled pearl onions and basil vinaigrette. Chef Peter Larsen puts his signature on this dish by adding a cherry-tomato sized scoop of yoghurt sorbet.

Cosmin tells me that eventually the menu will build up to ten appetizers, ten entrees, and five desserts. He is determined that the menu will always contain ingredients of the season. Currently, the restaurant only serves dinner, but starting November 7, a brunch menu will be added for Saturday & Sunday. Eventually, there may be a weekday lunch menu, but there is no existing plan for midday service.

The décor is simple and elegant. It draws from the history of the area with renderings of Brooklyn’s waterfront. The name is also inspired by the neighborhood; Wallabout Bay is less than a mile away by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The theme of the sea continues into the cocktails which are named after sea-fairing ships. The cocktail list is also small, as is the wine list. The wines are deliberately chosen from small vineyards; and as the menu grows, so will the wine list.

DeKalb Avenue is the latest restaurant row in Brooklyn, and Wallabout Seafood & Co. is ready to be its next success story.