The Four Horsemen: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The Four Horsemen located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is an intimate and cozy wine bar founded by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. While it’s known for the impressive wine list, the food  is incredibly unique with just the right touch of elevation. My sister and I dined there last week for her birthday which was our second time visiting the restaurant, and we were just as blown away at the flavor complexity, quality of ingredients, and range of techniques as our first time. This is certainly the easiest 5/5 flowers from The Flour Child: Let’s get into it:

All of the dishes are recommended to be shared, and while the bottles of wine are rather pricey, the glasses are extremely reasonable and you can tell that they haven’t been sitting open for hours. Sammi got a glass of the Nebbiolo, and I had a Syrah from Santa Barbara that could have been one of the most delicious wines I’ve ever tasted. It had a vibrant flavor of sweet fresh fruit — raspberries, cherries, and strawberries — while still being light enough to compliment the food. 

While the menu is everchanging, something that remains constant is their bread and butter. This sourdough and cultured butter is the best I’ve tasted since Ballymaloe, and our waiter even let me know that the chefs have been using the same sourdough starter for the past 8 years (and it shows). 

Yellowfin Tuna with Pickled Ginger, Brown Butter, and Sesame

Leek Toast

We started with the yellowfin tuna with sesame, pickled ginger, and brown butter. What a way to start off the meal because wow, this was truly a show stopping dish. We were expecting a raw crudo of sorts so this seared tuna took us by surprise. The combination of punchy pickled ginger and indulgent brown butter was a match made in heaven. Up next from the same menu section came the braised leek toast with smoked mussels and winter savory. The smoked mussels become a paste that’s integrated right into a layer of the toast, and rather than leaving a briney mussel taste it really just lent itself to a rich umami flavor. This was the best preparation of leeks I’ve ever tried and really melted in your mouth. This dish was a true representation of understanding the ins and outs of ingredients, and we loved it! 

Raviolo with Squash, Taleggio, and Sage

Steelhead Trout with Woodear Mushrooms

For the main portion, we shared the Raviolo with Tetsukabuto squash, taleggio cheese, and fried sage as well as the Steelhead Trout with woodear mushrooms, shiso, and hazelnut oil. Cutting into the Raviolo you find a creamy filling of sweet and savory squash mixed with runny egg. The flavors of the sharp cheese, earthy sage, and autumnal squash really worked in this dish, and the raviolo is gigantic so again, really great for sharing. The trout was perfectly cooked with crispy skin, and if you like woodear mushrooms you’d adore this dish. While I’m not the biggest fan of this mushroom variety, I was really impressed by the execution of the trout and the lack of fishy flavor that you sometimes get from Steelhead. 

Poached Pear Pavlova with Whipped Cream

To finish off, since I insisted on putting a candle in something for my sister, we got the poached pear pavlova with softly whipped cream and toasted coconut. I rarely have pavlova and I don’t know if I’ve ever even tried poached pears, but I can say after this dessert I’ll be having it (and making it) again. The balance of sweet and salty going on between the meringue and whipped cream was perfect, and the lightness of the pears was such a pleasant way to end the meal. 

Both visits to The Four Horsemen left us thinking about our meals for weeks, and between the warm, European style environment, the incredible service, and the remarkable dishes, this restaurant has shot up to #1 on my list. Jump on those reservations about a month in advance and when you’re able to go, I’ll be waiting to hear about your rave review of the 8 year old sourdough starter. Cheers!