A Park Slope gastropub spins sausages in remarkable new ways
by Tia Kim
By broadening the definition of sausage beyond simply cased meat, a Park Slope gastropub specializes in links that rethink the adored staple. Helmed by culinary vet and co-owner Jake Klein, Jake’s Handcrafted incorporates dishes like Spanish paella, New Orleans-style Oysters Rockefeller, Chinese char siu, and a New York deli Reuben in his sausage casings.
“We’re basically opening up a new world of flavors,” stated Klein, whose cooking career has reached from Manhattan to Hong Kong. “The most exciting part about what we’re doing is that you can globe hop through regional dishes each time you come in.”
Klein jumped into the culinary scene at age 20, and earned four stars from the South China Morning Post as chef of Miami Spice in Hong Kong. He was awarded another four-star review from the Straits Times in Singapore for his cooking at Wood, Asia’s first entirely wood-fired oven restaurant. After journeying back to the States, he helped open Jada in Miami, then moved to New York City and worked in several Drew Nieporent restaurants.
Jake’s culinary approach to sausage making is a marriage of traditionalism and improvisation. Klein starts with whole proteins, sourcing them locally whenever possible (likewise, the vegetables come from the Greenmarket, and a nearby baker is responsible for the bread), then builds links from scratch. Many of the options are smoked on the restaurant’s back patio for added depth of flavor, and dishes are often layered with toppings like housemade pickled vegetables and custom condiments like sweet-and-spicy banana mustard and Sriracha (which retails in the shop for $10 per bottle). Sausages can also be bought by the pound ($14-$18/lb.).
Core offerings consist of seven types of links, including the Lamb Satay Style, prepared Singaporean style with coriander, cumin, peanut sauce, and fresh cucumber and shallots. Then there’s the Double-Smoked Brisket, with burnt ends and fresh-ground brisket. Also available are four to five special sausages from “The Lab,” which change weekly at the whim of the chef. They range from a Buffalo Chicken with crumbled blue cheese and hot sauce (available during football season) to the Chinese Char Siu, made with barbecue pork and fried rice, and topped with moo shu vegetables and crispy wontons.
Sausages aren’t the only noshes. There’s an array of seasonal sides and vegetables like Brussels Sprouts Salad, house-fermented Purple Kraut, and wood-roasted carrots, as well as desserts like Black Forest Pancakes (chocolate chip pancakes with brandied cherry preserves and whipped cream). On the weekends, there are whole-roasted animals, from a 15-lb. suckling pig to a Mexican goat barbacoa, as well as other cuts like wood-roasted leg of lamb, prepared Indian style with almonds, chilies, and yogurt.
There are local craft beers and spirits, too, as well as seasonal cocktails like Hot Buttered Bourbon (made with local cider, house-infused apple pecan bourbon, butter, and a Graham Cracker rim) and a Mexican Hot Chocolate (with cinnamon, chili, Blue Nectar Tequila Reposado, and Grenadine cocoa beans that come delivered in a suitcase from a friend who imports them directly). The beer menu includes pours from local breweries and craft beers from around the world, including a rare-find Japanese hefeweizen. A number of wines by the glass are also on hand.
Jake’s Handcrafted
559 5th Ave. / 718.788.0789 / jakeshandcrafted.com