CLINTON HILL — Come for the cocktails, stay for the conversation at Clinton Hill’s newest eatery.
The Cynical Schnauzer, now open at 884 Fulton St., specializes in craft cocktails and draws inspiration from the conversation-driven salon gatherings of early 20th century Berlin, according to owner Przemek Adolf.
Customers can linger over drinks and small plates at the 32-seat restaurant, which features exposed brick walls and large glass light fixtures.
“We’re not about flipping tables here, we really want people to come in and enjoy the ambiance,” Adolf said. “It’s very modern Brooklyn.”
The Cynical Schnauzer replaced the storefront location for Adolf’s catering operation Saucy by Nature, which will stay in service.
The vegetable-driven, farm to table menu features a variety of small plates by Head Chef Gus Ulrich like mussels and citrus, mackerel with turnip consommé and lamb belly spaetzle starting at $9. Bar bites like fried carrot and potato skins, butternut squash flatbread and oysters start at $3.
Cocktails start at $12 and are named after influential German philosophers, writers and artists, including the Dietrich, the Nietzsche and the Hesse.
The restaurant’s signature rum and citrus cocktail, the Jinx, is named after Adolf’s real-life “cynical schnauzer,” who was the inspiration for the restaurant’s name.
“He loves dogs, he’s not so great with people,” Adolf said.
The wine list currently features three wines from Italy and France starting at $7 a glass or $35 a bottle, but Adolf said the list will eventually grow to include Austrian, German and some Spanish selections.
All-night happy hour specials include 6 oysters and a vodka martini for $20 on Wednesday nights, king trumpet yakitori and the Jinx cocktail for $15 on Thursday nights, and a cheese plate plus a glass of red wine for $15 on Sunday nights.
Desserts are childhood favorites with a refined spin — a grilled donut with cultured butter for $4 and a creamsicle semifreddo with orange milk crumb for $12.
In keeping with the theme, the Cynical Schnauzer will eventually host its own salon discussions and workshops where artists, writers and modern-day thinkers can share their ideas.
“We’re not cultivating just a restaurant, but also a community,” Adolf said.
Salons will be free to organize, but the restaurant will require a minimum food and drink ticket for participants.
The restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Salon discussions will take place Monday and Tuesday nights.
To submit an idea for a salon, email cameron@cameronsgardner.com.
