Ethan Kostbar isn’t someone you may have heard much about yet, but if there is any justice in the universe, you will soon. Considering the deftness and creativity of his tasting menu, he is someone who deserves some serious attention, regardless of the fact that his restaurant isn’t in Manhattan. In fact, the fact that it sits on a sleepy stretch of Union Street in Park Slope adds a considerable charm to a visit there. Not that it needed much more charm, that is– this is a place that, without the usual media plaudits (yet), seems not only secure in its excellence, but is willing to take risks with its menu, risks that command respect through their success.

HungryMan and I aren’t the type of eaters who always order the tasting menu– we do on occasion, but we also like the freedom of ordering a la carte, and our philosophy is that if a chef is worth his/her salt, all the dishes on the menu should be at least competently done. However, when we stopped in to Rosewater recently, we were feeling in a mood to let someone else make the decisions, so we gave the very reasonably-priced tasting menu ($48) a shot. Easily, this is one of the best dining decisions we’ve made since coming to New York, as Kostbar did not disappoint. He accommodated a few special requests and made certain that we had a chance to try an item we were both itching to taste. The tasting menu included five courses and was very expertly explained to us by the wait staff, all of whom seem to be passionate about the food and eager to share their enthusiasm. The first two images you see are our first course. Yes, you read that right: we were served slightly different items, even though we both ordered the tasting menu. Again, this is pretty unusual, but we were grateful for it and the chance to sample a few extra items. Kostbar also seems to relish the opportunity to cook on the fly with the ingredients he has on hand, as very few of the dishes we were served appeared on the a la carte menu. We were told that he would, “just make something really gorgeous for you both tonight.” That he did. The nectarine and goat cheese salad with celery greens, dill, and tomatoes made me want to rush home and try to replicate it. If I manage to do so, I’ll serve this at every dinner party I hold– it was that fantastic. Light and complex, it just felt like a perfect thing to eat while sitting on the patio after a rainstorm, as we were. HungryMan was served a tiny cool tomato soup with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and hyssop, which offered light anise overtones and a very subtle earthiness that gave the soup a nice balance for a dinner prelude.

We then had another split course, where I received a small salad made from sunflower sprouts, currants, balsamic vinegar, shallots, and a creamy dressing surrounding the pile of greens. It was just outstanding: a hint of sweetness and a very vague taste-connection to something grainy, seed-like, and hearty. HungryMan’s fettucine looked like it might have been a standard version of that dish, but with one taste, we realized it was nothing of the sort. The pasta was topped with bok choi, fresh tomatoes, strips of zucchini, and underneath the melting cheese, strawberry beans. I believe that the freshness of the ingredients alone is what made this course work so well. I also imagine that in less assured hands, a dish like this might have relied on the garlic to keep it aloft, but here, it played only a supporting role to the sharp, slight bitterness of the bok choi and the crunch of the beans.

Both of us were served the river trout filet over cous cous, topped with a very subtly sweet sauce that tasted of soy and balsamic vinegar, pepper and wine. It was very simple and so good that we both ate ours too quickly to take good notes– this photo is the only evidence that it even existed. This was the first course that really showed the Middle Eastern influences at Rosewater. It would be too much of a stretch to call it a Middle Eastern restaurant; it is not. But it does take inspiration from the region, and on occasion, it seems apparent. Other times, there is just a very quiet Levantine melody playing throughout the meal’s flavors.

Fish seems to be a real strength at Rosewater, as our next course showed. This is a dish I would love to see featured on the menu, because I have been thinking about it ever since: seared tuna with fried chickpeas. The chickpeas had a bit of kick to them from the cayenne coating, and that little slice of beet you see gave enough sweetness to temper it. All the accompaniments here, the cucumber, zucchini strips, and the herbs altered the tuna, which can sometimes be a rather heavy fish, changing it into something absolutely buoyant.

Then came the cheeses. The three artisanal cheeses offered a range of runny to firm, and while the rind-y tasting Spanish cheese (the very gooey suspect in the upper right) was my least favorite part of the meal, the other cheeses more than made up for it, especially the Roaring 40s Blue (hiding at the very top center of the image), which was the perfect complement to the berry conserve and the toasted raisin bread.

Remember that dish we said we wanted to try, the one the chef made sure was among our options? That was the shiro plum tart. HungryMan really adored it, especially because he said the crust reminded him of more of cinnamon roll dough than traditional pate brise. The berries and the hint of ginger were also tone perfect in this dessert.

My choice was a little less successful, but I have to give Kostbar plenty of credit for trying something new and adventurous. You can see that this chocolate cake with strawberry olive salad and vanilla-black pepper ice cream was a seductively beautiful dessert. I’d put a centerfold of that up in my metal shop any day. And honestly, if I had eaten only the cake and ice cream, I would have waved my little white flag in surrender. But the olive and strawberry salad didn’t really live up to the rest of the dish or the meal. Now, you know I’m a huge advocate of strawberry creativity, so I readily acknowledge that the idea for this salad was a good one, but it just tasted flat and a bit too salty for this dish, most especially when combined with the chocolate cake. I ended up eating the cake separately and stole a few of the strawberries here and there. All of that said, I should point out that I ate every crumb of the cake and all of the ice cream (and a little of HungryMan’s when he was in the bathroom).

Oh, and about the bathroom: there are bottles of rosewater in there to remind you of the restaurant’s Mediterranean/Middle Eastern roots. I found myself looking at the bottles and thinking that like rosewater itself, the theme in both the design and the food is subtly done. Perhaps the tiny dining room is part of what allows Rosewater to take such great care with the food and service. This also means that if you want to witness the real skill on display here, you will probably need to plan ahead a bit, as the dozen or so tables fill up fast– and rightfully so.

Rosewater, 787 Union Street (at Sixth Avenue), Brooklyn NY, 718-783-3800