NYC Ferry Restaurant Tour, Part IX: Celestine (East River Route to DUMBO)
DUMBO is the pricey industrial-turned-residential neighborhood in Brooklyn known as Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Should my first trip there (in a while) be the Tour’s last on the South Brooklyn Route or the first on the East River Route? By the time we arrived at Pier 11, the East River Route made the most sense for an earier departure for the short one-stop hop. I shot the lead pic above shortly before we arrived at the restaurant. This was my second trip on the NYC Ferry named Cyclone Shark.
Some of our fellow passengers brought their alt-transportation options on board.
I caught a dirty-window shot of the bridge whose overpass we would soon be Down Under.
The Cyclone Shark obligingly posed with the Brooklyn Bridge, the Freedom Tower, and fellow passengers as it pulled away from Brooklyn’s Pier 1, just after the captain had given us a friendly horn blast to hasten our progress away from the dock.
It was an epic walk, taking us from the DUMBO stop on the NYC Ferry — which is actually more Down Under the Brooklyn Bridge — along the waterfront.
Brooklyn Bridge Park covers the waterfront, so to speak, from DUMBO, through brownstone paradise Brooklyn Heights, down to the northern border of the newly christened Columbia Street Waterfront District, one of Brooklyn’s newest and smallest neighborhoods, adjacent to Cobble Hill.
Before leaving the pier I noted that I’d been here a few times before — to attend Bargemusic, where a perpetually in-residence chamber group offers spirited performances of the classics in both ticketed and free events. It’s a great way to hear music in an unusual venue. On some days the boat gently rocks as the music plays and occasionally a marching band goes by playing different music in a different time signature.
We continued admiring the Brooklyn Bridge: With an American flag…
…and with the Freedom Tower, a.k.a. One World Observatory, in the background, as the ferry exited the dock.
The bridge was imposing, even through the trees.
One of your DUMBO dining options is the River Cafe. Not for lunch, though. Dinner service only.
The view from the cafe must be a slice of paradise. Perhaps I’ll try it someday.
As we were about to cross beneath the Brookyn Bridge…
…the Manhattan Bridge, actually today’s poster boy, entered the frame.
Here we were, seriously down under the Brooklyn Bridge…
…and then we were north of it. A local amenity is St. Ann’s Warehouse, no longer a warehouse but a venue for theater and music. I’ve been to a few concerts here. One of the great things about these expeditions is a chance to connect the dots between places I’ve been. You can know a bit of New York City but can always get to know it better.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Manhattan Bridge.
The panorama mode got its full width into one shot — barely!
It was a selfie-worthy spectacle.
We got close to the stanchions (or columns, or beams) supporting the bridge.
There went our ride, passing beneath the Manhattan Bridge as folks enjoyed the primo lounging area in the park. We bounded up those big steps, anticipating a quality Mediterranean lunch.
This is Pebble Beach. The East River has a beach: news to me. Is Sex on the Beach a cocktail made with vodka, schnapps, and juices, or is it a metaphor for a fine view?
Here’s how I think DUMBO got its name. Two real estate agents are talking about what to name a new neighborhood repurposing industrial infrastructure for the affluent. It goes something like this.
“How about we call it Down Under the Manhattan Bridge? ’Cause it’s, like, y’know, down under the Manhattan Bridge.”
“I dunno, the acronym is DUMB.”
“What’s so dumb about it?”
“Silly, your acronym is literally D-U-M-B.”
“Ooohhhh.”
“DUMB will never do.”
“OK, how about Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass?”
“DUMBO? How is this an improvement?”
“People will think we’re talking about a Disney movie with, y’know, cute elephants and such.”
“I think you may have something there.”
We’re really Down Under the Manhattan Bridge [Overpass] now!
One prays that this magnificent structure, opened in 1909, will never need a podiatrist. It could use a lick of paint, though, judging from the rust running down its girders. Some say it’s painted blue as a nod to New York’s Dutch heritage.
Just coming into view, at far right, was the building containing the restaurant (and presumably loads of expensive apartments).
Though you might be momentarily distracted by the sight of the Williamsburg Bridge, farther upriver, coming into view.
Perhaps we will dote over it another time.
Note holes in the leaves. The invasive lanternflies have been at the park’s vegetation. One is advised to stomp them on sight. They are large and dark grey, with red detailing on their wings. Quite beautiful, but ecologically destructive.
As we followed the East River’s curves, “our” building was definitely in sight. The building is 1 John Street and Celestine opened upon its completion in 2017.
Waves were gently folding onto the shoreline, in front of the Willy-B.
We had passed Down Under, to the other side.
It was a noble, sweeping urban vista, with omnipresent ferry traffic — several lines run up and down the East River.
Things took a turn. Or we did, anyway, as the park curved around the shoreline.
And before we knew it, we had arrived.
Up from the East River side we went. Note bridge reflection in windowpane: we actually saw the Manhattan Bridge from both sides of Celestine’s windows.
Had we entered from the front, here seen from just inside the entrance…
…we might have seen it like this…
…looking upward at the building’s impassive windows as we entered. Who knows what’s going on in that place? A blend of gracious living and status anxiety? That would be my guess.
Looking left at the Overpass — we really are [in] DUMBO, not just [in] DUMB, now.
The panorama mode sums it all up.
The interior was warm-hued and welcoming.
And our table was the best-case scenario, in a prime viewing location by the East River, with the bridge looming over us. The weather was comfortable, crisp but not chilly.
This was one of the views from our table.
We were inside, sightseeing the sightseers.
View from our table. Manhattan Bridge up close and personal, Brooklyn Bridge glimmering in the background, fellow diners.
The menu: drinks at left, brunch/lunch at right. You could do worse things with your life than spend it eating and drinking your way through this.
It would have been a missed opportunity to eat at Celestine and not have a Celestine Spritz: blood orange aperitif, grapefruit slice, rose vermouth, sparkling wine. The kick was relatively mild, and for this occasion, just right.
The spritz and the bridge (Brooklyn).
The spritz and our shared appetizer, the mezze platter.
The mezze platter, potentially a hearty meal for one but also a satisfying appetizer for two, from left to right: hummus, baba ganoush, muhammara, and olives that were probably dusted with paprika and garlic. With oven-warm olive flatbread heavily impregnated with deluxe olive oil and a light sprinkle of sesame seeds. We were offered more of the flatbread and just couldn’t say no.
While all of it was top-drawer, the baba was probably the first among equals, while the hummus was enhanced with a smear of guacamole. The muhammara — a dish found in Turkish, Syrian, and Armenian cuisine — is based not on tomato but red bell pepper. It is usually made with pomegranate molasses, adding to the vivid red hinting at magenta, and seasoned with lemon juice, garlic, and salt (all of which I thought I tasted) and a few other possible seasonings. Oh, and walnuts, as you can see.
It made for an especially satisfying empty-plate shot.
My lunch entree was the shakshuka: baked eggs, on an unseen piece of flatbread, with mildly spicy tomato sauce.
My companion, the International Man of Mystery, who does not like having his picture on the internet, tore into a Spanish omelet with chorizo (sausage), peppers, onions, and garlic aioli.
We were quite hungry...
…and made short work of it.
The facilities, should you need to use them, are soothing, tasteful, and clean.
We explored the neighborhood just a little. Sometimes the bridge was the focal point of a Belgian-blocked street.
On Jay Street, we walked to the subway. Trains run more often than ferries and this walk into DUMBO’s interior gave us a good tour of its housing stock, mainly former industrial buildings converted to luxury apartments. They have a scale, solidity, and dignity that impresses. Kind of like a post-industrial reimagining of Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Not all of the buildings were equally grand. But I’ll bet this one, also on Jay Street, had nice tall ceilings, as buildings of a certain age do.
Next door to the building above is one more in tune with modernity, though not necessarily with the neighborhood. If this were on the Upper East Side, it’d be on dowdy postwar Third Avenue, not classy prewar Park Avenue.
But an older building can have more gravitas. This one has so much light that some tenants have put up shades, either for privacy or just to mute the bright ambience of the no doubt spacious rooms.
The International Man of Mystery commented that the bridge overpass reminded him a little of the Roman aqueducts at Segovia, from our memorable trip to Spain (based in Madrid) in 2007.
We opted for the F train for the trip home. The scene outside the York Street subway station reflected the youthful vibe of both the neighborhood’s visitors and its residents. DUMBO’s dining options are limited, but it’s still a great place to relax, view the city from a privileged angle, and have a meal. We’ll probably be back someday.
Previously on the NYC Ferry Restaurant Tour:
Part I: The Wharf (Rockaway Route to Rockaway Park)
Part II: Kimo’s Kitchen (Rockaway Route to Rockaway Beach)
Part III: Big John’s (Rockaway Route to Sunset Park)
Part IV: Salty Dog (South Brooklyn Route to Bay Ridge)
Part V: Crown Cafe (Statue City Cruises to Liberty Island)
Part VI: Pizza Yard (Governors Island Ferry)
Part VII: Lobster Pound (South Brooklyn Route to Red Hook)
Part VIII: Boutros (Atlantic Avenue Route)
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