Welcome Back!!!
So let's talk about the up-and-coming restaurant & lounge, Milk River, which is located in Downtown Brooklyn on Atlantic Avenue. Milk River is known for its Caribbean/Asian
inspired cuisine. It also has a lounge upstairs which hosts a number of
regular events for the locals and is also available for private events. Their in-house Owner/Chef La-Niece Lyew has a had a number of mixed reviews from the locals. Chef Lyew is of Jamaican and Chinese descent, hence the theme of the restaurant. Chef Lyew is a graduate of a French Culinary Institute. She has had a number of great opportunities in her life. She worked with Chef Chris Beischer of Jean George’s NYC Mercer Kitchen and acclaimed Chef King Phojanakon of Umi Nom and Kuma Inn. Websites such as Yelp.com, Menuism.com and Tripadvisor.com have given Milk River anywhere from 2.5 stars to 3.
This particular Sunday I attended their event called "Chicks Love Brunch".
Chicks Love Brunch is a brunch series created by a young lady who started a meet-up. This is supposed to be a way for people to meet each other and network.
This particular Sunday guest Chef James "JR" Robinson prepared the meal and menu.
If you aren't familiar, Chef JR Robinson was a contestant on Hell's Kitchen season 13. He is the owner and founder of Kitchencray catering company.
KitchenCray's mission is "to change how the world views what we like to call, 'The New Chef Culture.'" They take five-star dining experiences and recreate them to cater to one's lifestyle.
In addition, to private dining, their services also include community involvement to promote culinary education among adults and youth. You can check out his website at
My Experience:
When I arrived at Milk River there was a $10 per person entry fee. That was a little mind boggling. I've never experienced a restaurant that charged a fee just to be able to sit at a table and eat. Nonetheless, I didn't let that stop me because I really wanted to try Chef Robinson's food.
Milk River has a very nice décor, which is very modern. When you walk into the restaurant to your right you will find the famous Biggie picture that everyone takes a selfie in front of. I'm even guilty of that myself! The atmosphere was great, music was playing, conversations flowing and you could see right into the kitchen as the food was being prepared.
Once seated, we were offered a complementary choice of either a glass of mimosa or sangria. Of course I chose the mimosa. The menu was pretty simple and Prix Fixe. For $25 you were given a choice of appetizers and entrées.
For appetizers we chose the Barbeque Chicken Deviled-Eggs and the Cod Fritters. It took a little while for the appetizers to come out but between the DJ and the mimosas, who's watching the time.
The food came out and the presentation was GREAT!
I am not a big deviled-eggs fan but these deviled-eggs were AWESOME. There was just enough chicken on the egg. The egg yolk mixture was smooth, airy and delightful with just enough sweet and smoky from the chicken.
Now, the Cod Fritters on the other hand were a huge disappointment. They definitely had potential but they missed the mark. They were overly salty and they came out cold. So, I decided to call the waiter over and let him know what was wrong and sent it back to the kitchen. It came back a second time and they were still cold and salty. EPIC FAIL !!!
For our main entrees we decided to go simple, Chicken and Red Velvet Waffles with toffee syrup and the Steak, Eggs and Potato Hash. The food came out and again, the presentation was GREAT!
Do you want the Good News or the Bad News first?
The bad news: Chicken and Red Velvet Waffles
Let's start with the waffle. The waffle was HARD AS A BRICK. It tasted like a waffle that was made a few days in advance and was left out and became stale.
The chicken lacked some flavor, but it was moist on the inside. I didn't even bother sending it back by this time I had already begun to give up on the experience.
The good news: Steak, Eggs and Potato Hash
The steak was great. Chef posted on Instagram earlier that day that he was planning to use the sous-vide method of cooking. Please allow me to enlighten you: the sous-vide method is where food is sealed in airtight plastic bags and placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times. The intention is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside and retaining the moisture. That the steak was. It was cooked medium rare to perfection and seasoned just right.
The eggs were scrambled and topped with cheddar cheese. The potato hash consisted of a white and sweet potato blend. Both eggs and potatoes were delicious.
Neat venue, big space, and sexy crowd, but a lot of work needs to be done to really deliver on the overall customer service and dining experience.
Overall Experience: D
Milk River has a lot of potential and I love the fact they gave an outside Chef the opportunity to come in and showcase what he can do. The décor is great, the location is okay. It's about a 10 minute walk from either the C train or Atlantic Terminal. It's located right on Atlantic Avenue so it's easy to catch a cab.
Food: D
The overall food experience has potential to be something out of this world. I know first hand how difficult it can be to go into someone else's kitchen and execute some of your best work. That is why is it is necessary to plan things down to the wire. There is no reason why waffles could not have been made to order. Eggo waffles that come out the freezer are softer than the waffles I had at this brunch. The Cod Fritters were overly salted and came out cold. There is no reason why I sent them back to the kitchen and they still came out at the same temperature. I think what bothers me most is the Chef knew the quality of food that he was sending out and still sent it out. Not sure if it was because he thought the quality was good or if because his back was against the wall and at that point all he could do was serve what he had.
Service: C-
I gave the service a "C-" because the server lacked a lot of CUSTOMER SERVICE skills. Out waiter was slow and kept forgetting things! It was not that busy for him to be forgetting to check in on us. Not only that, I have a huge problem when I have to call another server to find the person that was assigned to my table.
I do plan to go back and try the Chef Lyew's Menu at a later date. If anyone, has any recommendations on what I should eat off of her menu please feel free to let me know.
Also, if there are any places that you recommend me trying let me know.
Hope you enjoyed my review!
You can find some pics of Milk River below.
Don't Forget to Tell a Friend to Tell a Friend.
Steak and scrambled eggs with a potato hash
Chicken and Red Velvet Waffles served with toffee syrup
Cod Fritters served with a spicy Aioli
BBQ Chicken Deviled Eggs
The Menu - Prix Fixe Menu 25PP
