Fort Defiance

While toiling away in the food-magazine world and at venerable bars like Pegu Club, St. John Frizell dreamed of opening his own place. He chose the budding Red Hook enclave to plant roots, naming his café-bar for a Revolutionary War fort that was nearby, whose cannons helped George Washington's troops escape a British onslaught. (Now Red Hook is more known for Ikea.) Strong coffee is from Counter Culture, each cup individually filtered, and at night Frizell crafts classic cocktails. The menu mainly consists of well-constructed oysters, salads and a good burger. It's an easygoing hangout, with locals nonchalantly strolling in and lingering in sturdy, leather-bound chairs that came from the old Playboy Club in St. Louis.