Posted on April 22, 2019
Spring has sprung and the culinary team at Nitehawk Cinema, New York’s original dine-in theater, have crafted a new menu that will bloom appetites and ripen taste buds all season long. Nitehawk Williamsburg’s Executive Chef Michael Franey explains, “Our goal was to accentuate the freshness, brightness, and lightness that the changing of the season brings. The Spring menu features asparagus, peas, fava beans, radishes, and beets, combined with refreshing herbs like mint and tarragon.” Beginning Friday, April 19th, at both Nitehawk locations, the new selection continues in Nitehawk’s flair of introducing items with tantalizing flavors that compliment the dine-in theater experience and welcome the warmer weather with open arms.
“We purveyed an amazingly fresh burrata from Lioni Latticini in New Jersey, that showcases the delicious creaminess of mozzarella with a deep contrast in Calabrian chili, fava beans, and snap peas,” expresses Chef Franey. If the burrata doesn’t have you rolling out of your seat, then check out the Risotto Balls which are combined with fresh asparagus, diced piquillo peppers, minced chives, and pecorino cheese. Finally, who doesn’t love an everything bagel?! However, this New York City staple is prepared like a fritter. The “everything bagel” is folded with goat cheese, capers, red onions, and partnered with a whipped mousse made with crème fraîche and smoked salmon. With excitement Chef Franey proclaims, “The Everything Bagel Fritter has to be my favorite dish because it’s a perfect example of how we create a new menu and put the right amount of Nitehawk spin on classic items!”
Our chefs devised healthier alternatives for those looking to indulge in more mindful options while at the cinema. The Tri-Color Beet Salad is fun in the dark with vivid, herbaceous, and intensely colored red beets contrasted with thin slices of the candy cane beets, bright yellow beets, and tossed with a vegan tahini and za’atar dressing. Over at Nitehawk Prospect Park, moviegoers will experience Executive Chef Blessing Schuman-Strange’s twist on an avocado toast. Nitehawk’s version features nordic rye bread covered with smashed avocado in a white wine and basil marinated salad of baby heirloom tomatoes and shallots. “Although Avocado Toast is super simple, it emphasizes the way we transform dishes to be enjoyed in the dark while watching a movie,” declares Chef Blessing. Another exhilarating creation is the Tuna Niçoise Sandwich which takes all of the components of the french inspired salad and reimagines it into a decadent sandwich that offers a light and mouthwatering choice at Nitehawk Cinema this Spring.
Sweeten up any movie this spring by treating pallets to a tasty Nitehawk creation like the King’s Sundae, Boozy Cherries Jubilee Float or Chocolate Covered Strawberry Toast Tart. Blessing mentions, “I love how the toaster tart takes the nostalgia of a packaged childhood breakfast pastry and takes it to another level. One of my favorite parts of working for Nitehawk is the ways in which we playfully create our menu with dishes that are delicious but uniquely suited to our dine-in experience.”
Nitehawk’s Beverage Directors Nick Dodge and Rob Giles collaborated to elevate cocktail recipes and frozen drinks to showcase seasonal accents with bold fuisions. Rob states, “Springtime really gave us a chance to explore lighter and refreshing flavor combinations for our cocktail list. As the days become longer and hotter, we wanted to offer drinks with high acidity and flavors like pineapple or fresh cucumber to reflect the seasonal changes.” Nitehawk’s newest addition, Withnail and I, takes the format of a Pimm’s Cup and jazzes it up with juicy strawberries, spicy ginger syrup, and bourbon.
Another standout is Nitehawk’s seasonal Gin and Tonic series which is playfully named Kung Fu Hustle. The draught creation is a study on East-meets-West by using gin from Brooklyn based New York Distilling Company and a rice-based Soju for a subtle concoction. The house-made tonic uses classic citrus aromatics and gentian with a punch of flavor from lemongrass, kafir lime, and Thai basil. “The most dangerous part is how drinkable this cocktail is,” laughs Giles. Nick affirms, “We might have had a little too much fun working on the cocktail menu!”
The Beer menu gets a similar update as well, emphasising session-style Gose and thirst-quenching pilsners from local producers. “We are #blessed with how many excellent craft breweries are opening up in Brooklyn. It’s gotten to a point where an entire draft list can be as local as 30 miles or less,” says Giles. Dodge professes, “I’m excited about the amazing bar spaces at Nitehawk Prospect Park! Now that the weather is warming up, The Mezzanine is the perfect spot for park-goers to enjoy a drink once the sun goes down.“
Since popcorn is the undeniable part of any cinema experience, Nitehawk also introduces a vegan friendly Buffalo Wing Popcorn seasoned with Frank’s Red Hot and spiced with a home-made herb mix that replicates ranch dressing. Not typical dine-in movie theater, Nitehawk Cinema blossoms this season with a creative selection of food and drink items available at both Brooklyn locations. The lineup of new dishes and signature beverages includes:
SEASONAL POPCORN
Frank’s Red Hot, coconut oil, and vegan ranch powder
SPRING VEGETABLE HASH
Yellow and green squash, spring onion, fava beans, red bell pepper, over easy eggs, grilled baguette, and choice to add chorizo or smoked tofu
AVOCADO TOAST
Smashed avocados, baby heirloom tomatoes, marinated shallots, basil, olive oil, and nordic rye bread
RISOTTO BALLS
Asparagus, piquillo peppers, chives, pecorino, and lemon tarragon aioli
BURRATA
Snap peas, fava beans, calabrian chili, parsley, and sourdough croutons
EVERYTHING BAGEL FRITTER
Goat cheese, scallions, red onion, capers, and smoked salmon mousse
CHARRED SHISHITO PEPPERS
Lemon, sea salt, and espelette
TRI-COLOR BEET SALAD
Red, yellow, candy cane beets, mixed baby lettuces, and za’atar tahini dressing
SHRIMP TACOS
Mojo marinated shrimp, corn and chipotle slaw, salsa verde, and corn tortilla
QUINOA BOWL
Asparagus, snap peas, frisée, roasted red radish, French breakfast radish, herb vinaigrette, and choice of grilled chicken, smoked salmon or crispy tofu
TUNA NIÇOISE SANDWICH
Tuna, olive oil poached potatoes, lemon, niçoise olives, gribiche aioli, tomato conserva, frisée, ciabatta roll with hand cut fries or salad
THE KING’S SUNDAE
Vanilla soft serve, chocolate cookie pieces, peanut bacon praline, banana dulce de leche, and whipped cream
BOOZY CHERRIES JUBILEE FLOAT
Black cherry soft serve, brandy, and cream soda
CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY TOASTER TART
Macerated fresh strawberries, pie crust, and chocolate royal icing
BLOW-UP APEROL SPRITZ
Aperol, Da Mar Prosecco, Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters, vanilla, soda, lemon
CARRIE BRADSHAW
Vodka, Clear Creek Cranberry Liqueur, lime cordial, Combier Liqueur d’Orange, lime and tiki bitters
COOL RUNNINGS (FROZEN)
Rhum J.M. Gold, Cynar, St. Germain, cardamom-star anise syrup, pineapple, lime, Angostura
KUNG FU HUSTLE GIN AND TONIC
Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin, Tokki Soju Black, lemongrass-kaffir lime tonic syrup, Thai basil
LOS TRES CABALLEROS JUNGLE BIRD
Cruzan Blackstrap Rum, Plantation Pineapple Rum, Campari, pineapple syrup, lime
WITHNAIL AND I
Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Pimm’s No. 1, mint, lemon, strawberries, cucumber bitters