Balancing act
Golden Ratio (Clinton Hill)
BARS • First Round
The Skinny: Named for bartenders’ shorthand for a perfectly balanced cocktail, Golden Ratio slid into a compact corner space on Greene and Grand Aves. in Clinton Hill in December, translating the restrained, seasonal cooking philosophy from the team behind Place des Fêtes (down the street) and Cafe Mado (in Prospect Heights) into liquid form. The result is a botanical bar built around singular ingredients, with each of its 15 drinks offered in both full-proof and non-alcoholic versions.
The Vibe: Golden Ratio looks lifted straight out of Copenhagen: spare, modern, and covered in raw natural materials. Matte gray concrete walls flow into a matching bar, creating the feeling of a single, continuous surface. Illuminated, earthy, lime-hued tiles glow beneath the bar, contrasted by five rust-colored leather stools. Vintage modern touches like Harry Bertoia wire chairs introduce a subtle midcentury feel.
The austerity is offset by the room’s communal design. Simple wooden banquettes with gray cushions line the front windows, positioned to create little drinking nooks; a spacious perched table in the back is equipped with eight stools. But the best seats in the house are at the lone oversized booth tucked in the middle.
The Drink: While Golden Ratio isn’t a Japanese bar, it adheres to several of the principles that define seasonal Japanese cocktail making. The drinks are ultra-pure, tightly focused on the flavor of a singular ingredient, and dialed toward restraint — never too sweet, finished with little to no garnish. They’re also mostly served in delicate, thin-lipped glassware.
Many of the drinks with alcohol are lower ABV, and every spirited cocktail is mirrored by a thoughtfully constructed booze-free counterpart. The bar’s bottle lineup is also strikingly spare by design. The team partners with nearby Acid Spirits to create bespoke base spirits, like spicebush and finger lime, around which each drink is built. So, for better or worse, don’t try to walk in and order Fortaleza tequila on the rocks.
Drinks typically honor classic categories. For example, the creamy parsnip is served over pebbled ice and is the closest thing to a tiki cocktail; steamed parsnips are blended with enzymes to release their sugars; then, that liquid is clarified and shaken with lime, mezcal, and gins. (The N/A version calls for the same parsnip base, along with Douglas Fir syrup and centrifuge-spun purple carrot juice.) Those who fancy a martini might consider the floral Persimmon, served in an elegant elongated martini glass and made with a centrifuged persimmon-gin blend with a quinine-flavored wine-based aperitif and a house-made persimmon vermouth.
The Food: The same wine bar-ish, bright, globally inspired approach to small plates found at the group’s other restaurants is at play here. Helmed by culinary director Daniel Martignon, it’s a tight, produce-forward lineup of just ten savory dishes, but ample enough for a full dinner.
Start with the very Marco-Pierre-White-esque toasts: planks of sourdough toast packed with a quarter-inch of good butter seasoned with anchovies, topped with salty anchovies and pickled pearl onions. Each bite is equal parts rich, creamy, salty, and umami — you could call it the golden ratio of savory starters. From there, dive into the salad of blush-toned, subtly bitter castelfranco radicchio leaves tossed in a zingy, creamy sake kasu dressing with a bit of ginger and baby shiso leaves.
As for the hake, it’s a work of art. The fish’s (gluten-free) breading itself is a case study in weightlessness, rivaling the best tempura I’ve eaten in Tokyo. Tucked inside its dusty red achiote-stained shell, the hake steams, producing almost gelatinous, flaky flesh that’s buttery without being greasy.
The Verdict: A neighborhood spot that punches well above its weight, Golden Ratio is the kind of bar you could drop by every day — the days you need a drink and the days you don’t. –Kat Odell
→ Golden Ratio (Clinton Hill) • 216 Greene Ave • Wed-Fri 530p-12a, Sat-Sun 3p-12a • Reserve.