Lake Trout And Blue Collar In Williamsburg

160 Havemeyer Street holds it down for cheap eats

Williamsburg's obsession for regional Americana and down-and-dirty dining has crystallized at two brand-new adjoining spots. Replete with such earnestly ironic props as baseball cards and childhood trophies, Lake Trout and Blue Collar are located mere feet from each other at 160 Havemeyer St.

It's Brooklyn's own Bermuda Triangle of bad-good taste, with a one-two punch of fried fish sandwiches and diner-style burgers, all under $10.

Lake Trout: Joe Carroll, of Fette Sau and St. Anselm, has mined his Baltimore childhood for a menu of saltine-dusted fried whiting, aka lake trout ($6.25). It satisfies with more fish than crunch, but the square Pollock patty of the Cheese Fish Sangwich, coupled with tartar sauce and Velveeta, is the chin-dribbling win. September will bring a beer license with six different types of tallboys. 160 Havemeyer St. (at S. Second St.), Brooklyn; 718-782-3474

Blue Collar: It's hard to complain about a $4 burger. Flattop griddled Angus patties (calling In-N-Out) are cooked under weights for that extra squish beneath a potato bun. For a shake ($4.75), Jack & Jill ice cream is amped up with malt powder and a vanilla simple syrup. 160 Havemeyer St. (at S. Second St.), Brooklyn; 347-725-3837