Ahoy! The Owners of The Richardson Have Docked Grand Ferry in Williamsburg

The good folks who brought The Richardson to the Greenpoint-Williamsburg border have quietly birthed (berthed?) a new one — Grand Ferry.

Despite the not insignificant development that has sprung up along Kent Avenue, Joel Lee Kulp thinks his week-old waterfront tavern, located between Grand and N. 1st St., fills an overlooked gap: “A lot of places in this particular neighborhood are opening straight-up restaurants, with a bar as an afterthought,” he said. “We’re a bar primarily that’s offering a food menu a swell.”

That bar — headed by Jon DeRosa, who also migrated from the Richardson — serves trustworthy cocktails, fourteen draft beers and 20 European-origin wines. And the chef, Brett Ackerman, offers up just the kind of food you’d hope to find at a tavern named after a ferry that docked nearby until 1918: fried clams, a grass-fed burger, shepherd’s pie, and similar hearty bites fit for a dock-worker are served till 2 a.m. daily. There’s also a raw bar.

According to Kulp, it took a lot of work to create the vibe of a Dickens novel wherein peasants heartily imbibe life-giving spirits. “We transformed the space from a 500 square-foot square to a 1,700 square-foot bar with a dining room and a full kitchen,” he said of the project that also turned an “enormous backyard into half the restaurant.”

“The waterfront is a pretty funny area right now,” Kulp reflected, noting that the biggest attractions are the CVS and Duane Reade, standing almost side-by-side. “We’re sort of in the middle of everything and nothing at the same time. There’s a lot going on but there are no real anchors yet.”

Maybe this place will be just the ticket.

Grand Ferry, 229 Kent Avenue between Grand and N. 1^st Streets; (718) 782-8500