The Topaz

Before he was a barkeep, Brandon Davey (Elsa, Ramona) was a trained sculptor, which is not a surprise when you take in the handmade topaz-embedded wood paneling and brass bar fixtures that decorate this indie-soundtracked East Williamsburg watering hole. Alongside cocktails like the black, salt-rimmed Dead Man’s Mask (black cardamom rye, smoked clover honey, pineapple juice) and the Bottle Blonde (white blossom vodka, Manuka honey, Meyer lemon bitters), Japanese izakaya fare makes an unexpected appearance at the bar, with bites including pork-shiitake buns, a 45-minute sous vide egg and a flash-pickled Japanese cucumber topped with chili pearls and sesame oil.