Chez Oskar Gets Glowing Profile In NYTimes

Surprising no one, a New York Times reporter’s visit to Fort Greene staple Chez Oskar (211 DeKalb Avenue) was so impressive that it resulted in a glowing and well-deserved profile of the 17-year-old French restaurant, which he noted “honor[s] the neighborhood’s arty and multicultural atmosphere,” combining “strains of Gypsy jazz [that] float above the long bar in a room that is equal parts Left Bank bistro and Harlem Renaissance speakeasy.”

Owner/artist/resident Charlotta Janssen is praised for utilizing her “serious backbone” and “communal spirit of an artist” towards making the restaurant a success.

To run a restaurant, Ms. Janssen drew from the best assets she had: her skills as a painter. She refers to much of her artwork as “augmented portraiture,” which combines collage into tactile portraits that reveal the depth of a subject’s persona. She did the same thing with her bistro.

Stop by Chez Oskar tonight or any night to toast the praise. But note that tonight is Wino-Wednesday — the weekly celebration for wine lovers, offering 30 percent off bottled wines with dinner!