Black Mountain Stokes Cabin Fever

Sticks of firewood and a tree stump sprouting a hatchet seem a likelier art installation than practical pile amid the concrete streets of Gowanus. Fortunately, as December chill sets in, the frontage of Black Mountain Winehouse proves not just for show.

The fireplace and tucked-away location of this gastro-cabin at the corner of Union and Hoyt Streets secure the affections of a heavily local crowd with a predilection for cozy nooks.

"The majority of people who come are neighborhood regulars," said Regina Myers, Black Mountain's general manager. "We know them, we know their families and we like to keep it that way."

On Tuesday night, three Carroll Gardens residents snagged one of two fireside tables at the back of the whitewashed, candle-lit space. Kate Danhl, a self-described regular, comes to Black Mountain for the good food and "atmosphere."

"It's really unique," she said, as her companions tucked into salad and a steaming bowl of soup. "I don't know anywhere else like it."

While the embers struggled beneath a mound of ash on that recent Tuesday, Myers said the fire is stoked all winter long, and that sometimes the heavy drapes are closed completely, turning the place into something of a prairie cabin speakeasy.

At those times, she said, "It kind of feels like a Vermont lodge."

The ponytailed waiter coursing between the tables is in fact the 30-year-old owner, Tyler Maganzini, who bought Black Mountain in March. The place first opened in July, 2007.

Far from a hands-off proprietor, Maganzini routinely serves his customers. On Tuesday he took orders, sliced cheese, delivered plates and slipped from bar to woodpile to kitchen in one apparently nonstop motion.

The venue's food as much as its intimacy earns a loyal following. Chef Waymond Smith manages to manoeuver around a typically NYC-sized kitchen nook, preparing bistro fare with little more than a hotplate and a chopping board.

The menu is in keeping with Black Mountain's simple yet elegant rusticity. All plates cost $10, and cheese is $5 (or a selection of three for $12). Fondue Tuesdays offer mouthwatering vats of melted cheese for $16. Favorite dishes include wild mushroom and truffle-laced macaroni and cheese and the panini with mortadella, Polish bacon and Emmenthaler with quince aioli.

The modest yet diverse wines all come either by glass or bottle, with a few sparkling and sweet varieties among the reds and whites. In addition to Black Mountain's namesake tipple, there are twists on the staple -- sangria, mulled wine and "The Autunmner," red wine with sherry, spiced cranberry and pink peppercorn -- as well as a cluster of beers.

With the fireplace and open kitchen keeping the close quarters toasty, Black Mountain's front door often stays open. Tall golden grasses wave a welcome at the entrance and fan satisfied customers back out onto the quiet streets. 

Stepping into Black Mountain for the first time feels strangely like sneaking into someone's private home, but it's well worth going out of your way to make this warm neighborhood cavern's acquaintance.