Is there any more amazingly American dish than crab rangoon? And please do not try to say that crab rangoon is from China. It involves imitation crab meet and LOTS of cream cheese stuffed inside deep-fried dough. Yeah, this one was definitely dreamed up in the good ‘old US of A, then pawned off as “ethnic.” But even this delectable dish wasn’t fattily American enough for the good folks at Landhaus, whose new version of crab rangoon comes stuffed with classic southern pimiento cheese.
That snack is an excellent introduction to what they have on store at Landhaus at The Woods, a recently revamped snack bar in the backyard of Williamsburg watering hole, The Woods, now featuring a full menu and frozen drinks. Their delightfully deep-fried creations are custom-crafted for those of us who wish July 4th could come 365 times a year.
The Landhaus team has popped up a couple times around Brooklyn, formerly at a temporary Park Slope sandwich shop, and before that gaining a following at Smorgasburg for having the audacity to serve bacon on a stick and not bothering to weigh it down with veggies, bread, or any other false pretense for enjoying a fatty slab of bacon on its own.
Landhaus’ spot at the Woods is a breezy back patio, with a back bar serving frozen tiki drinks. The drinking-friendly fare here includes said bacon on a stick (drizzled in maple syrup), and the pimento cheese crab rangoon, along with southern fried fixes like their tasty jalapeño hushpuppies and other bar food favorites such as Mexican-style grilled corn with feta and lime.
Despite the tiki-time surroundings, Landhaus is billed as a farm-to-table spot, so there are a few fancy flairs too, like a short rib jus poured over the poutine, and crispy duck drumlets made from oversize Hudson Valley birds that are bred fat, for foie gras, then dipped in Korean chili glaze and served with fried basil. Those showbirds are tasty enough, but for my money Landhaus does best when it sticks to all things Americana, as in the southern fried chicken wings–a supremely crispy battered bird that’s crunchy on the outside and hot and juicy inside.
For larger stomachs, there are also artery-busting nightly entree specials ranging from fried chicken and collards to steak with bone marrow butter. Just don’t ask for a kale salad.