Lucky for us, northern Brooklyn boats a fair number of moderately-priced restaurants that let us enjoy good food on a recession budget. Here are four of my favorites where you can get a meal for $15 or less (beverage not included).

Fiore
Italian, 284 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY 11211 (South Williamsburg)
It took a year and a half, but I finally found delicious Italian food in the neighborhood. Ramsey and I went to Fiore for dinner last Friday and it had everything I look for in a restaurant for a night out: good food, an affordable wine list, good service (which can be a rare find in Williamsburg) and enough space for everyone to sit comfortably without knocking elbows with a neighboring table. I got a spinach and ricotta ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce, Ramsey got the lasagna, and we both gave it a thumbs up. 
Here’s a link to their menu, but it should be noted these prices have gone up a bit since it was published on NYMag.  

Brooklyn Label
American, 180 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (Northern Greenpoint) 
Brooklyn Label is a good spot for brunch or dinner, offering upscale American diner fare. It’s our go-to when we’re in the mood for sandwiches and burgers, waffles, or for coffee and espresso brewed from Stumptown beans. 
You can check out their menu at their official site. 

Sea
Thai, 114 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, NY 11211 (North Williamsburg)
Okay, this place can have too-loud, bumping techno music and a crazy wait after 7pm on the weekends, but if you catch Sea at the right time, it is a good lunch or early dinner spot. I think it’s the best Thai in the neighborhood, beating out Thai Thai on Bedford and Amarin Cafe on Manhattan, and there are a lot of entrees less than $10 to choose from. Here’s a link to their menu. 

Krolewski Jadlo (King’s Feast)
Polish, 694 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn 11222 (Greenpoint)
Coming in at the cheapest of all of the restaurants in this mini-guide, Krolewski Jadlo is one of my favorite spots for Polish food in Greenpoint. It beats out the rest because of its regal decor, including knight armor flaking the front entrance and portraits of kings lining the walls. They offer all of the traditional Polish dishes from pirogues to stuffed cabbage, and the meal usually starts with bread served with lard instead of butter. Here’s a link to their menu (I recommend the Polish plate). 

I realize having my first two food posts be about barbecue and mac & cheese seems to set a tone of unhealthy eating, but I promise these moments of caloric indulgence are not as often as they appear. I have my share of sensible salads from Olive’s for lunch and home-cooked meals throughout the week. However, this past Saturday, it was time to load up on delicious barbecue at the hippest barbecue spot in the city: Fette Sau.

Started by the same folks that own Spuyten Duyvil (a bar with the best international beer list I’ve ever seen), Fette Sau offers most of your standard barbecue selections in 1/4 lb increments slapped onto a piece of butcher paper and served up with a few small dinner rolls. Three varieties of sauce appear on the long communal picnic tables and in place of napkins, there are rolls of paper towels.

It all seems fairly run of the mill until you start looking around. In addition to the pulled pork, ribs, and beans on the menu, you also find duck, pork belly, and locally-made pickles. The bar offers a wide selection of local brews served up in jam jars (that’s a photo of the taps above) and no less than 40 varieties of whisky. Then of course, you have the Williamsburg crowd and indie rock soundtrack that doesn’t usually pop up at a roadside smoke pit.

My boyfriend and I decided to split ribs, pulled pork, duck, and a side of beans. All were delicious, but the duck was the clear standout for me. I love duck in almost all its forms, but have never experienced it with a rub and a side of sauce. The next time we go, I’m definitely going to get the pork belly as well

Fette Sau, 354 Metropolitan Ave (at Havermeyer St), Brooklyn, NY