Pete Wells can’t seem to fit enough reviews into 2012 about the overdrawn trendiness that exists in the Brooklyn restaurant scene.  This week he reviewed Governor, a Dumbo restaurant that opened earlier this summer under the helm of Chef Brad McDonald, and awarded it two stars.

McDonald sharpened his chef knives at Noma and Per Se, and you can definitely note that influence in his creative dishes.  ”For better and sometimes for worse, Mr. McDonald treats familiarity as if it were an enemy to be conquered.”  Governor’s menu includes curiosities such as pappardelle made from celery root, tapioca toast, and ham hollandaise, and the results seem to be generally delicious.

Wells finds the location of Governor to be perhaps the most intriguing part about it, hung up on Brooklyn as he is.  It’s located in Dumbo, a district with few places for good food.  As Wells points out, it’s really only visited for Bubby’s (an offshoot of a TriBeCa original) and Hecho en Dumbo (which has since moved to Manhattan).  Maybe this trend is about to turn as Governor paves the way.

Leah Alexander