Williamsburg: Sweet and Savory Ribs at Traif

T and I recently decided to go out for a nice dinner in Williamsburg.  We decided to try Traif, a place that gets great reviews on Yelp.  The dishes at Traif are small, kind of like Tapas, but with American food.

Here are the dishes we ate:

Cheese Platter.  This was just okay.  The blue cheese was good but the two soft cheeses didn't have much flavor.

Cheese Platter ★★★☆☆

Strawberry-Cinnamon Glazed Berkshire Baby Back Ribs.  This was the best thing we ate.  The sauce on the ribs is great.  You can pick the meat right off the bone.  The meat has a slight crispness on the outside but is really tender on the inside.

Strawberry-Cinnamon Glazed Berkshire Baby Back Ribs ★★★★★

Seared Dayboat Scallops, Snap & English Pea Risotto, Caper-Tomato-Lemon Brown Butter.  The scallops were nicely seared, the risotto complemented the scallops nicely and the caper-tomato-lemon brown butter gave the dish a refreshing hint of sourness.

Scallops ★★★★☆

Tomatoes and Creamed Corn.  This dish was a really nice blend of sour and sweet, hot and cold, and with a slight hint of sourness.

Tomateos and Creamed Corn ★★★★☆

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, Portabello Mushrooms, Truffle Toast, Fried Egg, Aged Asiago.   A really good dish.  The toast and the egg make you think of breakfast, the mushrooms were really good, the broccoli rabe gave the dish that nice leafy, slightly bitter flavor and the gravy-like sauce added a touch of creaminess to the dish.  I really enjoyed this dish.

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, Portabello Mushrooms, Truffle Toast, Fried Egg, Aged Asiago ★★★★☆

BBQ Braised Short Rib Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries, Smoked Paprika Aioli. The short ribs had a nice kick although they were a little mushy.  The sweet potato fries were crispy and delicious and tasted even better when dipped in the creamy paprika aioli.

Short Rib Sliders ★★★★☆

Bacon Doughnuts and Coffee Ice Cream.  The doughnuts themselves were sweet and fluffy.  The bacon crumble topping, on the other hand, was salty and crunchy.  They proved a nice contrast to each other, as did the ice cream, which had a really really strong coffee flavor.  All in all, a really interesting blend of flavors that worked well together.

Bacon Doughnuts and Coffee Ice Cream ★★★★☆

 A meal at Traif is a really fun and tasty experience.  The standout is the Strawberry-Cinnamon Glazed Baby Back Ribs, but Traif has many other tasty and fun dishes too.