Openings

Ellis Will Charm You With Rattlesnake Kebabs

Charming snake.
Charming snake. Photo: Melissa Hom


When chef-owner Seth Ellis rolls out his full menu at recently opened Ellis by the end of next week, the I’d-go-to-Brooklyn-for-that item will definitely be the rattlesnake skewers. Ellis tells us snake was a real treat back when he was a chef in Arizona, where it’s served in the form of chicken-nugget-like filets, or in rattlesnake chili. He tenderizes his meat (acquired from a Colorado rattlesnake ranch) by marinating it overnight in grapefruit and lime juices and roasted garlic. The kebabs are then skewered next to orange and lemon zests, along with grilled vegetables, to lighten up the meat’s pungent flavor. Other menu standouts: Navajo fry bread, Navajo lamb stew, and what Ellis says he hopes will be the “best chicken wing in New York,” made with a chipotle marinade and served with the sweet, spicy red-pepper jelly that his mother Sue used to sell in airport gift shops. Now if we could just combo those snake kebabs with the kangaroo skewers at Eight Mile Creek.

Photo courtesy of Ellis Bar

Ellis Bar, 627 Fifth Avenue, nr. 17th St., Sunset Park, Brooklyn; 718-768-0532, ellisbar.com

Ellis Will Charm You With Rattlesnake Kebabs