When Chez Oskar opened in 1998, a vibrant new dining era was about to explode on the back streets of Brooklyn. As a pioneer among the young, hip dining establishments that crept up in the borough, Oskar was at the forefront of a culinary counterculture that rebelled against Manhattan's slick eateries. With a custom-painted and -finished interior that harked back to the Harlem Renaissance and well-loved Paris brasseries, Oskar delighted the neighborhood by cranking out fine French cuisine jazzed up by influences from Brooklyn's cultural diversity.