Dinner in Bococa area--Italian

Hi there,

We are going out for a "date night" tomorrow, and want to get perhaps Italian in the neighborhood. We are contemplating Brucie, which we've been to and liked, but are also considering Rucola. Then there's Frankie and Bocca Lupo. We would also do Red Hook.

Any thoughts on the best Italian in the neighborhood (which includes atmosphere)?

Thanks!!

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Best HUMMUS in the city?

I'm going to plug Damascus Bakery, right next to Sahadi's, on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. It's not cheap, but its hummus is tops in my book (as well as a lot of the other stuff they have there--kibbeh, spinach pies, etc), the guy that runs the place is really friendly, but business-like (and proud of his stuff--he'll insist his hummus is the best). It's a great place to go if you're picking up stuff for a party.

I LOVE Taim, but I've never ordered the hummus--I pretty much can't go there WITHOUT ordering their red pepper falafel sandwich, which is more or less out of this world. Cannot recommend enough.

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Taim
222 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014

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Looking for a delicious but very relaxed place to grab lunch in Paris (with toddler)?

We are currently living for the short term in Germany and will be visiting family and friends in london. We are taking the train, and somehow, after a 45 minute discussion with the guy in the deutsche-bahn office, managed to get a train ticket with a 4 hour layover in paris. No real protest--a 4 hour layover in Paris, the city, is perhaps a gift (versus a 4 hour layover in de Gaulle airport).

The catch is that i'll be traveling with a 15 month old. I figure that if the weather is nice, we'll walk around one of the parks/gardens, and just walk around essentially. If the weather isn't nice, I'll try strolling him through Musee D'orsay.

BUT...I definitely want to get a nice lunch while we're there. It can be sit down or pick up and picnic. It can be anywhere relatively central. I've been to and enjoyed the falafel place in the Marais which would of course fit the bill, but I've become a little spoiled on the falafel front, as we live full-time in New York and I have access to Taim (which is perhaps the best i've had anywhere, including a couple countries in the MIddle East)

So, does anyone have any suggestions? I guess if the weather is bad, it would be better to find a really casual sit down place that does something great, but if the weather is ok, picnicing might even be ideal. Needless to say, all recommendations are welcome. Cheers!

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Maui Dining

We are also going to visit Maui in May, and would love recommendations. As Bill Hunt mentioned, we are staying in Kapalua

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Margaret Palca Rugelach

ahh yes, we're on a bit of a margaret palca kick here it seems...went there at opening this morning and had a fresh blueberry muffin. amazing stuff...agreed re: best in the neighb, at least based on this experience.

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Korean in Cobble Hill

ha! i've always been curious as I've noticed the sign outside advertising the bi bim bap...so it's good?

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Margaret Palca Rugelach

Just wanted to give our nearby bakery a shout-out, as I just ate one of their delicious rugelach--I think it might be up there in the top 5 of the city. Fantastic if that is what you're looking for (apricot, specifically) :)
Their rolls are also great, the rest of the stuff is fine, but if you want wow, the rugelach is where it's at.

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Margaret Palca Bakes
191 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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Hibino vs. Osaka in Cobble Hill/CG?

Went with Hibino and was very happy I did--the fish was great--not rubbery, tasted fresh, and the appetizers were stand-out. Many levels above Osaka, which isn't bad, but as you guys mention, just very eh.

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Hibino
333 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

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My mom's 60th birthday...intimate lunch...recommendations?

OK, so we went to La Grenouille and dined on the second floor--we actually all had the $32 3 course meal (chef's choice--we had no choice) offered for some reason only on the second floor, and it was lovely--my brother and I were picking it up, and I think my mother wanted to order frugally and my brother and I don't exactly make a lot of money, hence our choice, and my decision not to splurge on the souffle for either dessert or first course (the cheese souffle--some other special occasion hopefully!)

First of all, the waiters highly recommended this less expensive meal which was the cheapest option, and that speaks to what was a full 2 hours of overall impeccable, extremely gracious service.

And the second floor--wow! Absolutely stunning--maybe the most beautiful restaurant based on this alone. It actually has a sort of "secret" entrance behind the coat check, and all of a sudden you feel like you've been whisked away to another time, age of innocence area, private dining hall. Gorgeous.

The food itself was lovely--a first course pork terrine, served with all kinds of accoutrements that went very well with it, followed by a real *wow* bass--cooked perfectly, served with rhubarb over what I believe was farro (?), ended with a lovely nut-filled nougat glace. then there were lots of little sweet "treats" from the kitchen, beyond the little cookie selection served at the end.
Might be one of the best deals if you can handle losing your choice to the chef.

Really the perfect spot for my mother's 60th. Thank you all for your recommendations!

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La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

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Hibino vs. Osaka in Cobble Hill/CG?

HI all,

Craving some sushi for this evening. Thinking either Hibino or Osaka. I've been to Osaka and it's ok, but I was thinking of branching out, and Hibino looked good...

Thoughts anyone?

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Hibino
333 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Osaka
272 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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The roller coaster that was Le Bernardin- A mini novel

I had a very disappointing experience with LB about a year or so ago, but prior to that, I had an amazing experience, maybe 5 years ago. On both occasions I found the service to be impeccable actually. But...

The first time, the heavenly time, we did the 3 course menu, and did not go crazy with the wine--enough for a nice accompaniment with the food. I can say that it was one of the nicest dining experiences that I've had in NYC. Each dish was delicate, and a bit creative--perfect really.

The second time, because I was so excited by this earlier experience, my husband and I went all out with the tasting menu, complete with wine. I should preface this by saying that I am not a hardcore drinker, so perhaps this explains my experience--but...while the food and wine were lovely, the amount of food that came out with each wine glass was minimal--i know, this is what a tasting menu is all about--small plates of hopefully exquisite food, but the wine glasses were of course full, and the small amount of fish to go with each wine glass was not enough to offset the alcohol.

I mean, each course was MINIMAL. I was reaching for the bread basket like crazy in order to not get hammered, and I actually changed strategies and just stopped finishing my wine, causing our table to fill up with mostly full wine glasses.

I realize that some people would be fine with this--they might have a higher tolerance. But my husband was totally wasted by the end of the night as well, which was not a good sign. Obviously this is very subjective--maybe some people just have higher tolerance, but I tend to be ok when I've done this kind of thing elsewhere (granted, not seafood focused restaurants).

and again, I thought the food was still exquisite---just wondering if anyone else had this experience.

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My mom's 60th birthday...intimate lunch...recommendations?

ok, so we made a res for le grenouille...will let you know how it goes!

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My mom's 60th birthday...intimate lunch...recommendations?

Hi there! My brother and I are taking my mom to lunch for the big 6-0. Any recommendations for a really great lunch in Manhattan? It can be a little on the fancy schmancy side :)

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Croissants [split from Manhattan]

this is a random question that no one in switzerland that i've asked seems to be able to answer--what is the difference between the "gipfeli" in die Schweiz andthe french croissant? they look a little different--the gipfel is smaller. i'm thinking maybe something about richness (that is, the french croissant seems more buttery)

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Dessert after performance at BAM

Any suggestions? Something really nearby as my parents are meeting us, and they are not one for walking long distances (long=well, probably more than 5 minutes away)

It'll be around 9:30 pm or so.

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9-D in Carroll Gardens

I agree with missmasala for the most part, although i think it depends on what you want---

i think ghang thai on court (not sure of the smith st location) has really nice tom yum soup--it's spicy and they serve an entree size with rice noodles. sometimes that is all i want to eat for lunch, especially in the winter.

but...

i love that nine-d has a great dry curry--it can pack some heat if you want that, but don't want the heaviness that comes with a regular curry sauce...

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Must-tries we haven't tried in bococa/red hook/park slope/fort greene area?

what about Grocery?

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Must-tries we haven't tried in bococa/red hook/park slope/fort greene area?

Hi all--so my brother in law is in from london, we were able to score a babysitter for saturday night for a few hours, and are looking to go out for a nice, baby-free meal to celebrate his visit...nearbyish, to make the most of our time.

but, we are thinking, let's do something new for us. there are definitely lots of places we haven't been to, and of course some new openings (new for us=last few years, sadly). any recommendations?

we love, but have already been to seersucker, lucali, frankie's, buttermilk (frankie's is a bit of a trusty standby as far as we're concerned--always delicious).

any places we need to get our collective a**es to? we are pretty open re: cuisine, although we just had lucali, so no pizza.

-a tired mom already looking forward to a quiet meal

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Searching for a great croissant - my report

i've been reading this with special interest as i've gone out of my way to get the pain au chocolat at Ceci-Cela on a few occasions...which i love...and I have not had better in nyc. I actually find it really buttery, but maybe that's just me (buttery in a good way)

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Ceci-Cela
55 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

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Decent brunch places in the west 70s without a wait? HELP!!!

Hi all-

my better half is running the marathon this year, as he has in years past. the one thing that matters for our post marathon brunch/lunch? food...fast! we don't live on the upper west side, so this usually ends up meaning...restaurant. but.

the marathon is on sunday every year, and sunday usually means, long waits at the big places.

so i'm looking for a restaurant which serves either normal brunch/pasta but is not a hotspot--aka we'd get a table easily at 1230/1. a decent, under the radar dependable place.

it doesn't need to be amazing. just good, and fairly simple and easy-going.

any recommendations would be much appreciated!! cheers

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Kitchenaid Pro or Kitchenaid Artisan Mixer?

Hi there--so my husband's birthday is coming up, and since he's our devoted home chef, I thought I'd get him a refurbished kitchenaid (he's also really into style and design, so it's a great little piece for him. He's really into bread baking,but also into experimenting with desserts, etc.

Anyway, there is the very stylish Artisan but there is of course, also the pro. Anyone out there have any advice about which one is better? Esp keeping in mind the bread dough etc. Cheers!

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El Pollito Mexicano @ 5th and Sterling - park slope

i'm happy that i wasn't the only one that noticed this. i actually wasn't entirely convinced that this hadn't been the case for a while and i just didn't notice...
i'm assuming this is the same crew as the el pollitos down the street...either way, the place was totally full last night

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Kevin's of Red Hook

Would also like to vouch for the amazing deliciousness of Kevin's pancakes...but the warm spinach salad w. poached egg and Eggs Chesapeake are also delicious. And all the dishes are under $10 (the pancakes are a reasonable $7). the waitress even brought out some complimentary cinnamon dusted apples with yoghurt for everyone this morning! Very friendly service too...I think it would be hard to go wrong if you want some brunch and live in carroll or red hook...and also, as mentioned...stumptown brew!

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Vinegar Hill House - Review

I suppose I will offer another review for those perusing these boards, as we finally tried Vinegar Hill House last night. Monday night around 8--happily no wait, likely due to the day of the week, although there were only a few tables vacant. The atmosphere is, as many have commented, extremely nice. All wood and soft lights...probably a great date place for this reason...homey, romantic/stylish ambiance.

On to the drink...one, the beer list is fairly priced (sick of spending $7 or $8 on a Stella bottle at a restaurant) and includes a couple mass market brands, a couple smaller breweries. My husband had 2 different red wines by the glass, both of which he thought were very good, although expect a relatively small glass (and for this reason, if you are with a party that includes more than one wine drinker, i'd go with a bottle. they have an extensive wine list).

And of course, the food!, most important (with a note of caution: the whole menu changes frequently apparently, so dishes are likely to be different depending on the night, so some of this review may be helpful, some of it less so):

1) we're bread eaters, and we were a little dismayed at the lack of starter bread...i know this is not a big deal for many, and i know that some even ignore bread when it is served, but this place somehow seemed to scream out "good bread from a good local bakery" and yet, it wasn't there. just a note.
2) for a starter we shared the pea shoot ravioli starter...while it was tasty, it was certainly not amazing, and if you get some good ravioli from Caputo's in CG or some of the other local Italian specialty shops and serve them in butter sprinkled with good parmesan, you are likely to be able to do this at home, easily.
but most importantly, there were FIVE raviolis on this dish, priced at $11 (!) If either of us had ordered this as an entree, we would have been severely disappointed at the value/size of this dish.I've heard similar critiques about their other pasta dishes (in regards to size). So this is a word of caution: don't order the pasta, as an entree especially. this is unfortunate as it's the only vegetarian option on the menu--so if you are vegetarian, or are dining with vegetarians, probably best to avoid VH...
especially because:
3) The meat dishes are delicious and very generous in size. My husband had the pork chop, and commented that it was the best pork dish he had ever eaten...I tried it as well, and it was extremely tasty. This makes me think that if there is pork on the menu, you probably can't go wrong as I'm pretty sure they are sourcing the pork from a specific farm/supplier. The meat was tender, sweet, etc. I had the much-discussed chicken, which was very tasty, as commented above, had a vinegary taste to it which I liked, and good value at $14. However, the pork dish was the real winner.

We did not get any desserts, so I cannot comment about them, although they LOOKED pretty nice, homey, not too fancy (which is a positive in my world).

So in total, VH is a good addition to the neighborhood, and a great place to take people from out of town (provided they eat meat!!) due to the very specific cozy atmosphere inside (there's also a nice garden out back, good for the upcoming summer). Just a few caveats to keep in mind s'all.

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Damascus- Not Just a Bakery Anymore

I have to sing the praises of one item at damascus that is not mentioned here--their SPINACH PIES! a great snack or a light lunch if you're in the area, and they will warm them up for you. A flatish doughy triangle the size of a large hand with wonderful spinach inside. I also love their tabouleh and hummos (and of course pita)...plus the guy who is behind the counter is friendly and calculate your bill in his head in a flash.

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Roebling Tea Room Review + Photos

Went to Roebling for dinner last night. Was an all in all good meal, not great--the highlight was a fish sandwich which was a special of the evening. the scallops were good, although the scallops at dumont are better, and the corn/zucchini fritters that came with them were very, very good, as was the dessert that my companion and i shared-peach crisp. The one thing i took issue with was the cheese plate. The portions of each cheese was ridiculously meager for the price--about the size of a sample of cheese you might have in a cheese shop before buying! There were only 2 cheeses of this size, with some fig jam, and the price tag was $10!
however, other than that, a good neighborhood place, and the rest of the menu was much more reasonable.

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The Chocolate Room: Transcendent

I will throw in my hat as a big fan of the Chocolate Room. Honestly though, I've had trouble getting past the chocolate sorbet. If you are a dark chocolate person, it's really the best option out there-tastes just like a melted, cool bar of high quality dark.
It's actually getting to a point of obsession-the Chocolate Room is so close to home, and on a hot summer day...
i did however manage to try the chocolate chip cookies as well and found them also very, very good. I'm a bit of a chocolate fiend, and this is probably the best addition to the neighborhood in a long time.

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Freiburg-the basics, the necessities

Hi all..am going to be doing an intensive language study in freiburg over the summer. I was wondering if anyone had a few tips on good cafes, bakeries, beer gartens (although apparently wine is the thing there, so wine bars as well of course), and regular restaurants...i hear there is a nice farmer's market on the weekend...any help would be appreciated!!

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