Matt M.'s Profile
NYC best ethnic breakfast ???
Better than any places in Flushing, although outside NYC, is Petite Soo Chow in Cliffside Park, NJ. It's just 5-10 minutes from the GWB. Great authentic northern Chinese breakfast on the weekends, with the star being the made to order soup dumplings. They also have larger fried pork dumplings. They have hand pressed soy milk dishes, Chinese bread (like a cruller), egg and chive in a bun, and countless other dishes. While they have standard American-Chinese dishes, I would pass on all of them and order their dishes, which are all very unique. I've not seen them in any other restaurant. Try the spicy beef with buns, shredded chicken on scallion pancakes, and on and on.
Bare Burger (Park Slope)
I'm so glad you said that about Five Guys. so many people raved about this place to us. When they finally opened on Court Street we tried them out. I thought they tasted OK; certainly not the earth shattering experience described to me. More disappointing were the fries, which were almost soggy (certainly had no crisp to them).
Fiorentino's on Avenue U
I haven't been there in a few years, but we used to frequent Maria's and never had a bad meal there.
For the original poster - there are plenty of good Italian places left in Brooklyn.
Any Suggestions for Group of 14 in Long Island City or Astoria?
Rich - Actually he posted the correct name and location for Manducati's Rustica. It is the daughter, I believe, of the owners of the original Manducati's, which I think moved to this new location.
Either way, I highly recommend it. I will second (or third) Riverview in LIC and also recommend L'Incontro in Astoria.
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Trattoria L'Incontro
21-76 31st St, Queens, NY 11105
Manducatis
13-27 Jackson Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Riverview
2-01 50th Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Lilla cafe
I love that the menu is updated frequently for fresh, seasonal ingredients and dishes, in addition to daily specials. This place is truly a gem.
Best thin cripsy crust pizza in sheepshead/gravesend area
I would recommend Delmars on Sheepshead Bay Road above all else in that area.
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Delmar Pizzeria
1668 Sheepshead Bay Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11235
Lilla cafe
I have to say, after about 6 more trips to Lilla over the last few months, we are still very happy. We haven't had a bad meal yet. The menu is very seasonal, which is nice. The service is super attentive and nice. The space is nicely done; it is relaxing and homey. I hope this place has staying power because we love it.
Caselnova - Columbia Street
I have to say, we were very excited to see Caselnova open. We had been anticipating the opening since we saw them doing work in the old 2fifteen Cucina space on Columbia Street. This week was the grand opening and we were not disappointed.
The food seems to be all family recipes. Everything is fresh and delicious. The service is absolutely wonderful. And, the space was really transformed into a lovely, homey place. It sounds corny, but can really feel the love in the food and atmosphere.
We had a very refreshing Caesar salad and a house salad with a nice light red pepper dressing. Both hit the spot. For entrees we had chicken scapariella and the pork tenderloin. The chicken was in a nice light sauce and the skin was beautifully crisped. The pork was tender and delicious in a vinegared sauce. A nice touch was complimentary glasses of wine because they are awaiting their liquor license. Our son had a very tasty pizza with delicious, fresh sauce and fresh mozzarella and we all enjoyed a side of very tasty and tender meatballs.
The homemade tiramisu (all the desserts are homemade) was so light and delicious. I am not always a fan of tiramisu, but this one won me over. The chef/owner also stopped by two times and couldn't have been any nicer. We look forward to many more visits here,.
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Caselnova
215 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Lilla cafe
We finally made it there. The Amish chicken is one of the finest roasted chicken dishes I've ever had. Everything else was very good and the staff couldn't be more friendly and helpful if they tried.
Lilla cafe
We were sad when Korhogu closed on Union Street (bet. Hicks and Columbia) about a year ago. Finally, a new place opened in the space called Lilla Cafe. It looks very nice and has a nice, but somewhat limited menu. We didn't get a chance to try it this weekend. Did anyone? It was completely empty on Saturday at about 6 PM when we passed by, with the waitress waiting at the door looking a little too eager.
I think some kind of opening party or fanfare may have been needed. One day it was papered up and the next they were just opened for business.
Lunetta - telling it like it is
We went months ago as well and had a similar experience/opinion. The prices were high for the portions served, location, etc. The service was slow and bad and some food on a night they weren't even particularly busy came out warm at best. It was a bad enough experience with other nice options around to not return.
Ultimate Burgers and Dogs- A treasure in the old Chicory space
We finally got around to trying this place this past weekend. I didn't they know they opened until recently. First, their burgers are fantastic. We tried both turkey and beef. Both were hand seasoned patties. You can see them in the refrigerated case; these are not frozen generic patties. Their toppings are all fresh. It seems to me that they make all their items themselves, right down to the tater tots and onion rings (both were very good). The dogs and mac and cheese were equally good as well. This is a place we will be going to often, probably replacing a lot of the orders from Cobble Grill.
Terrible experience at Petite Soo Chow
I have a problem with this on a few levels. First of all, this is a place to go to for more authentic Chinese food; better than most NYC Chinatown places. Ordering General Tso's Chicken defeats the purpose. That is an Americanized Chinese dish and truly a waste in a gem like Petite Soo Chow.
Second of all, you admitted you didn't speak to someone in charge. If you are not satisfied in a restaurant, you need to voice your displeasure.
Third of all, you say you are a regular and then base your "quality is going down" comment on one dining experience? That doesn't sit well with me. To comment on a places quality being in decline, at least base it on more than one visit. It is always possible to be at a place on an off night, when the regular chef is out, etc.
I'd like to add it is very possible you did order the wrong dish. General Tso's Chicken is generally not the best pieces of chicken to begin with. It is more dark meat with a little more fat to them to begin with. Maybe you have oredered their house special chicken in the past. That is all white meat and outstanding.
Pettie SooChow- Cliffside Park-Closed?
They are very much open and as great as ever. From the little I gathered, it sounds very much like they were actually victims of a Board of Health shakedown.
Best SLICE in BoCoCA/RH
My first choice is House of Pizza and Calzones on Union/Columbia. My Little Pizzeria has good slices on Court and State. World Pie is pretty good as is V&R. Sals is OK. It's not great, but it's never bad.
trattoria lincontro 1st Timer
I've been there a few times and I don't think we had anything off the regular menu yet. Every time they've had so many wonderful specials that we've opted for. I haven't had even a good meal there...everything has been EXCEPTIONAL, including the service.
I've done DiFara's but who is #2
For my money, I don't even think DiFara's is the best in NYC. I'd go to John's on Bleeker. DiFara's was very good, but the 2 + hour wait and the price seriously detracted from the pizza for me. I enjoyed watching Dom prepare the pie and trim the fresh basil, etc. But, 2 hours for pizza isn't worth it for me. On top of that, I seriously enjoy my pies at John's better. Di Faras is very good; I'm just not of the school that bows down to Dom as a god.
For a similar pie to DiFara's, I'll add another vote for Lucali. It's not as good, but it's not that far off.
Lucali is a Tourist Trap.
Tourist trap? I'm not so sure about that. It still seems to be a local-centric place, for one. Is it expensive compared to a mom & pop pizzeria? Yes. But, it is also using much, much higher quality ingredients. I live in the area and I have yet to find a local pizzeria that consistently makes a really good pie, let alone anything close to Lucali's quality and taste. If you are looking for a thicker, doughier pizza from a pizzeria, this is not it. But, it's not supposed to be and it is better than that.
Once, the original poster knocked Katz' as well, I seriously questioned his/her taste to begin with. I have eaten in many Jewish deli's. No pastrami or corned beef have ever come anywhere close to what Katz' makes and slices for you. They are simply amazing, with no peers. Yes, they are expensive, but delis sandwiches are expensive in and of themselves. Katz' is more expensive. You are paying for their top quality, house cured and cooked meats. I would not choose any deli anywhere over Katz' for a pastrami sandwich.
Calexico in Brooklyn
We tried it within the first couple of weeks of their long anticipated opening and were disappointed. We tried to chalk most of our disappointment up initially to the tantrum our son had that cut the evening short. However, when we looked back we were left wondering why it took so long to open a space with no table service and a relatively short menu. The taco and birrito we had were good, but not the amazing fare we were expecting based on the hype. The salad and guacamole were both pretty good though.
We finally gave it another try the other night and that will probably be it for us. For one thing, the counter opnly service makes the dining area cramped and chaotic more often than not. Who really wants to be sitting and eating with a line of people snaking around them and staring? A 15-20 minute wait is common for orders, but why? Now, on to the food. It was again good, but nothing special. My wife and I both found ourselves with heartburn shortly after finishing our meal and woke up the next morning with heartburn still lingering. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me...We will not be returning for a 3rd time.
Report on Jay and Lloyd's Deli
For my money, the best sandwiches at a Brooklyn deli are Lou's (I think that's the name) on Ave. P, near McDonald Ave. Their sides are not great, but the sandwiches are.
DiFara Price Hike
Yes, I had read about the wait before in other threads. However, 2 hours was not the common wait.
DiFara Price Hike
Sorry, but $25 for a plain pie is no bargain. Yes, it's very good. But, you can also get a lot of very good pies for less than $20 throughout NYC.
DiFara Price Hike
I have a few thoughts on this. I've read most of the responses here and don't like the cavalier attitude by many. First of all, when I went about a month ago for the first time, I thought $4 for a slice had to be a mistake. I find that obnoxious and disgusting, regardless of the price for a pie or the reasoning. Now, to charge $5 is even worse.
Second of all, as I said, this my long anticipated first trip. I waited 2 hours for my pie. I'm sorry, but no pizza is worth a 2 hour wait. The pie was very good and it was a great experience to watch Dom make it. But, both my wife and I agreed that it may not have even been the best we've ever had and I think the wait may have detracted for us. Some people really need to get off their high horses about this place. It's f-ing pizza.
Third, a lot of pies (more than half) were coming out burnt. Every single square pie came out burnt. The smoke was unbearable in there. I'm glad I finally tried it, as i did enjoy it and I've been reading about it here for so long I felt it was a necessity. But, now that I've gotten it out of my system, I'll be more than happy to pass on the 2 hour line and I sure as Hell am never spending upwards of $5 for a slice.
Piccola Venezia, L'Incontro, Manducatis, or Manetta?
We've only been to the first two on your list and our opinion is L'Incontro and it's not even close. The food, atmosphere, and servie are all worlds better. Piccola is dated.
Lunetta Disappointment
Admittedly, it has been a while since we have been to Lunetta. But, our experience was much the same. The room was cold when we were there. The service was nice, but spotty. The food was good, but not hot. We also walked away with the feeling that we spent too much money on unsatisfying portions. That is the main reason we haven't been back. There are too many options for good food in all the surrounding neighborhoods to overspend in one restaurant.
Boerum Hill Food Company closed
Of all the vacancies you mentioned, it seems only the space at Caffe Carciofo is being worked on. But, there are no details over what restaurant is moving in.
Trader Joe's Brooklyn?
Personally, I don't see anything spectacular about the individual products Trader Joes has to warrant such hype. But, a big reason I think I will end up there over some of the other local markets is price. For the same brand and size of bread, milk, cereal, and some other products, the Trader Joes price was anywhere from $0.50 to $2.00 cheaper. That adds up in a hurry, especially in this economy. What's more, they have some products from their own brand that match favorably to more commercial brands. One example is their brown rice pasta, which compares in terms of quality and taste to Tinkyada. But, Trader Joes' brand is I think $2.00 cheaper.
The Chocolate Room: Transcendent
We've only tried a box of assorted chocolates so far. They were great; a very interesting and delicious variety.
By comparison, has anyone tried the new extension of Sweet Melissa's (I forget the name) with icecream and the like?
Lucali: Good, not Great Pizza
We thought the pizza there was very good. All ingredients were tasty and fresh and the crust was perfectly charred. But, I also highly recommend the calzones. Same fresh ingredients; they are a can't miss.
Olive Vine- Carroll Gardens
We ordered from there a couple of weeks ago and were very unimpressed. I agree about the babaganoush being too smokey. Also, the lamb sausage and falafal were mediocre and the salad uninspired.
