BklnChicken's Profile
Tasty food; teeny portions
The Chicken family ate at Rucola tonight, a brand new Italian eatery in Boerum Hill. Everything about it was teeny except for the taste, which was big and bold. The tables were teeny, the space is pretty teeny (in a cozy way), the menu was teeny (3 appetizers and 4 entrees), much of the food ended in -tini, and, unfortunately, the portions were teeny. Very teeny. My children would have been content with the portion size, but since they split a plate, and Mr. Chicken and I each had only one plate, we all left hungry.
The chicks and I had an assertively flavored bucatini, with a lovely tomato, basil, olive, and sardine sauce ($12). The sauce was chunky and flavorful. Mr. Chicken had the rigatontini (I think), which was lovely with cheesy-creamy sauce and pretty stripes of chard ($14). (Other entree options were a whole fish "for two" and a pork chop.) We ordered the rice pudding to split four ways for dessert, and while the pudding itself was bland and overly chilled, the rhubarb compote and whipped cream made it a nice finish. It was actually pretty good sized. Everybody got a few spoonfuls.
Still, we were hungry. I feel like a hypocrite for complaining about portion size, when so many American restaurants serve entrees that would serve an extended family in Hyderbad. But still.
As an aside, perhaps unworthy of Chowhound, many Boerum Hill restaurants seem so surprised by the presence of children. My dears, that's who lives here. You are a neighborhood restaurant, and people *will* bring their children. It's up to you whether you want to provide a children's menu, but I would. Until 6:30. At which point no soup for you! Only high-priced, heavily spiced, grownup food. As a parent, I want only reasonable accomodation.
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Rucola
190 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Hot cocoa with a little extra kick?
Maybe The Chocolate Room does this? Anyway, their spicy hot chocolate is divine. It's like a meal.
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Chocolate Room
269 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Buying Bone Marrow for cooking
Call Los Paisanos. That might be a specialty order.
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Paisanos Meat Market
162 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
SF Hound coming to Brooklyn for long weekend
An excellent MIddle Eastern restaurant is Bedouin Tent, on Atlantic Avenue near Bond Street. Fun middle-eastern groceries are at Sahadi's, further west on Atlantic Avenue between Court and Clinton. Sahadi's is closer to the aforementioned Fountain Cafe and Fattoush, which are very good middle eastern restaurants, too. It's closed on Sundays.
This part of Brooklyn is known for its Italian. Frankie's Spuntino on Court near 4th is very sceney with food that ranges from fab to OK. For more consistently fab, Al di La on 5th Avenue & Carroll Street (Park Slope) is great food No reservations at either place, so show up early or be prepared to wait. They are not so cheap, either, although if you skip wine you can keep it to a reasonable cost. Other restaurants of this kind include Bino (Smith Street) and Fornino (Park Slope, right by Al di La). Others can probably fill out this list.
For bagels, an interesting choice might be Mile End, on Hoyt Street between Atlantic & Pacific (Boerum Hill). They import their bagels from Montreal, and they are supposed to be special, although I've never had one. Check the website -- they might have to be special ordered and I think they have them only on Saturdays. Mile End also makes Montreal-style pastrami and "smoked meat," which are deservedly praised. No reservations. Long line. Cheapish.
Since you are from San Fran, you can skip Alma. You didn't come here to eat Mexican, anyway. Enjoy! Mangia!
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Bino
276 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Sahadi's
187 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Bedouin Tent
405 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Mile End
97 Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Fornino
256 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
The Burger needs a bun,Got ideas?
The pretzel bun at Building on Bond. Mmmm tasty. And I'm with Jeff. It's gotta be warm.
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Building on Bond
112 Bond St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Boerum Hill hiker
Frankie's is a Brooklyn Italian experience. Court Street & 4th Place (I think). It's neighboring offshot, Prime Meats, is darn good, too.
For superb food that got a Michelin star, splurge a little and go to Saul, on Smith near Bergen.
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Prime Meats
465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Cafe luluc -- fresh Smith Street horrors
I can't speak to the OP's specific experience at Luluc, but the notion of CH & CG being "among the worst restaurant nabes in NYC" is thoroughly exaggerated. I have lived here for 15 years, and when I first moved here there was nothing. Now we have Saul, Po (or whatever it's called now), Buttermilk Channel, Frankie's, Prime Meats, The Grocery, and others I cannot think of right off the bat. Yes, there are mediocre places that are all about atmosphere with food as an afterthought, but there are many places like that throughout NYC, no?
It's fair to share a specific experience and to trash a restaurant that deserves it, but let's keep some perspective. There are many food wastelands in NYC, but CH & CG are not among them.
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Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Prime Meats
465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Broken English?
I was very underwhelmed by Broken English. My indifferently prepared pasta (rigatoni with sauce) was indifferently piled on my plate.
Based on my experience and that of Eat It, Broken English does not seem to be in the same ballpark as Lunetta or Noodle Pudding.
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Noodle Pudding
38 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Broken English
68 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dine after Brooklyn Boulders
We have received a gift certificate to Brooklyn Boulders to auction off for a charity. We'd like to pair it with a local restaurant that "fits" the punky, adventure ambience of Brooklyn Boulders. We could go to 5th Avenue or Smith Street or points in between. (Brooklyn Boulders is at Douglass & 3rd Avenue.)
Our thoughts were Char 44, Clover Cafe or Broken English (Smith Street) or Fornino (5th Avenue). Any opinions on those or other suggestions?
TIA!
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Fornino
256 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Broken English
68 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dinner for 18 on a Saturday night?
Honestly, finding a restaurant with high-quality "special" food that is also kid friendly is a pretty tall order. If the kids get fractious (which they likely will after about 20 minutes), no one is going to have a very special evening.
Downtown Atlantic in Brooklyn has a kid's menu (which includes their signature cupdakes), supplies crayons, is a fancyish environment (white tablecloth) and has decent food. They can accomodate your large party, too.
Wherever you go, I strongly suggest supplying the kids with activity & coloring books as well as plenty of crayons. Maybe a few little figurines, too.
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Downtown Atlantic
364 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Bluebird Tavern, VT gastropub
Mr. Chicken and I ate at Bluebird Tavern last week. For adventurous eaters with plenty of time to kill, we give it a thumbs up.
The food: The menu featured about 12 appetizers and 5 entrees. We ordered 5 appetizers to share. The best of them were the green bean salad (perfectly crisp-cooked yellow and green beans, cut to bite size, with a tarragon vinaigrette and soft cooked egg, plus 2 head-cheese croquettes) and the corn pudding with sauteed mushrooms and again a soft cooked egg. We also enjoyed the baby squash salad with goat cheese and a fried, stuffed squash blossom. Mr. Chicken loved the lamb meatballs, but I found them a bit gristly and with a whiff of that unpleasant muttony flavor. The only miss was the squid with chorizo. The squid was a little rubbery, but the main problems were the mismatched flavors & textures and too much salt. In general, all the dishes we had were somewhat oversalted.
For dessert we had fresh berries, lemon curd, and whipped cream served on a hot, lightly sweetened buttermilk biscuit. It was perfect.
To drink, I ordered an interesting-looking rose, and Mr. C ordered a local beer. The rose was beautiful, an unusual ruby color. The flavor wasn't particularly complex, but it was light and tasty.
We felt very full. In hindsight, 4 appetizers would have been plenty. The total bill was $80, which we felt was reasonable for the quality and obvious care that went into preparation.
The Service: Our waiter was friendly if not terribly polished. Our first two salad courses came out promptly, and our plates were cleared within a minute of finishing. Then we waited over 45 minutes for our second course, without ever seeing our waiter or hearing an explanation. After we finished our second course, we waited over 30 minutes for the final course of lamb meatballs. We never received an update, explanation, or apology. Dessert came in a reasonable amount of time, but the entire meal, start to finish, was 2 hours and 15 minutes. Bluebird Tavern is not for the time-challenged.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is a former Tortilla Flats and has an incongruous Mexican style. It overlooks the Winooski River and has plenty of screened in windows for an outdoor dining experience. The place is not formal at all (very Vermont, I guess). I was overdressed in a black sundress with jewelry.
To your health!
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Bluebird Tavern
Burlington, VT, Burlington, VT
Is it possible? A $70 per head restaurant/caterer for a wedding?
Think brunch. Or lunch. That will bring down your costs. Look for a place that doesn't normally do a big lunch or brunch business, so they'll be willing to negotiate.
Congratulations, and good luck!
Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill groceries/markets?
Oh, and for meat, Los Paisanos on Smith is a favorite. Staubitz on Court is also beloved.
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Paisanos Meat Market
162 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill groceries/markets?
The orange-awninged produce market next to Key Food has the best produce in that area. Reasonably priced, too. Key Food is not so nice, although fine for grocery store staples, I guess.
Fresh, soft, lovely pita can be had for a pittance at Damascus Bakery, on your way to Sahadi's.
As mentioned, Fish Tales is excellent, although not cheap.
If you want some fancy foods, Union Market, a short hike down Court Street, has a lot of great stuff.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
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Sahadi's
187 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Fish Tales
191 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Union Market
754 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Group dinner in Brooklyn?
Any particular area of Brooklyn? How big is your party? Any cuisine preferences?
Tamale ingredients near Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill?
I found masa harina in Union Market, of all places. I've sometimes seen tomatillos at Fast-n-Fresh Deli on Hoyt between Atlantic & State. They'll know where to find the rest of it there. It helps if you speak Spanish.
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Union Market
754 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Mussels in Brooklyn! Please....
Bar Tabac on Smith Street has some serviceable mussels.
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Bar Tabac
128 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Where to buy live lobsters (Brooklyn)?
Fish Tales has live lobsters. Doesn't it? Never the best prices, but consistently high quality and great service.
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Fish Tales
191 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
downtown brooklyn lunchtime burger round-up
If you are going to go all the way to Downtown Atlantic, you might want to check out the burgers at Building on Bond (Pacific & Bond). They are mixed with chorizo and super delicious. The place is lovely, with outdoor cafe seating.
And not a burger, but the smoked meat and pastrami sandwiches at Mile End on Hoyt between Atlantic & Pacific definitely greasy, meaty delights. Seating can be challenging, but take it to go and make your officemates green with envy.
These are a bit far for jury duty, but great for longish lunches.
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Downtown Atlantic
364 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Building on Bond
112 Bond St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Mile End
97 Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Lookin' to do a little foodie field trip
A Smith Street crawl should do you for. Very good Italian and American restaurants, plus good bars. F to Carroll or Bergen.
Carroll Gardens vs. Cobble Hill CSA (Brooklyn)
All CSAs are run by volunteers. They're diligent, but they'll get to ya' when they get to ya'. Good luck!
Dinner certificate for new parents - Cobble Hill
Very decent, but too far. You want only Cobble Hill restaurants. I would say Henry's End is too far, too.
May I make a different suggestion? As someone with two children, dining out wasn't on my personal menu for a few months after giving birth. Prepared food to eat in very much was. Maybe you could get a gift certificate to Union Market, a gourmet grocery store with a lot of delicious-looking prepared foods, centrally located in Cobble Hill. Here's the website with a phone number: http://www.unionmarket.com/stores/court-street.html
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Henry's End
44 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Union Market
754 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
What Brooklyn dinner experience (tomorrow night!) will persuade my wife to move there with me?
Congrats! Welcome to Brooklyn, Mrs. rottenherring!
What Brooklyn dinner experience (tomorrow night!) will persuade my wife to move there with me?
Agree with JimmyJazz. If you do Frankie's or Prime Meats, stroll up Court Street afterwards for some chocolate goodies at The Chocolate Room. You can do the same thing after dinner at Al Di La on Fifth Avenue. Excellent Italian + toothsome chocolate = swooning wife. IMO, Court Street is a more pleasant walk than Fifth Avenue, but not everyone may agree.
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Al Di La
248 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Chocolate Room
269 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Prime Meats
465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Looking for Meat or Poultry CSA
The Cobble Hill CSA has a meat "farmer." Jay Dines, of Dines Farms, sells delicious meats outside the Cobble Hill CSA pick up site (Christ Church at Kane & Clinton) on Tuesday afternoons during the season, which is May through December, and in front of Ted & Honeys on, I think, Thursdays. Unlike other CSA products, Dines Farms sells a la carte to non-CSA members. See www.cobblehillcsa.org for more information.
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Ted & Honey
264 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes?
I'm a big fan of the Muir Glen crushed tomatoes, too. You can also buy them at Met Food on Smith (yes, there's food in there -- who knew?) and Fresh Direct.
San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes?
Union Market on Court might have them.
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Union Market
754 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Help! Celiac in Park Slope!
I did some research on this for my visiting sister with Celiac Disease. Some random information:
There is a gluten-free bakery at 3rd and Carroll. Google it. You order in advance, mostly.
There are a couple well-respected gluten-free restaurants in Manhattan. I got my sis and her boyfriend a gift certificate to the Italian one in the Village (really!), and they reported it was excellent.
I also got her some gluten-free bread at Trader Joes, and she said it was the best she'd ever had. I see a lot of gluten-free products at TJs, so that will be a good resource for you.
Here's hoping you feel better soon!
Looking for Apple Cider Donuts
A couple farmers at the Boro Hall Green Market sell apple cider donuts. They aren't fresh, but they're pretty good.
For a fun trek, you can visit Wilklow Orchards, outside of New Paltz, and have freshly fried and sugared donuts in the orchard where the apples were picked.
