JenMarie66's Profile
Brunch spots in Park Slope?
Palo Santo is great. Love their brunch & it's usually not too crowded. I find the Get Fresh brunch food really skimpy. Maybe I just hit them on a bad day. I think Stone Park is excellent for brunch & I like that you can make a reservation (man I hate those long brunch lines/scrums). I've heard good things about Fonda, but haven't been yet.
Great new Indian restaurant in Park Slope
I preferred it to Kinara, though I haven't eaten Kinara food for a while -- I really burnt out on it. The curries at Balaka seemed less greasy than Kinara's (again, it's been a while). And I liked their flavors. They would probably make them spicy on request.
Great new Indian restaurant in Park Slope
I had dinner there last night & thought it was excellent. Had different kinds of curries -- one with goat, one with shrimp, one with lamb -- all delicious. Great, sweet service, too. And they're BYOB for now so we brought a nice wine & had a super cheap meal. I'm definitely glad Balaka is there now.
Delicious Brunch at Get Fresh
Just had a really disappointing brunch at Get Fresh. Nice space, great service, but the brunch items were so stingy it made me downright blue. And and an egg sandwich was further marred by being cooked over-hard instead of over-easy. Too bad -- I had heard good things. But there are too many other great brunch options nearby where they get the eggs & the portions right (and I'm not someone who wants a trough of food on my brunch plate -- I just don't want to leave hungry).
Has anyone tried Ten Sushi, new to Park Slope
I'm very happy about this place. While it doesn't qualify as a "holy crow that's good sushi" sort of joint, I've had delivery from them 4 times and it's quite a bit better than the other options in the nabe. I also found out they'll make brown rice sushi (I know I know -- sushi purists, please give me a pass on this) and they do a really nice job of it. If you think of this as a delivery place or neighborhood spot rather than a top-of-the line place, you may be as glad as I am that they're here now.
Brooklyn restaurant with tranquil garden, good drinks ...
Frankies 457 on Court (check to make sure they're not using the garden for a private party).
I'm also a fan of Franny's (though a lot of folks who post here are not).
I really love the garden (& most food) at Fez on PPW, but they only serve beer & limited wine selection.
Moroccan in Windsor Terrace
I ate at Fez last night and, since I posted long ago about my disappointing 1st meal, wanted to mention how great my dinner experience was last night. It was a perfect night to sit in the garden, which is really charming. We started with a mixed plate of humus, grape leaves, tabouleh, beet salad, baba ghanoush & all were very nice. Also had a good simple salad and surprisingly great crab cakes. Then a chicken couscous & lamb tangine, also quite nice. I can't say the food truly blew us away, but we sat and ate and drank wine (they sell beer & wine though you can probably still byob for a better selection) for 3 hours with really sweet service in a great garden. For a Sat. night in Brooklyn, it's hard to beat that.
Best sub sandwiches
I like United heros* much better. Best way to order: pick the bread you want from the small pile near the garlic & hand it to one of the counter guys & tell them what you'd like in your sandwich. One of the big Italian loaves makes 2 pretty big heros, but if you're sandwiching alone, they'll split the loaf for you & just make one. I haven't ordered a classic loaded Italian hero from them (I assume they can do them) but they make a great ham & cheese. For me, better than Terrace Bagels.
*(i grew up calling them subs, but I like to think of myself as multilingual when it comes to sandwich IDing, so I'll use heros)
Best sub sandwiches
United Meats on PPW in Windsor Terrace will make sandwiches on any of the bread they sell & one option is a nice, crusty Italian loaf (don't know where it comes from).
Franny's: Worthwhile?
I've had a couple nice experiences at Franny's (and I'm more of a poory-poor Windsor Terrace person than a richy-rich Park Sloper). I've always gone at off-hours with a few friends & we've always left happy (and un-rushed). I think Franny's was way over-hyped when it opened and so a lot of people who go assume they'll be having some transcendent experience and are, inevitably, disappointed. I happen to like their pizza, their garden, and their wine list a lot & I think it's worth a trip. Just remember it won't be a life-changing experience.
River Cafe- Romantic or Not?
i've only been to the river cafe once, but i wasn't that crazy about it: for me, there's a fakeness and/or stuffiness to the experience that's not so much "old world" (i love traditional, "old wold" restaurants) as "fancy cruise." the food was rich but felt pro-forma & kinda mass-produced. the atmosphere reminded me of a country club someone took me to as a kid.
the view is, indeed, unbeatable. but i'd feel more romantic taking a great picnic to the park between the bridges. or going to a place like Convivium.
Anything New in Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens?
Where is Hibino?
Also, I noticed a new place on the East side of 7th Ave. around 13th (?) St. Anyone know the place I'm thinking of and whether it's good?
Replying to OP w/out having to go back to top of page
thanks very much -- i was away and missed the relevant thread.
Replying to OP w/out having to go back to top of page
I've noticed that there's no longer an option to add a comment on the bottom of the thread; now you have to scroll back to the top and hit "reply" on the OP. It's more complicated & confusing and I believe the end result it that a lot of folks are inadvertently replying to the last post in the thread when they mean to reply to the OP. Would it be possible to get back the option at the bottom of the thread to add a comment? Why did you take it away?
Thanks.
Using my Italian tuna packed in Olive oil-recipe ideas
I think yours is similar to the Hazan recipe I mentioned above but I believe she 1st "melts" some anchovies in the oil (adds a great NON-fishy flavor), uses canned whole tomatoes instead of sauce, and lets it all cook longer.
(BTW, don't feel bad about where your reply is -- new formatting means you have to return to the top of the thread and reply to the original post which is confusing & frustrating. There are a whole lot of people making exactly your mistake.)
Favorite Pie Recipes that use a graham cracker crust.
my favorite w/ cookie crust is ice cream pie. specifically, coffee ice cream layered with hot fudge sauce (homemade hot fudge from the fannie farmer cookbook is recommended, but good store-bought will do). lemon sorbet pie w/ raspberry sauce isn't half bad, either.
Arugula/bitter greens for wimps?
i recently made pasta sauce by 1st sauteeing o.oil, garlic, chopped fresh tomatoes (& S&P) until tomatoes began to break down, then added a few handfuls of chopped arugula and some pasta water & cooked until greens were just wilted. tossed with short pasta & some parmesan & it was very nice (the greens are less peppery when cooked). you could mellow the taste even more by adding some cream or diced mozzarella or even a dollop of good whole milk yogurt (like La Fage) right at the end.
Using my Italian tuna packed in Olive oil-recipe ideas
Marcella Hazan has a really wonderful recipe for red pasta sauce that uses tuna packed in o.oil. i don't actually have it (somehow lost that cookbook) but it's really worth tracking down.
Share your favorite grilling meal
Steak, rubbed with garlic & seasoned well with salt & pepper
+ grilled asparagus
+ grilled bread topped with chopped tomato & basil, olive oil & garlic
(yes, I do love garlic)
Homemade kefta kebabs (these are actually incredibly easy) with pita, humus, & fatoosh salad
Buffets
I absolutely concur with ham idea. If you're up to it, make homemade biscuits (otherwise, buy some different options of breads & rolls). For a Southernish take, lentil or black bean or black eyed-pea salad would be a nice side with this. So would cooked greens like collards or mustard greens or creamed spinach.
Vegetable Roasting Revelation
In the last few weeks I have been roasting vegetables (asparagus, diced zucchini, green beans that I first toss with olive oil, S&P) in a very hot (500degree) oven. But here's the revelation -- I preheat the baking sheet in the oven and add the vegetables to the hot pan. Amazing! They cook in about 5 minutes (be sure and shake the pan once or twice while cooking) with crisp, blistered outside and firm inside. I guess this is a no-brainer (always heat a stove-top pan before adding ingredients, right?) and I'm sure many of you know this already. But it only recently (accidentally) occurred to me to preheat the pan for roasting. Thought I'd pass it along.
Best carrot cake in Bklyn?
i'm a big fan of Two Little Red Hens. i think their carrot cake is really good. and last summer, when I ordered a large (chocolate) birthday cake from them, they went all out to decorate it -- for the same $ they charge for the regular flowers, they created a theater-themed scene that looked great. cake tasted awesome & people at the bakery were very nice to work with. one small point -- i think they (like most bakeries) over-estimate how much cake you need. everyone had cake at the party and we still had about 1/2 V. big cake leftover.
Easy & Tasty Way to Cook Okra
"garlick-y tahini-yogurt-parsley sauce"
that sounds amazing -- how do you make it?
Easy & Tasty Way to Cook Okra
i make okra much like yours, but i sometimes add chickpeas for extra protein.
What to do with the chicken from the soup?
it would be good to use in a really flavorful chicken chili (flavors coming from the other ingredients, that is). i made a chili last night with bland roast chicken leftovers sauteed w/ onion, green pepper, carrot, celery, garlic, cumin, S&P; then added tomatoes, broth, some chipotles in adobo sauce, black beans & a little red wine vinegar. let it all simmer a while. added some scallion and chopped cilantro right at the end. easy, healthy & (no matter how bland the original chicken) tasty.
What goes well in an arugula salad? (And, what I tried that was great.)
i like arugula with thin-sliced red cabbage, thin-sliced red onion, crumbled feta & toasted peptitas. some fresh figs make a nice addition to this, also. use a simple vinaigrette made from o.oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, S&P.
Sidewalk dining: Park Slope
i like bar toto on warm evenings. quiet-ish corner, good burger, full bar... it's a nice place for a last-minute meet-up.
a little outside ps -- i'm looking forward to trying fez (on PPW) again in the coming months. their garden is a real sweetie.
Fun meals that kids can get involved in?
fondue (i absolutely loved it as a kid)
risotto (team effort: all the kids can take turns being the stirrer)
home made ice-cream (you get get ice-cream makers pretty cheap these days, let the kids come up with crazy flavors)
Pepitas
I love pepitas in winter salads (a favorite is red cabbage, watercress, scallion & a little feta). They're also great mixed into grain dishes like couscous salad or brown rice.
Best "I Can't Sleep" Food
warm milk with a nice slug of whiskey (or a small spoonful of honey, if you're a teetotaler or infant).
similar to above: a hot toddy (made with herbal tea)
just the right amount of leftover chinese food a(too much will give you restless sleep).
