Hey all,

Not sure if this is the right place to be asking such a question, but I'm gifting two bottles of really good wine to my friends for their wedding this weekend. I'd like to present them in a tasteful manner (not a brown paper bag...) and was wondering where I could find those fancy looking leather wine cases. Strapped or not, as long as it's quality made and looks good.

Thanks for your help!

Hey all,

Could someone please recommend a good bakery in the city or Queens that sells slider buns? You know, mini-burger buns.

Thanks!

Looks like there's a beer festival next month! I will try Captain Lawrence and all of the other breweries strutting their stuff in September! Woohoo!

100% with you on that. Bay Ridge is pretty hopeless when it comes to quality food for reasonable price. Take the R and head northbound.

Agreed that Brooklyn Brewery is no longer a microbrewery (or really a good one, to my taste). I'm no expert in the beer matters... could you please point me to a big handful of some of the best local microbreweries? I know Six Points... but that's about it.

Oooh, you know who has nice beer for great prices? It's further north of Park Slope, but Sheep Station has a nice selection of beers from all over the place and at $4/pint during happy hour, it's truly an undervalued gem. Might have heard of their poutine as well (featured in the Times quite a while back) but that's for another thread.

I have really been trying to find time to drop by Beer Table, but after seeing all these posts, I think I shall opt for a visit to good ol' Bierkraft.

My idea is that smaller tortillas cook faster so they can get you more in a timely manner (or that's just the theory... it took 20 minutes for a plate of tortillas last time I was there.) Also, the size might be for dining reason as well. My wife is Mexican and when we eat with her family, there's always a pile of tortilla at the table. It's usually the store bought type, since everyone in her family works and there's little time to prepare fresh tortillas. I noticed at my first meal that they use tortillas as a utensil. They tear it into quarters, fold the pointed end (center piece) in, and grab the meat, rice and beans into the tortilla. I'm guessing this is easier done with a small 2-inch tortilla without all the tearing.

Those are just my two theories. At least Palo Santo's tortillas are homemade and pretty darn good, no matter what the size.

Oof. Sorry to hear that. I've been to Palo Santo a handful of times and yea, I've noticed that their service is ridiculously slow. It's possible that the place is too big for the kitchen to handle. Perhaps the cold dish cook ran out of his prep? I don't know. I remember it took them 20 minutes to bring me tortillas, so I feel you. I'm going back there this Friday at 8:30... prime time! :) I hope things have been kicked into fast forward since the last time we've been there. I'll report back.

Oh! Broadway Panhandlers! Good idea. I'll call them tomorrow morning.

Yes. The one with the extremely rude and Nazi-esque staff and owner. If the store wasn't so great, I'd never shop there. Unfortunately, I don't know of any better pastry arts supply stores. And they don't have pie tins, unfortunately.

Hey everyone,

My wife and I want to bake some mini pies for this weekend but we're having a hard time finding 5" pie tins... we tried NY Cake & Bake and Bowery @ Chelsea Market, but no luck at either locations. Does anyone know where we can buy 5" tins in the city (or Brooklyn, even)?

Thanks in advance!

I'm looking to cook a rib roast for the holiday and seeing as how I've never really made one before, I don't know where to get a decent rack of ribs and how much it'll cost me.

I'm not asking for the high end butchers because I won't be able to afford it. A good neighborhood butcher or even one of the chain markets (Fairway et al) is what I'm aiming for. Any suggestions and an idea of how much it goes for per pound?

Thanks in advance.

Try the Wine board... I know there's a few coveted Australian wineries out there... but it's been a long time since I've looked into it, so my knowledge is lacking.

Sit outside or in the fridge? This sounds very interesting and delicious (and easy to do...) Is there a specific type of smoked Polish sausage that I should look for?

Whoa... $3/tamale? That is ridiculous. I don't remember it being that expensive, but maybe it was right before the closed. Ah well. If you want good authentic Mexican, try the little shop on Fort Hamilton Parkway and 70th. They have great tacos, cemitas, and aguas frescas.

Didn't this place change ownership a year or two ago? My wife and I went for late lunch a long while ago and it wasn't too bad. I'm still sad that Cafe Mexicano next door closed. That place trumped Maria's two-fold.

A half teaspoon of whiskey for the baby and everyone will enjoy the night.

I tried the foie gras dumpling the last time I went and it wasn't like it used to be... maybe my expectations were too high, but the dumpling wrap was a little too thick and doughy and the foie gras wasn't really there... more shrimp than anything.

It's a nice place, but as with most other Chinese restaurants, you gotta watch out for some sanitation issues. My bokchoy still had dirt between the leaves (all 3 of them).

I truly disliked Belleville and can't see why it's on so many people's lists... our service was horrid, food was average (even for a French bistro), and the place is reminiscent of a cheapen out Pastis.

I heard L'Aile ou la Cuisse opened a new branch out in Park Slope... has anyone been?

Didn't Devi just close and reopen under new ownership? I wonder how that affects things and if they still deserve their star...

Some of the places under the Bib Gourmand are so out of date and looks like they were put in their by old timers who haven't been around NY for a long time. And some places seem like they're in there just because of spoken reputation. This entire guide is tacky and menial. What a waste of paper.

I second that. Prices are great and the food is even better (except the meat pie... which they can't seem to warm up correctly and has a taste of Heinz ketchup...) The burgers, Poutine, and happy hour is more than enough reason to sit back at this low-key place.

How much is a pie at Anthony's? The people at La Villa seem to be smoking crack, asking for the amount they do for a pizza pie. I mean seriously... could the cost of flour, tomatoes, mozzarella and pepperoni have shot up that much that it'll cost me an arm and a leg to eat pizza? And the slices aren't even large enough to justify the price! It's another example of people with a bit too much money to spare getting ripped off through their behinds while smiling and raving about it like they were given the gift of God. There's only one place I'd pay that much money for pizza... and I'm sure everyone else on this board knows where that is.

Ah darn it. Well, good thing you mentioned it... I was planning on visiting with a few friends from NJ who I've been coaxing to try restaurants in Brooklyn. They woulda given me hell if we arrived and found out Palo Santo nixed their brunch menu. It was my favorite brunch spot in Brooklyn. Maybe they'll bring it back?

Thanks for the heads up.

Ugh. Lets not rate restaurants for their food or service during restaurant week. My first visit to Palo Santo was during RW as well and I completely agree with you on their service and food quality that week. But I went to two other great restaurants (Crave and Tempo) during RW and was completely underwhelmed at both (not surprisingly.)

Try Palo Santo at least one more time. It's become one of my favorite restaurants that rarely lets me down. The last thing that wasn't a favorite was the pork liver chorizo... but it was interesting. My main dish had a fried pig tail, which was a great garnish and tasted ... like pork, mostly.

I had the chicken heart on a regular visit and found it to be chewy and flavorful. I think that's how it should be, no? It wasn't greasy at all. Their little tacos are always on target. And the wine list is definitely affordable with a decent selection of wines by the glass.

And yea... the place is good for a large group. And those large groups do get loud sometimes... especially after a few bottles of wine. Sorry.

Tempo is definitely a must try. Chef Fiore is extremely talented and quite underappreciated, in my opinion. The mussels with chorizo is my favorite appetizer. I can mop the jus through the bowl with enough bread!

I agree with you ardnaxela. I've been to Queen a few times and what I paid for was nothing special. To call it a "Must Eat" in Brooklyn is a bit of an overstatement.

I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Jack the Horse at the corner of Cranberry and Hicks. Great professional (yet casual) service, awesome bartender (one of the most talented and knowledgable bartenders I've ever met - try his specialty "Man of Leisure"), delicious food (short ribs I had were unforgettable), and the ambiance it so different from anything else in Brooklyn (busy but not noisy.)

My wife and I went to Thomas Biesl last night before the show. Wow. I have a knack for picking bad restaurants.

Now, to be fair, the head server (maybe manager?) told us that they were short two servers, and he did kick butt - bartending, serving, clearing, and delegating new guests all at once. But his two companions were way out of their league for a matinee rush that big.

My wife and I got there at 5:45PM. It wasn't full at all, pretty quiet and calm. So we were taken aback when the "hostess"/server abruptly asked "Do you have reservations? No? Oh, then you can't eat here. We don't have any seats. We're all booked." with eyes pointing towards the door. Wooooowww. HaHa... only one word came to mind, and it pertains to a female dog. I was about to head out when my wife spotted two seats at the bar and asked if we could sit there. The server, looking a bit disappointed, shrugged and nodded. Just awful. I know that European bistros aren't the warmest places in terms of service, but this was just demeaning in sorts.

The food that we ordered was all over the scale.
- Their soup of the day, Viennese tomato soup, was perfect. So delicious that my wife and I were fighting over the spoon.
- My pork cheeks and dumplings looked like they'd been pre-cooked in the morning and nuked before plating.
- My wife's braised beef tasted spoiled. Not "sour/sauer" as the chef said it was supposed to be, but "spoiled/(I don't know how to say that in Austrian)". The manager/head server was kind enough to replace the dish with my wife's request of meatloaf special. Now that was worthwhile. Hint of caraway and an herb that I've tasted but couldn't recollect... moist but firm... a great meatloaf all around.

AND THEN! The best part, which wasn't the restaurant's fault, but which I thought just completed the whole experience... a beggar troddled in and started panhandling! HaHaHa... ahhh... now that's good ol' Flatbush.

The chef stepped behind the bar for a second to grab some soda and had a chat... he says it's usually better later at night when the mad matinee rush is done. But after that first experience ($70 for 1 app, 2 entree, 2 glasses of wine + tax & tip + headache, upset stomache & stress) I don't think I'll want to head back there anytime soon.

Ugh... 2-Stars... how and why? Lucky throw to the Bruni Dartboard of Restaurant Ratings is my guess.

I've heard not too many good things about Bacchus as of late, although I was a huge fan 4 years ago (stopped going because it became out of the way...)

Similar question. Going to BAM tomorrow and need a place to eat...

Has anything new opened up in the last 6 months? Are the restaurants listed below (specifically Smoke Joint or Thomas Beisel) still open? Oh, and does Thomas Beisel have a website (or a MenuPage)? I'd like to know the dishes and average price for a meal.

And lastly, does anyone know a good restaurant with a prix fixe menu?

Thank you!

Wow, what a great weekend at the North Fork! Thank you, everyone, once again for all the great recommendations. It made all the difference! My wife and I are still stuffed from all the delicious meals we've had.

We started the weekend with lunch at the Jedidiah Hawkins Inn. First off, let me tell you that this place looks gorgeous. The photographs on their website are so vivid and unreal, they look like might have been edited in Photoshop. But when you get there, the sight is truly breathtaking. The history and revived architecture of the estate is like delving into a storybook. Even better is the food and wine. The lobster roll, recommended in this thread and referred to as "the world's best" on the menu, was insanely good! The warm butter toasted bread with cold chunks of lobster lightly tossed in mayonnaise served with crisp fries and a microgreen salad. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The wine list is one of the most impressive that I've seen, especially on the North Fork. It's an international list (not just local wines, which tend to be very limited and overpriced) and the manager who put together the list has extensive knowledge in the wine industry. You can find some gems at great prices.
(Definite recommendation)

Dinner that evening was at the Seafood Barge. My wife and I had first visited for late lunch a few years back and really fell for the place. This time around, however, it was a crapshoot and we lost. We stepped in at 8PM and were greeted warmly by the hostess. Our table was being turned over, so we had to wait a few minutes. The kitchen was in complete disarray: chef shouting orders, no one responding. My wife and I shrugged. It was the Saturday night rush.

We had local oysters to start, which were very neutral in flavor. No real briny-ness or sweetness... just oyster. For our main dishes, my wife ordered the sauteed shrimp and clams over pasta and I ordered the roasted sea scallops. Holy moly... the plates placed before us will forever be emblazoned in my mind. Her dish was just a soupy blob of overcooked pasta tossed with large bits of herbs and large shrimp and clams mixed in. My dish... haha... looked like it came in a McShaker container and the kitchen just shook it up and threw the contents on a plate. Delicious roasted scallops were scattered all over the plate over wilting chunks of romaine lettuce and a few halved cherry tomatoes with a truffle dressing (with real truffles... I think.) Presentation was definitely not a priority in the kitchen that night. And the dish was definitely not worth the $29 they charged. It made me wish that I had gotten the lobster instead.
(Skip the Seafood Barge...)

The next day, we went winery hopping, then stopped off at the Village Cheese Shop on Love Lane. They have a small food menu and a great selection of international (and local) cheeses. We decided to have the local cheese plate and were pleasantly surprised. A nice arrangement of hard, semi-soft, and soft cheeses from the area. Definitely a good deal for $14. With a plate of charcouterie & a glass of cheap red, it was more than a relaxing afternoon.
(Recommended.)

And for dinner that evening, we followed a late recommendation and went to the Fifth Season in Greenport. The picture on their website makes it look like a dinky little seashore restaurant. But when you arrive, the lights are dimmed and candles lit, creating a warm inviting aura with a sophisticated yet unpretentious feel. That is exactly how I would describe the restaurant, from their service to their food. And everything was perfect. The fried Berkshire pork wontons were crispy but not oily. My wife's halibut dish was moist, flaky, and perfectly seasoned. And my filet mignon over garlic lobster mashed potatoes with a demi-glace sauce was to die for. Even their bread and butter was special. You don't see too many restaurants who toast their baguettes and serve herbed butter with parmesan cheese. The prices were fair and the service attentive. The ebb and flow of the wait staff was apparently refined. I can't emphasize how much I would recommend this restaurant. And ask for the chef's table when you make reservations!
(Must go!)

And now, back in Brooklyn with all the noise and smells that the city has to offer, I am starting to miss the North Fork and all the great times it has to offer. I can't wait until my next visit to try the rest of your recommendations. Thank you all again!