Due to a memory malfunction that resulted in not being able to cook our own food we had to eat out. Good excuse, right? So we walked a couple blocks over to Van Brunt to try out the new pizza joint that's been getting so much buzz.
The decor was good--except the classic pizzeria green painted marble tabletops that clashed in a SERIOUS way with the otherwise modern and clean look. The bar looked wide and comfy to eat at...in fact I looked at it longingly after choosing our small two top.
As for the pizza itself--delicious! A thinner crust cooked JUST right with a delicious sauce that tasted homemade. The cheese was fresh and amazing but the whole pizza was just a little too oily-- I won't lie: there was some serious agita afterward.
The only real disappointment here was the tiny selection of toppings-- only one meat (pepperoni) on the menu? Seriously?
All in all, it was a cheap and filling meal-- go for it!
Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday Night Nosh: old favorites at Quarter Bar and Hope & Anchor
Full disclosure:I have eaten at the Hope & Anchor diner in Red Hook many a time, spanning meals from brunch to dinner. But I I feel like this warrants a post because really, I am always up for going there and I am seldom ever disappointed when it comes to my meal. Last night was no exception with one added bonus: Karaoke.
Jes, Sarah B. and I (all former waitresses and one current barrista/beermonger extraordinaire) met up around 9:30 at one of our old haunts, Quarter Bar (20th street & 5th ave). This bar is also one of my consistent favorites. The semi-rustic ambiance of dark unfinished wood and an ever growing collection of found treasures (stuffed pheasant, anyone?) is perfectly complemented by dim ambery light and a selection of plain good music. I went in there intending to get one of their incredibly good Hot Toddies, but ended up ordering one of their specialty drinks, a Rosarita--a rosemary-infused marguerita served up high in a slightly modified martini glass. Delicious delicious delicious. Sarah B. had ordered the same and Jes ordered two rounds of her new favorite old-man drink, a two-bits (pyrotechinal bonus: they light an orange peel on fire).
After calling around to various car services (remember, be safe kids), our good friends at Express 11 broke everyone's record and showed up in literally 3 minutes to bring us to the Hope & Anchor diner on Wolcott and Van Brundt. We could hear the dim warblings of karaoke night as we stepped out of the cab. As we elbowed our way through the slightly older yet drunky-fun crowd, we immediately asked if the kitchen was still open. Even though they were abut to close, they quickly took our food orders at the bar. Now normally, I am livid when I am rushed--but since we had all been their before, we settled on some old favorites before tucking into a corner table where we had front row seats what would prove to be some of the most purely entertaining karaoke performances I have ever witnessed. They were all there--the guy who sang exclusevely from the Billy Joel song catalogue, the good old favorites of total eclipse of the heart and Livin on a Prayer. But this guy stole the show and my heart for his high kicks his hi octane dance performance on the bar while staying perfectly on pitch. ku-dos.
Jes ordered their turkey burger--a perfectly-sized portion that comes with cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato and onions in an assemble-yourself spread. It was served with a lightly-dressed green salad (no iceberg) and shoestring fries. Although Jes had requested the fries well-done, they were not so much--but considering that we were served PERIOD, this was really a non-issue. As always, the meal was incredibly satisfying.
I ordered the hot wings appetizer--a generous portion of segmented wings appropriately served with stalks of celery and bleu cheese dressing. I should disclose at this point that I am a hot wing connoisseur and have some very strong opinions in this area. This being said, these hot wings are probably the best I've had in all of NYC/Brooklyn. They were perfectly fried and not drippy with sauce, cooked completely through with no signs of rubberiness. The dressing on the side was served in a small dish--the PERFECT amount--and was clearly house made. My wing-craving was fully satisfied.
Sarah B. ordered the lamb burger--a marinated lamb patty served on olive toast with roasted red pepper and copious amounts of feta cheese. Sarah is a full on fan of this burger hands down. She was quick to praise the Hope & Anchor for squeezing our order in at the last minute and performing karaoke like total pros. Full disclosure: Sarah is a seasoned bartender/barrista/superwoman with high standards and a very discerning palette, and her opinion (in my humble opinion) carry significant weight. Her only criticism was the beer situation...
"The only thing I was disappointed by was the beer recommendation, but we all know I am especially finicky about this area. I ordered an Avery IPA which is a very dry, light, almost citrusy IPA, and because they were of out he recommended me that I didn't like at all because it was much too sweet and dark (amber/red?), and I think he suggested it just because it's also from Denver, but I can't remember what it was called..."In all, very high marks. And I would have to agree. I always look for an excuse to go to the H&A because it's always a win-win situation. Not only is it chock-full of character, it's completely un-pretentious and is all about good food, good beer and a good time. BEST PART: it's a destination, so making the long journey makes everything taste that much better... especially with a beer.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Carrol Gardens Classic Diner
The Eater Schmeater team found themselves a little drunk and feelin' hungry after the Crooked Still and Sweetback Sisters show at The Bell House. This is an account of where their dinner craving led them.
We were actually searching for a place with food and drinks, but by thte time we got to the diner, no one ordered anything alcoholic...in fact, the whole party except for Matt went for water only.
Cole slaw and pickles were served before the meal as some kind of appetizer-- a strange move, but it produced no complaints and it was only moments before everything on all three plates was gone. The pickles were fresh and cucumber-y. The slaw bland but edible, Matt thought a little suagr would do it right and everyone thought it needed more salt.
Matt had a bacon cheesebuger with fries-- a great choice for anyone who's not looking for a life-changing burger. All the sandwhiches came with the assemble your-own option, allowing you to find your perfect combo of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. So even though a freakin' head of the lettuce was provided, no one had to indelicately rip apart their burger to fix it. Matt's chocolate shake was thick and delicious, but everyone else thought it tasted too heavily of chocolate syrup.
Alex got a chicken salad sandwich which was slightly bland, but not drenched in mayo which made it more pleasant than some. The bread was perfectly toasted and you can't ask for much more than that with a diner sandwhich.
Jess, a fellow New Englander-turned-Brooklynite chose a cheesburger with Swiss. Both Alex and Jess picked waffle fries and they loved them! On the con side, Jess asked for a medium rare prep on the burger, and she got medium-well and she wasn't the biggest fan of how they melt cheese on both sides of the burger. All in all, Jess was pleased with the meal.
Sarah chose a late-night breakfast option-- two eggs over easy with sausage. The eggs were great, but the sausage was downright delicious. Perhaps a little too pink in the middle (inciting a quickly abandonned conversation about how worms get into your body), but really delicious all the same. Moist and well seasoned, plump and perfect!
Sarah B., a visiting friend from our Northampton, MA days, choose corn beef hash with two eggs over easy. The corn beef, by all accounts, was delicious. Both Sarahs had dishes that came with home fries. Unfortunately, the "home fries" that were promised turned out to be a potato hash was undercooked and seasoned only with raw bell pepper (HUGE chunks) and onions. It pretty much ruined both the breakfast plates, but our Sarahs are troopers so they didn't complain too loudly. They simply draped their napkins on their plates to avoid staring at their unfinished meals.
As for the decor of this 24 hour diner, it's as classic as the name suggests. Bad art adorns the walls. A sporting event of one kind or another was playing on the large TV just over our heads. The lighting was violently flourescent, though, and as we sobered a bit, it became a little unbearable.
A quick note to our fellow diners: babies shouldn't be eating diner food at midnight. That is all.
You can check out the diner for yourself here.
We were actually searching for a place with food and drinks, but by thte time we got to the diner, no one ordered anything alcoholic...in fact, the whole party except for Matt went for water only.
Cole slaw and pickles were served before the meal as some kind of appetizer-- a strange move, but it produced no complaints and it was only moments before everything on all three plates was gone. The pickles were fresh and cucumber-y. The slaw bland but edible, Matt thought a little suagr would do it right and everyone thought it needed more salt.
Matt had a bacon cheesebuger with fries-- a great choice for anyone who's not looking for a life-changing burger. All the sandwhiches came with the assemble your-own option, allowing you to find your perfect combo of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. So even though a freakin' head of the lettuce was provided, no one had to indelicately rip apart their burger to fix it. Matt's chocolate shake was thick and delicious, but everyone else thought it tasted too heavily of chocolate syrup.
Alex got a chicken salad sandwich which was slightly bland, but not drenched in mayo which made it more pleasant than some. The bread was perfectly toasted and you can't ask for much more than that with a diner sandwhich.
Jess, a fellow New Englander-turned-Brooklynite chose a cheesburger with Swiss. Both Alex and Jess picked waffle fries and they loved them! On the con side, Jess asked for a medium rare prep on the burger, and she got medium-well and she wasn't the biggest fan of how they melt cheese on both sides of the burger. All in all, Jess was pleased with the meal.
Sarah chose a late-night breakfast option-- two eggs over easy with sausage. The eggs were great, but the sausage was downright delicious. Perhaps a little too pink in the middle (inciting a quickly abandonned conversation about how worms get into your body), but really delicious all the same. Moist and well seasoned, plump and perfect!
Sarah B., a visiting friend from our Northampton, MA days, choose corn beef hash with two eggs over easy. The corn beef, by all accounts, was delicious. Both Sarahs had dishes that came with home fries. Unfortunately, the "home fries" that were promised turned out to be a potato hash was undercooked and seasoned only with raw bell pepper (HUGE chunks) and onions. It pretty much ruined both the breakfast plates, but our Sarahs are troopers so they didn't complain too loudly. They simply draped their napkins on their plates to avoid staring at their unfinished meals.
As for the decor of this 24 hour diner, it's as classic as the name suggests. Bad art adorns the walls. A sporting event of one kind or another was playing on the large TV just over our heads. The lighting was violently flourescent, though, and as we sobered a bit, it became a little unbearable.
A quick note to our fellow diners: babies shouldn't be eating diner food at midnight. That is all.
You can check out the diner for yourself here.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Robin Des Bois Sherwood Cafe
Brunch always has been, and might always will be, one of my favorite pass times. Last week, when Matt and I had our visitor, we had hoped to impress her with some excellent Brooklyn Brunching at Miriam in Cobble Hill. Distressingly, we learned that this branch of the excellent Israeli restaurant had closed (and is being replaced with MORE Thai food for Court St.). So we did the next best thing and swung over to Robin des Bois on Smith Street. Matt and I have eaten here many times so we thought it would be a solid pick.
The decor is absolutely why you come to Robin des Bois. That and the inclusive brunch specially of a free drink (Mimosa or Bloody Mary) with your order. The food is never OUTSTANDING but its passable. Here's what we ordered . . .
The decor is absolutely why you come to Robin des Bois. That and the inclusive brunch specially of a free drink (Mimosa or Bloody Mary) with your order. The food is never OUTSTANDING but its passable. Here's what we ordered . . .
Chicken Sausages with caramelized apples, roasted potatoes and salad
Crab Cake Benedict with roasted potatoes and salad
Ouefs au Gratin
(baked eggs served with toast and salad)
Ouefs au Gratin(baked eggs served with toast and salad)
All of the food was decent enough. No complaints on either of the egg dishes, although the crab cake was heavy on the bell pepper and that really came through. The salad wasn't worth mentioning, just some salted greens. But the potatoes. The potatoes were under cooked, under seasoned, and generally bland. (EATER SCHMEATER would like to point out that although all the posts thus far have criticized potatoes and they way they're cooked, we can be pleased with a potato. Just cook it all the way.) Also, the apples on Matt's Chicken Sausage dish were a little pedestrian, just sugar and cinnamon and also, not the melt in your mouth apple-goodness that he was looking for.
So, even though the food isn't going to get past the quick-fire challenge on Top Chef, Robin des Bois Sherwood Cafe will also be a hit with us. The strictly French waitstaff, kaleidoscope of found objects, and the family style huge wood tables make this a place that Matt and I long to bring our friends. Give it another month and once it warms up, go to the patio and enjoy.
a.
So, even though the food isn't going to get past the quick-fire challenge on Top Chef, Robin des Bois Sherwood Cafe will also be a hit with us. The strictly French waitstaff, kaleidoscope of found objects, and the family style huge wood tables make this a place that Matt and I long to bring our friends. Give it another month and once it warms up, go to the patio and enjoy.
a.
Robin des Bois Sherwood Cafe
195 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
195 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Alta Voce
This weekend, Matt and I had a house guest, so we decided to push ourselves a little when we took her out for dinner on Saturday night. Read: We never go out for Italian. After scouring the interweb and blogoverse, we decided on Alta Voce (318 5th Ave btwn 3rd and 4th Sts.), which was pretty well represented in terms of reviews. Despite calling an hour and half ahead of time for a reservation and the fact that the space was pretty empty for 8 pm on Saturday night, we were sat in the downstairs portion of the space, away from the highly advertised live pianist and right in front of the kitchen. Ignoring the flourescent light that blasted us whenever the kitchen was opened was fairly difficult and became a little more so as the evening wore on. The decor was decent. Unmemorable. Think mid 90s psuedo-Tuscan goes to Pottery Barn shlock scattered about and barren white space besides.
Service is not an issue at Alta Voce (which we discovered as the night progressed). The cocktails were excellent, with the one exception of using olives with the pit still inside. Personally, I just think this is awkward and messy. Imagine standing at the bar, with your date, drinking your 10$ Grey Goose Martini and having to stick your fingers in your mouth to take out the pit. 'Nough said. We decided to order two appetizers . . .
Vongole Oreganale was a predictable but nonetheless delicious, breaded clam on the half shelf in a garlic butter sauce. The serving is not enough for four to share, so plan accordingly!
Bresola Ripena was our favorite appetizer, hands down. The goat cheese was light, just barely breaded and when taken with the astringent greens it was served with, made the most beautiful combintation on the tounge. We probably should have ordered two. And apologies for the butchery of the name of this dish, but I think we devoured it before we could get the name written down correctly for our notes.
On to entrees!
Here's where the night got a little fishy. Matt and our visitor, Bridgette, both ordered fish free dishes. Sarah and myself went all-out under the sea . We'll start sans-fish.
Pollo atta Voce got little to no complaints from anyone. Chicken topped with prosciutto and fontina, in a white wine truffle cream sauce. Served with lackluster scalloped potatoes (that looked more like the home fries from brunch earlier in the day, more to come on that later). The chicken was tender, the sauce added a perfect texture and the mildness of the cheese really tied this dish together.
Malfatti con Anatara e Funghi similiarly impressed our group. Homemade pasta, seared duck breast, dried cranberries and mushrooms blended to create an earthy and rustic but never gritty dish. Beautifully refined. The cranberries must have been sauteed for a while because they barely seemed dried, veritably bursting with truffle oil and duck fat. I think that this was the first dish finished at the table, just because it was so so good. Highly recommended!
and on to the disappointments . . .
Enticed by one of her new buzzfoods, radicchio, she ordered one of the nightly specials-- spagghetti with scallops, mussels, shrimp and (ding.ding.ding) radicchio sautéed in a light garlic white wine sauce. The entree arrived in a shallow bowl that was much too small for the portion, encircled with whole mussels that were practically falling off the dish itself. A bowl for empty shells had to be requsted from the waiter. Nonetheless, she enthusuastically dug in, only to be confronted with the unfortunate reality that there was something terribly wrong with the dish. Take a moment to read some of her notes on the experience...
"I've eaten all the spaghetti from the dish and I don't want to eat the rest of it. I'm planning on complaining to the manager for the first time ever. The seafood has officially killed the dish. The scallops are like stinky little raisins and the mussels were gritty."
"Maybe it's because my hands smell like high tide, but my skin crawls when thinking about this dish."
She lauded the texture of the pasta and the added bitter tang of the radicchio, but it's needless to say that no one else at the table wanted to try her dish.
My dish was the seafood special. I adore seafood so I went all out. I should have realized that a dish with a "salmon and tilapia terrine, mussels, shrimp, scallops in a zuppa de clams" was just a way to get rid of some old fish. The terrine looked like a pineapple from hell, garnished with about six inches of rosemary that killed any flavor in the dish other than the canned tomato sauce that was slathered all over the fish. Adjectives that come to mind are "high tide", "tinny" and "vague". I think the truest culprit was the scallops, which were the smallest I've ever seen (maybe a hybrid bay scallop?) and just rank. I was totally disappointed in this dish but managed to eat most of it, because I'm a trooper that way.
After Sarah complained, the compensation began! Normally, we're not a digestif kind of crowd, but because we knew this would be the first post here at EATER SCHMEATER we decided to partake in after dinner cocktails with our deserts. We were comp'd the Seasonal Berry Tart, which had a delicious graham cracker crust with not-so-fresh (obviously) strawberries and ordered the Tiramisu and the Bonnet di Ciocolatte. Both of our ordered deserts were standard and well put together. The chocolate though, was by far the most memorable--velvety and dark without being too heavy. Just delicious!
In addition to the comp'd dessert, we were given four shots of Limoncello after the sweets and Sarah's entree was half priced. I think that this was totally reasonable, although I wonder what would have happened if I had complained about my dish as well.
Overall, all four diners enjoyed the meal as a whole. The atmosphere was great, allowed us to be as loud as we wanted and very accommodating. Our waiter was a little dim, not sure when to fire our entrees, messed up the wine service but I won't criticize the restaurant on that front. A warning to future diners, stay away from fish dishes but believe in the duck. I would go back just for that duck. In fact, I think we'd all give it another chance.
Service is not an issue at Alta Voce (which we discovered as the night progressed). The cocktails were excellent, with the one exception of using olives with the pit still inside. Personally, I just think this is awkward and messy. Imagine standing at the bar, with your date, drinking your 10$ Grey Goose Martini and having to stick your fingers in your mouth to take out the pit. 'Nough said. We decided to order two appetizers . . .
Vongole Oreganale was a predictable but nonetheless delicious, breaded clam on the half shelf in a garlic butter sauce. The serving is not enough for four to share, so plan accordingly!
Bresola Ripena was our favorite appetizer, hands down. The goat cheese was light, just barely breaded and when taken with the astringent greens it was served with, made the most beautiful combintation on the tounge. We probably should have ordered two. And apologies for the butchery of the name of this dish, but I think we devoured it before we could get the name written down correctly for our notes.
On to entrees!
Here's where the night got a little fishy. Matt and our visitor, Bridgette, both ordered fish free dishes. Sarah and myself went all-out under the sea . We'll start sans-fish.
Pollo atta Voce got little to no complaints from anyone. Chicken topped with prosciutto and fontina, in a white wine truffle cream sauce. Served with lackluster scalloped potatoes (that looked more like the home fries from brunch earlier in the day, more to come on that later). The chicken was tender, the sauce added a perfect texture and the mildness of the cheese really tied this dish together.
Malfatti con Anatara e Funghi similiarly impressed our group. Homemade pasta, seared duck breast, dried cranberries and mushrooms blended to create an earthy and rustic but never gritty dish. Beautifully refined. The cranberries must have been sauteed for a while because they barely seemed dried, veritably bursting with truffle oil and duck fat. I think that this was the first dish finished at the table, just because it was so so good. Highly recommended!
and on to the disappointments . . .
Enticed by one of her new buzzfoods, radicchio, she ordered one of the nightly specials-- spagghetti with scallops, mussels, shrimp and (ding.ding.ding) radicchio sautéed in a light garlic white wine sauce. The entree arrived in a shallow bowl that was much too small for the portion, encircled with whole mussels that were practically falling off the dish itself. A bowl for empty shells had to be requsted from the waiter. Nonetheless, she enthusuastically dug in, only to be confronted with the unfortunate reality that there was something terribly wrong with the dish. Take a moment to read some of her notes on the experience...
"I've eaten all the spaghetti from the dish and I don't want to eat the rest of it. I'm planning on complaining to the manager for the first time ever. The seafood has officially killed the dish. The scallops are like stinky little raisins and the mussels were gritty."
"Maybe it's because my hands smell like high tide, but my skin crawls when thinking about this dish."
She lauded the texture of the pasta and the added bitter tang of the radicchio, but it's needless to say that no one else at the table wanted to try her dish.
My dish was the seafood special. I adore seafood so I went all out. I should have realized that a dish with a "salmon and tilapia terrine, mussels, shrimp, scallops in a zuppa de clams" was just a way to get rid of some old fish. The terrine looked like a pineapple from hell, garnished with about six inches of rosemary that killed any flavor in the dish other than the canned tomato sauce that was slathered all over the fish. Adjectives that come to mind are "high tide", "tinny" and "vague". I think the truest culprit was the scallops, which were the smallest I've ever seen (maybe a hybrid bay scallop?) and just rank. I was totally disappointed in this dish but managed to eat most of it, because I'm a trooper that way.
After Sarah complained, the compensation began! Normally, we're not a digestif kind of crowd, but because we knew this would be the first post here at EATER SCHMEATER we decided to partake in after dinner cocktails with our deserts. We were comp'd the Seasonal Berry Tart, which had a delicious graham cracker crust with not-so-fresh (obviously) strawberries and ordered the Tiramisu and the Bonnet di Ciocolatte. Both of our ordered deserts were standard and well put together. The chocolate though, was by far the most memorable--velvety and dark without being too heavy. Just delicious!
In addition to the comp'd dessert, we were given four shots of Limoncello after the sweets and Sarah's entree was half priced. I think that this was totally reasonable, although I wonder what would have happened if I had complained about my dish as well.
Overall, all four diners enjoyed the meal as a whole. The atmosphere was great, allowed us to be as loud as we wanted and very accommodating. Our waiter was a little dim, not sure when to fire our entrees, messed up the wine service but I won't criticize the restaurant on that front. A warning to future diners, stay away from fish dishes but believe in the duck. I would go back just for that duck. In fact, I think we'd all give it another chance.
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