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February 3, 2006
NY Magazine's Top 5 Brooklyn Restaurants
Applewood
Butter-poached Maine lobster, followed by braised Vermont suckling pig with sautéed leeks, and a chocolate-soufflé cake for dessert. Does this sound like your average Brooklyn menu? Well, it isn’t.
360
Provided you can find it (it’s tucked next to an old funeral parlor in Red Hook), this is a French bistro even the snottiest Manhattan food snob can love. The steak tartare is the best in Red Hook, or anywhere else.
iCi
The proprietor of this restaurant in Fort Greene has worked at Balthazar and Bouley. But you won’t find organic grits like this at either place, or crunchy cauliflower, or bottles of excellent biodynamic wine for $25 or less.
Al Di Là
A mom-and-pop shop for the discerning diner. Do what the locals do and order the malfatti (Swiss-chard-and-ricotta gnocchi), casonziei (red-beet ravioli), or the braised rabbit with black olives and polenta.
Franny's
Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens’s new pizza mecca, in a borough famous for pizza meccas. This being a new Brooklyn pizza mecca, of course, everything is organic.
5 Best Brooklyn Restaurants [NY Magazine]
Comments
iCi has a French owner who is extremely nice!
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 10:25 AM
360 has a nice french owner as well, but I know RH isn't as eurocentric as FG.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 10:29 AM
Seriously--I was around in FG in 97-8 when the french boom happened. They, like, took over! There was MC Solaar playing everywhere!
Posted by: anonymous at February 3, 2006 11:23 AM
I *love* 360, and as a FG-loyalist, I'm trying to love iCi, but I have to say-- it leaves me underwhelmed.
I don't hear other people say this much, and the place is often highly rated-- and the owners seem like really decent people. But I never find the food to be that amazing. Am I ordering the wrong things?
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 11:44 AM
^^ same as you..live in fort greene, been to ici but once and 360 at least 10 times...
Posted by: ltjbukem at February 3, 2006 11:48 AM
Franny's is amazing, and a doable walk from FG if it's not too cold out. I don't know how they do it, but its the tastiest pizza I've ever tried!
Posted by: lesterhead at February 3, 2006 12:02 PM
franny 's is way overpriced...amorina on vanderbilt kicks franny's rear.
Posted by: ltjbukem at February 3, 2006 12:17 PM
iCi is the best - very kid-friendly as well. The owners young boys are often around, as well. Brunch: grits with poached eggs and white truffle sauce; lunch: bbq short-rib sandwich is perhaps the best sandwich in the history of sandwichdom; dinner: start with chicken liver schnitzel, then have the steak - the cod usually looks appealing, but is a bit underwhelming. Their head chef is from San Antonio, adding a fantastic southern/tex-mex twist (grits, bbq, chiles, etc) to classic american and french bistro standards. And no, I don't work for them!
Posted by: Mr. Minerva at February 3, 2006 12:45 PM
Franny's pizza is way superior to Amorina's. And you kinda get what you pay for. Franny and Andrew worked for Danny Mayer. So while it's not a budget joint, the staff are really well trained and the service is among the most professional of any of the new, hip restaurants in Brooklyn. Also they have a great bar (the bartenders actually know how to make cocktails) and their wine list is very strong. My only gripe is that it can be noisy and the tables are too close together.
Posted by: Anon at February 3, 2006 12:50 PM
Applewood deserves all the praise. Ate there last night...best meal in the 5 boroughs.
Posted by: anon at February 3, 2006 1:15 PM
For those uncertain about iCi, the best meal there is brunch.
Posted by: Park Sloper at February 3, 2006 1:47 PM
I was underwhelmed the one time I ate at Franny's - and I really wanted to love it!
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 2:09 PM
I can understand why Ici is popular--good service, nice vibe, wonderful garden in the summer--but the food at best is okay. I've had some really bad sandwiches at lunch and an okay brunch. Their hanger steak at dinner is good, but that's Cooking 101. I don't get what all the fuss is about.
Posted by: tinarina at February 3, 2006 2:19 PM
Everytime I go to Franny's I order the meat lovers and everytime I end up with the wilted escarole, goat cheese and cilantro foam.
What gives?
Posted by: bkborn at February 3, 2006 2:54 PM
i think what soured me on franny's was that i went there w/ my wife and our bill came out to $80 bucks...for a pizza dinner...
Posted by: ltjbukem at February 3, 2006 3:15 PM
I think franny's is vastly OVER-RATED. Where is the Convivum Osteria on this list? I've eaten at most of the restaurnats in Park Slope (and all that that are listed on this list) and I think the Convivum Osteria has by far better food than any of these listed!
Posted by: Tom B at February 3, 2006 3:19 PM
I love Convivium and I agree, Applewood is overrated. They want to do the kind of simple, market driven American fair that Union Square does to perfection, but they really fall short. I'd rather go to RoseWater.
360 is amazing and the prix fix can't be beat. And I do enjoy Franny's though I find the menu limited. I'd say that Amorina and Franny's are neck n neck, in all honesty. And neither beats Totonno's in my book.
Posted by: combustibelgirl at February 3, 2006 4:47 PM
what about Saul? I was thinking of going there for valentine's day, but we've never been....
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 5:43 PM
love ICI - had really great speatzle there recently - and i'm german and it's hard to get it right. they did. I'm wondering though, why vini e oli/locanda didn't get the nod. it's quite good, with a great house wine, charismatic owner - only bummer not open during the day. and i would be remiss if i did not include DIner - they rock. best ambiente, great specials, only good music playing in town. hot owners with beautiful wives and cute kids...
Posted by: Anonymous at February 3, 2006 8:16 PM
I'm a big fan of Applewood, 360 and Al di La. I'm intrigued by Fanny's now. I think they made good picks.
Posted by: eatingforbrooklyn at February 4, 2006 12:07 PM
Applewood sucks. How it got into the top five is beyond me. I can only assume that hungry man dinners are in the top ten.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 4, 2006 2:36 PM
Saul is amazingly delicious. Wonderful service and a comfy room
Posted by: Anonymous at February 6, 2006 8:03 AM
although it's not in our part of town- fornino's on bedford in williamsburg has really amazing pizza- should atleast be tried to compare, on the expensive side though,
Posted by: luxeterna70 at February 6, 2006 9:20 AM
Noodle Pudding should be right up there. Especially given the prices.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 7, 2006 12:04 PM
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