Kara's Profile
- Kara
- 2001
- 2004
- Brooklyn
- Carroll Gardens
- Rental
- writer and cookbook author
- Female
- 29
Author's Posts
December 1, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Tillie's
"Tillie’s is named in the memory of Tillie Asnis, who ran a dry cleaning store at 248 DeKalb in the 40s and 50s, and who lived with her family above the store for many years," the Tillie's website explains. And Scene Downtown notes that "Tillie's opened in February 1997... making it one of the pioneers in the transformation of DeKalb Avenue into a burgeoning commercial and culinary strip."
"More than just a coffeehouse (although all the requisite coffee, espresso drinks and teas are vailable), the space has local art on the walls and hosts local bands on the weekends, open mic nights, and even a salon series. Free Wi-Fi draws out the neighborhood freelancers who spend the day nibbling their way through breakfast and lunch items, plus smoothies and desserts," writes Erin Behan for Citysearch.
Tillie's also offers an array of vegan treats and gets rave reviews on SuperVegan — where user klswedes says, "their double chocolate jumbo cookie is amazing and you would never know it was vegan... I live a few blocks away and it takes all my will power not to go there daily for one!" What are your thoughts on Tillie's?
November 26, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Provence en Boite
"Provence en Boîte, a rustic bistro and pâtisserie, had a four-year run in Bay Ridge before moving to Carroll Gardens’ Restaurant Row. The décor continues French country casual, with a long blonde-wood banquette set with tiny pillows, small tables, beige walls, and a collection of antique tin boxes; floor-to-ceiling windows let in the sunshine," says Michael Anstendig for New York magazine.
NFT's Rob Tallia acknowledges the long list of French spots on Smith and Court Streets, but claims that Provence bests the rest in one area: "Provence en Boite, if you were paying attention, has the best croissants. Anywhere. Even better than Marquet’s croissants. By a large margin. Suggestion: get there at 8 am, when they are still fresh. Then go back for dinner and get the steak frites."
Time Out New York speaks favorably about the restaurants charming owners and decor, but then goes on to say, "Resist the charm. Aside from the delicious desserts—including a flourless chocolate cake and a fruit tart, both made on the premises—the food was dumbfoundingly unappetizing." What do you think about Provence en Boite?
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Photo by Tejal Rao
Now Open: Buttermilk Channel
524 Court Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 852-8490
"Ryan Angulo, who was chef de cuisine at The Stanton Social, is Buttermilk Channel’s executive chef. He makes his own pickles, cures his own bacon, and has otherwise devised a casual menu featuring things like chicken and waffles and duck meat loaf (take that, duck meatballs)," says Hugh Merwin for Gothamist. Buttermilk Channel opened yesterday, and if you visit during their first week of business, they'll take 10% off your check.
Now Open: Draft Barn
530 3rd Avenue, between 12th & 13th Streets, South Slope
Chowhound williej33 has some good things to say about South Slope's new beer hall, Draft Barn: "The space is beautiful-- lots of dark wood and great lighting. Plenty of seating at booths and tables. They don't have bar stools yet (?) but when they do you'll be able to sit at a beautiful 360 degree wrap-around bar. The beer and food are heavily German/Austrian. They had a bunch of drafts-- I'd say 12-15-- and about 200 bottles to choose from. I got a Kostriker (nice dark lager) on tap and a bottle of Celebrator. I also got a basket of the fried, salted croutons, which are a ridiculously addictive drinking snack. They have a bunch of house-made sausages on the menu, but I wasn't hungry enough for that. They don't have hard liquor yet, but said they would after the new year."
After the jump: The Times eats for cheap at La Superior, Grub Street sheds light on Playa, Tempo does a good deed, and Jive Turkey rocks around the clock...
November 25, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Melt
"The inside looks like a West Elm display: chocolate and white walls with C-shaped cutouts and serpentine bottle shelves," says Time Out New York. And NeighborBeeBlog finds that the abundance of tempting items on Melt's menu makes it difficult to order: "If I had unlimited time, funds, and appetite, I’d go back and order the proscuitto di parma and melon, crispy lobster dumpling, yellow fin tuna tartar, crispy pork shoulder ravioli, shiitaki mushroom and avocado ravioli, chipotle portobello mushroom burger, kobe beef burger, or the pinenut and basil crusted salmon."
If you're looking to sample a few items without breaking the bank, Melt offers a 5-course tasting menu for $25 on Tuesdays (which can be served with 5 wine pairings for an additional 20 bucks). Chowhound di82 recommends it: "I'm a big fan and it's certainly a great value. I think the chef is very creative and assertive with flavors which makes the tasting menu on Tuesdays a lot of fun." And blogger VanessaMarie suggests stopping by for the Swedish vanilla pancakes served at Melt's weekend brunch: "We had no idea they’d be these mini crepe-like pancakes and we were delighted when we saw them." What are your thoughts on Melt?
November 24, 2008
ROTD: The Farm on Adderley
"'The Farm on Adderley' is an expression that means something is a long shot. It originates from Cape Town, South Africa," the restaurant's website explains. The New Yorker's Andrea Thompson appreciates this Ditmas Park restaurant's "relaxed, friendly atmosphere" and calls it "the kind of place where you can bring your yoga mat to dinner and not feel awkward. One Sunday evening, big tables held families with jostling children; nearby, two silver-haired women sipped glasses of scarlet-tinged rosé."
New York magazine describes the Farm on Adderley as a place "where seasonal ingredients are duly worshipped in preparations like housemade fettuccine with peas and pea shoots, and bluefish with corn and okra. To the place’s credit, there is also a serene little garden, a nice long bar where the 'local and organic' motto extends to some of the beer and wine, and a respectable English-muffin burger that’s overshadowed by its world-class fries."
And Peter Meehan of the New York Times shares his tips on what to order: "Simple dishes, like the bibb lettuce salad [$8], the salad of heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella [$10], or the endive, apple, blue cheese and bacon salad [$9], are the way to go. Hanger steak [$19], grilled to a ruby medium-rare, is marinated with lemon thyme to good effect." What are your thoughts on this place?
November 21, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Chez Lola
"Chez Lola describes itself as a 'bistro sans frontiers.' Yet that motto seems more apt for the charmingly improvised interior, complete with a box-spring repurposed as a wine rack, than for the French cuisine, which nods to the Mediterranean and Mexico," says Ethan Wolff for New York magazine. But Chez Lola's menu does cover more international ground than its strictly French brother bistro, Chez Oskar in Fort Greene. "[Chez Lola's] fare includes appetizers like a cheese terrine served with maple syrup dressing, and delicious Bartlett pears stuffed with blue cheese and balanced atop serrano ham. Juicy New Zealand rack of lamb, falling off the bone, causes serious entree envy among dinner companions," writes Liz Zack for Citysearch.
But Chowhound funkjester doesn't have such favorable things to say about this Clinton Hill spot: "Chez Lola is just another regurgitation of the same CH/FG formula that's made some folks money here: catchy graphics, bright paint schemes, young and trendy types spending the weekends here instead of going to Manhattan, and eating burgers, moule frittes and badly-done small plate preparations." What's your take on this place?
November 20, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Nana
"Nana fills two storefronts, with a bar on one side and dining room on the other, decorated in what owner Eric Ong calls 'modern industrial'—exposed brick walls, lights embedded in the polished concrete floor, and lime-colored tile along the open kitchen," our own Lisa Selin Davis wrote for New York magazine. Time Out New York explains that "nana" is the Japanese word for the number seven, which symbolizes good luck. TONY has a couple of favorites from their pan-Asian menu: "Salmon tartare, in particular, is gorgeously smooth. And from the cooked side of the menu, the orange chicken is nicely tangy without being overly sauced."
Chowhound johnnyrotten claims that sushi is what Nana does best: "The Dynamite roll in delicious, as is the spicy salmon roll, and the straight up sushi pieces are cut to the perfect size.... Trust me. Try it. Just make sure you don't go on a Sunday, when they tend to be out of everything and are unable to buy fresh fish." However, fellow 'Hound brooklynista says, "They are getting sloppy and stingy, at least with carryout orders... I want Nana to be good, as it's convenient, has some good rolls, and some of the dishes are reliably good. But it barely rates mediocre right now." What's your take on this place?
November 19, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Pomme de Terre
"This by-the-books bistro from Smith Street pioneer Jim Mamary and Ditmas Park restaurateurs Gary and Allison Jonas (the Farm on Adderley) is the first bougie restaurant on a gritty stretch of Newkirk Avenue," says Time Out New York. "This snug 40-seat space is appointed with vibrant murals that resemble vintage French posters. The original tin-ceiling remains, newly restored and painted over in a sunny yellow," says Restaurant Girl Danyelle Freeman for the NY Daily News.
GQ's Alan Richman gave the place a rave review, saying that Pomme de Terre's "Steak Frites Au Poivre might be the best under-$20 beef dish in New York... The strip steak was thick, tender, juicy, peppery, and cooked precisely to order. When I decided it was probably a fantastic accident, getting a steak that satisfying for $19, I returned a week later and got one just as good."
Kim Severson of the New York Times enjoyed the "deliciously thick and bitter chocolate mousse spiked with fleur de sel" and "little pots of homemade butter and chicken liver mousse," but described Pomme de Terre's escarole salad as "a messy assemblage of smoky bacon, greens and a poached egg whose whites were still clear at the center" and complained about a "a soggy-crusted tarte Tatin." What's your take on Pomme de Terre?
Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up
Now Closed: Trout Swims with the Fishes
102 Smith Street (at Pacific Street)
"Boerum Hill’s dumpy oasis, Trout, closed on Sunday... A plan to develop the corner Trout occupied on Smith and Pacific also fell through after two years of negotiations, [owner Jim Mamary] said, but he assured us that Pacifico is safe (and still serving margaritas). As for that oyster bar planned to go with Black Mountain Wine House, Mamary today declared it 'dead in the water.'" [Grub Street]
This Week's Opening: Vinegar Hill House
72 Hudson Avenue, Vinegar Hill
As we reported back in September, former Freemans chef Jean Adamson has been converting the former butcher shop at 72 Hudson Avenue into a restaurant. According to New York magazine, it's opening this week as Vinegar Hill House: "Adamson describes her menu as Moosewood Cookbook–ish in its focus on grains, legumes, and vegetables, which are intended to supplement smaller portions of protein. Her fish will be sustainable and her meats broken down from whole animals procured from Fleisher’s, the upstate cult butcher, all cooked in the wood-burning oven. Also on offer: a raw bar, an American-cheese-and-homemade-cracker board, and $9 classic cocktails—liquor license pending."
After the jump: The secret to getting seated instantly at Al Di La, a taste of Naples in Williamsburg, and a waiter gets "repeatedly stabbed" with a fork at the newly renovated Kellogg's Diner...
November 18, 2008
Retaurant of the Day: Scopello
"Sleek and modern, with a distinct Sicilian accent, this ristorante is a welcome answer to a perennial outer-borough question: Where to eat near BAM?" says New York magazine. "Named after a hilltop Sicilian town, this Fort Greene restaurant is done up in the colors of a blazing sunset, fiery reds and soothing yellows. A sculpture of a ram's head overlooks the cool crowd, whose own climbing experience is limited to stairs in a brownstone," Citysearch adds.
"Homemade crabmeat-stuffed ravioli and braised short ribs are on the menu. This is island cuisine, though, so you’ll want to try a fish dish, such as fresh, tender, baked sardines scented with bay leaves and lemon and dotted with raisins and pine nuts," says Time Out New York. NFT's Sho Spaeth recommends Scopello's "wine-marinated" leg of lamb and their antipasto misto appetizer: "I was satisfied with the portions of meat and cheese, but the true star of the platter was the eggplant caponata. It hinted at a 'hidden gem' quality to the restaurant." What do you think about Scopello?
Author's Comments
Kara wrote a review about Osaka on October 20, 2008 2:12 PM
That's interesting that the old Osaka chef now runs Ki -- thanks for the tip, spnder. We'll have to check that place out soon. I'm still pretty into Osaka's black pepper roll (even though it's very American-ized) and they have a decent lunch special -- a bunch of lunch box options for under $10, or two specialty half-rolls, miso soup, and a salad for $9.
Yes, yes, you're absolutely right -- sorry about the typo!
Posted by: Kara at October 8, 2008 11:56 AM in response to Brownstoner Food & Drink Round-Up
Kara wrote a review about Scottadito Osteria Toscana on September 17, 2008 9:58 AM
I think the best thing about Scottadito is the atmosphere. I went to a press event in their wine cellar when the place first opened, and it was a really great space -- perfect for a small party. I've been back a couple of times for dinner, and the desserts (like house-made ice cream and tiramisu) were memorable and really good.
Kara wrote a review about Sette Enoteca e Cucina on September 2, 2008 4:55 PM
Biff Champion: I just got back to my desk after the long weekend, and I just saw your suggestion from Friday and your remark from earlier today. I absolutely have covered restaurants that aren't located on 5th Ave/7th Ave/Smith Street (Alma, Christie's Jamaican Patties, the Smoke Joint, Habana Outpost, Lucali, Diner, Dressler, and DuMont, to name a few) and there will be more of them in the future.
Kara wrote a review about Lunetta on August 26, 2008 5:34 PM
brookjoo: You're right -- while the portions are larger than tapas-sized plates, they do serve smaller-than-average portions here. Part of the fun is to order a couple of vegetables sides for the table to round out the meaty options -- or build a customized meal by sharing some salad, cheese, veggies, and pasta.
Anyway, thanks for bringing this to our attention. I just made a note about the small plates-sized portions next to the median price listing.
Kara wrote a review about Zaytoons on July 24, 2008 1:07 PM
I've been frequenting the Smith Street location for about 7 years now -- and of all the restaurants on Smith Street, this is the one where I feel the most at home. I love their fluffy pita bread, their hummus, their moujadarra (rice and lentil salad), their falafel, their Turkish salad, and their BYOB policy. And if you want a cheap lunch, it's hard to beat the Zaytoons Veggie Sandwich (hummus, babghanouj and tabouleh rolled in a pita) for $4, or a bowl of lentil soup for $4.50.
Left Hook: I understand your point, but I do believe that our new restaurant feature can offer one thing the other food sites can't. It allows Brooklyn restaurants to be rated against each other – by people who actually live here. On those other sites, our mom-and-pop shops are held up against some of the best restaurants in the world. And so many local hang-outs are reviewed in regard to whether they're "worth a trip to Brooklyn." Personally, I just want to know how neighborhood restaurants compare to the other options in the general vicinity – and whether they're worth walking a few extra blocks. I hope some of you feel the same way.
Posted by: Kara at July 14, 2008 2:06 PM in response to Introducing the Brownstoner Restaurant Ratings Feature
Kara wrote a review about Tanoreen on November 11, 2008 12:28 PM
rubytoday - Tanoreen is moving just a few blocks away to a larger space at 7523 3rd Avenue. We'll update this listing when they move.