Fragole

I just can't go there because I loved Max Court (the restaurant it used to be) so much and Fragole is just not quite as good, and infinitely more cheesy in atmosphere.

Love this place. Have to say I disagree with gkw. Fragole is better than Max was and has none of the attitude that Max's servers used to have. The ownership is similar to Max's, so I don't know what they're doing differently, but it's working for me.

Their pastas are all fantastic, the lasagna and ragu especially. Their non-pasta entrees are uneven. They have good wine specials. The service is very friendly.

I used to live around the corner and I moved. It is one of the things I miss most about CG.

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I love and adore Fragole. They fed us almost nightly for the first few weeks after my daughter was born. Delicious food, wonderful atmosphere, attentive service. I miss them!

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When I first saw the photo, I thought the restaurant was named Fraggle.

I miss Max Court, it reminded me of restaurants in Rome. I tried Fragole once and was not impressed it had become a cookie cutter 'italian' theme restaurant. A bit like Olive Garden. There are far too much mediocre Italian food in Brooklyn. I hate to say that its all Ketchup n' Noodles, Garlic and Gravy but it's a poor excuse for Italian food.
Who knows what happened to Max Court? Did they move to a new location? I miss the food the service wasn't the best but the food was.

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I loved what it used, to used to be; Helens.

Helens !!!
Was that the Helens location? I forgot about Helens. I just got a Garlic flashback

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Helen's was actually where the gift shop is now, NEXT to Fraggle rock-

http://lostnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-in-helens-is-happening-now.html

It was the best Italian place in the neighborhood growing up, and as the above article states, Red Rose (and Sam's in my book) are the closest to what Helen's represented..I've never been to Fraggi-whatever.

Pretty much the same menu as the Max restaurants but without the attitude or lines. Love it.

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love it.
fast delivery and always friendly. The Lasagna is really special and delicious, so is the rigatoni with eggplant. and there's a fantastic grilled calamari appetizer that when done right is just shockingly delicious.
i personally think its not all that different from max court, and i think the other max is still open in the city if you really miss it!

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One of my favourite restaurants in all of NYC. The food, wine, and most importantly, service, is always perfect. I eat there regularly.

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From what I gathered a few years ago, the Max "empire" split between the owners. The guys who own Fragole also own Max uptown near Columbia. There was also Max in the East Village, but I'm not sure if it's still open. That was the other owner(s). I guess there may have been some ownership crossover, but that's the basic gist I think.

Fragole is no Olive Garden. For those who tried it only once, trust me...go try it again. Get the lasagna.

Thanks MD for those leads on MaxCourt. I don't miss them that much to go into the city. I did look at Fragoles menu and it looks pretty run of the mill. Fragole even had Tripe
I just thought that Maxcourt was as close to Italian food in New York I have experienced outside of Italy. I would not say it to my good friends from Brooklyn or New Jersey that what they are eating is not what you would get in Rome.
Anyone want to reccomend an Italian restaurant that serves authentic Italian food. Besides Sams, Roses or Olive Garden.

oldtimer --what about Queen???? The food is always excellent. Just like what you get in the traditional, non-neuveau places in Rome, etc.

I wondered about this place -- will try it now....

Just a great solid neighborhood restaurant with tasty dishes and friendly service. I alway leave in a good mood. Funny about the Max talk because I used to live in the East Village and ate the lamb ragu at Max on Avenue B all the time. I guess they kept some of the ideas/recipes from the MaxCourt?

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I think Queen is more expensive.

I remember Helen's. Slow cooked red sauce calimari. Red wine from the frig. Grandma cooking.

Fragole is terrific. Sign of the times, 80's to 2008

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We had tried this a few years back and were not impressed, but after hearing positive reviews decided to go back a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately both of our pasta dish were way overcooked (an unforgivable sin for a pasta place) and the sauce was far from impressive. I could definitely cook a better meal at home even with jarred sauce.

Will not be giving the place a 3rd try.

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This is one of the best italian restaurant in brooklyn i find. The food is always good and fresh. They have great wine selection. Reasonable price. A hidden gem in Carroll garden. Check out my blog to read more about Fragole.
http://beeneatingaround.blogspot.com

after originally reading these postings back in sept, i tried it out and have been back 4x. hadnt been there since this was max. this place is great, and has replaced cafe carciofo as my go to, laid back italian (that is cafe carciofo - or however you spell it - from 5-10 yrs ago when it was great, not recent years where it was terrible and rightfully went out of biz). and i love the 27 bucks for all wines concept. makes you not feel cheap by ordering the lesser priced wines on the list.

fragole owes you brownstoner.. you got me in and now i'm hooked. (was a bit too far of a walk for me to just randomly try).

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