The General Greene
"The walls are largely unadorned, most of the tables line up along a (not uncomfortable) wooden bench, the bar stools were once tractor seats," writes the New Yorker's Andrea Thompson of the General Greene. And New York magazine explains that their menu changes daily: "So one night’s wax-bean salad might be supplanted, at the next meal, by a superb tangle of julienned summer squash and piquillo peppers slicked with a rich pistachio pesto. An unusual watermelon salad mingles dabs of fresh goat cheese and delicious coins of spice-rubbed lamb, and a quartet of roasted pork ribs is aggressively seasoned with salt and pepper and painted with squiggles of sweet-and-sour tomato chutney."
Unfortunately, all this change isn't always good. Frank Bruni of the New York Times says, "My first meal was a through-and-through pleasure...But a dinner weeks later was a through-and-through disappointment." And Gastronormous blogs about a brunch experience that involved "iced coffee which was served in cut-glass jam jars. Adorable!" — but also ratatouille baked eggs, French toast, and a blueberry muffin that were all undercooked. As for the cocktail menu, Kath and Alex in Brooklyn report: "If you like fancy drinks that have cantaloupe juice in them and cost $13, we've got your place." What are your thoughts on these mixed reviews? Is this new-ish spot still working out the kinks?
Reviews (16)
This Aint No Disco wrote a review on September 30, 2008 12:07 PM
Best meal i've had in Brooklyn. Our table of 6 shared a dozen or so dishes, almost all of which were top-notch. I can't wait to go back.
winthropst wrote a review on September 30, 2008 12:19 PM
went for a brunch a month ago. my friends won't be going back. i'll give it another try.
eggs were way undercooked. portions were too too small for the prices - we are trained to expect a certain size meal at brunch after all. mind you i don't want a gargantuan plate but not a miniscule sandwich either. none of our dishes tasted special despite what they sounded like on the menu description.
service was nice and cheery but terribly inept. took forever to get the simplest things - extra fork. water. and this was early on a sunday when they weren't crowded but fully staffed already.
i will go back though for the pretentious atmosphere that i go to fort greene for. and to see if the food can finally live up to the hype.
DeLepp wrote a review on September 30, 2008 12:23 PM
Disapointing. Had high hopes for small plates but felt food was tasteless and pricey. The meatballs, bacon wrapped olives and the burger were missing a key ingredient. You can do better at Kif or Olea and not feel as you been through a shake down.
mksk wrote a review on September 30, 2008 12:37 PM
Overall, it was disappointing. They were very accommodating to my 1-year old dining guest, but being kid friendly did not make up for the mediocre food. I really liked the mint lemonade, however, but that's the best I can say. My other adult dining partners had the same opinion. We just couldn't understand where all the hype came from.
Dan76 wrote a review on September 30, 2008 1:04 PM
I liked the place for Dinner, but Brunch was not good.
We had a very nice dinner, good service, and the portions are perfect for sharing, but you have to order a lot, so it gets expensive, drinks were good but again pricey.
We tried about half of the things on the menu and everything was interesting and tasty. Dessert was a home-made ice-cream which was delicious.
Brunch on the other hand was really bad, way overpriced for what you get and really not a lot of options, service was more spotty the morning we went. My hamburger was very average I asked for medium and it was well done. 13 dollars and not even tomato or french fries. Portions of everything were small which makes no sense as most restaurants should give you a lot of food.
I really like the atmosphere and the hipster staff is friendly for the most part.
I would go back for dinner, but definitely not for brunch, which was a shame because it seemed like they would make a good brunch a la Stone Park or Applewood, but it was very disappointing.
amt230 wrote a review on September 30, 2008 1:38 PM
Ridiculously overpriced for portion size, but the food is still decent and the restaurant has a cool feel.
cobblehiller wrote a review on September 30, 2008 1:38 PM
Is this where that bar 'June' or something used to be?
wasder wrote a review on September 30, 2008 1:50 PM
cobblehiller, yes this is the same space.
I loved the meal I had there (dinner). From the sounds of the comments over all it looks like this place needs to become more consistent. Also, appears that dinner is a better bet than brunch. The night I went the food was great, the atmosphere really fun and the cocktails awesome. I will go again.
gardenenvy wrote a review on September 30, 2008 1:51 PM
The first time I ate dinner here, it was amazing - the second time, it was still good, but had definitely lost some steam. They do a great job with appetizers and salads and their steak is really nice.
Service is friendly, but seems unorganized - drinks take forever and then the food comes out all in a pile together. Still pretty new - hopefully they'll be more consistent when they have a few months of operating under their belts.
cobblehiller wrote a review on September 30, 2008 2:11 PM
Ah, thanks wasder.
CrownGardener wrote a review on September 30, 2008 2:30 PM
We had dinner there. The food was pretty good and the service was crap. Then, the hostess asked us to leave (at 10pm) for another table waiting. I will not be back.
Fort Greene Place wrote a review on September 30, 2008 4:46 PM
I took my brother there a few weeks after it opened as a celebratory Welcome To New York dinner. Of course, having read the review in NYmag, I was expecting good things.
The service did not disappoint. It was prompt but not overbearing; friendly but not annoyingly so. They did well considering it was completely packed, with a wait. However, the food left a bit to be desired.
For example: I ordered a fresh, local, organic salad and wound up with what reminded me of a handfull of leaves from an Earthbound Farms container. Organic, yes. Fresh and local, seemingly no.
The ambiance could have used a few finishing touches. Loud, inconsistent lighting (like, flickering - I know it sounds petty but it was comically distracting).
I might give it another try, but I probably won't take anyone I'm trying to impress.
greenebee wrote a review on September 30, 2008 5:27 PM
I haven't tried this place yet because all of the reviews I've read (including these which seem to be of a similar note) say that they food is overpriced, and the portions small. I want to give this a try at some point... maybe after they start listening to the critiques and the reviews start being more positive? There are so many great places in Ft. Greene to compete with....
miss priss wrote a review on September 30, 2008 5:54 PM
wow. my meal there was amazingly good and I'm definitely going back - it was dinner and the food was spot on and the drinks and wine were excellent. I must have hit it on a good night. it was recent so maybe they'd worked out the kinks by then? I have to say, I'm really surprised by the negative reviews. I hope we have a good meal next time, because it is my new favorite!
FortGfemme wrote a review on October 3, 2008 12:59 PM
What a lovely neighborhood. Rivaling the Manhattan scene.
Service at the bar, by Nate, is a delight. Table service is not as on point. A little awkward, even.
The mixed drinks are at the top of my list, up there with Brooklyn Social and Macondo in the LES. The Heirloom Tomato Salad is not to be missed. As well as the candied bacon (and I'm not even a meat eater!). Usually any special should be ordered.
I am waiting for additional menu items or a change of menu with a change of season.
Prices are decent. Decor is alright. The crowd is refreshing.
Sounds like brunch is a no go. But I'll see for myself sometime soon.
Molly wrote a review on August 19, 2009 1:43 PM
The portions are tiny. We ordered sandwiches/salads and were told that the kitchen was backed up and it would take a little longer for our meals to arrive. It was two o'clock on a Sat. afternoon, and the restaurant was about half full. The simple order to about 45 minutes for them to fulfill. No discount offered (though they offered a discount to our neighbors - did they ask, we don't know). I could have gone to the corner deli and ordered a sandwich and got it in 3 min., and it would have been larger, and probably better. The ice cream is incredible - thus the two for food.
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