Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up

Layla Jones
214 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
“LJ’s pizza is difficult to describe. It’s kind of New York style, with its slabs of fresh mozzarela and paper-thin crust, and kind of not, in that it’s square, soggy, and now that I think about, almost totally devoid of flavor. It’s by no means bad pizza. But it’s not really good either. I suppose unmemorable would be the best descriptor for this bland, vaguely New York-y quadralateral.” [Clean Plate Club]

Is Layla Jones as ho-hum as CPC says it is? Let us know if you’ve tried it. After the jump: A new restaurant serves fried grasshoppers in the Slope; the Porkchop Express savors “Bacon Butter” at Damis; Gothamist chows down on brisket; Frank Bruni gives Porchetta one star; and one Chowhounder falls for Fragole…

Chilies & Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen
54 Seventh Avenue (Lincoln Place), Park Slope; (718) 230-7700
“This Mexican spot specializes in moles. You can order a fried grasshopper to nibble with your tequila.” [NY Times]

Damis
931 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint; (718) 349-7501
“We were waiting patiently, pondering the particulars of Polish trout (the menu offers few-to-no descriptions), when our waitress returned with a real gift: slices of rye and a pot of smalec. I first tasted smalec in Warsaw, and it was a revelation, a terrific spread that makes bread sing and stomachs bulge. What is it, you ask? Creamy lard studded with smoked meat. Yes, gentle reader, smalec is Bacon Butter, and it’s every bit as good as it sounds. Yet it’s a tragically rare find, at least on American dinner tables. Damis prepares theirs in the ‘old style’ (read: with bacon fat), and for that we were grateful.” [The Porkchop Express]

David’s Brisket House
533 Nostrand Avenue; (718) 783-6109
The meat, which is roasted rather than steamed to achieve a slightly caramelized edge, is the stuff of dreams. Piled, as it so generously is, between two slices of bread, the Brisket Sandwich isn’t intended to be approached daintily. Clutch your napkin if you must, but the David’s experience is one of exuberant sloppiness, a kind of culinary debauchery that is far removed from the grace and ceremony that has become inextricably tethered to the modern dining experience.” [Gothamist]

Porchetta
241 Smith Street (Douglass Street), Carroll Gardens; (718) 237-9100
“The ribs had been roasted and braised, a process that wasn’t revolutionary but that, under Mr. Neroni’s watch, yielded impeccably moist meat. Then things got considerably more interesting. The meat was placed over puréed mustard greens, red pepper, just a touch of cream and just a touch of gorgonzola. This mint-colored backdrop had a divinely calibrated consistency and richness: not too heavy, not too wispy. It could have been a special creamed spinach from a steakhouse for the gods. And some of its pleasures were echoed by the braising liquid, candied olives and gorgonzola drizzled over the meat.” [NY Times]

Fragole
394 Court Street, Carroll Gardens; (718) 522-7133
“Jesus, I ate there last night and I just had to post this unabashed praise. I mean, wow. Every single plate we ordered was of the absolute highest quality. Roasted (NOT fried) calamari was perfectly charred and tasty, all veggies were charred without being cooked to hell, my steak was perfectly med rare like I ordered, while one of the others in my party had the same steak ordered rare. Side by side comparison revealed his was indeed rare as hell on the inside while mine was only slightly more cooked through — wonderful. The rack of lamb tho (which was the carne del giorno) was the absolute best.” [Chowhound]