Just arrived in Park Slope but feels like it has always been here. Perhaps because it has been in Bay Ridge and other locations for some time. Maybe because its owner's are strongly connected to the community. This is a bakery and restaurant and caterer in modest space with a menu as long as your arm...as long as your arm is the Guinness winner for longest arm.Wait staff are charming and youthful and the Chef is experienced and brings his deep brooklyn roots to a love of a wide variety of pressed paninis named for everyone from chef Tommy to cousin Danny and from Luigi to RAY RAY. They are filled with everything from sausage,broccoli rabe, provolone and ricotta to knish, pastrami, Swiss, and mustard. Vegetarians will love the Davinci with mozzarella peppers, arugula, balsamic, and Evoo. Plenty of pastas and plenty of sauces with plenty of extras can be found at the build your own corner of the menu.
THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS
SEATED AT CHEF TRES JACKSONS TABLE IS THE WAY TO GO. THE SMALL PLATES ALL COME WITH BIG FLAVOR AND MAGICAL PREP AND YOU CAN WATCH IT HAPPEN BUT REPLICATION AT HOME IS NOT LIKELY. ENJOY IT THERE! CRISPY SCALLOPS AND EGGPLANT THAT IS CROQUETTE LIKE BUT SOMETHING IN A CLASS BY ITSELF. THE BEET AND HONEY AND FRUIT CREMEUX DEFIES YOUR BEST GUESS AND MUST BE ENJOYED WITH THE LATE HARVEST RIESLING (FROM THE NY FINGER LAKES.....HOME SWEET HOME.
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| Chelsea and SOON-TO-BE CENTER ERICEATS LEFT AND FRIEND ,PAT RIGHT |
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| BLACK BEAN NOODLES |
We couldn't remember the name of this restaurant we had passed a few weeks ago but we found it.
No seats for 30 minutes. BUT..."Anything at the bar?" Pause. Then 5 people begin shuffling to
open two stools. Kindness culture is not usually mentioned in a restaurant review, but I think it should be.
Then we order. I order the Duck and cheese dish from a Korean menu. Clinton the bartender asks, "Are
you lactose intolerant?" Funny and helpful...also often omitted from reviews. I. switch to the hand pulled black bean noodles , which Jeanne later trades for my bom bat veggie and rice dish with a sweet and hot sauce. Jeanne liked both but we both wanted both. We started with a 5 star scallion pancake. OMG-GOOD.
Reservations are among the hardest but a line forms between 430 and 5 P.M. for seats at the perfectly managed bar. Don Carlos at the Met ran 4 hours and that made us unusually hungry at 4 pm.
What to do? D train to west 4th st and first on line for Dosas and mango lemonade and a lobster tail with Parotta bread......
and Prawn curry (Eral Thokku) that were big enough for a fish TALE. And spice lovely enough to stop my heart..What a winning day...topped by a not too oaky California Sandhi chardonnay.
A restaurant that is finely OILED/Ghee-ed?
PAROTTA
PRAWNS. from the land of giants
. PORIYAL..... spicy beets
. GUNPOWDER DOSA HAT
First, where do you want to sit: the most stylish outdoor seating patio I have seen anywhere; bar stools with backs; inside table; vast lush garden ? From our outdoor covered seating we could peer into the cafe
in a way that mades you feel like we were in it....not kicked to the curb. I was captured by the Gavi
before the rapture we felt from Caesar salad with subtle anchovy flavor and a not so subtle removable anchovy. Jeanne's watermelon, tomato salad with balsamic dressing was a choice to be repeated.
The cavatelli was balanced with zucchini and the ravioli with yellow tomatoes . Ravioli have been described as pillows before but this time I actually rested my head on these soft puffy light things...in my mind.
