235244 Mon Sep 28 16:44:14 -0700 1998 26 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1246932 Hello...I recently moved to Cobble Hill (from DC) and I am really excited by the variety of food shopping around me. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some particular places or edibles in Carroll Gardens. I have heard great things about Ferdinando's, and I have eaten very tasty chicken sausage with cheese and parsley from Esposito's pork store on Court St. Thanks for any gastronomical advice... Mon Sep 28 16:44:14 -0700 1998 0 Jessica 1 1246933 Wow, that's a loaded question! Your best bet is to buy Ed Levine's "New York Eats". That'll give you a good overview of your new neighborhood. You'll find a lot of great info in there. You'll soon be eating like a real person and saying to yourself "What the heck was I doing in D.C. for so l Mon Sep 28 18:20:46 -0700 1998 1246932 0 amy tarshis 1 1246935 Hi, welcome to Bklyn--I am a DC transplant who has lived here for 12 yrs (in Park Slope). I hear that Monte's on Carroll St. is the place to try. I have never eaten there but know many who have and loved it. Cucina in the Slope is very overrated, I feel. But I am a minority. Ferdinand's Foccaceria on Hicks St., I believe (you can find it on Chowhound by searching) is tiny, out of the way, and DIVINE. Enjoy your neighborhood! Lisa Mon Sep 28 22:33:53 -0700 1998 1246932 0 Lisa R. 2 1246936 Welcome to Brooklyn! In addition to Ferdinando's, which is on Union St on the other (red Hook) side of the BQE, cross the street to Latticini Barese for wonderful people and great mozzarella (other items they prepare in the store and othr cheeses are fine too). House of Pizza and Calzone on the same side of Union s reputed to be good (its rep includes orders from Barbra Streisand, if you can believe it) Now that Cammereri Bakery is closed, I guess I would go to Caputos at Union and Henry for bread. D'Amicos on Court for fresh roasted coffee and attitude. Ive been trying to get over to Alan Harding's new place, Patois, on Smith but no luck so far. Has any one been there yet? Tue Sep 29 00:32:56 -0700 1998 1246935 0 jenkalb 3 1246983 I have, and I really enjoyed it, but I have friends who did not. We have been to virtually everywhere Alan Harding has cooked, and always liked his food, though. Fri Oct 16 23:58:46 -0700 1998 1246936 0 Lisa R. 3 1247111 I was born and raised on court and warren st. I remember as a kid in the early 60s, I would go down to union st.to the house of pizza and get a slice of pizza for 10 cent they are my favorite in Brooklyn, Sams Pizza on Court st. would cost me 90 cents for a whole small pizza pie, Old Queens on Court st. was my 3rd choice of pizza. At A'Amicos I would go for a hero for a buck and their fresh roasted coffee was great and cheap(before the yuppies arrived) and the smell of fresh Italian bread at Caputos ummmmmmm. Mon Jul 07 08:35:31 -0700 2003 1246936 0 Barry Hoff 1 1246937 The food offerings in the neighborhood have been exploding the past couple of years. I hope you have run across Sweet Melissa's, 276 Court near the movie theatre. When you want something besides Italian, this is the place to go. Wonderful breakfast foods, and good deserts. On a fall afternoon or evening, you can have a simple salad and desert in the back garden. We think the best pizza is Cristardi's on President and Clinton. It's not the tradition wood fire kind of place, but the ingredients are unusually good. A really fine tasting tomato sauce that sets off everything else. Rosina's Bistro (Smith between Union and Sackett) opened this year. call themselves northern mediterranean food. We think its better than Patois. different menu, but better cooking. Patois has large portions dumped on the plate, but not always well thought out or carefully prepared. imho. At Rosina's the more moroccan dishes here are better than the continentel. You have to get used to the fact that the owner spends all her time talking with her friends. But you come for the food not the friendship. For everyday, not so special, but at the price you don't complain kind of Italian food, Sal's pizza has opened a restaurant next door. Can't remember the name. When we've both worked late and want something workaday Italian and know we won't be disappointed we go there. Better than Casa Rosa and Helen's down the block. Then don't overlook Atlantic Ave. it's just a short walk. La Bouibaise has been covered here. Remember that it is cash only. There is often a line, but in good weather it's not too bad. And in really bad weather you may be able to get right in because no one else has gone out that night. Arcadia Parish has southern/cajun cooking. And now that the weather is getting cooler it will be more appealing. Chicken and fish are good here. I've been told that they are thinking of selling, but they were still there last time I went by. If this is the kind of food you want, it's better than Harvest on Court. But if it's late at night, closer to 10 or later, you may well find that Harvest is still serving while the one's on atlantic often stop around 9:30, at least on weeknights. There is also a standard Mexican restaurant across the street on Atlantic. There special fajitas tend to get overly complicated with too many ingredients, but the traditional ones, and the standard us/mexican menu items won't disappoint. Well, these will give you a couple of places to look into. Only Bouillabaise and Sweet Melissa's and Cristardi's fall into the category of special, but the others are good standards. Then, I just noticed that a new place is about to open one door down from Sweet Mellissa's. Will have to watch carefully and see who is moving in. Court street changes almost weekly these days. Hope this helps. Wed Sep 30 16:47:52 -0700 1998 1246932 0 R Bergen 1 1246940 Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all your advice - I was so excited to get responses. Suggestions from all and sundry are welcome. I went to college in Manhattan, but I never ventured into Brooklyn (my parents' homeland) - big mistake. Brooklyn is excellent. Actually, DC has way way way better food than initially meets the naked eye, and if anyone wants suggestions for a visit there, I grew up there, my family still lives there, and I go back as often as possible. How do people feel about Tripoli, on Atlantic Ave.? i passed it the other day. How does it compare to fountain Cafe? Thu Oct 01 12:31:02 -0700 1998 1246932 0 Jessica 2 1246995 Hi, glad you like Brooklyn--I am a DC (Bethesda) native and I have lived here in Bklyn for 12 years--we love it. But my parents too are still in Bethesda and we go there often (last ate at Mark Miller's Raku in Bethesda, which was great) and would really appreciate any suggestions to try next trip. Thanks! Fri Oct 23 22:42:08 -0700 1998 1246940 0 Lisa R. 3 1246998 Well, I guess I should post this on "Elsewhere in America,", but oh well...I just visited DC a couple of weeks ago, and I met my dad for a terrific lunch at Full Kee in Chinatown, at 6th and H. Yellow awning, I think. I love the Hong Kong noodle soup with shrimp dumplings and noodles, and the bean curd with vegetables (including lots of yummy black mushrooms). Mon Oct 26 10:17:36 -0800 1998 1246995 0 Jessica 1 1246959 Cristardi's pizza is good, I agree, but boutique pie that it is, it's a bit pricey -- and no slices. For a superior budget slice try Giardini's, at Smith and 1st, right by the subway stop. Note the expansive list of toppings, which include choices like sauteed escarole and rosemary chicken. I second the recommendation of Lacchini Barese, both for the peerless mozzarella (try the smoked) and the friendly counter guys, not to mention the old-world ambience. As for Italian, when I moved here a lot of people pointed me to the Red Rose on Smith -- having been there twice I find it hard to see why. Maybe it was once good and declined -- anyone out there with an opinion on this? It's cheap, I'll give it that, and has a certain shabby charm. Another inexplicably touted place is the Moroccan Star on Atlantic, which I found to be fairly lame. Anyone have a notably good/bad meal there? Re Bouillabase -- the same folks who own that run Le Petite Crevette, on Atlantic near Henry, a casual place with good and inexpensive seafood. Other things -- Esposito's has a variety of good stuff, try the sopressata; Nino's at Henry and Union is good for hearty, cheap Italian take-out; Buddy's on Court near DeGraw makes great burritos, if not "authentic" in that Chowhound-coveted way; Harvest is good, though not as good as the crowds would suggest; all the Chinese is bad, as far as I can tell; Sam's on Court is a cool spot, though the pizza's nothing to go hog wild over; for good beer and decent bar food try the Waterfront Ale House on Atlantic (eat the landjaeger sausage at the bar); On the Boerum Hill stretch of Atlantic is Moustache, good for cheap Middle Eastern, with a nice garden in back; near there is Brawta, really good for jerk chicken and other island fare; You've probably already discovered Sahadi's on Atlantic -- lot of treats and bargains in there. That's all for now... Wed Oct 07 15:15:35 -0700 1998 1246932 0 Chris Erikson 2 1246962 I went to Caputo's (on Court down at 4th Placeish) and was very pleased by their mozzarella and service, as well as the selection of ravioli, angelotti, etc. - haven't been to Latticini Barese yet, but I intend to, soon. I thought I saw a "slices" window at Cristardi's - am I feverish? On the Middle Eastern side of things, I have become fond of El Asmar on Atlantic Ave. Nice people. What is a good place to buy clean, reasonably priced fish in the area (to take home for cooking)? Thu Oct 08 10:48:17 -0700 1998 1246959 0 Jessica 3 1246964 Got to agree with you on El Asmar tho I realize it's not stricktly on topc. I used to live near there (Willow Place between State and Joralemon) and got to be friendly with the people who run EA -- now whenever I'm in the neighborhood I drop by to say hi and bring home some of their amazing hummus. It's one of my favorite grocery stores. Thu Oct 08 14:51:43 -0700 1998 1246962 0 Jeremy Osner 4 1246969 I'm another fan of El Asmar. Yes, they are always nice and helpful and the fact that it's open late has been a boon. Many of the takeout dishes are good--my favorite is the crushed walnut with sweet red pepper dish (forgot the name) to spread on pita. It's intense and a little goes a long way. I find it hard to be in the vicinity without stopping by to get some. Sat Oct 10 01:59:08 -0700 1998 1246964 0 lobelia 5 1246986 Hi Lobelia, thanks for the recommendation! I stopped by El-Asmar on Saturday and in addition to my other purchases I tried the red pepper-walnut dip. Very good! Jeremy Mon Oct 19 09:35:14 -0700 1998 1246969 0 Jeremy Osner 3 1246966 You're not feverish -- there is a slices window at Cristardi's, but they only sell sicilian slices for some reason, not the thin-crust pie. I haven't tried them, and so can't report on how they measure up. El Asmar is a good place, and it's open later than Sahadi's. The people in there are really nice, I agree -- the other night I watched as the counter guy handled an obnoxious customer with remarkable charm and class. As for fish, Le Petite Crevette, the seafood place on Atlantic I mentioned, sells fresh fish, and they have really good stuff but it's expensive. There's a good fish store on the east side of Court just south of Bergen, whose name I forget; and a less swank, cheaper one, which is also decent, on the west side of Court just north of Atlantic. You can get fried fish in there too. Here's another neighborhood tip, fresh in my mind because I was just there -- the Long Island Restaurant on Henry and Atlantic. Despite the name they don't serve food there, and it closes early for a bar, around 9 p.m. But if you fancy a quiet afternoon or early evening beer it's a great place, run by a nice older woman who's owned it since the early 50s, and used to run it with her husband (there's a picture of them circa WW II over the cash register, him in a navy uniform). I was told by someone that he used to work the night shift, and when he died she started closing at night. Anyway, she's kept it perfectly preserved, so it's a beautiful spot, with old wood phone booths and a pristine antique jukebox. The owner is Irish, but they get a lot of Spanish people in there for some reason. Thu Oct 08 16:53:12 -0700 1998 1246962 0 Chris Erikson 4 1246989 Well, now I guess I'm really off the Italian-in-Carroll-Gardens subject, but what the hey...have you bought anything at that Penguin fish market on the west side of Court, north of Atlantic? I can't decide if I think it looks sketchy or not. I desparately want to cook some fish (and not just as an expensive treat), but I am hesitant to buy it anywhere I feel at all iffy about. (In between DC and NY, I lived in Maine for a year, and I got used to having fresh, cheap fish, alas...) Fri Oct 23 13:38:42 -0700 1998 1246966 0 Jessica 5 1246991 Jessica, Don't know how helpful this will be, but: my teacher when I was in cooking school (8 years ago) lived in Brooklyn and _she_ said the best place to buy fresh fish in the city is Brooklyn's Chinatown, to get there you have to take the F train but I'm not sure exactly where you get off -- somewhere in between Park Slope and Kings Highway. Me, I live in Queens and buy fish in Flushing. Maybe someone else could help with better directions to Brooklyn's Chinatown. Jeremy Fri Oct 23 15:34:53 -0700 1998 1246989 0 Jeremy Osner 6 1246993 Brooklyn Chinatown is on 8th Ave between about 55-60th Sts. Not sure how to get there by subway. (the N maybe???) There are real good deals on fish and lots of other stuff there, but you have to be careful. ps - there's a Nnonya at about 55th street, near Ocean Palace, but we haven't tried that one yet. Might be a good one. (Ocean Palace is a fun dim sum destination if you are in the area0. You also might want to check out the guy who sells fish from Montauk at the Saturday Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza (2,3 train) . He's also at the Union Sq. greenmarket - Wednesdays maybe - and has all kinds of stuff. He is not legally permitted to gut and scale the whole fish though, through some crazy NYC legal quirk. Get there early if you want to have your pick. Fri Oct 23 17:04:58 -0700 1998 1246991 0 jen kalb 7 1246997 Thanks for your fish help...I have been sick for a few days (cough cough), but when I am fully well and up to doing stuff, I will take my self to Brooklyn's Chinatown. I'm looking forward to it... Mon Oct 26 10:12:17 -0800 1998 1246993 0 Jessica 8 1246999 Jessica, just to clarify re Brooklyn Chinatown, its smaller and less crowded, and more possible to get to know the vendors, and has a more diverse clientele than the much bigger Manhattan Chinatown, but I haven't seen any quality or price edge at all over Manhattan, where there is enormous competition so if it is easier for you to go into the city than deeper into the borough ....As far as restaurant meals, Bklyn really can't compete with the best of Manhattan Chinatown on quality, so it is really not a destination area (but maybe that Nnonya???) Feel better, Jennifer. Mon Oct 26 10:47:52 -0800 1998 1246997 0 jen kalb 4 1247028 Unless things have changed since was there last fall, the Long Island Restaurant does in fact serve food which is simple but pretty good. There's no menu but they usually have good lasagna, soup, and sandwiches. The french fries are excell Mon Jan 18 14:47:19 -0800 1999 1246966 0 Tony 5 1247029 Long Island Restaurant.. Location? Mon Jan 18 18:23:34 -0800 1999 1247028 0 Eric R. 2 1246965 As a relative newcomer to the CG area (I've lived there about a year), I'm finding this thread quite useful...here's a few observations and questions: Cristardi's sells $1.50 slices in the warmer months, but they lose oven-freshness rapidly. Not as good lukewarm. For a fish market, the newish Fish Tales, on Court just above Bergen, has a great selection of very fresh fish and helpful, highly knowledgeable owners. Pricey, but I'm not sure if you have an alternative (besides the Carroll Gardens Fish Market, on Court at President, which smells more than a little sketchy). My questions: has anyone found local Chinese takeout (or even specific dishes) that isn't awful? And has anyone sampled the local sushi offerings? (I think there are two places on Court south of Atlantic.) Samantha Thu Oct 08 16:48:33 -0700 1998 1246959 0 Samantha 1 1246960 Queen Restaurant on Court St. between Livingston and Schermerhorn is excellent!! They have the usual Italian favorites as well as a long list of specials every night. The specials lists always contain wonderful dishes. They also have great pizza but it is take out and delivery only. The service is excellent. Enjoy!! Wed Oct 07 15:33:31 -0700 1998 1246932 0 Heather Damon 1 1247026 How about staying on the subject! "Italian in Carrol Gardens". I read each post and it's like playing the game Telephone, where the message gets more and more garbled as it's passed from person to person. Five posts after the original inquiry I'm reading about fish in a Brooklyn Chinatown, H Sun Jan 17 12:37:05 -0800 1999 1246932 0 Emilio 2 1247027 "How about staying on the subject!" hi, emilio, welcome to the boards. Listen, don't blame the poster. Discussions tend to drift, period, and that's ok. Unfortunately there's no way for the management to change subject titles or move discussions or do any of the neat stuff that would make these boards more logical and convenient. Also, I hate the slow loading time and enormous confusing indexes and the long long wait to get at the "message compose" form. Our message board software, in a word, stinks. I apologize. There are three reasons: 1. This software is free while other programs cost megabucks. 2. The other programs--even the real expensive ones--aren't great, either. 3. Nobody's devised software that can import messages already posted with other software. So if we switch to a different program, we'll lose all this good information (or at least be forced to archive it in a form that will make this present set-up look positively sleek!). But there's something YOU could do...please don't get impatient and hit the "post message" box twice. When you do so, your message posts in duplicate. The reason you're not seeing these dupes is that I've been deleting them all morning! Sun Jan 17 13:19:13 -0800 1999 1247026 0 Jim Leff