Best in Brooklyn for a celebratory dinner?
There have been quite a few new restaurants opening up over the last few months (Vinegar Hill House, Buttermilk Channel, maybe Prime Meats if it has actually opened), and inconsistent reviews of my old go to places (Lunetta, Tempo) so I'm kind of experiencing a food block. I want to go out for a celebratory dinner for 2, with very good vegetarian options. Price is irrelevant; I don't mean that it has to be expensive, I just want it to be delicious at whatever price. Casual or more formal also doesn't make a difference, although we aren't looking for a jacket-required experience. Near Carroll Gardens is great but an easy cab ride of the neighborhood is fine, too. We did not care for Chestnut (tried it twice). Grocery was okay but we weren't wowed. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. For now, Lucali is probably top choice.
Almost forgot - it's for tonight, so walk in or same day reservations are a must.
Thanks in advance!
By Olive123
on Mar 6, 2009 06:00 AM
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I have to say, I was just at Buttermilk Channel last night and was underwhelmed. Maybe it's all the recent hype and popularity that had me expecting something really special. My fried chicken was bloody/undercooked and I sent a salad back that was literally inedible because it was doused in pure lemon juice.
I haven't been yet, but a few friends have and they love Kevin's in RedHook. Maybe give that a try? The menu looks promising and the space is super cute. Otherwise, in CG neighborhood I think your right....Lucali.
PS Had a drink at Prime Meats last night.... no food yet. Great for a fancy cocktail. It was lovely.
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Kevin's
277A Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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I was pretty excited when I heard about the vegetarian menu at Buttermilk Channel but the reviews have just been all over the place. Kevin's looks like a great option except that there aren't any vegetarian entrees (no fish).
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If you end up at Buttermilk, get the little balls of cheese and sweet potato. They were really yummy.
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Since you're open to more casual options, I'll suggest Fragole and Po.
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We have been to Po and Fragole also. I thought it might be nice to try something different. Have people had recent positive experiences at Stone Park Cafe? They said they can do vegetarian when I called...
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Our goto celebratory place for two is the Garden Café in Prospect Heights. But they have a very small menu and I am not sure the could satisfy a pair of vegetarians. You could give them a call. Alternatively, in Cobble Hill, I would strongly recommend Saul for a special dinner. I'm sure they have several vegetarian choices.
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Saul
140 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Garden Cafe
620 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
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I'm going to give Saul a try next time, if they can do vegetarian for me. I've heard such good things.
Anyway, we ended up at Stone Park Cafe. It was hopping! Husband loved the marrow bones appetizer and tenderloin entree. I had the frisee and fried poached egg salad, sans bacon, and a chef's vegetable plate for my vegetarian entree. We split roasted brussels sprouts and roasted beets. My salad was very good, and the vegetable plate was good but not great. Some of the items were better cooked and seasoned than others. The brussels sprouts and beets were not particularly well done (tasted more steamed than roasted). We didn't have room for dessert but will likely be back at some point and can try to eat less bread. Loved that the bread was warm and the butter room temp. Service was very friendly, although I did have to make several attempts to flag the waiter for another drink after he asked if we wanted something and we replied that we did. It was kind of strange, because then he walked away and didn't come back for nearly 10 minutes even though we said we wanted something. Still, it was a pretty good meal for me and a great meal for my husband, so we will be back. Thanks for the additional recommendations!
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We recently looked for a higher end vegetarian friendly dinner on Fifth Ave - Convivium lacked good veg selections, Tempo looked the best and from our past experience was excellent, but we went to AlDiLa for an excellent dinner since my daughters hadnt been there.. While the dinner was very good, and my meat course and the wines were interesting and delicious, it didnt blow the girls away and the three veg primi we had were all similarly sauced in butter and sage. The veg daughter liked my excellent salad with lardons and egg best of all the dishes (picking out the pork bits, of course)
I havent noticed the inconsistency you mention in Tempo reviews and it would be my pick for this if we have a followup.
We have also had very good vegetable and fish dishes at ICI so if you are willing to travel you might want to check out their offerings.
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jen kalb, order the grilled chard stems side next time you're at al di la, if anchovy is part of the allowed foods. Delicious vinegar anchovy olive oil - totally addictive. And not the sage butter default. Their winter white salad is pretty great too - fennel etc.
iCi would probably do good off the menu veg if they didn't have what you needed - love that place.
How is Frankie Sputino for veg? I've only had (fabulous) meat things there...
Stone Park's also a good choice, esp if the non-meat-eaters like fish.
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the links...
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Ici
246 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Al Di La
248 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
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Ive had both those dishes at Al Di La and agree wholeheartedly, they are excellent. The green veg sides at Tempo are even more diversified. Neither place is a dieters dream, with significant fat content but boy do their veg dishes taste good.
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You only live once Jen (yes, I am over 200 lbs).
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I've had the same experience at Stone Park with lackadaisical service for a large party. I often hear people complain that waiters don't pay close enough attention to large tables because their tip is assured; never has this been more pronounced for me than at Stone Park. I've stopped recommending it to my friends because the prices are high and I haven't found the food good enough to overcome the shoddy service, particularly when Tempo and Al Di La are just down the street.
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if your hip general greene
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