Dinner at Brucie

Brucie (234 Court St., between Kane & Baltic Streets, 347-987-4961) is a cute, new spot in Cobble Hill - half restaurant, half country store. The menu lists various pastas and salad, as well as meats and cheeses, while for sale you can find jars of pickled veggies, pasta, sauce, pints of Blue Marble & People's Pops. There's a large room in the back set with two tables big enough for 6 - 8 people, whereas in the front there's counter space and a large table for communal seating. The stools at the counters are made from tractor seats, and the soft lighting creates a warm coziness.

I met a friend and we decided to share a few things. First was an order of Caponata. It was boldly flavored and quite salty, but I liked that. It was also made with golden raisins; an off-beat touch which worked nicely, providing a different texture, and a slightly sweet flavor.



For our main dish we ordered the Goat Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni with mushrooms and vodka sauce. This was made with extra-large rigatoni, stuffed with gooey cheese and topped with plentiful mushrooms and sauce. It was quite delicious, and satisfying. We could have stopped there, but our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we forged on with an order of the Panelle Sandwich.



Two, large chickpea cutlets topped a large roll, with vinegar peppers, ricotta and honey. The peppers were a nice addition, cutting through the dense, heavy cutlets. The ricotta was creamy, and the hint of sweet enhanced the flavors even more.



At this point, we were so full, we had to stop, despite being intrigued by the Rosewater Panna Cotta with Cherries. Another visit has been scheduled to sample the desserts, which also included a Chocolate Pudding Pie. Yum!

Dinner at Roman's

After getting high marks from some friends, I was eager to try Roman's (243 DeKalb Ave., between Vanderbilt & Clermont, 718-622-5300) for dinner. On a recent breezy evening, a friend and I sat outside on the sidewalk, at one of five tables set up next to the bus stop. It's a bit of a weird arrangement, but it was so nice out it was a shame to go inside. We ordered a bottle of Rosé and awaited our food. The menu changes daily, based on what's in season, available and good.

Our first course was Roasted Asparagus with shaved Pecorino and topped with a Fried Egg. I love when eggs show up in dinner foods! The asparagus were crunchy and slightly nutty, and the egg provided a creamy, yolk-y touch.



Our second course was a Lamb Agnolotti; small dumpling-like pasta stuffed with a tender, slightly sweet meat. It was served in a hearty, clear brown broth dotted with sliced scallions.



We then shared the Special Goat Entree which consisted of three cuts of meat - shoulder, rib and sausage. The goat comes from their local cheese providers, and was incredibly tender, served with a green chimichurri sauce. The shoulder was my favorite, and it fell apart with the touch of my fork. The sausage was nice too, mixed with herbs and fresh-tasting. It was quite pricey though, and took up by surprise as it was a special, and was not listed on the menu. Make sure to ask!



We also ordered a side of Braised Radishes with Mint. They were beautiful to look at but tasted more like Brussels Sprouts, a little funky and stinky. The mint was a nice touch though, and made for a bit of a sweet and refreshing flavor.



I really liked the food, the service and the wine. The interior is beautiful as well - white tiles, dark wood, on the small side. I'll definitely head back next time I'm out celebrating something.

More Ice Cream from Blue Marble

Yay for me and all the other folk who live in Cobble Hill & Carroll Gardens. Blue Marble (196 Court St., between Congress and Warren St., 718-858-0408) opened up a third shop in the spot formerly occupied by Tasty D-Lite. AND they have Soft Serve, my favorite way to eat ice cream in the summer. I had to get over there right away to sample some of the new stuff. I ordered a Mini Twist (of Chocolate & Vanilla) on a sugar cone and while $2.90 might be a bit pricey, the ingredients are high quality and local whenever possible, the shop's owners are committed to being as green and it's an independent business as opposed to a soul-less chain. PLUS they are pairing up with Bpeace, an awesome organization that helps women in countries ravaged by war & conflict open up businesses of their own, to set up a shop in Rwanda. I'd rather spend the extra buck knowing it's going to good use.



Look how cute that is!!! It was good too. You can get it with Nunu Chocolate nibs as a topping but I chose simple for my first taste. The chocolate had more flavor than the vanilla, and they were smoother than I prefer soft serve. I like it best when it's more frozen and granulated, and I still prefer their plain frozen yogurt, but come summer, this will be perfect!

Robicelli's One Year Anniversary

5/19/10: I never updated this; probably because I was so sad. Robicelli's had to close. But, their cupcakes became so popular, they're still in business doing customs orders. You can still get your Elvis cupcake fix!

I went to Robicelli's Gourmet Market on Friday to celebrate their one-year anniversary. I forgot my camera, so bear with me as I describe all the things there were to eat without seeing photos - you'll just have to go to the store to see & taste for yourself! They had a big pot of their famous Butternut Squash soup that got them into the food business in the first place. It was so creamy and flavorful - I'm not a huge soup fan but I could eat this every day for a week and be happy! It was a lovely bright orange color too, certain to cheer you up on rainy, winter days.

There was also a big pan of roasted Brussels sprouts made with lemon juice which I really liked - definitely a new way to have sprouts that made them zesty and fresh instead of their normal earthy mustiness, in addition to roasted broccoli with pignoli nuts, nicely browned & seasoned. (Photo courtesy of Cupcakes Take the Cake via Flickr.)



There were also Pork Belly BLTs that were INCREDIBLE! Parts of the pork were nicely burnt, which made them crisp and crunchy, and the sandwich was completely decadent. There was also an egg salad sandwich made with olive oil and soft-boiled eggs so they made their own mayonnaise. Delicious.

It wouldn't be a trip to Robicelli's without cupcakes, and just for this special occasion, Allison made a Kiwanis Cupcake, based on the special-occasion-cake of her childhood. White cake with banana in the center, with banana (butterscotch?) frosting and topped with a cream puff and a slice of chocolate covered strawberry (help me out Allison, did I remember it correctly?). So rich, so complex - amazing for a small dessert.

There's so much good stuff going on there, I highly encourage you to visit. Run by a husband & wife team, they are always trying to do the best by their customers while also keeping their food top-notch. They are so dedicated to their neighborhood and to keeping business local, they're changing the products they carry to reflect a more NY-based selection.



Allison & Matt with their famous cupcakes. (Photo courtesy of Cathyerway via Flickr.)