Dinner at O'Barone #2

Finding ourselves in Red Hook on a recent Tuesday night, we discovered that the places we haven't been to yet that are on our list to try (Botanica, Fort Defiance, the newly-relocated Teeny) are all closed on Tuesdays! What gives? So, we ended up at a place we've been to already, but since we love it, it wasn't too much of a disappointment! O'Barone (360 Van Brunt St., between Sullivan & Wolcott St., 347-599-2758) is an Italian-Austrian restaurant in the old 360 space that opened over the summer and seems to still be finding it's footing in terms of luring eaters out to dine there. THe food is so delicious, well-prepared and well-presented, I do hope that more people find their way here, so that it can remain on the food scene.

We started with a Baby Spinach salad with Goat Cheese, Beets, potatoes and string beans, tossed in a lightly citrusy dressing. Loads of tangy, creamy goat cheese was piled high atop fresh greens, earthy beets and almost creamy potatoes. A few string beans added a nice crunch.

For my entree, I ordered the Casarecci Pasta with roasted tomatoes & sausage. The tube-like shape held the sauce, and the fresh sausage was plentiful and flavorful. Such a basic, yet delicious dish, that was also comforting as only a simple and hearty dish like this can be.

My boyfriend chose the Gnocchi from the list specials. It was a four-cheese dish with a sprinkling of crispy Pancetta and walnuts on top. The meat was smoky and wonderful, the walnuts a nice nutty crunch and the gnocchi incredibly soft and light, almost pillowy! The sauce itself though was on the bland side - I wanted it to be saltier, denser. Fairly easy to remedy with a shake of salt, but I wish I hadn't had to mess with it.

The place was virtually empty, so I want to urge everyone to go give it a try. The food is great, the waiters are great too, and as for now, you''ll get a table immediately!

Dinner at The Farm on Adderly

Taking the recommendation of a number of commenters, I headed to The Farm on Adderly (1108 Cortelyou Road, between E. 11th & E. 12th, 718-287-31010) with my family for dinner and just as I was told, it was excellent! It was warm and cozy inside, with a small bar up front, tables in two areas inside, and a beautiful garden out back where we decided to eat and enjoy the last bits of warm weather. There were four of us, so there's a ton of food for me to describe, so let me get started! (There was also a nice wine list and a good, well-rounded selection of beers.)

My Dad got a squash soup from the Specials menu with smoked apple on top. Smoked apple! Have you ever had smoked apple??? It was like bacon, only APPLE! Amazing. The soup was pureed and flavorful with a sprinkling of black pepper.



My Dad's wife picked the Bibb Lettuce Salad with pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries & goat cheese fritters which were warm balls of creamy & tangy cheese. Gorgeous, and very autumnal.



My boyfriend got an order of Arugula salad with Roasted Duck with plenty of thick slices of tender duck atop a spicy, crispy pile of greens, lightly dressed with a subtle vinaigrette.



I chose the Celery Root Salad with escarole, candied olive, lemon, olive oil & parmesan. The greens were delicious, the olives were interesting - little bits of sweet and salty - and the dressing was tart and refreshing. The shaved celery root, while earthy & rooty, was a bit chewy, and there was a TON of it, kind of overwhelming the salad.



For his entree, my Dad got the Burger with cheese and a side of fries. The fries were excellent - big, pillowy potato sticks fried to perfection, and the burger was juicy and flavorful, a testament to pasture-raised meat.



My Dad's wife ordered the Grilled Trout with green & yellow wax beans, spring onion & portobello. The mushroom was thinly sliced and dried, so they were like mushroom chips; an interesting texture, with the same earthy, portobello taste. The fish was flaky and succulent and the beans offered a nice, snappy counterbalance.



My boyfriend ordered the Pork wrapped in a filo dough-like wrapping over acorn squash & braised mixed greens on top. It was a little bit Asian-inspired, but really complex in a good, savory way - slightly sweet, tangy and rich.



There were two kinds of steak to chose from and I picked the skirt steak which was served over potatoes with a side dish of a roasted red pepper & peanut pesto-like sauce. The potatoes were tender and ever so slightly salted, and the sauce was really unique and delicious.



Even though we were pretty full, we couldn't resist ordering dessert. We got a Buttermilk Tart with a peanut butter crunch layer and concord grapes on top. Amazing! Custardy buttermilk, intense peanut flavor and the grapes! Silky, tart and sweet. Yum!



We also got a Butterscotch Pudding which came in a tall wine glass that was amazing. Thick, not too sweet and ever so slightly butterscotchy.



To round it all out we got the Brown Butter Apple Cake in a Blueberry Sauce and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. The cake tasted great and was served warm, but was a little dry. The blueberry sauce helped a lot and tasted like summer.



This is totally a top-notch restaurant and I look forward to going back during different seasons and seeing their different menus throughout the year.

Dinner at Lot 2

A colleague recently told me about Lot 2 (687 6th Avenue, at 20th St., 718-499-5623) and it's been high on my list ever since. I was fortunate enough to go last Friday, to celebrate something my boyfriend has been working towards for a very long time. As soon as I walked in the door I liked it. Low lighting, browns & exposed brick, with wooden tables in addition to a small-ish bar are all that fill the space. The waitstaff was friendly and knowledgeable, and the menu was enticing. We started out with some salads, all of which were delicious. My step-father ordered the Arugula with Pickled & Roasted Beets which was wonderful. The dressing was slightly lemon-y, and the plate was piled high with crisp leaves of arugula with fresh beets, earthy and flavorful.



My mom got the Roasted Mushroom and Herb Salad with slices of tender Porcini and Chanterelle mushrooms, in a light, tangy dressing. Celery leaves were mixed in with the greens, adding a nice, clean flavor.



My boyfriend and I shared an order of the Cauliflower & Romanesco with Capers and Mint. This was great - chunks of roasted cauliflower and pieces of romanesco (aka summer cauliflower), mixed with tangy capers & fresh mint. Served warm, it was an excellent way to whet our appetites.



My step-dad got the Buttered Noodles with Yellow Wax Beans, Summer Squash & Lemon for his entree. While a basic dish, it still offered a complex array of flavors, from the green squash to the citrus-y lemon to the comforting butter. It was quite good!



My mom chose to order a bowl of white bean & escarole in broth that was really tasty. It was slightly on the salty side, but the beans were cooked to a perfect consistency and the escarole provided a nice veggie balance.



I picked the Steamed Clams, Roasted Tomato, fresh chives & garlic bread for my entree, and split it with my boyfriend. A bowl full of smaller sized clams arrived in a wonderful broth - I only wished I had more garlic bread to sop it up with! I thought the clams were good, he felt like they were a little on the fishy side.



We also split the "Slow & Low", a dish with Beef Brisket, Pork Jowl, Lamb Rib & Carrots and Potatoes. The brisket was some of the best I've ever tasted - tender, rich and meaty, while the pork jowl while flavorful was mostly fat. The Lamb Rib was also good, with melt in your mouth meat that falls off the bone, all in a broth that was so flavorful, again, I wanted more bread, but also didn't want to fill up on bread!



Even though we were quite full, we couldn't completely pass up dessert, so we ordered the Vanilla Cheesecake with Almonds and Nectarines. I loved the sliced fruit splayed against the cheesecake, but I've been spoiled on cheesecake growing up with my Italian grandfather. This was so light, it was more like Pannacotta or a dish of Mascarpone, which, while nice, isn't what I'm expecting when I order Cheesecake. I wanted something denser and richer.



I really liked Lot 2, and would recommend it to someone looking for someplace nice to have dinner. They also serve grass-fed, locally-raised meats, which adds points in my book. Go and see for yourself - and just so you know, they specialize in Bourbons and Whiskeys, so don't go when you're craving a Vodka Martini.