Come to where great food and drink always hit 'The Spot'

By Marshall Slater

On a quiet corner, on the outskirts of Prospect Heights, sits The Spot American Bistro and Bar, a little gem of a find that has captured the whimsy of this changing neighborhood with a laid back and welcoming dining room, which offers a wide range of crowd pleasing food and an equally popular bar.

It’s an intimate place that wraps around the corner of Prospect Place and Grand Avenue, with barely a dozen tables for two or four. But don’t be misled by the casual ambiance…they know exactly what they are doing in terms of a great menu and a neighborhood watering hole, which always brings a friendly crowd.

Upon one wall is a hand painted tree whose sprawling limbs stretch across the space; there are burgundy and white linens and candles on the table. The place is ringed in windows and the bar takes up one side of the room.

Most come for the food, but still others come for the large pitchers of freshly made sangria, a smooth and fruity concoction with a delayed kick. An orchard of lemon, lime, orange and cherries swim in the mix. You can order it red or white.Settle back with the delicious basket of whole grain and black bread, served with an excellent olive oil, herb and balsamic dipping sauce and ponder the meal to come.

Open for two years, the place is the brainchild of John Harris, who is also the man behind Elevation Burger, specializing in organic fast food.

So settle back and enjoy a Caprese Salad, with fresh milky mozzarella and tomatoes drizzled with a thick and sweet balsamic plus basil olive oil finished with fresh basil leaves. There are two varieties of cerviche — Peruvian and Mexican variations; both offer slices of red onion, chopped tomato and white onions with cilantro. The latter adds a really hot red salsa with Mexican spices while the former boasts heavy cream and lime. The mixed shellfish cerviche combines scallops, shrimp and calamari with mussels, all first rate and enhanced with chunks of fresh garlic.

The Atlantic Crab Cake is finished with cracked peppercorns and served with a fresh avocado purée on a bed of hot corn salsa with a dollop of pickled mango atop it all. The extra large crab cake offers a gently seared perimeter and a flavorful crust covering the excellent seafood mélange.Other starters include a four cheese garlic bread; wings, mussels with tomato and basil in a white wine sauce and a bunch of others.

Pastas are given extra special attention and their scope runs from the traditional, such as baked ziti chock full of chicken and covered in melted mozzarella to the mushroom ravioli prepared with garlic and thinly sliced stalks of fresh asparagus, finished in a silken white truffle sauce.

Other temptations from this category run the gamut from Penne Vodka to Linguine with Little Neck Clams in a white wine and garlic sauce; there is also a four cheese or lobster ravioli, the latter made with fresh tomatoes and tarragon.

All dinners come with the added incentive of your choice of two of the many sides: grilled asparagus, sweet plantains, garlic mashed potatoes, cream spinach, yellow rice and nearly a dozen more.

A great choice for entrée is the tilapia, two massive filets served over stalks of fresh asparagus, which are, in turn, nestled on a fluffy mountain of mashed potatoes, all in a buttery sweet coconut sauce that is purely addictive.

The Paella comes in two versions: the Marinara style a mix of mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and sweet crabmeat with a saffron understatement. The Valenciana substitutes chicken and chorizos (smoky Spanish sausage) for the crab. The broth saturates every kernel of rice with the infused flavors of the seafood and the seasoning. The result is that you will consume every grain.

Other temptations include a larger portion of the aforementioned crab cake, a Grilled Atlantic Salmon, jumbo shrimp with lobster sauce, a filet mignon grilled and topped with truffle sauce; braised lamb shank, the house’s own spot roasted chicken, beef short ribs and even chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, mozzarella and bacon.

You can easily see the scope of the entrées and why they appeal to almost every culinary slant.

The brunch menu is another big draw, which includes unlimited mimosas for the $12.95 tab. Choose from four egg omelettes with any of 18 different stuffings, from smoked salmon to sausage, turkey bacon to asparagus.

Or try the smoked salmon Carpaccio, eggs Mexican style with jalapenos, onions, cilantro and tomatoes. There are Belgian waffles with strawberries and bananas, pancakes topped the same way, eggs Florentine and many others.Of course, any time of the day or night, you can also partake of burgers and creative paninis.

And if you want to linger, bring your laptop as they provide free wi-fi.

The Spot American Bistro and Bar
417 Prospect Place at the corner of Grand Avenue
718-638-1733

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Most major credit cards are accepted.Private parties accommodated up to 45. Outside catering is a specialty.

There is a two-for-one happy hour on Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m.Check out the $5.95 lunch specials featured Tuesday-Friday.

Saturday and Sunday features a price fixed brunch at $12.95 which included unlimited mimosas.

There is free delivery with a $12 minimum with Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, downtown Brooklyn, Crown Heights and adjacent areas.

Photo: Chef Effrain Garcia invites you to try one of his delectable creations. Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Anatolian Gyro: It just hits the spot - every time

By Marshall Slater

Long before Turkish cuisine became popular or even, dare we say, fashionable, Anatolian Gyro was packing in the crowds. It started modestly enough…a hole in the wall, which mainly attracted the riders from the bustling subway station a half block away. The window opened onto Sheepshead Bay Road and people walking by would inevitably get a whiff of the scents or spy the massive round of meat slowly roasting on the open spit, and they would give it a shot. Then they would just come back again…and again…and again.

It was good…in fact, it was very good. And it was different.

So it was something of a local secret that was very well shared.

But then the Village Voice had a short piece about just how good this tiny take-out joint was, and the lines got bigger, still. But that was a while ago…probably close to a decade; Anatolian Gyro opened in 1994.

It was about that time that I tried the place. I worked a couple of blocks away and was tired of getting pizza everyday, so I ventured out and tried a chicken kebab. It was good…I mean really good. You know how something just hits the spot; it’s not fancy, it’s not elaborate, but it’s really good. So you have it again and figure it won’t be quite as good as your first experience. But it was.

And then a while later, I tried the mixed eggplant salad. Not even sure why I tried this particular item. I think part of it was the fact that it sounded reasonably healthy and it was something like $3 for a large container. Well, that was good too…again, very good. They mash up the eggplant, which is lightly fried so it gets very tender, add just the right seasonings, which offer contrasting and complementing tastes, then serve it up with a nice loaf of fresh Turkish bread hot off the open grill. I must say, it immediately converted me into a die-hard fan.

And so it was that for the next 10 years or so, I found myself perusing through the menu and ordering from them two or three times a week. I never got tired of it, and the quality and taste, which attracted me in the first place, never wavered. Yes, the prices rose a little, but that’s life.

And it wasn’t just for lunch during the workday that I went…on days off, or after work, when I wanted an enjoyable dinner, I would pick up a big bag of goodies to bring home, and everyone loved those nights.

Truth is, the only reason I stopped eating there was that about a year ago our offices moved to the opposite end of Brooklyn and, even for a very loyal customer, that’s a bit too far for delivery.

Somewhere along those years it soon became apparent that my sentiments were shared by many. And it wasn’t long before that that the hole in the wall expanded, and then expanded again, and today Anatolian Gyro still not only sports a very busy take out counter, but a full dining room frequently filled with clientele, who now extend far beyond Sheepshead Bays’ borders.

Still owned and operated by Metin and his cousin, Ekrem (yes, they are actually Turkish), the place is still very much a family owned and operated business where the many lures which brought me into the place initially, and kept me a fan for years, are still quite intact. So let’s take an in-depth look into the food that has kept me sated for years, and whose menu I have extolled personally long before this public review.

Turkish food is, in many ways, the best of all worlds…at least as rendered by Anatolian Gyro: satisfying in taste and amount, easy on the budget, relatively guilt free in terms of diet and nutrition, and varied enough to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

Perhaps the most important distinction, however, is that while the menus at many Turkish/gyro restaurants are quite similar, the end result is quite disparate. The preparation at Anatolian involves subtlety of tastes and spices, grilling and combinations, succulence and flavoring; simple dishes become delicious and you just can’t go wrong.

A salad or side dish as common in ingredients as the Shepherd’s Salad is a good case in point. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are dived up, sprinkled with fresh parsley, and then seasoned with a very specific blend of vinegar and oil or, as I prefer, just some fresh lemon juice. The end result is so much better than the perceived banality of the ingredients. Perhaps it is the freshness of the veggies or the mix of the herbs and spices…but the end result is intensely satisfying.

It is as satisfying as a plateful of juicy, slightly edged-seared lamb carved from the spit, but if your ambition was to enjoy your lunch while eliminating calories and fat, you won’t go wrong here…nor will you if you order the lamb gyro and put some Shepherd’s salad on the side.

The standard Middle Eastern spreads are exceptional here. All are freshly made from scratch…the humus, or the babaghanouj, the latter mashed from whole eggplants, which are first grilled over open charcoal and then pureed, combined with tahini and garlic — all first rate because of the careful addition of spices and herbs. They don’t have that industrial taste, which is all too common elsewhere…and equal praise goes onto the fresh falafel balls, which are made when ordered, not left lying around to be fried again hours later. The fact that the stuff comes with that excellent Turkish bread — miniature whole loaves, which are super crunchy around the exterior and delightfully soft when you rip them open, very slightly glazed with butter — doesn’t hurt either.

The tabouleh salad, freshly made from scratch, is a mix of cracked wheat, crunchy rounds of scallions, parsley and tomato with fresh lemon juice. There are the excellent grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs with a delicate skin and a white bean salad, made from enormous beans which are the star ingredient with minced red peppers, parsley and onions with a light dressing.

Soups are recommended every season…during the winter they are mandatory. The Lentil Soup, with its burnt orange hue, starts with red lentils mashed into a puree, then cooked with mint, tomato paste and a touch of flour. The final yield is a silken broth. Fresh mushroom soup gets the thumbs up of patrons, as do the two versions of chicken soup. Both the spicy and the regular varieties are teeming with generous chunks of fresh and tender white meat chicken; the former broth is enhanced with jalapeno, fresh tomato, garlic and onion; the latter comes with chunks of carrots, celery and very finely chopped onion, which dissolves into the broth. These are so good even the most finicky kid will like them.

Both versions of the eggplant salad have become staples of my diet, either one scooped up with big ripped off hunks of the Turkish bread. Have it sitting next to you in the car and you may find yourself lapping it up, canine style, while you’re driving (this is no endorsement for eating while driving you understand…pull over and indulge your private habits). The Grilled Eggplant starts whole, where it is slowly grilled over the charcoal fire. The skin is then completely peeled off and the pieces then marinated with oil, lemon, garlic and a touch of salt…to which is then added tomato and parsley. The Mixed Eggplant starts off as cubes which are fried with long hot peppers, garlic oil and tomatoes and then all cooked together. Now it all sounds simple enough, but pizza all starts with the same three ingredients as well…but the intricacies of the amounts and the combinations is what separates the mundane from the extraordinary, and such is the case here.

They hit upon a formula, understood its popularity, and have stayed true to it ever since.

As for the main entrees, there are really three variations on the themes of chicken and lamb: kebabs, gyro or adana. If you make a mistake in ordering it really doesn’t matter…you’ll like whatever arrives equally well.

The gyro is the meat on the slow vertical rotisserie. A combination of ground lamb and beef or, alternately, layers of specially marinated chicken breast, are wrapped around a great vertical spit, which continuously turns while being grilled by flames on all sides. The charcoal flames don’t touch the meat, but gently and very slowly cook it so the meat becomes incredibly tender, which facilitates the fat dripping away. The dish or sandwich is then created by slicing thin strips of the meat from the spit as it turns. Of course the meats are first spiced so that the tastes are uniform throughout. So at any given time part of the meat in your sandwich or on your plate is slightly seared and other slices as juicy as can be. It’s very good and you’ll soon understand why it has earned a popularity around the city in a relatively few short years.

The kebabs are thick cubes of lamb or chicken meat, which are also thoroughly marinated and then lanced on skewers. When ordered, the skewers are removed from the refrigerator and placed on the open charcoals to be cooked. I have never — underscore never — had a piece of grizzle or fat. The meat is succulent and satisfying, served with a white creamy dill-yogurt sauce or a red hot sauce; both have their merits. The keys here are knowing just the right marinade to addict you, and just how long to keep the meat on the grill, which is kept freshly glowing, so the skin burns ever so slightly on the edges but is cooked thoroughly and allowed to remain juicy. Think of the analogy with a steak you cook at home and one cooked in the kitchens of Peter Luger…same hunk of meat…very different end result. You’ll really like this place.

The third variation on the theme is the adana, which sees the lamb or chicken (always white, meat incidentally) finely chopped and then carefully seasoned with a blending of herbs and spices, then shaped into long thick patties, which are then grilled over the open flame.

The meat, the charcoal, the spices, the marinades, the scents and flavors all coalesce into this wonderful sandwich or entrée and before you know it you are hooked. It is as deceptively simple as this.

Most everything is accompanied with fresh onions, and you can be an insider if you make sure to ask for some sumac, a coarse purple powder condiment made from the plant of the same name, which is like a universal flavoring, enhancing some tastes and muting others (like onion, in which the addition of the spice takes away the sharpness).

Most main dishes are also served with rice, a special long grain variety which has its own excellent taste and also absorbs the tastes of the ingredients heaped over or around it.

As for dessert, the rice pudding is in a realm all its own…it emerges cold with a thick layer of skin across the top from the whole milk. It is prepared with baking rice, milk and sugar. If you think you know what rice pudding is supposed to taste like, be prepared for an awakening when you sample this version. There’s also homemade baklava, drenched and dripping in honey, plus a pistachio roll, with phyllo dough so thin it melts when it hits your mouth. And if you can’t decide, get all three and add one of the little chocolate mousse cakes that they get from Michael’s Bakery on Avenue R, one of the few things they don’t prepare in their own kitchen.

Anatolian Gyro
1605 Sheepshead Bay Road, 718-769-7474
Hours: Open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

There is free delivery within a mile radius, but if you’re ordering for four or five, they deliver across most of southern Brooklyn, from Canarsie to Bay Ridge (just make sure about order minimums if you live a distance from the restaurant).

Private parties are accommodated both on and off premises; outside catering is a specialty.

Most major credit cards are accepted.

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El Pollo: little gem in the heart of Park Slope

By Marshall Slater

El Pollo is a warm, intimate space whose popularity is gathering strong momentum thanks to that most reliable of all advertising methods…word of mouth.

It’s a cute, cozy eatery whose homegrown emblem is a charming little chick dressed whimsically in a traditional Peruvian alpaca chullo hat and shawl. Barely more than 10 tables, which accommodate twosomes and are positioned together for parties of four, this is a real neighborhood gem that one would barely notice when wandering by. But there are three things that almost everyone who has been there agrees upon: the food is first rate, the prices are very reasonable (special kudos go to the $6 lunch) and it is confusing, considering the former two, why you can always find a table free. But hey, just because people have caught up with what’s good, that’s good for you as you can tell them you pioneered the discovery of this place. Soon enough you’ll have to wait for a table too, so enjoy it while you can.

If you happened to find yourself in Peru, and a family adopted you and invited you to dinner, that is about how you will be treated at El Pollo. It’s a family affair in which daughter Marzia tends to the dining room and her mom, Carmen, does all the cooking in the back. Marzia gets high marks at all times for her considerable charm and wide smile, and when you come back a second time (and you will), she will remember you and greet you like a returning friend.

You’re an invited guest partaking of the family meal at El Pollo. And family is the word for this laid back space with handicrafts and art works of their native land on the walls; the tables are covered in butcher paper so the kids (or you) can amuse themselves with crayons until the meal arrives.

The place is very friendly, doesn’t mind at all if you linger during your meal and has a very welcoming aura. It’s not fancy, but it is embracing and you’ll savor every meal.

So let’s begin with the Papa Rellena, a large, fluffy baked potato with the inside scooped out and the cavity refilled with a ground beef blend, which is enhanced with a slightly sweet accent that comes from a mix of cilantro (which makes everything taste great), tomato, onion, tiny raisins, a little egg, aji peppers and olives; the skin is crunchy and almost translucently thin. The potato is airy and most satisfying, and is accompanied with shards of excellent red onion and tomato chunks with lemon and spices.

The Papa ala Huancaina is another Peruvian staple consisting of sliced boiled potatoes covered in a spicy pale yellow cheese sauce. It’s delicious made with yellow or white potatoes. If you prefer a spicier sauce, add an extra yellow chile pepper.

Dipping sauces include a super hot, bring-tears-to-your-eyes green chili and a much milder sour cream based version.

Another starter is the Yuca Frita, a side dish or appetizer made from the fried root of the cassava (or yucca) plant. Usually, the root is cut into two- or three-inch chunks and deep-fried in vegetable oil. The result is similar to a wedge-cut French fry, but more fibrous.Of course, chicken is the main event at El Pollo, served whole, or as a half or as a quarter, alone or as the main ingredient in a dozen dishes. Whichever way you end of getting it, you can be assured of tender, succulent meat with skin seared just right that you will wish to enjoy again and again. Enjoy the fowl with traditional yellow rice and creamy, hearty beans or order it as a stew, or stir-fried with rice or BBQ style.

Adding side dishes is a great touch, whether you opt for the curly fries or the green or sweet plantains.

Of course, if you wish to get a little fancier, try the Lomo o Pollo Saltado, which offers stir friend strips of chicken or sirloin prepared with onions, tomato and cilantro, with the fries thrown into the mix, all wonderfully spiced, all tender and juicy, and all very, very good. Think of this dish as a more satisfying version of fajitas.

Other choices include the Pork Chops served with rice and beans, the pepper steak, and a sirloin sautéed with onions. There are several seafood dishes in addition, like the stir-fried shrimp, the seafood casserole with a rice base studded with shrimp, calamari, crab meat, clams, mussels and lobster meat with scallions and chopped eggs or the fresh fish filet sautéed with onions, tomato, garlic and cilantro.

Looking for a sandwich? There are two excellent choices: the El Pollo Hero ($6) with roasted chicken and a house dressing with lettuce, tomato and cucumbers or the Peruvian Guacamole Hero, also with roasted chicken.

As is amply demonstrated, the menu does not stray far from tried and true favorites, but there is tremendous pride in the preparation and mama’s considerable experience and expertise go into every dish that leaves her kitchen.

Quench your thirst with the unique Chicha Morada or Purple Corn Drink, made fresh from scratch, with some chopped up apple, brown sugar and a little lime…rich in antioxidants, refreshingly sweet without being cloying and only $2.50 for a large glass.

Desserts range from Quinoa Pudding, sort of like a rice pudding but served warm with cinnamon on top, to the Leche Asada, their version of a crème brulee in cake form but reversed so the caramel is on the bottom. And they even have Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream should you choose a closer to home “Peruvian” confection.

El Pollo
718-369-3455 or 56291
Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, between First & Second streets
Hours: Open seven days a week, noon – 11 p.m.; lunch is served 12:30-4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.

Most major credit cards are accepted.Private parties up to 28 are accommodated, outside catering is a specialty.

They offer free delivery within the Park Slope area.

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Goodfella’s: a delicious and good time for all

By Marshall Slater

Goodfella’s has been a staple in Bay Ridge for many years, consistently serving crowd pleasing cuisine in very charming surroundings all wrapped up in a family friendly and good times atmosphere. I am pleased to say that little has changed in all these respects now that the restaurant is well into its second decade.

And before we get started on the specifics, it should be first understood that while there are many Goodfella’s restaurants, this location long ago took its own road, maintaining the name but taking off in other varied directions, including culinary, making it very much a one-of-a-kind establishment, able to cater to its Brooklyn clientele in a most personalized manner.

Owned and operated by brother and sister partners Michele and Darren Carbone, one is always on premises to make sure customers are consistently happy. It is easy to see that this is a real favorite for regulars and newbies. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming; the portions abundant, the menu far and wide ranging, plus there are lots of other enticements to keep you coming back.

Each night brings a prodigious array of specials augmenting the already diverse bill of fare. On a recent evening, the blackboard menu tempted the palate with stuffed filet of sole, pork chops with vinegar and cherry peppers, campagnolo Carbone, fresh salmon served any style you desire, steak pizzaiola, veal chop with mushrooms and onions or done parmigiana. But at Goodfella’s, everyone seems to have their favorites, be it one of their award winning brick oven pizzas — which have been named best in the land more than once — the traditional Italian favorites or the specialty entrees.

The meal starts with some of the best homemade bread you are likely to enjoy; as thick and as good as cake dough. But while the desire is to consume all that reaches your table, have a little discipline so you can leave more room for the meal.

The Antipasto Paesano is a good place to start, made up of all the starters you love: first rate, wonderfully fresh veggies are grilled (eggplant and zucchini) or roasted (sweet peppers), and complimented with a smooth and satisfying virgin olive oil and balsamic dressing, and chunks of fresh garlic and light spices. Add in the fresh mozzarella wheels atop tomatoes and under basil and you have a delectable way to begin the meal. Or there is its kissing cousin of the hot antipasto sampler consisting of excellent baked clams, mushroom oreganata, snappy jumbo shrimp gently battered and tender eggplant. Cheese is also the main ingredient in the decadent mozzarella en carrozza, in which the milky cheese is lightly battered and then fried, finished with a thick red sauce studded with more garlic.

Other options to begin your visit include the Famous Goodfella’s Buffalo Style Chicken Wings available in mild, medium and (very, very) hot; popcorn shrimp, a spinach and artichoke dip, bruschetta, tender and crisp fried calamari, chicken fingers, stuffed artichoke Zuppa di Clams or Mussels in red or white sauce, and probably more than a dozen others.

But choice is one of the main ingredients in everything at Goodfella’s. A good case in point is the option for the very popular Family Style Dinner, which serves couples, foursomes or parties of 50. It is a price fixed feast, which allows you an exceptional array of choices for one low price of $23.95. For this tab you get your choice of four appetizers (the best of the regular menu), two pastas, three entrees (veal, chicken, seafood; again, some of the most popular choices from the main menu), plus dessert and beverage. This menu is not only available for dinner patrons, but can be further enhanced for those planning a party.

Want even more of a bargain? Then come for the four course Early Bird Dinner Menu, which is featured Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. and priced at just $18.95.Add in such amenities as free valet parking, karaoke on Saturday night and live bands on Fridays and you soon realize why Goodfella’s is known for good times.

Of course, if you find yourself in the neighborhood during midday, they offer both $7.95 and $9.95 complete lunch specials Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.But for now, let’s head back to the dining room and see what else entices. Of course, Goodfella’s is very well known and even more respected for its old world style pizzas, available as either individual four slice pies, a six slice square pie or as the more typical eight slice variety. All specialty pies are made with hand sliced fresh mozzarella and all pizzas are baked in the brick oven. Customize the pie with any of a dozen and a half options or, better yet, opt for one of their wonderful specialty creations like the Pizza alla Vodka — voted the number one pizza in the country two years running and made of their coveted tomato cream vodka sauce, seasoned with fresh mushrooms, peas and prosciutto. Smokin Goodfella, named The World’s Best Pizza at the International Pizza Festival in 2007, consists of smoked fresh mozzarella, roasted pepper cream sauce, fresh sausage, wood roasted peppers all topped with Pecorino Romano cheeses and fresh basil.

Other choices include the venerable Mushroom Madness constructed with a porcini cream mushroom sauce topped with freshly seasoned and sliced mushrooms and imported Pecorino Romano cheese. There is also the Vegetable Delight, the house namesake “Goodfella” (plum tomato sauce, topped with brick oven roasted peppers, sausage and fresh sliced garlic), an Eggplant Parmigiana pizza, Chicken Parmigiana, Quattro Stagioni (literally “four seasons”) made with plum tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, black olives, prosciutto and fresh, seasoned mushrooms and the close relative of the Quattro Formaggi, their interpretation of the four cheese creation, with fresh mozzarella, provolone, fontina and grated Pecorino Romano cheese topped with that plum tomato sauce. But these only begin the long list.

Of course, pastas are also a featured item on the menu, such as the Penne alla Vodka, with its sweet background taste gained from the echoes of the vodka, which is burned off during the cooking process. It’s a light cream sauce confection with peas and a touch of tomato. The exceptionally light and tasty potato gnocchi dumplings are presented in a superb fresh pesto sauce. There are at least another dozen variations on this theme, some traditional and some not so…like the Linguine Sinatra with the macaroni sautéed in garlic and oil with chopped shrimp and clams and a drop of tomato for a pink blush and a nice counter taste.As for the entrees, veal, chicken and seafood are given equal attention and all the classics are represented. The Chicken Siciliano offers alternating layers of prosciutto, mozzarella and eggplant; the succulent veal saltimbocca is made with excellent prosciutto in a wine sauce. The Chicken Scarpariello is offered on the bone with tons of fresh garlic and a zingy sauce to lap up with the bread.

From Veal Parmigiana and Sorrentino to Pizzaiola and Bolognese, you can see the old favorites are very much still in style at Goodfella’s along with house creations such as the Chicken Ambrosiano (breast sautéed in garlic and wine with capers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes served over penne) and the Chicken Goodfella’s with tender chunks of breast sautéed with scallions, shallots, garlic, white wine and cream over penne pasta or the Chicken Contadina also served on the bone sautéed in garlic and lemon with sausage and oven roasted peppers.

Shrimp Romulus offers baby shrimp sautéed in a delicate lobster cream sauce with angel hair pasta; there is Calamari Marinara or Fra Diavolo, jumbo shrimp done Francese, Oreganato and Parmigiana, fresh fish and combinations like the Chicken and Shrimp Rustica, which matches a grilled chicken breast with shrimp, roasted peppers, mushrooms, shallots, garlic and cream with a touch of tomato over penne.

Desserts are no mere accommodation to the end of the meal; instead, they offer a sweet shop array of temptations like the apple pizza pie ala mode, which starts with a base of pizza dough then adds thin slices of fresh apples and cinnamon crumb topping, topped off with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Beyond this innovation is a bakery case filled with everything from tirami su to Snickers pie, sorbets in their natural fruit shells to Reese’s pie, New York cheesecake to the Vesuvius pie, a combination of mousse, cheesecake, brownie, caramel and nuts.

Goodfella’s
9606 Third Avenue, between 96th and 97th streets
718-833-6200

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday until 11:30 p.m.; Saturday until midnight and Sunday, 12:30-10 p.m.

Free valet parking nightly after 5 p.m., seven nights.

Most major credit cards are accepted.

Early Bird Special (choice of appetizer, soup or salad, entrée and pasta plus dessert) price fixed at $18.95 is available Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. For details on the Family Style Menu available at all times, see the body of the story above.

There is karaoke with Vinny Karaoke and DJ every Saturday, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday night features live bands from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Private parties up to 130 are accommodated. Outside catering is a specialty.

There is free delivery for several miles, from Bensonhurst to Bay Ridge and Sunset Park.

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Take your palate to delicious new heights at Vue Restaurant

By Marshall Slater

Vue Restaurant is, to my knowledge, Brooklyn’s only rooftop dining establishment. While its location atop the Hotel LeBleu (a large and very much in demand luxury boutique hotel) is certainly singular, the venue’s location is further unique, sandwiched in a commercial/retail strip in a neighborhood that is near the end of its transition from working class to a setting that is more luxury condos and Manhattan east than Park Slope south.

And while the restaurant does not sit on a revolving turntable, one side offers views of the Brooklyn cityscape, while the opposite side boasts the outdoor dining room (it will, probably by mid December, be semi-enclosed and heated for immediate and year-round use), which commands unobstructed vistas that stretch from the Verrazano Bridge to the State of Liberty, Lower Manhattan and the towers and lights of midtown.

Vue is actually two carnations with a single name: the restaurant itself sits on the eighth floor, which the Vue bar and lounge is a flight above, completely separate from the dining room and attracting its own crowd for the drinks, the company, the DJs, and the night life. And while this aspect of Vue is very popular, indeed, it is the restaurant which will be the focus of this article.

The dining room has been compared to a slice out of neo-modern Miami, and the comparison has merit. It is designed in a modern, impressionistic style with a soft blue theme of bubbles and waves, flat screens in the walls, floor to ceiling glass to accommodate the views, and soft and comfy banquettes, which stretch in soft angles around the walls. The whole scene is cool and laid back and comes as quite a jolt as you emerge from the elevator, considering the street area downstairs you just left.

So order up a bottle of Riesling and begin perusing the thickly padded books, which contain an innovative and very atypical bill of fare. But do sample the excellent fresh rolls, made irresistible with the addition of marvelous sweet chili butter. Begin the meal with the pan fried noodle wrapped chicken or the filet mignon starter covered with caramelized onions and wrapped with bacon, finished with a chili garlic dressing.

In another singular creation, the meat from short ribs is mashed and spiced and then wrapped in what they call gold coins, actually a thin pastry shell which is presented with a truffle zabaglione dipping sauce on a plate, which has been decorated with a mix of greens and cucumbers slices upon which are placed sliced cherry tomatoes.

The calamari is distinguished in that, instead of small rings, there are thick slices of the seafood, which are marvelously tender and coated with an almost ethereal batter that is delicious and a perfect complement to the seafood. It is served with a sweet chili glaze, adding immensely to your enjoyment. There is also a jumbo lump crabmeat cake that is served with red caviar, diced tomatoes and fresh avocado slices all on lighter than air pastry squares, which crumble away leaving just their essence at first bite. A crème dressing completes the dish.

Now please note that while the tastes are luxurious and the preparation extravagant, pricing is quite reasonable; there is no appetizer above $10 and the average is around $7 or $8.

Entrées continue this exploration into creative combinations and wonderfully clever match-ups of ingredients. A case in point is the burger, here made from Kobe beef, arguably the finest in the world, and served with shoestring fries. The Denmark Baby Back Ribs come with a macaroni and bleu cheese accompaniment. Fried chicken is served with Asian pear slaw and garlic chive mashed potatoes. You get the idea; each dish is a new treat.

Jumbo shrimp (these are true three bite shrimps) are grilled, presented with a sprig of fresh thyme, and served with a topping of minced fresh lobster with an Old Bay dressing and the most gentle — but no less flavorful — BBQ sauce, which is drizzled on the plate. Fresh, sweet, corn (in a heavy cream) is the base of the dish; the corn is a confection unto itself. The dish is artfully plated, with the ingredients forming a lobster tail.

The Mediterranean Sea bass is perfectly filleted and grilled to bring out a singular succulence and moistness. The fish itself is excellent and flavorful; enhanced with Parmesan cheese, fresh veggies, artichokes, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Other main courses include an all vegetarian dish aptly named The Garden of Dreams…a full size portion of the filet mignon appetizer mentioned earlier and a Kobe Beef Chili served with Yukon Gold potato skins with bacon, cheddar and sour cream. Salmon is seared and prepared with a Meyer lemon marinade. There is also something called an Everything Crusted New York Strip Steak, which we did not get to sample, but which garners raves (as does the restaurant in general) from web foodies who proclaim their love for the dish and their fondness for the relatively new restaurant, which opened less than six months ago.

By the way, the kitchen was clever enough to offer many of the entrée addendums as full side dishes such as the Asian Pear cole slaw, the macaroni and bleu cheese, roasted garlic chive mashed potatoes and zucchini and squash ribbons. Now when you read the menu and you can’t decide between the main courses, order one and add a side dish to give you the best of both worlds. Side dishes average just $5 so there is no reason to resist.

For dessert? Make the molten chocolate cake (push down the fork and out spurts the liquid chocolate confection) your choice, with crushed macadamia nuts, blueberries and above average whipped cream. There’s also a fresh fruit (on this night, apple-watermelon) sorbet to please and to cleanse the palate.

Note that Vue offers a Saturday and Sunday brunch, price fixed at $19 and including mimosa. Options run the gamut from lobster Benedict with corn pancakes and an Old Bay Hollandaise sauce to a Blue Point Oyster Frittata served with caviar and (you gotta love this one) green market eggs, done any style, and served with pastrami from Katz’s Deli and Yukon Gold hash brown potatoes. There are a half dozen other equally impressive offerings.

Vue Restaurant
370 Fourth Avenue in Park Slope718-625-2177, 888-879-9628 or
Hours: dinner is featured Sunday – Thursday, 5 – 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until midnight. Saturday and Sunday brunch is offered 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The upstairs bar/lounge is open Sunday – Wednesday, 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. and until 3 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday (the expanded hours and days were expected to start imminently, but call to make sure). Sunday and Monday nights offer football specials (call about drink and food specials) while happy hour runs seven days, 5 – 9 p.m. with $5 well drinks, $4 wines and $3 beers. DJs spin Thursday – Saturday starting at 6 p.m. Note that a specialty cocktail menu is also available both in the restaurant and the lounge.

Most major credit cards are accepted.

There is free parking at all times and free valet parking, Thursday – Saturday.

Private parties up to 150 are accommodated; outside catering is available.A prix fixed dinner menu will be coming soon. Ask for details.

Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Il Fornetto: Food and ambiance make a delectable dining choice

By Marshall Slater

Il Fornetto is unique in that it joins only a handful of other establishments across the borough, which offer true waterfront dining. The dining room juts, literally, over the waters of Sheepshead Bay and day or night, winter or summer, the views and ambiance are spectacular. The water laps gently below you and the unlimited vistas offer a panorama of the boats, the waves, the wildlife and the not-so-distant cityscape of Manhattan Beach.

And, while the environment would more than justify a visit, it is secondary to the food, which is unabashedly traditional Italian dining, but with an emphasis on excellence of preparation, generous portions and first rate ingredients.

While Il Fornetto offers a most elegant night out, it should be noted that the dining room is a very welcoming place; the staff works quite hard and succeeds in going above and beyond, and genuinely enjoys making you the focus of their attention. Il Fornetto is as appropriate for celebrating very special times or impressing a date as it is for a family outing…and kids are welcomed, not merely tolerated.

The dining room is spacious and wide open with a high chalet ceiling and open wood cross beams. The wide tabletops are made up of lovely designer tiles and, above you, high paddle fans slowly twirl.

So settle back and enjoy the nice crusty bread dipped in a virgin olive-Balsamic and herb accompaniment and peruse the menu. Again, the emphasis is on tried and true crowd-pleasers, but executed in the kitchen with well above average skills.

Take for instance the Hot Antipasto, comprised of delicious buttery clams oreganata, which are so good you will be putting the cocktail fork aside and sucking each from its shell lest you miss any of the seasoned breadcrumb amalgam. The wonderfully tender eggplant oozes with mozzarella and almost liquid ricotta that blends into the vegetable, which itself boasts a butter soft skin all in a fine, thick red sauce. It is prepared, like many of the dishes, in the brick oven, which imparts its own addictive underscoring taste. Also on the platter are snappy jumbo shrimp plus excellent mushroom caps stuffed with a chopped mushroom and herb blend. Order the fried calamari and be treated to superbly tender rings in a delicious batter with a thick red dipping sauce.

A very refreshing alternative is the gorgonzola salad, made up of excellent baby spinach (no grit at all), thin slices of tart green apple, shaved almonds and creamy gorgonzola, all with a red wine vinaigrette.

Other options from the very diverse and pleasing menu include Oysters Rockefeller, baked with a spinach cream sauce; Clams Ripiene, Little Neck clams lightly breaded and brick-oven baked; In Bianco, which sees mussels and clams sautéed with garlic and fresh herbs; Mozzarella in Carrozza sees the cheese battered with tomato sauce studded with capers. The Caprese offers fresh rounds of mozzarella and tomato drizzled with pesto. There are also raw shellfish bar offerings, freshly shucked when ordered.

A very nice alternative, which takes complete advantage of the brick oven, is the vast selection of individual wood fired creative pizzas: the Margherita with whole milk mozzarella, fresh basil and a plum tomato sauce; Parmigiano with provolone, fresh mozzarella, sliced cherry peppers and shaved aged parmigiano and Fra Diavolo with a fresh marinara sauce, baby shrimp, scallions and spicy olive oil. The list continues with the Paesana, which uses the fresh mozzarella as a covering for mushrooms, prosciutto, chopped arugula and shaved parmigiano, or the Salsiccia, with grilled Italian sausage, sweet caramelized onions, fresh mozzarella, plum tomato sauce and ricotta. There is even a veggie pie, dubbed the Verdura, with grilled eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and roasted peppers. Further customize the pies from a long list of toppings.

If you’re in the mood for something light, the kitchen obliges with eight different Panini sandwiches, from sliced steak to mixed vegetable, and grilled chicken and provolone to a chicken Caesar wrap.

You really should order a pasta dish. The Linguine alla Vongole is deceptively simple in its description, with an abundance of baby clams, which have first been steamed in fresh clam juice and then done with a little parsley, roasted garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Each clam is thoroughly immersed in this blending and it is hard not to lick the shells clean. It is really a most satisfying dish, as is the Fettuccine Compresso, a vegetarian affair of wonderful green and black olives, diced oven-roasted tomatoes, all tossed with fine virgin olive oil and then crowned with lots of freshly shaved slices of imported parmigiano cheese. The flavors all mesh flawlessly.

Other pasta selections to consider include the Penne Filetto with Italian bacon and caramelized onions; Cavatelli al Ragu, ricotta pasta, peas and a slow-cooked meat sauce with a touch of cream and ricotta; fresh pasta Mediterraneo, fettuccine in a vodka cream sauce with jumbo shrimp and scallops.

As for the main event, even though seafood gets the bias in the kitchen, entrées from land certainly compete nicely for your attention, as with the Pollo Campagnolo, a most hearty dish, which starts with seared boneless chicken done with olive oil and a splash of white wine, then combined with fresh mushrooms, and wonderful sweet Italian link sausages. The poultry becomes infused with the complementary tastes and the end result is a new favorite you will want to savor again. The Chicken Cardinale offers pan seared boneless breast topped with roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella; the Veal Carciofi is a scallopini creation with artichoke hearts in a butter shallot reduction and there is a grilled sirloin steak topped with mushrooms and onions.

One of the starring attractions from the waters is the Filet of Bronzini, a flaky and sweet white fish from the Mediterranean. It is done here gently grilled, charred with sweet cross hatching marks from the grill, and served with a medley of fresh vegetables and roasted potatoes on a platter with lemon and lime wheels. Other selections from the waters include Tilapia Almondine topped with toasted sliced almonds; Frittura di Pesce, a fried platter of sea scallops, jumbo shrimp, zucchini and potatoes with a tartar remoulade; Salmon Portofino is pan-seared with capers and sundried tomatoes, and then there is the indulgent Delizie del Mare for two, a veritable banquet of seafood including lobster tail, shrimp, clams, sea scallops and mussels in marinara sauce served over linguine. Salmon Senape sees the fish grilled and served with a citrus mustard dipping sauce.

Other temptations include the Grigliata Mista for two: grilled sliced sirloin steak, jumbo shrimp and chicken in a red wine reduction or the Pesce Dorato, bread crumb dusted and grilled jumbo shrimp, calamari and scallops. Plus, there are fresh lobsters done just about any way you want.

Finish the meal with the kitchen’s signature Apple Pizaetta, a sort of dessert pizza made from thinly-sliced apples on a pizza crust marinated with caramel amaretto and topped with vanilla gelato. The mini cannoli are dynamite and the Warm Chocolate Cake offers a real surprise as your fork breaks the exterior and warm chocolate sauce spurts from within, mixing with the vanilla ice cream.

Note that a big draw at Il Fornetto is their Prix Fixe Dinner, priced at $24.95 and available at all times during all restaurant hours (except only until 6 p.m. on Saturday). It includes choice of appetizer, a top of the line entrée (the list includes everything from lobster to a sirloin steak, Salmon Portofino to Chicken Campagnolo), plus one of the great house desserts including the homemade tirami su or the wonderful warm chocolate lava cake. There is also a price fixed lunch for $13.95 available noon – 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday.]

Il Fornetto

2902 Emmons Avenue, 718-332-8494

Hours: noon – 11 p.m., Monday-Thursday; until midnight on Friday and Saturday and from 12:30 – 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Most major credit cards are accepted.

There is always free parking and free valet parking Friday to Sunday. Parties are accommodated in a private room up to 120.Unique and expansive sports lounge with multiple wide screen televisions.

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Chadwick's Restaurant: a world of choices for the discerning diner

By Marshall Slater

There is little question that you will have problems when you come to Chadwick’s Restaurant...ahhh, but what sweet problems. The truth of the matter is that there are so many varied and first rate choices to your meal that you will first be torn between several “must haves” and then, no matter what you end up choosing and no matter how satisfying it inevitably will turn out to be…you will bemoan the fact that you had to choose and couldn’t have them all.

We should all have such problems.

Well, I suppose this is somewhat unfair of the restaurant: compelling you to return again and again to revisit favorites and savor other new dishes. And beware those who think they can resist temptation…you won’t and you will be glad you didn’t. Eat the celery stalks the next day…settle down to a feast on this night.

Chadwick’s, a staple in an ever changing dining scene since 1987, bills itself as serving American cuisine, but this is partially misleading. While its roots are patriotic enough, the skills of the kitchen, the attention to detail, the excellence of the chef propel the offerings far beyond a mere classification.

The façade of this dining establishment has occupied the corner of 89th Street and Third Avenue for so long, some take it for granted, but one thing is clear…the management and staff do not. It is really quite rare to continue to find such vigor to please in such a long-running success story. Each order that emerges from the kitchen has been crafted from the finest ingredients and rendered by a master — Executive Chef Sean Quinn — whose dedication would have you believe he is still auditioning for the job and whose continued employment is teetering on every dish.

From the moment you sit you understand how pleasing your visit will be…even the homemade deep orange-red sweet red pepper spread — a complex concoction of fresh parsley, pignoli, garlic, olives and more — which accompanies the excellent crusty, fluffy loaves of bread is a standout. And here let me point out another observation: You’ll go through the spread quickly, and have a knife duel with your companion over who gets the last dollop. But when the spread has been consumed, that’s not the end of it. The waiter just brings you another container of the spread and, seeing how much you enjoyed it the first time, makes sure this bowl is twice as large as the first. Quite a contrast to other dining establishment who may throw you a complimentary piece of bruschetta…and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

And yes, be assured the place is lovely inside…but enough divergence from the menu. Let’s get down to it.

There is the Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops appetizer. I must confess, I have been at this a long time and have not heard about “day boat” scallops…and, assuming you have not either, I can only assume from this dish that they are gargantuan rounds, so big that each can only be consumed with three large bites. And based on the Chadwick’s dish, one can also say they are so tender and light that you will forever be jaded when you order scallops elsewhere. Done here they are seared to perfection, gently browned on both sides, served with stunningly delicious wild mushrooms atop an equally addictive mache green salad, but the real star is the authentic truffle oil vinaigrette, which offers a totally singularly pleasing accent to the dish and a whoosh of flavor that you will rave to your friends about.

Equal praise is heaped on a more mundanely sounding starter, the fried calamari. The seafood is without peer…each ring is so tender and flavorful, and coated with a delectable batter that is not the least bit oily, you will certainly wonder what you have been missing till now.

Finally, extra thin strips of French fried zucchini covers the top of the seafood, which is then served with two sauces: a very good and traditional spicy tomato plus a most uncharacteristic but very welcome green pepperoncini sauce which, it turns out, is the perfect complement to the calamari.

Hungry yet?

The Chilled Maine Lobster Salad is a work of food art, and you will have misgivings digging into it it’s so pretty…but you will. The perimeter of the plate is comprised of split cherry tomatoes interspersed with dollops of tamale mayonnaise and basil oil. The abundance of fresh lobster meat is truly generous and it is served in fresh corn kernels relish with greens. The entire dish is built artfully around the shell. Finally, may I add…with every bite of sweet lobster meat, there was not a hint — not even the faintest whisper — of shell or cartilage.

Let’s continue with the Braised Beef Short Rib Spring Rolls, which started as a bar treat and ended up on the menu because of the universal clamor for it. It is served with a mound of shredded red Asian slaw with a slight vinegary accent while the spring rolls are further enhanced with the thick and sweet honey ginger dipping sauce.

Other options for appetizers include Japanese crab cakes with wasabi vinaigrette and red cabbage slaw; a fresh mozzarella and grilled eggplant Napoleon in a thick balsamic vinegar; Clams Catalan with shaved fennel, chorizos (Spanish sausage), cannelloni beans and toasted almonds all in a tomato saffron broth, and Hickory and Molasses BBQ Duck Breast.

Order the Chesapeake Oyster Chowder on a cold night and be warmed to the gills in this supper confection of heavy cream and a touch of brandy, with hickory smoked bacon, chunks of red bliss potatoes, kernels of corn, celery and carrots.

Pasta dishes continue the distinction: the Tagliatelle with Crab Sauce is memorable even as your belt begins to tighten from indulging on the aforementioned appetizers. Jumbo lump crabmeat (and again, not a single bite will contain shell or even a flake of cartilage) is served in more than generous supply in a fresh sweet plum tomato ambrosia with finely cubed sweet fresh tomatoes, the flavors of which seep into the first rate pasta, cooked to uncommon perfection.

Choices here also include the Papardella with Slow Braised Duck Ragu with apricots, shiitakes and crumbled goat cheese; Rigatoni with a sweet fennel sausage sauce of garlic, tomato, cream and fresh basil, and Braised Beef Ravioli with wild mushrooms and tomato ragu.

Am I gushing yet? Unabashedly I am…but enthusiasm is easy when describing the food at Chadwick’s.

The main event offers fabulous seafood entrées such as the Pan Roasted Tilapia with a unique hash of fresh lobster meat with chunks of sweet potatoes, smoky bits of bacon, corn kernels and onion with shredded chives and minced tomatoes in the fresh lemon buerre blanc sauce. The Red Snapper is encrusted in a superlative horseradish creation, which contrasts with near perfection with the Dijon mustard buerre blanc sauce.

The salmon is seared and prepared in an aromatic lemon broth and presented with a sweet pea puree; the tuna is dusted in fennel and done with orange and chili oil, served with roasted eggplant, roasted cherry tomatoes and a Kalamata olive tapenade.

On land, there is the Pistachio Rack of Colorado Lamb with sautéed spinach and fresh mint jus and oven roasted organic chicken with a sweet corn and black truffle risotto with a contrasting white truffle, lemon butter sauce.

With all this it is hard to remember that Chadwick’s is equally praised as a top notch steak and chop house with a 48-ounce Porterhouse, a 24-ounce boneless shell steak, peppercorn crusted filet mignon with grilled asparagus with a brandy and wild mushroom demi-glace and char grilled double cut pork chops with whipped garlic potatoes and sautéed spinach, served with a homemade apple sauce or hot cherry peppers, the chops in a rich Bordelaise sauce.T

he place — I am told — also has excellent desserts, but frankly, while the mind was willing, the body couldn’t handle even the sweetest of confections.

Chadwick’s Restaurant
8822 Third Avenue, 718-833-9855 or Hours: Lunch is served Monday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.; dinner is served seven nights: Monday – Thursday, 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1:30 – 9 p.m. on Sunday.

There is free valet parking seven nights a week.

Entertainment is featured Saturdays from 7:30 p.m., spotlighting George Hotz on keyboard and vocals.

Private parties up to 70 in the main room; up to 40 in the private party room. Ask about their many party package menus.

They offer a price fixed dinner menu at $22.95 Monday – Thursday, 4:30 – 7 p.m. with some of the top selections from the regular menu. The meal includes appetizer, entrée and dessert.

There is also a price fixed $16.95 lunch special.

Make sure to enquire about the Thanksgiving Day special menu.

Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Willkommen to the Schnitzel Haus dining experience

By Marshall Slater

Schnitzel Haus occupies a unique niche in Brooklyn’s culinary scene, as one of perhaps only two or three restaurants in the borough which specialize in authentic German cuisine.

For many people, this food conjures up visions of sauerkraut, sauerbraten and bratwurst…and while these are certainly staples, they are also clichés, in a way, as the German menu is far more complex and diversified and rendered with excellence at Schnitzel Haus. Indeed, they were rated as the #1 German restaurant in New York on urbanspoon.com and are anxiously awaiting their Zagat rating.

The place has a definite hunt club atmosphere, with its elegant, richly-stained wood paneling throughout and knotty pine plank panels along one wall, with heavy wood tables and waitresses in traditional German jumpers. As for the atmosphere, one generalization is quite true: The reputation Germans have for hearty meals and good times; a fact well illustrated at this restaurant, which is uniquely accommodating, and welcomes the whole family with a big hug.

It is definitely a family-owned and -operated enterprise, overseen by Fred Urban, working man by day, even harder working restaurateur by night. He is ably assisted by son, Richard and wife, Amber, and a very engaging staff who work very hard to assure your visit is happy in every respect.

As for the food, it is quite true that the German diet leans heavily to favor the meat eater, and the Schnitzel Haus menu certainly does not disappoint, with a wide range of pork, beef and poultry options. After all, the average person in Germany consumes some 75 pounds of meat a year, typically pot-roasted and often consumed as sausages. There are more than 1,500 different types of sausage in Germany and many of these are represented at this restaurant.

Wuerstes (it just means any type of sausage) include Bratwurstteller (Bratwurst grilled), Geraeuscherter Bratwurstteller (smoked Bratwurst), Knackwurstteller (boiled Knackwurst), Bauernwurstteller (boiled Farmers Sausages), Kielbasateller (Grilled Kielbasa), Frankfurter Teller (Original German Frankfurter) and combinations like the Wurstteller mit allem Drum and Dran (a sample Platter of five wursts, served with mashed potatoes, red cabbage, sauerkraut and two mustards) or the Schaefer-Auflauf (German Shepherds Pie made of a variety of German wursts topped with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes). All come on a platter laden with sauerkraut and hearty mashed potatoes or, as with the case of Weisswurstteller, which is boiled Veal Weisswurst, with the house specialty of warm German Potato salad, sweet Bavarian mustard and a pretzel).

But we get a little ahead of ourselves. Let’s begin with starters such as such as the venison and cherry sausages with cold German potato salad; Foresters Wife’s mushrooms with shallots and double smoked bacon sautéed with cream and garlic is wonderful; the smoky bacon flavor permeating the entire dish. Other options include snails in garlic-herb butter and wrapped in a crusty baguette. Boneless Smoked Trout Filet is served with rings of red onion in a creamy and sweet horseradish and apple sauce with a huge scallion stalk garnish.

Continuing, consider the Fried Breaded Camembert cheese with fried parsley and red current jelly or the massively generous portion of Pickled Herring filets in creamy sauce with apples, onion strips and chopped pickles. Mussels “Rhineland Style” are served in a saffron-garlic white wine broth and there is also a Bavarian Meat salad served with bread and butter.

This evening also brought a French Onion Soup, with a whole slice of thick bread wrapped in a layer of creamy cheese and placed atop the broth. Always on the menu is a sweet and thick potato leek soup chock full of superb chunks of ham and a spicy beef goulash soup, served Gypsy-style (bring your own bandana).

Returning to the main event, as you might reasonably expect, schnitzels (cutlet) are in abundance, from the Jaegerschnitzel, two massive Pork Cutlets breaded and fried with a brown mushroom Hunter’s Sauce and served with spiced curly fries, to the Rahmschnitzel, pork cutlets in a creamy mushroom gravy or the Paprikaschnitzel, breaded and fried with a creamy Paprika gravy. Veal is given equal prominence as with the Schnitzel a la Holstein, breaded and fried, topped with fried eggs, served with anchovies and capers).

Rindfleisch (beef) dishes feature staples like the Sauerbraten, this one culled from the kitchen of Chef Uwe’s (pronounced ooo-vah) grandmother, with roasted marinated slices of beef prepared with traditional sweet and sour gravy, studded with raisins, and served with red cabbage and potato dumpling. The thick slices of meat emerge so tender your fork will easily accommodate the cutting chores.

The Beef Goulash is served in a luxuriously rich sauce with meat that is as good as the best brisket and served over egg noodles.

And while we are on the subject of beef, choose the Sliced Beef Rolls stuffed with onions, German double smoked bacon, mustard and gherkins, all roasted and served with gravy, red cabbage and spaetzle. The Schnitzel Haus Steak is actually a 20-ounce Boneless Shell Steak topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions and served with German home fries and a house salad. A Chef’s Steak offers a fresh black peppercorn crust over the 20-ounce shell steak, char-grilled and served with the house’s famous truffle butter, German home fries and a house salad.

We told you this is the land of the carnivore, so let’s continue to tempt with Filet Mignon in a fresh green peppercorn-shallot cream sauce, flambéed with cognac or the tender Filet Mignon in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce topped with grilled shrimps. This is definitely not your father’s German restaurant.

Other sample temptations from the menu include fresh ham in a caraway seed-dark beer gravy, German pork and veal loaf topped with fried egg, Chicken Breast stuffed with Black Forest ham and Gouda cheese or Boneless Chicken Breast smothered in German Mosel wine and mushroom sauce and served with spaetzle and a house salad. There’s even a Rack of Lamb with a Dijon mustard-herb crust, served with bacon-wrapped string beans and roasted garlic mashed potatoes…doesn’t that sound good?

And yes, not all the entrees have legs…seafood aficionados are well taken care of: fresh filet of Atlantic Salmon in lemon butter sauce topped with grilled shrimps, served with spinach and mashed potatoes or Tilapia sautéed in paprika butter with capers and white wine.

Nightly specials augment this already auspicious menu and included such excellent diversions as the Fire Roasted Filet of Grilled Tuna, Pan Seared Fresh Filet of Pollock with a light Dussledorf-style white wine and mustard sauce; Meatloaf Bavaria, whole baby back ribs glazed with the chef’s special homemade honey Bourbon BBQ sauce and Schwwinsbarten Hofbrauhaus, a pork roast prepared in a dark beer gravy ala Munich’s Hofbrauhaus served with creamed kohlrabi (a vegetable rarely seen on menus) and spaetzle. And that is just a sampling.

Desserts include a warm Apple strudel served with vanilla ice cream and vanilla sauce; German chocolate cake, Black Forest cake, Cheesecake served on a mirror of fresh Raspberry sauce and the homemade Cheesecake with rum-raisins.

Note there is also a kid’s menu (from a kid’s goulash to the ubiquitous Chicken Fingers with French fries; all Kids Meals incidentally include soda and a kid size ice cream. And by the time you read this the management may have already instituted their Family Style Dinner feasts, each massive serving platter designed to serve three to four hungry people and laden with a variety of entrees.

Beers (and other Libations)

Yes, Schnitzel Haus has a long bar, which is stocked with a vast assortment of taps offering a wealth of ales and lagers. There are 11 beers served on tap and some three dozen more served in the bottle.The well-stocked bar offers its own expansive wine list.

Schnitzel Haus

7319 Fifth Avenue, 718-836-5600

Hours: lunch is served Monday – Friday, noon – 4 p.m. with dinner served seven days, Monday – Thursday, 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 10 p.m.

Most major credit cards are accepted.Live entertainment – generally bands – is featured Friday (usually the Jimmy Mack Band) and Saturday nights.

Happy hour at the bar is from 4 – 7 p.m. with half price drink specials.Outside catering and take out are accommodated.

The place is very popular for private parties up to 75 and boasts a totally separate second floor private room, complete with an open air deck and its own bar. Ask for a catering menu to see your many options or sit down with Fred and design something specific to your needs and tastes.

The third floor of the building hosts the Brooklyn Dartz Club, which is open to everyone with Friday night darts.

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Casa Rosa: a proud Italian tradition just got better

By Marshall Slater

The corner of Court and Carroll streets in Carroll Gardens has been home to neighborhood Italian dining since 1944. It was in 1979 that the restaurant took the name Casa Rosa and, in 1996, was taken over by its current owner, Louis Catuogno. Indeed, the longevity of an Italian restaurant in a neighborhood that is Brooklyn’s equivalent to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx or Little Italy in Manhattan just cannot be underestimated.

While the corner boasts a long and proud culinary tradition, the Casa Rosa, which now occupies that address, welcomes a new generation with an entirely new look.

And while the surroundings have been dramatically upgraded and improved, the food, too — always and still a hallmark of excellence and creativity — has also been enhanced and diversified. Still staunchly and proudly Italian, the bill of fare has retained all of its old favorites, but enhances the truly diverse and expansive menu with a singular array of nightly specials.

For all its new enhancements, Casa Rosa remains a family affair, which still understands and administers the concept of customer service and consistency of excellence.

Louis is ably assisted by wife Antoinette and daughter, Gina Marie, who are complemented by an excellent staff who show a real dedication to making your visit a satisfying one. It’s an unhurried and relaxed place where you are the focal point of attention and where the food spans the spectrum from traditional to creatively delectable, forging new standards.

The wraparound corner dining room has been opened with bright windows; the dropped white tin ceiling remains. The dining room is big, open and airy, with starched white tablecloths and linens. The floor is gold flecked granite. Weathered brick or contrasting eggshell and light brown colors, with wood wainscoting, are illuminated by the tulip chandeliers.

The colored chalk menus specials board changes daily; there are typically at least a dozen additions to the menu. For instance, on this night the temptations ran the gamut from Stuffed Calamari Fra Diavolo with mussels and clams to Pork Chops with Broccoli Rabe and sweet peppers.

Begin the feast with the fresh eggplant appetizer. Thick and remarkably tender slices of eggplant are first prepared so that the cross hatching of the grill is branded into the butter soft slices. It is served over alternating thick slices of mozzarella cheese and sugar sweet and soft fresh red peppers in a sumptuous sweet balsamic; the dressing is so good that you will not leave a drop on the plate.

Choose also the Portobello mushrooms with are laden with melted gorgonzola cheese and served over superb tender fresh arugola leaves garnished with tomatoes. The succulent mushrooms is the perfect counterpoint to the cheese, which melts into every crevice in the cap, all of which is treated with the lightest of dressings.

Even a dish that is as commonplace as the Hot Antipasto is taken to new heights thanks to the top notch ingredients and the skills of the chef. There is a stuffed eggplant oozing cheese, snappy jumbo shrimp, clams and mussels oreganata; excellent mushrooms stuffed with chopped mushrooms and herbs, and even fresh artichokes.

A listing of other beginners to the feast include the Zuppa di Clams or Mussels, Mozzarella en Carrozza, Clams Casino and probably a dozen and a half others.

There are seven soups nightly, ranging from a hearty and thick Pasta e Fagioli to a more traditional Stracciatella alla Romana.

Not to be missed as a main dish or, better yet, as a middle choice when you are very hungry, are the pasta and risotto offerings.

From the former comes the homemade Gnocchi Rosa; the fluffy potato dumplings among the best you will ever taste, here enhanced with molten fresh mozzarella with a sweet tomato sauce. The handmade seafood ravioli are enormous; truly Herculean in size with a ruffled and scalloped perimeter that is so light it melts as it hits your tongue. The central area of these behemoths is crammed with an amalgam of shrimp and crabmeat all done in a white wine and light pink cream sauce.

The Linguine Fra Diavolo is served in a huge bowl that is piled high with clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari (truly tender, flavorful rings) all in that biting and delicious sauce.

To compound the complexity of your choices, consider the Linguine Casa Rosa with black olives, raisins and pignoli nuts or the Bucatini Filetto di Pomodoro with bacon and onions. There are two dozen others, plus risotto dishes, such as Risotto with fresh asparagus pieces and fine fresh mushrooms in a lush brown sauce, which seeps into the rice for an extra special treat.

Main dishes are equally as expansive. Recommended with extra kudos is the Chicken stuffed with asparagus, fresh strips of Portobello mushrooms and prosciutto in a brown brandy sauce with a touch of cream. Really, really delicious…the kind of sauce you lop up with the bread, and when the bread is gone, the kind of sauce you run your fork over so as not to miss a single drop.

The Grilled Veal Chop is marvelously tender and flavorful — and quite a generous size, thank you…grilled just right to allow natural juices to come to the fore. It is served over risotto, studded with Porcini mushrooms and fresh asparagus.

If your tastes run to the waters, you will be indulged, as well: Swordfish in a delicate pink marechiare sauce with clams and mussels; Salmon Livornese with capers, onions and olives in a light tomato sauce, and Scallops sautéed with garlic and oil. These are a trio that are joined by more than a dozen others on the regular menu, which are further bolstered by specials like the Chilean Sea Bass stuffed with crabmeat or the Grilled Red Snapper with capers and onions.

For the carnivore, how about a T-Bone topped with Portobello in a lush Barolo sauce or grilled lamb chops with roasted potatoes and onions?

You might find on the specials board Butterflied Veal Chop breaded and served over capriccio salad; Chicken Amaretto sliced with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and fresh tomatoes in a brown sauce or Fusilli Mimosa with cream, peas and shrimp.

Even the side vegetables dishes are worthy of mention: superb escarole or spinach, for instance, studded with generous heaps of fresh grilled garlic. It is all delicately sautéed, not drenched in oil as is so common elsewhere.

Indeed, the kitchen is so confident and the staff so accommodating, Louis proudly boasts that they will accommodate any request, modify any dish or create any dish to whatever specifications a customer wishes. So, although it is quite unlikely you won’t find several favorites off the long menu, just let your imagination soar and they will turn your gastronomic dreams into reality.

Casa Rosa is rightfully proud of the care and uncompromising standards it puts into choosing its provisions. Freshness is key and a practiced eye to choosing the meats and seafood is obvious with every forkful of every dish you take.

But this should come as little of a surprise when you realize Louis’ history in the business. His family owned and operated Tom’s Meat Market at DeKalb and Adelphi for nearly six decades and he was weaned in the business, having started working there from the age of 12. In 1999, he sold the business and the property and brought his knowledge to the restaurant world.

Desserts are spotlighted in a confectioner’s carousel and include a homemade tirami su that is scrumptious; super thick slices of cake that is graced with dollops of chocolate covered whipped cream and powdered sugar.

Casa Rosa


384 Court Street, corner of Carroll; 718-625-8874 or 718-797-1907.

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner seven days; noon -10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Private parties up to 95 are accommodated; outside catering is a specialty.Easy street parking after 6 p.m.Monday – Thursday, the dining room offers a three course meal for a price fixed $25.

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Dao Palate: Delightfully vegan

By Marshall Slater

Pan-Asian vegan cuisine; it’s certainly a niche specialty, but one that works very well at Dao Palate. The essence here is in using a base of fresh and diverse vegetables and combining these with a wealth of intriguing sauces, herbs and spices to yield a most delicious alternative to the usual Asian cuisine.

It’s a very pretty place, with golden lighting hidden away at floor level, illuminating both walls of the space. A very comfy bench runs the length of one wall, which is made of weathered brick and topped with elegant metallic sculptures. The other wall, which runs alongside the wine and beer bar, is made of patterned stucco.

As the weather changes, the pumpkin soup is a great way to stave off the cold wind, made with thick chunks of fresh, sweet pumpkin in a delicious broth made with root vegetables and white beans.

The vegetables, by the way, since they are the foundation of the restaurant, are personally purchased every day by the chef and owner to assure excellence and consistency.

Starters run the gamut and include an Indian Pancake that is deep fried and cut into billowy squares, which gets dunked into a marvelous thick curry dipping sauce studded with potatoes, cauliflower and tofu. There is Curry Samosa, served with sweetened mint chutney, the doughy, crispy covering wrapped around a mélange of veggies. The Steamed Dumplings are excellent, with a delicate skin, which adheres to the vegetable amalgam inside; the skin literally melts as it hits your mouth, allowing the flavors of the interior to come forth. The Spinach Shumai is beautifully and artfully crafted into little pleated cups.

Other starters include Baked Eggplant with saikyo miso sauce, seaweed cabbage wrapped with assorted mushrooms in a BBQ sauce and avocado, mountain yam and mango with a lime wasabi sauce…among many others.

There are also a host of noodle and rice dishes including Korean style stir fried glass noodles with vegetables and a vegi fish cake; cold green tea noodles tossed with sesame sauce; stir fried udon or soba noodle soup with soy filet and vegetables, edamame, and at least a dozen others.

Like all the courses, main dishes are served on pure white plates decorated with flowers. Choose the sautéed cilantro tofu and shiitake mushrooms; the cilantro leaves are chopped and served with butter soft tofu. There is also the firmer seitan, a protein substitute, which is treated to a smoky teriyaki sauce and served with excellent sugar snap pea pods.

Other options include the mango soy protein with vegetables in a plum sauce; Malaysian curry stew with soy protein, carrots and potatoes; eggplant and string beans in a garlic sauce; General Tso’s soy protein with broccoli; and Pineapple “vegi” seafood with coconut milk and curry sauce.

Try the black pepper seitan with Chinese broccoli or the Jade mushroom with kale in a spicy sweet sauce; there is a vegetable medley wrap with pignoli nuts and sautéed shredded bean curd with peppers, bean sprouts and chives.

Note that beverages are unique here, and include 14 different teas – Brazilian Berry to Fireside Chai plus Thai and Mint Iced Teas, mango lassi, wild ginger ale, organic apple cider, an array of juice combinations made from fresh squeezed vegetables and many, many others.

Dao Palate

329 Flatbush Avenue; 718-638-1995 or 1998

Hours: Sunday – Thursday, noon – 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 11:30 p.m.
Most major credit cards are accepted.

Outside catering is a specialty; private parties in-house for up to 80Free delivery within a two mile radius.


Photo: Kristine Jegi and Dominic Savino of Prospect Heights enjoy their meal. Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Mmm...Nino puts Il Post on the front burner

By Marshall Slater

Il Posto Ristorante Italiano (7409 Avenue U, 718-241-4317) is a quiet, unassuming place, smack in the middle of a completely residential area. You certainly wouldn’t pass the place by happenstance unless you had a very specific reason to be in the area. But just because this establishment is off the beaten track does not mean that the dining room is quiet. Indeed, nothing could be further from the truth. People seek Il Posto out. Sure, it is very popular among neighborhood diners, but just as many come from beyond its Bergen Beach boundaries and its popularity will only increase exponentially when people realize who is now in the kitchen.

Nino’s Restaurant on Coney Island Avenue had been a landmark for decades, drawing capacity crowds to its dining room, mainly due to master chef and owner Nino. It was a dismal day when, several years ago, Nino closed up shop and the long familiar façade vanished from the Kings Highway area. But now Nino is back in his chef’s hat, as the master of Il Posto’s kitchen. And word is spreading so you better get there soon, before you’re beaten to the seats by his legion of fans. Incidentally, Nino’s brother Sal has also taken up residence at Il Posto; you’ll find him as a waiter in the dining room.

The Il Posto menu has always been popular, but it is now immeasurably enhanced thanks both to Nino’s five star kitchen skills and the fact that he has brought many of his favorite dishes to his new home.

Your hostess and host, Agnes and Tony Evangelista, are still very much the driving force in the dining room, guiding the various incarnations of Italian restaurants at this address for more than 13 years. Three years ago they reopened at Il Posto and it has been a success story ever since. With the addition of Nino, you may be assured that this will now be a very long running show.

The place is a real neighborhood hot spot and extremely welcoming; they are very family friendly, and celebrating your special times is a must here, but and when going out as a twosome, Il Posto is also the place to be.

Nino’s Sunday Sauce is a venerable dish (served only on Sundays as the name implies). It is a platter not for the faint of heart — but just right for the hungry of stomach, consisting of homemade Bracciola, meatballs, Nino’s made-from-scratch sausages, spare ribs and even pig’s skin, all in a thick tomato-based sauce.

Every night of the week indulge in any of Nino’s outstanding homemade pastas, such as the spinach fettuccine, the cannelloni and the various kinds of ravioli. Nino’s crowd pleasing crabcakes are now on the bill of fare, as is his fresh lobster salad, prepared with apples and his fresh avocado and shrimp salad.Chicken and Veal Pappagalo, prepared with fresh asparagus in a white wine sauce, is a signature dish of Nino’s and is now available at Il Posto.

Seasonal specialties are also a staple: From bronzini to soft shell crabs, the change in the months brings wonderful new additions to the menu.Nino’s emphasis has always been on the freshest of ingredients and the most skillful preparation.

So settle back and munch on the complimentary bruschetta and enjoy the wonderful crusty bread served with herb butter while you check out the menu.

Nightly specials add to the lure. On this evening, the options included fresh grilled octopus, prepared with a light lemon vinaigrette seasoning. The tender tentacles were served on a bed of field greens. The stuffed mushrooms were marvelous, with chunks of shrimp, sweet scallops and crabmeat, served in a thick red sauce; the caps delightfully succulent and lightly seared.

There was also a creamy asparagus soup and risotto with pancetta and sausage.Entrée specials enticed with boneless duck stuffed with chestnuts, apples and raisons; halibut stuffed with a mélange of seafood; lobster fra diavolo or prepared oreganata style, and Bronzini, a flaky white fish that could be savored grilled or Livornese style. For the carnivore, there was a thick prime rib.

On the regular menu there is a Stuffed Artichoke starter: veggies crammed with delicious seasoning and plenty of chunks of fresh garlic in a lilting broth, served on a well soaked base of bread that is just the right conclusion to this dish. Each leaf is infused with the sultry broth and [is] just wonderful.Other beginning options range from the Mozzarella en Carrozza to the Mussels sautéed in a light tomato sauce and the hot and cold antipasto platters.

Of the pastas, the Rigatoni Filetto di Pomodoro is a favorite, studded with prosciutto, basil and onion in a thick and sweet red sauce. There’s also Spaghetti alla Arrabiata (spicy), Penne ala Vodka, and cheese ravioli prepared with butter and sage.As for the main event, the Pollo ala Mele is a real tour de force: The tender and large breast is blackened and sweetened with balsamic vinegar, stuffed with molten fresh mozzarella and sweet pieces of apple all in a Dijon mustard accent and served with escarole on the side. Other chicken dishes include the scarpariello and the Francese.

Continuing, Manzo al Barolo offers juicy medallions of beef with a thick Barolo sauce, veal is stuffed with spinach and fontina cheese as Uccelletti alla Toscana; the Saltimbocca offers the veal laden with fresh prosciutto and sage. The Veal Zingara has a kick and is made with plenty of fresh mushrooms. There’s also a grilled veal chop and sirloin steak, plus the Tagliata con Rucola, which is sliced steak marinated with rosemary and served with arugola.

Moving into the waters, the huge piece of salmon is prepared with a pink mustard sauce as Salmon Reale, with red peppercorn accents and capers. The fish itself is thick and succulent, and satisfies completely. Shrimp is done with garlic and herbs; there is Zuppa di Pesce, striped bass encrusted with rafano and tuna with balsamic vinegar, capers and olives.

Desserts are just as creative and indulgent: poached pear with Barolo wine and cinnamon; homemade tirami su, orange marinated in Grand Marnier and garnished with orange peel and miniature Italian cannoli, to name just a brief sampling.

Il Posto Ristorante Italiano7409 Avenue U, 718-241-4317. Hours: Open for lunch, Tuesday-Friday, 12-3 p.m., and for dinner, Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and Sunday, 1-9 p.m. Closed on Monday.Offered is a three course lunch special for $23 and a three course dinner special, Tuesday-Friday price fixed at $26.Most major credit cards are accepted.Private parties are accommodated; outside catering is a specialty. Take out is also available.There is ample street parking at all times and free valet parking Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m.Live entertainment is featured Friday evenings.

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