Bamonte's Visited 5/24/2015 3.5 Forks

Bamonte's  32 Withers St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

Old School - there is really just no other way to describe Bamonte's.  It's what you picture when someone says old school, mob-run Italian food in Williamsburg.  It's located a bit away from the hipster scene but close enough that it's walking distance from the Beford or Lormier stop.  When you walk in, you get a distinct feeling that everyone there has been either going there for years and knows each other already.

So I have actually been here before, many many years ago before I ever started this blog.  But clearly nothing has changed one bit.   Once you walk in, it's quite dark - the red walls are lined with lots of old photos and certificates and there is not a single window in the whole place, so you kind of feel like you are trapped in a Las Vegas casino.  But that's all part of the charm.  The menu is exactly what you thought it would be - huge with lots of traditional options.  We ended up not doing the typical family style sharing and just ordered our own dishes.  I opted to start with the mozzarella and tomato ($11) starter and the classic rigatoni with vodka sauce ($17) for my entree.  As you can imagine the portions here are all enormous.  I had 4-5 huge slices of mozzarella and tomato.  It was moist and fresh but it could have used a pinch of salt and seasoning to it or olive oil - it was a bit bland served totally plain without either of those two ingredients. 

As for the entree - it was a monster.  It was enough to feed 2 people.  The pasta itself was good and what's not to like about vodka sauce but you could tell that it didn't come from a fancy pants kitchen like L'Artusi - it definitely felt more homey and comforting.  Again, this dish could have also used some more seasoning and salt to it.  I tried a bit of Jill's veal parm and it was nicely breaded and sauced and quite tasty.  Everyone's dish just looked very mom and pop - which I'm saying in the nicest possible way. 

I do want to call out the service - it was exactly what you would expect.  We had what looked like an 80 year old man who probably had been working there for over 50 years.  He was quite sweet and nice and gave us tips about our upcoming trip to Croatia but he was also quite slow.  They really really want you to just stick around and enjoy your meal - which we did with a few bottles of wine but at some point,  we were feeling antsy and wanted to get the check.  Overall, it's not some major culinary destination but given the complete commercialization of the neighborhood, there is starting to be fewer and fewer places like this around and I do truly appreciate places like Bamonte's - even if it is becoming a bit of a touristy trap in itself.   If you know what to expect going into this place, you'll have a fun time.   Total bill:  $300 for 6 with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Pho Vietnam 87 Visited 4/16/2015 4 Forks

Pho Vietnam 87  87 Chrystie St., New York, NY 10002

As many of you know by now, I've had a life long obsession with pho and if I could, I would probably eat it every day of my life (if done right).  I have constantly been on the hunt for a good place in the city but have never really found my go to place.  While I still think the place at home is still the best, Pho Vietnam 87 is a pretty good substitute and definitely filled my craving for pho that day. 

Van and I went on a random Thursday night and it was fairly empty but we noticed that there were a few people speaking Vietnamese in the restaurant, which is always a good sign.  While I had been on a Americanize/fusion Vietnamese kick lately, there's no good substitute for a supremely authentic divey, mom and pop place that's located usually in Chinatown.  This place is the stuff of what I'm talking about - no fusion bs, it's straight up pure ethnic eats.  Van and I were totally overwhelmed with what to get but I had to get a pho (although the bahn mi looked good and it was only $4.25!!).  I opted for the #1 ($7.25) which was the large pho that had pretty much a little bit of everything, we split the banh cuon ($6.95) to start and Van got a pork rice plate ($6.50).  Another thing I love about eating at places like this is that the prices are crazy cheap.  It was music to my ears.   I also got a Vietnamese coffee and was so happy that it was served with the stainless steel single serving coffee maker and not pre-mixed.   We started off with the banh cuon which is a steamed rice rolls/crepe dish stuffed with ground pork and mushroom in it.  It's been a really long time since I've had this dish before but it was great. Our only complaint was that the rice crepe was a bit thick for both of us but it didn't stop us from eating the entire dish.  Next came my pho and it was a huge bowl of yumminess. It smelled great and was definitely very full of everything - broth, meat, and noodles.   The broth was tasty, flavorful and not too oily.  My only complaint would be that it might have had a bit too much star anise or clove for my liking but it wasn't so overwhelming that I didn't like the dish.  The meat was thinly sliced  and rate and like I said early, plentiful.  The noodles were the right consistency - soft and delicious.   Usually when I have pho, I clean house and can finish the whole thing but this one was just too much to handle and I had to call it quits about 3/4 of the way through.  I had a small bite of Van's dish and it was also quite well done and delicious. 

All in all, it was a great experience and it brought me back to my first love of eating which is cheap local ethnic eats.  While I still doesn't match the Pho 75 back home, it was a very filling and affordable addition and Van and I are already making plans to go back and try out the other half of the menu (although we really just barely scratched the surface!).  Total bill with tax and tip:  $16/pp 

Photo Credit:  Yelp  

AWOL Eatery Visited 4/12/2015 3.5 Forks

AWOL Eatery 336 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

I'm always thrilled when a new place opens within walking distance from my apt, so when AWOL (All Walks of Life) opened less than 10 minutes from my place, I had to check it out, no matter what kind of food it was.  I met up with Paige on a random Tuesday night and the place was pretty empty. On Tuesdays, they have half priced wine by the bottle but unfortunately I couldn't drink that night, but it's always good to know about things like this for future reference. 

Their menu is a local farm to table, small plate concept.  They want you to try a little bit of everything and their menu really spans quite a mix of food - it's appropriate for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.  They did a great job of making everything sound really tasty on the menu.  Paige and I wanted to order almost everything on the menu but ended up sharing:  tempura beef tacos ($12), short rib mac and cheese ($7), roasted brussels sprouts ($7), kimchi fried rice ($8), steamed pork buns ($10), and the avocado fries ($4).   Yes, we clearly ordered way way too much food but at those prices it was hard to say no to any of it.  The waiter did his best to space out all the dishes but it still felt very overwhelming.  We got the beef tempura tacos first which was pieces of filet mignon battered and fried in tempura, sriracha aioli, onion, pea tendrils, tomato and a sweet and sour sauce. While I liked all the ingredients in the taco, I did't really love the shell that it came with and the taco fell apart almost immediately upon first bite.  For such a small taco, it created quite the mess.  I liked that they tried something new with the tempura battering, but I would have preferred it without the tempura because it was really hard to taste the filet in it.  Next came the mac and cheese and for $7 this thing is HUGE.  It was practically an entire meal in itself.  It was served with rice macaroni, a combination of smoked cheeses and pieces of short rib.  It was a very homey and comforting dish but I could have used a bit more gooeyness to the cheese.  The brussels sprouts were your classic roasted vegetable dish - it was made with brown butter, shallots and sage.  It was small whole sprouts vs. shaved leaves (which I usually prefer) but it was a solid veggie dish none the less.  Next I tried the steamed pork bun which was served with pork belly, chipotle cream, tomatillo salsa and pickled radish.  So it's definitely no pork bun from Momofuku or Ippudo but for a place in East Williamsburg, it'll get the job done.  I was so full at that point that I didn't really eat the white bao part, but the pork belly was nice and tender.  Lastly I tried to at least sample the kimchi fried rice and avocado fries, but it was really pushing my limits of fullness.  The fried rice came with a sunny side up egg and really looked beautiful.  It had a definite kick of spiciness and heat to it in true kimchi style.  Finally the avocado fries.  They were delicious slices of avocado lightly batter like a mozzarella stick and served with a creama sauce.  They were great and so innovative  - a nice twist to fries or cheese sticks and I wish more places served something like this. 

By the end, I was close to bursting at the seams.  I would definitely recommend NOT ordering 6 dishes for 2 people, you'll be fine with 3, maybe 4 tops if you are really hungry.  While I enjoyed my meal, I didn't walk out of there thinking I had a life changing meal.  I like what they are trying to do here and love that it's extremely affordable.  It's a good, solid neighborhood joint but with so much competition in Williamsburg, they could probably pare down the menu just a bit and really focus on 10 solid dishes vs. having almost 30 different items on the menu. I didn't even mention that they had an entire section on pizza and sliders on the menu!  Don't forget that they have half priced bottles of wine on Tuesdays - that might be what drives me to come back again.  Total bill:  $31/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

The Queens Kickshaw Visited 4/12/2015 3.5 Forks

The Queens Kickshaw 4017 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11103

Even though I hear great things about the food in Queens, I rarely find myself there.  Call it a Brooklyn bias but I just never feel like trekking into the "other" borough.  But Lav and I found ourselves in Astoria on Sunday as we were checking out the Mad Men exhibit at the Museum of Moving Images (definitely go check it out if you are fan of the show or just a fan of tv pop culture). We were done relatively early, so we decided to go to Queens Kickshaw for a super early bird dinner.

We were so early in fact that they weren't even serving food yet when we arrived (5:15pm - they didn't serve food until 5:30pm).  One thing to keep in mind is that the place is actually much more of a cute cafe that you would find in Brooklyn than local restaurant.  We ordered some drinks while we waited for the food service to start.  They have a lot of very interesting sounding microbrews and craft beers and you can get flights of beers which is great.  It wasn't long until it was 5:30 and we ordered food immediately.  They have a vegetarian menu but with a focus on grilled cheeses - what could be better?  We opted to get the trio of dips ($9) to start and split the broccoli soup ($4) as well.  For my main dish, I got the gruyere grilled cheese ($10) and Lav got the mac and cheese ($14).  The trio of dips were a romesco dip, basil aioli, and black bean hummus dip served with warm pita bread. They were all excellent with the romesco being my favorite one. The broccoli soup was actually pretty light - I was expecting a heavy cream based soup but this was much thinner and served with lemon oil on top.  I kind of wish that I had asked them to serve it to me with my grilled cheese instead of before because my grilled cheese came with a salad instead of soup and there's just something not as comforting about a salad.  The grilled cheese itself was quite tasty - it had caramelized onions, pickled red onions, and layers of gooey gruyere cheese on nicely grilled wheat bread.  It was a nice homey and comforting meal.  While the green salad was fine, it wasn't anything special but I guess it was good to have something healthy.   I tried Lav's mac and cheese and it was a nice gooey dish too - it was made with gruyere, cheddar, smoked mozzarella, french beans and asparagus.  It was a nice combination of cheeses although I think it could have used a bit more sharper cheese - I felt like the cheeses they had were a bit on the mild side.  For dessert, we chocolate pudding ($7) and it was quite decadent and heavenly.  I'm not a huge chocolate fan but it was a solid dessert and nice way to end a meal.

This is definitely a cute place and worth checking out if you are in the hood.  While I'm sure there are many more better ethnic eats in Queens, it's still a nice chill place, especially if you are near the Museum and don't feel like walking too far.  Total bill:  $41/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Nightingale 9 Visited 4/11/2015 3 Forks

Nightingale 9  329 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY 11231

Apparently I've been on a Vietnamese kick lately since this is the 2nd Vietnamese review in a row (and there is another one coming up), which isn't a bad thing at all!  I had read about Nightingale 9 a while ago and even though it sounded like a very Brooklyn-fied version of Vietnamese food, I was still very curious to try it out.

The space is casual yet modern and I sat at the lovely bar while I waited for Virginia.  They had an excellent sounding cocktail menu, but I started the morning off with an Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($4). Although I wasn't a huge fan that it was already pre-mixed, it was quite sweet and tasty with the right balance of coffee to condensed milk.   I could have had 3 more that morning.

The menu here is traditional with a fusion slant - they try to incorporate traditional Vietnamese dishes but put their own spin on things.  I'm usually a fan of keeping things more authentic and classic but I was open.   They have a bunch of great sounding appetizers:  green papaya salad, assorted meats and cheese, spring rolls, and donut holes; while the entrees also peaked my interest with lemongrass pork chop, Hanoi style omelette and a few pho options.  I was not a fan that they said that for a $1 you could add a poached egg to your pho.  Not only does that sound disgusting but that also makes no sense when you think about what a traditional pho tastes like.  Given that it was brunch, I opted for a steak and eggs combo and Virginia got a their version of an eggs bendict.  We also split the spring rolls ($10) to start.  I was quite impressed with spring rolls - they are perfectly crisp on the outside and they were filled with delicious ground pork, woodear mushrooms and served with fish sauce and fresh mint and lettuce leaves.   This dish plus the ice coffee was a nice start to the meal.  Next came my main dish which was their play on steak and eggs.  For some random reason they also paired it with baked/burned potato chips as the bottom layer of the dish and that was a turn off for me.  It's not that I don't like potato chips, I do, but it just seemed a bit out of place here and added more salt than was necessary.  The meat was cooked well and was nicely medium rare but cut into pieces as opposed to being served like one piece of steak.   The egg looked great but was a tad overcooked for me - I like a much runnier egg while my meal.  I didn't try Virginia's dish but it was essentially a benedict but served on white pieces of bao instead of english muffins - which is a nice touch but seemed like too much bread-y stuff for what was on top.  We were both still a bit hungry so we got the donut holes ($6) to finish and that was one of the best ideas all day.  It was served with a coconut curd which was fantastic - there were actually a lot of donuts to this order so be ready to eat.  They were lightly sprinkled with sugar on the outside and while they were thick, they weren't super dense - it was a great way to end a meal.

While I liked elements of my meal here, I couldn't help be feel a bit disappointed by it.  I could see real potential to the place and would definitely come back for the spring rolls, coffee and donut holes but I've just got to be a bit weary of a place that encourages people to add an egg to their pho.  Total bill for 2 pp with tax and tip: $77

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Bricolage Visited 3/27/2015 4.5 Forks

Bricolage 162 5th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217

I had mixed feelings about trying Bricolage - I was originally super excited by it because it's from the same people who worked at Slanted Door in SF, which I really liked but then they also had a pop-up pho restaurant in Williamsburg recently that was not very good and quite underwhelming.  So I wasn't too sure what to expect here but luckily it more like the former and not the latter.  It was really quite excellent and I'm bummed that this place didn't exist when I had lived in Park Slope. 

I met up with Anuja here on a Friday night and it was jammed packed.  Luckily they let her sit at our table while she waited for me as I was a few minutes late.  The menu looked wonderful - they had a lot of typical Vietnamese dishes on the menu like summer rolls and banh xeo and slightly more innovative dishes like ranch pork ribs.  I was a bit bummed that they didn't have pho there but there are so many other amazing Vietnamese dishes that I was able to quickly get over it.  I was really torn between the unshaking beef (a play on the Slanted Door's famous shaking beef dish) and the claypot chicken so it came down to a game time decision.   Anuja and I got the vegetarian crepe ($12) to start with and for my main entree I went the claypot chicken ($20) while Anuja got the banh canh noodles ($18).  

The crepe was a thin crispy slice of deliciousness.  It was not oily or greasy at all and it was stuffed with fresh bean sprouts, king oyster mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, and maitake mushrooms. It was served with mint, lettuce and dipping sauce.  While it's recommend to wrap everything in the lettuce and then dip, it proved to be a bit too hard and messy, so I just ended up eating like without all the garnish and accessories but it was still fabulous none the less. Next came the claypot chicken and it smelled wonderful and fragrant.  It was made with juicy tender chicken thigh meat and heaps of freshly sliced ginger.  While I have been trying to not eat a lot of carbs lately, I just had to get this dish with white rice and it was like crack having white rice in my mouth again.  I ate every last drop of what was in the claypot.  I didn't try Anuja's dish but it also smelled and looked amazing.  It was made with coconut milk, tofu, turnip, cucumber, bean sprouts, and these thick udon like noodles.  We did save some room for dessert and we opted for the coconut tapioca pudding ($7) which was small balls of tapioca with five spiced ginger syrup topped with freshly chopped mango.  It was a nice refreshing dessert that didn't sit too heavy in your stomach. 

I should note that they have great cocktail menu too, so definitely try a cocktail or two.  I was bummed that I totally missed out on the Vietnamese coffee there but it didn't even occur to me to order it even though it's one of my favorite beverages.  The service here was also quite good - our waiter was warm and inviting.  Overall it was a truly great meal in a very friendly cozy environment - it felt very Park Slope-y without all the annoying screaming babies that comes along with the 'hood.  I would definitely go back in a heart beat and next time, someone remind me to get the coffee! Total bill:  $ 53/pp with tip, tax and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp