Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill Visited 4/21/2018 4.5 Forks

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill 55 Water St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

When I first read about Sugarcane Raw Bar, it sounded like some douchey Miami transplant.  Afterall, there was one location in Miami and another in Vegas so I assumed it was some big party/club restaurant.   I guess this is what I get for judging a book by its cover because I had a shockingly great time there with Allison before heading to a show at St. Ann's.  It's perfectly located right on Water Street in DUMBO with great water front views.  I should caveat that I was only there for happy hour so I can't speak to what it's like for an actual sit down meal or after hours. 

Happy hour is at the bar area only and it's from 4-7pm but be warned you should get there as early as possible.  Allison and I got there around 5:30pm on a Friday thinking it was still early but it was jam packed at the bar (the actual restaurant was empty).  We managed to squeeze ourselves into a corner spot which ended up being fine but if you're looking for a nice open spot on the couches, go early.  The happy hour cocktail menu is extremely extensive and incredibly reasonably priced - the drinks range from a strawberry balsamic cocktail to caiprinha to 3 different prosecco cocktails and all for $7.  Plus they have wine and beer for $5-7 too.  Very dangerous.  As for the food, they have a decent seafood line up of oysters and sushi as well as grilled chicken, goat cheese croquettes, brussels sprouts, and edamame.  Nothing on the food menu was more than $6-7.  You can easily make a filling meal from the menu.  If you order these dishes on the regular dinner menu, they are easily twice the price. 

Allison and I ordered almost everything on the menu since we had a lot of time to kill and I had 3 different cocktails.  You'd think that for this price the sushi would be meh but it was shockingly fresh and good.  The oysters were also shucked well - unfortunately I can't remember if they were East Coast or West Coast ones but I remember thinking to myself that it was not bad.  If I had to pick something that was eh, it would be the grilled chicken.  It was basically a grilled chicken skewer with some glaze on it but if you need something with a bit more protein, it's not a bad nibble.  The cocktails were fun and refreshing, if not a bit on the sweeter side. 

The biggest downside is that it's so crowded that the service is a bit hard to flag down.  I feel for them given how many people they have to deal with and they were apologetic about some of the mis-steps (i.e. we didn't get one of our dishes and the bartender was super nice about chasing them down).    If I worked in DUMBO, am going to a show in the area or just wanted to take a field trip to DUMBO during happy hour, I would happily return here in a heartbeat.  Total bill:  $57/pp with tax and tip 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Miso Visited 10/1/2016 3 Forks

Miso  40 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

Allison and I were in DUMBO to catch the Taylor Mac show at St. Ann's Warehouse and wanted to grab a bite to eat before the 3+ hour show.  In the past we've gone to Atrium but this time they had a private party and could only seat us at 6:30 which was too late for the 7pm show.  Normally I rave and gush about DUMBO because it is my favorite neighborhood in Brooklyn from an aesthetic perspective however, from a culinary perspective it is lacking a bit.  Luckily, Allison recommended Miso which was less than a 5 min walk from the theater and sushi always works for me, so I was in. 

The place is your standard mom and pop neighborhood sushi joint - nothing more nothing less.  It's one of those places that just gets the job done and isn't looking to do anything that is too fancy.  I got a sashimi salad and Allison and I split a bunch of rolls which right now I honestly can't remember but it was a combination of regular rolls (think spicy scallop) and fancy rolls (Tribeca roll that had a mix of fish on top).  The sashimi salad was definitely more salad than sashimi which was a bit disappointing but not entirely unexpected.  The fish, while fresh, wasn't some melt in your mouth, mind blowing experience but it wasn't bodga level sushi either.  The rolls were surprisingly large and filling and the rice was much better quality than the crap I had a Nantori. 

While this place isn't a destination restaurant by any stretch, if you're trying to see a show and Atrium is full or you just want something that isn't quite as fancy, Miso is more than an acceptable enough substitute.  I would also say that if I lived around here (I wish!!), I could see this place being high on a take out list on a cold rainy night.  Total bill:  $30/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Atrium Visited 5/12/2016 4 Forks

Atrium  15 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

I've always had a soft spot for DUMBO - it's the one neighborhood where if money and convenience were not an issue I would live here in a heartbeat.  Allison was able to get us tickets to see A Streetcar Named Desire at St. Ann's Warehouse (if you haven't seen it - GO! It's really a sight to be been), so we had an pre-theater dinner at Atrium which was a 5 min walk from the theater. 

My first impression of the restaurant was that it was really stunning.  It has this open space, airey feel to it and then add on the gorgeous lush living wall, it's really a nice oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city.  The menu is your typical Brooklyn local, sustainable, and seasonal line-up of American dishes.  I opted for the beef tartare ($18) to start and the small lobster rigatoni ($18) as my main.  The beef tartare was hand cut and served with pickled shallots, capers and a quail egg.  It was a really solid dish made even better by the incredibly addicting bread that it came with.  It was warm, soft and worth breaking your carb restriction if you have one.  I would have liked a pinch more salt or seasoning like horseradish to the tartare, but overall it was a really nicely done dish.  The rigatoni was a perfect size if you're not super hungry.  It came with tomato, basil and breadcrumbs.  There wasn't a ton of lobster in it (surprise surprise) and again, it could have used a pinch more salt of flavor to it - I mean, we're not in Italy anymore, so your pasta better be spot on if you're going to go light on the sauce but it hit the spot with what I wanted at that moment. 

We were in a bit of a rush but they had an blueberry and apple crumble ($8) on the menu and both Allison and I are big fans of crumbles, so we had to get it even though we had like 20 minutes before the show started.  The waiter knew our situation and assured us that we would make the show.  While I know it's not his fault when food doesn't come out on time, we literally got it with less than 10 minutes to show time, so we were inhaling the dish and couldn't really enjoy it.  From what I do remember of it, it could have used more crusty crumble on top (maybe more brown sugar and cinnamon?) as it was a bit too moist and not enough crunch to it - it's possible that they rushed it out and didn't give it time to set properly.  

Overall, it is a beautiful space to have dinner or brunch as it's right by the park and water and they really take advantage of the open space.  My one big gripe with DUMBO is the lack of really fantastic restaurants in that neighborhood that isn't pizza but Atrium is a very solid choice for the area especially if you're going to St. Ann's but they could amp up their service, especially when they know there's a show going on nearby.   Total bill: $46/pp with tax and tip 

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Juliana's Pizza Visited 6/17/2015 4.5 Forks

Juliana's Pizza  19 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

Despite living in NYC and having lived in Chicago before, pizza has never been a food that I've craved.  Don't get me wrong, I love a great slice, especially if I've had a couple of beers in me but I've always been more drawn to more ethnically inspired food.  However, every once in a while I have a really great pizza experience and it reminds me of how great pizza can be (I'm looking at you Roberta's).   I've got to say that I'm putting Juliana's right up there. 

I had heard about Juliana's from multiple people at how great it is and how much better it is compared to it's more famous next door neighbor Grimaldi's.  So when Vinita and I found ourselves in DUMBO for opera in the park without any food or snacks, we knew our first stop afterwards was to get pizza stat.  Although Juliana's is also pretty well known, it just never seems to draw the lines of Grimaldi's. While it was crowded, we were lucky enough to be able to get a seat right away.  In true New York style, the pizza here is all thin crust fire brick oven style.  Vinita, Meeta and I were literally about to gnaw our arms off so we ended up getting 1 large No.1 pizza ($30) and 1 small classic Margherita with pepperoni ($19) and a spinach salad with avocado and chickpeas ($14).   

The salad was a solid mixed green salad with a good tasty olive oil, reg wine vinegar and Dijon dressing.  It was just the healthy start that we needed before we completely gorged ourselves on pizza.  The special No. 1 pizza came with mozzarella, smoked cheese, pancetta, scallions, and white truffles in truffle oil.  Dear god - it was a stunning pizza.  While I usually prefer a red tomato sauce base, this was a truly fantastic white pizza.  The combination of all the ingredients was heavenly and it's rare to see scallions on pizza but I really loved the addition of it.  The pancetta was amazing salty goodness with the right balance of fat and meat on it.  I probably had about 3 slices in about a time span of 30 minutes.  I usually don't like nor eat the crust of pizza but this one was really quite tasty. It was thin but with a perfect crunch on the outside and soft on the inside.   It was quite possibly a perfect crust.  The classic margherita was also lip smacking delicious and the pepperoni was another kind of salty meaty goodness.  There's just something about a classic pepperoni pizza after a few glasses of wine that just feels so right.   In true Brooklyn fashion, we ended the night with homemade cannolis that was the perfect ending to the night.    

I rarely rave about pizza but there was just something about this night and the food here that just made me swoon.  I took the leftover pizza home and they were even great the next day.  I've always loved DUMBO, but knowing that I could hit up Juliana's as well the next time I'm here makes me even happier.  Total bill:  $49/pp with tax and tip and wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Gran Electrica Visited 6/9/2012 3.5 Forks

Gran Electrica 5 Front St., (between Dock St & York St)

My one big regret about eating at Gran Electrica was that Lav and I opted to sit inside instead of outside.  Before they seated us, the hostess told us that there was only a limited menu outside, so we thought the smart move was to sit inside. WRONG.  Outside was totally the place to be! It was this super cute garden and full of people enjoying the weather.  Instead, we were seated inside with almost no one around us.  So who cares about the "limited" menu (when I asked the waitress, how limited it was, she actually said it was only a few items that they didn't have inside), so always choose to sit outside if you can.

Now on to the food.  You wouldn't think it, but the cuisine here is Mexican and it's not your Benny's Burrito's type of Mexican.  In fact, there weren't any enchiladas, burritos or nachos here. It's a much more refined and authentic menu.  There are lots and different kinds of small tacos and then a few main dishes.  Lav and I ordered the requeson con nopal ($5), the setas quesadillas ($8), the frijoles de la olia ($9), and the rajas con acelgas ($7).  As many people have mentioned on Yelp, yes the portions are on the small side.   And the food comes out scary fast.  I mean, it probably rivals some of the Thai places I've been to where you expect that kind of service.  Food that comes out this fast freaks me out a bit.  Anyways, the 2 tacos come out and could fit on a plate only slightly bigger than my hand.  But honestly, the quality of the ingredients and flavors make up for it.  These are not like your taco bell type tacos, in fact the rajas con acelgas was a mixture of polano chile, chard and crema, so no shredded cheese, lettuce or sour cream in sight.  The corn tortilla tasted super fresh and the mixture on top had a nice clean taste to it despite the chile in it.  The requescon con nopal was a tlacoyo (or an oval shaped fried cake) made with ricotta, cactus, and queso fresco.  Honestly, it was just ok and frankly a little bit dry.  Nothing to write home about.  I ordered the setas quesadilla because they came with oyster mushrooms, epazote, and Quesillo cheese.  Now based on the other looks of the food, I knew it wasn't going to be a quesadilla like how I would imagine it, but this one almost looked like a hot pocket.  The cheese almost seem to have melted then coagulated inside which was a bit of a turn off but I did love the mushrooms inside of the pocket.  I just seemed a bit dry and over done.  The main dish was the frijoles de la olia or black beans, oregano, queso fresco.  They came with a set of small corn tortillas so it was almost like making your own tacos.  But the beans themselves were super salty and there weren't enough tortillas to go around, so at one point we were just eating spoonfuls of beans.  And of course, we couldn't come to a Mexican restaurant without ordering the churros with chocolate ($6).  They were good (I mean how can fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar ever be bad?) but again, I thought they were a bit overcooked and could have been fluffier.  I know I've made it sound like the food wasn't all the great, but for some reason, I did enjoy my experience there.   I appreciated the fact that it was Mexican flavors without all the nightmares of eating at a typical Mexican restaurant.  I had read on immaculate infatuation that a lot of the meat and fish dishes are amazing, so next time I go, I will lean more towards those dishes.

I also want to give a shout out to the margarita de pepino ($12) that I had, it was awesome.  I told the waitress that I wasn't a huge tequilla lover, so she told me this cocktail was lighter and more refreshing.  She was totally right.  It had a nice combination of cucumber juice, lime, cilantro syrup, and lime salt to off set the taste of the tequilla.  I loved it.  The service was also pretty good, although once our waitress had to cover the outside shift as well, we were kind of left alone for a while and several random people did come to check on us.  All in all, the menu here was pretty creative and the outdoor space is to die for (especially in a place like DUMBO), so I would give this place another go again soon and this time I will most definitely sit outside.  Total bill: $49/pp with tax and tip

Photo credit: Yelp