New Restaurant Alert: 'Em, South
A few neighborhood restaurant transitions to report. The former 3 Bow Thai at 278 Smith Street is now 'Em, a much slicker and more modern space. In an attempt to separate itself from the other Thai establishments on the block, its takeout menus--a familiar mix of spicy fish cake, satays, larb, pad thai, curries etc--are folded like fans. The anomalies are the appearance of "moc duck" and some different sounding dishes like Chiang Mai noodle, cumin-smoked chicken and duck Thai herbal. As one who likes a variety of veggies in her dishes, I'm glad to report the appearance of snow peas, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, etc. Rice, however, will cost you: Coconut rice and Thai-sticky rice are $2 and jasmine rice is $1. (Perhaps this is the new way of Thai restaurants, but I'm still not a fan of paying for rice.)
Also of note is that Zombie Hut moved down the block from 261 to 273 Smith Street.The decor looks like it was lifted from the old and seamlessly set down in the new space, that is, notably, twice the size.
And last, but not least, Blue Star at 254 Court Street has morphed into South (same phone number) as of Wednesday. The nice man on the phone said the restaurant was aiming for a southern fish shack feel, with cheaper entrees, beer and wine. He also mentioned "better service" (was it bad before?) and said the raw bar and the po' boy would still be available. The funny thing was, I called yesterday because I'd never gotten around to going to Blue Star, and I was finally going to take the plunge. C'est la vie.
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So, did you like Em? You didn't really say one way or the other. I was not a fan of 3 Bow Thais at all (ignoring the stupid name, my experience with the food was not good).
Still wondering where all the good Chinese restaurants in Carroll Gardens are. I have to order from Park Slope, and give the delivery person a big tip.
Didn't actually try 'Em, just walked by and picked up a menu. Will stop by sometime and report back. Did eat at Mai--on Atlantic near 3rd Avenue. The red curry with beef short ribs and pumpking was fabulous, one of the best curries I've had in the neighborhood. The pho was boring as all get-out, really pandering to a bland USofA palatte.
I can concur with that statement since I was the one eating th Pho. It was boring and disappointing, but the rest of the food looked great. The scallop dumplings at Mai were tasty and interesting.
Blue Star had a great raw bar and some great fish tacos with chorizos. Hopefully its the same chef and owner. I am glad they are lowering the prices.
We ate at South last night and had a great time. Cheap beer and affordable seafood! Below is my review from C'hound -
Chowhound
ordered from Em and was pretty dissapointed. Tuk Tuk is still my preferred thai/thai-related in the area. Mai on Atlantic was very good but more upscale and more "pan-indonesian".
My husband and I are from the deep south, so we're going to have pretty high expectations for South. Blue Star was pretty good but needed a lot of work. Hopefully they worked out the kinks for this new venture. We'll give it a try - gotta support our neighborhood establishments!
Where? we spent some time in Georgia, so I tend to think we're hyper critical of BBQ and other "southern" foods.
V21 - I'm from Alabama - South is not authentic, but it's a good meal. I was initially appalled when they didn't have saltines to go with the oysters (it's how us rednecks eat oysters!), but it was pretty good affordable seafood that tries and ya can't fault Brooklyners for trying to give us a taste of home :)
Oh, and the waiters look like little southern frat boys with their khaki pants and light blue button up shirts.
Dennis - besides Dinosaur and Soul Spot, what are some standout Southern and BBQ spots?
Dinosaur is alright, but I liked R.U.B. much more. Of the BBQ joints I've tried so far, it at least as the most authentic smell when you walk in the door. Pioneer BBQ in Redhook was a nice local spot, though they weren't smokin meat when we were there. Overall, I've been disappointed with most stabs at Southern food around here. I'll admit I have yet to try Soul Spot.
We used to head to Queens for Pierson's BBQ. While not "Southern", it was always worth the trip. I heard they recently moved to the UWS ...
Here in Colorado, we have Texas smokers on wheels - mobile smokers that set up in parking lots - which make up for an otherwise lacking (relatively) food scene. Sometimes.
South/Blue Star (as well as Nosh) are both closed now :(
South has a for rent sign, and the last time I went by Nosh, they were closed at lunch time and there were piles of mail on floor.
Considering the level of attitude when I called for delivery at South... good riddance!