Food and Drink: February 2005 Archives

Had dinner the other night at the newish restaurant, Bouillabaisse, on Union Street near Columbia in Carroll Gardens West. The food aside, and it was very good, the restaurant has a very strange menu presentation technique. It happens right after your party is seated and its hunger momentarily sated with a basket of bread: The waiter brings the menu. Not a strange turn of events, except that the menu is a giant (and I do mean giant) chalkboard with the day's dishes scrawled across its  surface. The shock and giggle of seeing a rather demure waiter toting a giant chalkboard across the restaurant quickly turns to horror when said waiter proceeds to just stand there and hold the huge slate tablet while your eyes frantically scramble across its uneven lines. It's hard to stare at a menu when the waiter is staring back at you and holding a giant menu. There's no chance to muse "O honey, why don't you get the salmon and I'll get the steak" or to argue about the shared appetizer.  After a few tense moments later, the waiter politely asked, "Do you know what you want?"  Heh, I don't even  know what your menu says because I'm still focusing on the giant chalkboard in your hand.

All giant chalkboard jokes aside, the food pleased. By far, the best dish was the filet mignon. The oft-overused expression of the knife sinking into the steak as if it were butter is apropos.  The dish's accompanying sides of mashed potatoes and sauteed carrots and leaks nicely complimented the richness of the meat. We also ordered the bouillabaisse, which in layman's terms is a seafood stew. We were a little let down by the simple, somewhat bland, broth, but the seafood was top-notch. We haven't sampled a lot of bouillabaisses, so I'm not sure how spicy and flavorful the broth should be.

Go now, while the place still doesn't have a liquor license: Our appetizer (crab cake), two meals (fillet and bouillabaisse) and dessert (a very satisfying creme brulee) came to about $55 before tip.  Bring your own bottle of wine, and this dinner's a steal.

You can find Bouillabaisse at 126 Union, between Columbia and Hicks streets. Phone (718) 855-4405. The website isn't up yet, but its address is www.bouillabaisse126.com.

Went to Minibar tonight, which incidentally may be the smallest bar in Brooklyn, and had another Blue Point Toasted Lager. It's damn close to being the perfect inexpensive lager in my book. Brooklyn Lager's good, but this stuff rocks: It's super smooth and has a great balance of flavors. Plus, it's locally brewed in Long Island. Minibar only has it in bottles, but last time I was at Anotheroom in Tribeca, the bar had it on tap. Here's what the kind of snotty Beer Advocate peeps had to say. Anybody else loving this beer?

Having access to sushi below 2nd Street is a delight. While it will never be a Brooklyn hipster-central hangout, this new restaurant will go into my rotating pile of takeout menus, and it's just comfy enough inside to inspire eating in, as well.  As for the food, the seaweed salad did not disappoint. Crunchy, slightly salty, with a healthy dash of sesame seeds, it's my favorite way to start the meal. We sampled the dragon rolls (beautiful avocado presentation on top), the spider rolls (tangy deep-fried soft-shell crab center) and some California rolls. All the pieces held together well and were nicely sized (not too big, a major pet peeve of mine).We also ordered tuna, yellow tail and mackerel nigiri. I could have snacked all night on the rich and buttery yellow tail, which practically melted in the mouth. Dennis had good things to say about the mackerel. And while we're not talking the best sushi in the city, it is a good, solid  entry into the nightly "What are we having for dinner"  dilemma. With two green teas, we spent about $32 before tip. Also on the menu: lunch specials, teriyaki, tempura, udon and bento box options.

You can find Fijiya at 437 Court Street between 3rd Place and 4th Place. Phone is (718) 797-3810. Delivery is free when you order more than $15. Open Mon-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-12am, Sat 12:30pm-12am, Sun 12:30pm-11pm.  For now, all a la carte sushi is 50 percent off.

Go here if you miss the jingle.