Steve R.

Nice catch on the pho. Not sure exactly where you went, but there are more than a couple of worthwhile places around 86th these days, including a Szechuan place at 8701 5th Ave that's worth a visit if anyone's around the neighborhood. As for Sahara, the front takeout part was the entire place when it gained its reputation as a destination for Turkish food and a cab driver favorite. Now, 15 years later, it's a very mediocre and over-expanded restaurant that churns out uneven cuts of meat with very watery, bland condiments and overcooked sides. I'm never quite sure why so many Turkish families still eat there (and they do), especially since this neighborhood has several other better choices. There's a place called Limon (spelling is probably wrong there) in Sheepshead Bay that has a following (I've never been) and there's Taci's only 3-5 blocks away from Sahara on Coney Island Ave with much better food (although not a take out joint). Lots of Turkish take-out places dotting the neighborhood as well. Even better is the kosher dairy joint (Famous Pita) on CIA closer to Prospect Park, if you want the Middle Eastern food without the meat (do it yourself falaffel w/salad bar). And the Afghan/Pakistanian neighborhood, also on CIA toward PP, with lots of kebab places that have meat far better than Sahara. Of course, you're pretty close to DiFara's pizza around there as well (and the small Ave U. Chinatown), but that's another whole kettle of sauce.

The quantity of cheese is what turns me off about DiFara's pizza. There's so much cheese and oil on the pie that, while it's all top-quality stuff, it turns into a soup (well, fondue). It's okay if you're only eating one slice, but by the time you get to a second, the crust has turned into a soggy mess. ← I could not agree more. This is a pizza whose whole is markedly less than the sum of its parts.Shot down from Fort Greene yesterday (Sunday) at 1:30, finding the place not seriously busy. Put in my pie order and watched with frustration as Dominic slowly and inefficiently made the four or so pies ahead of mine (in between kibbitzing and ringing out customers). He's clearly not up to the task of running what should essentially be a quick turnaround operation. After 40 minutes, his assistant reminded him for the second time to prepare my pie (take out orders are each written on a pizza box and then stacked on the counter), so I cancelled it and got two slices instead -- a regular and a square. What are New Yorkers smoking? This pie is not worth going out of one's way for. The ingredients used are certainly well made and tasty. But the end result of the regular slice is so soupy that it's placed on tin foil before reheating in the oven in order to catch the run-off. The thin crust is simply too thin and has no snap or char. And the product becomes significantly less tasty within moments of leaving the oven. I regularly detour for Pepe's or Modern in New Haven. THOSE incomparable pies are always worth the effort to obtain, and they travel well. Also, the New Haven prices are comparable to DiFara's -- but you also get so much more pie for the money. Here in Philly as well, there are several slices that outperform DiFara. ← The older Dom gets, the more inconsistant he gets. And he refuses to let his son or daughter help with the pies, except to bring him the ingredients and grate some cheese, so I don't expect it to get any more consistant either. At least he has the sense to now close on Mondays... up until this summer he was open 364 days/year, with him making every pie. Bottom line (no consolation to you I'm sure): I've had slices like you describe... they're not the superb product we rave about. Luckily, in the 40+ years I've been going there (lately averaging about once/month), what you describe is still the exception by far. The first time I got a slice that was roughly 1/2 the size of a normal slice, limp and oily as hell, I just looked at it and laughed. As with most of the regular customers, we live for those days... it's what keeps thousands more away and gives us a chance to eat there, knowing what we'll get at other times, without 3 hour waits. Sorry.

Opentable.com says that Hearth is available at 10pm (so's WD-50) for 6 on Sat. but I'm guessing that's too late for you? Insieme is showing full availability and I hope you know that's Marco's other (newer) place. And, as others said, calling is not a bad idea, even if you think there's no chance.

Not only is Franny's closed on Monday, but so's Noodle Pudding. And, so's Chestnut on Smith St. And Downtown Atlantic. And many others. Close to Metrotech on Henry (next door to Noodle Pudding) is Henry's End. Depending on your definition of moderate-mid, this is one of the best choices for good food in Brooklyn. And the game menu is on. With wine (all domestic, mostly California, but huge list) this could run you from $100 - $200 for the two of you. The Middle Eastern choices on Atlantic arent what they used to be, and they're okay, nothing more. Waterfalls, Fountain & Yemen Cafe are the most interesting. The best choice on Smith for a Monday would be Savoia, a decent pizza place that uses its oven well and has some other "closer to Italy than Brooklyn" touches. Very moderately priced with good ingredients. Only the service can be iffy but, as they're all young and from (mainly Northern) Italy, deal with them as you would if you were there not here and they're friendly and attentive. If your friend is coming from Manhattan and you dont mind treking to Park Slope, both al di la and Tempo are open on Mondays and are worth traveling to. No reservations at al di la (the best food in Brooklyn) but you're going early and, if you get there when they open (just before 6pm), you'll be fine. If not, Tempo is a fixed price $25pp (without wine of course) and is one of the great bargains in NYC. They're both within a block of one another on 5th Ave in the Slope. Car service will pick you up from any of the above... the restaurants are all known and most have one within blocks that'll show up quickly.

Hah, I'd love to see Dom not use his hands ... Is there any update as to when DiFara's is slated to open? I really miss the calzones. ← Dont tell anyone, but he's been open for a couple of weeks now. I've already been twice and the crowd hasnt come back yet.

Tell her in person. They're still open on Montegue St in Bklyn and she owns the building and liquor store next door so I dont think she's going anywhere.

Is that the Yemeni luncheonette, or is that on Smith? If it's the one I'm thinking of, I remember it having a lot of offal on the menu, but I've never been able to schedule my arrival at the right time of day. ← The luncheonette on Court just in from Atlantic on the same block as Mexicali and India House. Even plainer looking than the ones on Atlantic.

I like to think so! ← We'd all like to think that there couldn't possibly be 2 of you

I didnt mention DUMBO as a neighborhood but wouldnt have listed anything specific anyway that wasnt in the Heights. But.... since we're on an expanded topic... I cant stand Grimaldi's and have felt that way for 10 or more years: Lucali's in Carroll Gdns is much better and, since that's relatively new, Cristardi's in Cobble Hill (now long gone) was always better than Grimaldi's anyway. 5 Front has, in my opinion, been going downhill over the past year or so. My last 2-3 meals there, although pleasant enough, werent even close to comparable meals in the immediate area. I hear that they may have been sold... they were the same ownership as 12th St in Park Slope and I'm pretty sure those owners are gone. Tazza was an omission. We hang out there for coffee on weekends and, although I dont think much of their food, the coffee/pastry/wine bar part is good enough.

I've read that a lot, but I have yet to go to Waterfalls, and I've liked Fountain. Very good shawarma and felafel and some nice desserts. I'm sure it used to be better, but I lack that basis for comparison. Have you tried Hadramout, the Yemeni restaurant a few doors down from Yemen Cafe? I haven't but I'm sort of vaguely curious. Their menu looks a lot less Yemeni and their prices are higher. ← I haven't tried Hadramout or the Yemen place on Court (next to Mexicali), which also looks interesting. It's a good point about recommending a place based on current absolute worth vs. comparitive worth to it's own past. I do that a lot and since I've been in the neighborhood for awhile, I forget that the place may be fine as is to someone who hadn't been there "in the day". Having said that, I've still had a couple of not so fresh food experiences in Waterfall this past year and, although I really like the owner, she (and her mother) haven't regularly been in the kitchen. It may well be more "uneven" than "poor". I havent been to Fountain in awhile so I'll back off any comment about its current food.

I've been in Bklyn Hts for 25 years. Here's the run down. There are 3 very nice restaurants in a row on Henry St betw. Cranberry & Poplar. These are: Petit Marche, a new French restaurant that's good for the neighborhood but not a destination; Henry's End, an American place that I think is excellent w/a similarly excellent American wine list (note: I'm a friend of the owner but pay when I regularly eat there); Noodle Pudding, an Italian place that is much better than average and well priced. Jack the Horse, on Hicks off Cranberry is newish and ok but not more than ok. Montegue St has Teresa's for inexpensive filling Polish food. Worth going if your expectations are of inexpensive decent Polish food. On the corner of Hicks is Heights Cafe, better than most think, but necessary to order carefully. Decent sandwiches (burger and chicken on baguette are the best) w/decent fries at decent prices. Turkish place is ehh, so's Buon Gusto and the myriad of Thai, Chinese, Indian and other places that come and go. Amin (Indian) is particularly vile. I dont think that anything on Remsen or Joralemon off Court St is worth anything, especially now that Curry Leaf (sister of the one on Lex. Ave in the '20s) has closed down. On Court St off State St, Queen is excellent old style Italian food with some updating. However, the room is not befitting the food and it's an expense account lunch place for the courts and other officials so they dont care much about neighborhood business for dinner... the waiters can be less than nice. I think the food is worth every penny. On Atlantic, Pan is correct about Yemen Cafe (we were there together not that long ago). Waterfront Ale House for burgers/pulled pork and surprisingly for other food as well. Nice hangout, good beers and wines. I really like La Mancha for tapas and Spanish food but this is not a universally shared opinion. The owners are also friends but I'm telling you, it's good. A couple of the mid-east places are ok, but Waterfalls and Fountain have seen better days. Dont bother at all with Tripoli. For prepared food, there's Lassen and Hennigs (reasonable food, high prices) & Garden of Eden (okay) on Montegue, but there's SAHADI'S on Atlantic for prepared foods, middle eastern deli food, lots of jars & canned food & imported stuff at great prices and (best of all) nuts, dried fruits, grains, spices, olives, cheeses. The Lebanese Zabar's. Go there first. Oriental Grocery across the street is also good, but much smaller. As Pan also said, Damascus Bakery for pita, small pies & other baked goods. Had enough? If not, you're living 5 minutes from Smith St, with another 20-30 restaurants and 15-20 minutes from Ft. Greene, Park Slope, Red Hook and Prospect Heights... all with tons of good places. Starting this weekend, the Red Hook ballfields have Latin American vendors cooking up great cheap fresh tacos, papusas, ceviches (well, not exactly "cooked") and lots of other stuff. I'm there a lot. It's a long walk or a 15 minute bike ride (or 5 minutes by car). That's it... can't type anymore. Welcome to the neighborhood.

I second Piccolo Angolo (Hudson & Jane)....solid old style. And entertainment from the owner to boot. Just dont allow him to sell you no name wine in a carafe. Monte's (on McDougal) is not a bad choice. I would have said Minetta Tavern (also McDougal) if my last dinner there wasnt totally mediocre. Great old line Italian back room though. Il Mulino if you can get in. Stick to the basics, dont allow yourself to be upsold on everything, and come with an appetite. The food's still not beatable for this style, although I trek out to the LI branch to avoid the drama (that one's on Open Table). Manducatis in LIC (that's Queens); Queen in Brooklyn. Forget Bamonte's (sorry... it's terrible). Go to DiFara's and have Maggie make you a hero sandwich to eat while you wait for slices.