Steve R.

Amazing but true.

We'll be in Indian Shores again for almost 3 months starting next Saturday & would love to hear if anyone has any restaurant recommendations for the area. Over the past several winter visits, we would drive from Clearwater Beach to St Pete Beach, from Tampa to downtown St. Pete and all points in between for dinner. We love Heilman's Beachcomber, Bern's, E&E Stakehouse, Salt Rock Grill & several other more "fish shack" type places, but are always interested in new places to try. Any ideas?

We had friends coming over for a holiday dinner last night, so we went to our usual neighborhood butcher, Della Pietra. While there, we picked up a limoncello cake for dessert. Everyone loved it. I just figured that this would be a good time to let you know that, whenever we’ve been in there, the guys at Della Pietra have regularly been overheard recommending your baked goods. Sorry you’re leaving Brooklyn. Best wishes in Florida.

Well, since Matthew asked for an update (over 6 years ago), I figure that it's time to oblige. Armed with Kim's recommendation - no, not the one quoted above, but a recent pm in response to my request for current favorites - my wife & I went to Acacia 2 nights ago, while passing thru Richmond, & had a great meal, start to finish. An excellent small wine list, with well selected by the glass options, started us off at the bar area. The room & service in this newer location makes it comfortable without being overly fussy. Grown up but not at all formal. I gotta admit that menu descriptions that include more than 3 or so elements always scare me, as they sometimes indicate chefs who throw a lot of "interesting" things together & think that constitutes "inventive" cuisine. The cooking here shows that a good chef can knowledgeably combine ingredients that are interesting & wind up serving dishes that work, tasting like everything was just meant to go together. It also proves that not everything needs multiple ingredients. Our apps (shared) were 6 nicely fried oysters on homemade slaw & linguini with Oregon black truffles. Both just about perfect. Mains were lump crab cakes & Black Sea bass, both fresh with touches of kitchen skill adding flavors while keeping the natural integrity of the main ingredient. All in all, exactly the type of place we like & at a price point that makes me want to leave NYC. All in (w/tips), $150 for the 2 of us, including glasses of wine, sparkling water but no dessert (too full). Thanks Kim... much appreciated.

Well, if you're traveling to the other boroughs.... tried Mill Basin Deli yet?

I really hope that your meal at Queen was not luck, but a sign of their return to what they were. Please go back 3 or 4 more times and make sure, ok? . By the way, was the charming guy the short front of house manager? He's been there forever but he's not the owner - it's owned (last I looked) by the sons of the original chef/owner, one of whom is quite a talented chef in his own right & who I'm not sure is in the kitchen these days. While we're on the topic of pork chops w/peppers (we are on that topic, aren't we?), the best used to be found at 2 Toms on 3rd Ave off Union. Their pastas sucked but boy did they have chops. Wonder what's up there these days.

Always thought Lupa was too salty and actually prefer Otto's pastas. The wine dinner sounds good though. Patrick: since you listed some Bklyn places on your post, I might as well weigh in & put in my usual plug for trying both Henry's End (non-fussy straight forward American menu w/an excellent wine list) & Noodle Pudding (fresh, friendly & non pretentious Italian) on Henry St in Bklyn Hts. Since my wife and I are regulars & well known at both (& get comps regularly), I won't pretend to total objectivity, but think the world of both. Feel free to name drop (Steve & Ginny) and hope that their love for my wife overshadows their disdain for me & my food boards. And, while I'm at it, my own take is that Queen ain't what it was (I live 4 blocks away & have gone there for well over 30 years), while Bamonte's seems to have risen from the ashes to a be a solid red sauce choice.

Sorry. It was a (very) bad joke. The Anaheim Ducks are a hockey team.

He's probably getting Anaheim Ducks… after all, we New Yawkers are now being told that L.A. (well, the San Gabriel Valley anyway) has better Chinese food & we know that they can be kept on ice.

Yep, and the reviews are making me hungry. Frankly, I think the oysters are not getting enough credit due to the damn potatoes. And I'm waiting for the overdue equal recognition of the beer selection. At any rate, I told Daniel that I'll be showing up at Meks this Sunday afternoon to watch football, eat and drink and that I'd be posting to see who wants to join. I figure I'll get there around 1or so & hang out for several hours, since Ginny has somewhere else to be that afternoon. See you there? Happy New Year.

I'll answer for him. Yes, it was/is.

Honestly, I don't think of his opinion as having "high expectations" as much as not appreciating something that doesn't have a serious, documentary tone. I think there's a place for "light hearted" on PBS without ruining their reputation as a serious place. Hopefully, this "another board" you speak of will have some participants that will say that to him .

I agree as well. We also tip 20-25% at restaurants, but $4-5 seems to me to be a good delivery tip. In Brooklyn, where we live, several places that deliver to us are within 3-4 blocks and get here by bicycle within 5 min. from leaving their site, so I think that the $4 is sufficient. For places further away, $5. When we're renting in your neck of the woods, we've gotten pizza deliveries & tipped $5. I haven't really thought it out as you have, but 20% on an over $35 order just seems too much.

[HOST'S NOTE: This discussion has been split off from the Member News topic announcing the restaurant to focus on reviews and discussion of the new restaurant by Society Member BKEats.] We're biased, as Mr & Ms "BKEats" are friends of ours but I gotta say that, after a half dozen or so visits to Mekelburg's, this place is a gem in many ways. From the grocery store upfront, selling great stuff (including a full line of Rancho Gordo beans) to the "deli counter" with a great selection of cheese & meats, to the ever changing beer taps & wine selection, to the menu, to the outdoor space in back -- everything just clicks. And the oysters are great. If I wasn't so impressed, I'd remain dead silent. Years of CH and other boards have taught me that. Glad there's no need for that here. Congrats - us older Brooklynites are proud of youse guys.

I just finished watching our "taped" Italy episode. Loved it. Two summers ago, my wife and I rented an apartment in Santa Croce (Florence) for a little over a month, 3 blocks from Cibreo, and ate there (the Trat., not the main restaurant or the theater) &, more importantly, at the tripe stand next to it. Hung out at the local piazza & used the local outdoor market (Sant'ambrogio) almost daily. Our landlord, who lived in a town 30 minutes away by train, invited us to dinner a couple of times & grilled steaks much like seen on the show. Almost raw inside, charred to perfection outside, with olive oil and salt the only (after cooking additions). So the show brought back great memories & I can't say that this doesn't affect my appreciation of it. That being said, as rotuts says (& I agree) this show is about shmoozing & bringing out the emotional, heartfelt aspects of the place (as opposed to, for example, Bourdain's overt social commentary, which I love as well). In this, Phil succeeds and brings production values far beyond the usual standard for food related shows. Cant wait for next Monday's Paris episode.

The Japan episode was engaging enough that I've set up to "tape" the next episode on Italy. Those eels did look good.

I think that Aquavit's tasting menu should be on the list. Or Juni (although I liked Aquavit more food wise). Mitch: a question -- is Battersby still a worthwhile consideration here (possibly with drinks at Clover Club)? I'm not sure, since a lot of their attention is on Dover. Let me know if a get together is planned.

Not sure whether its on the menu or not, as I can't find a complete listing, but Chez Georges on Rue du Mail (in the 2nd) may well be a place to call and ask. We were there in May and the menu was very old school Lyon… we had a great dinner. Here's a link to an old article ('08) that you can get the flavor from: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90699769 Hasn't changed much since from what we saw.

To make this even more jaw droppingly unreal, I just learned (from the NYT Obit.) that Steven's late father was someone I knew a long time ago as well. He was an English Professor at Stony Brook when I was there getting my BA in English Lit. and I spoke with him often during my 4 years there. Steven was born 3 months before I got there and was a toddler. I'm a little taken aback by this… I never connected the two. So sad.

Have a great time. Any last minute questions, feel free to ask… you can pm me.

Might've already missed you on this but here's my 2 cents (we were there for a month last summer): Garga: we really liked some of the chef's takes on traditional dishes, adding some fresh ideas but staying grounded (with his mother still in the kitchen enough to ensure it) Zeb: a modernistic "sit at the counter watching" type operation with a mother/son team. We had a very good meal there Il Santo Bevitore: nice rooms, very nice food & wine. These are in addition to the more well known places to go (Nerbone in Central Market, for example or Casalinga behind Santo Spirito or Sostanza). Just a couple of sight seeing tips: the Monks do Gregorian chanting every evening in the church that sits above Piazza Michelangelo (Basilica di San Miniato al Monte) & this is even a better view of all of Florence then from the tourist filled Michelangelo below it… very haunting, beautiful way to end the day/start the evening. Also, there's a mosaic workshop in Santa Croce on a side street (I Mosaici Di Lastrucci - Via dei Macci,9 just off Santa Croce's plaza) that is totally open to just go in and view the work being done & a back room full of their work that they love to display. Aint many of these places left. The church there (Santa Croce) has a leather school in back that's also worth seeing (& shopping at). They ship and are reliable. Have fun.

I agree on Tanoreen…. been going for many years. I'd also recommend La Vara for excellent innovative tapas, although I'm not too sure about their approach to having children there. Stay away from the "tapas" place on Montegue St. Although I haven't been there in quite awhile (& there have been several reports of it declining), Waterfalls on Atlantic Ave was always good for small plate Mid-Eastern food, especially vegetables. I also haven't been to the new Dosa place on Court St, but it may be worth a visit.

Actually, I tend to agree with the sentiments behind your post. I don't react well to people who tell me how to think and I'm pretty clear that I can easily remain friends with people who I really don't agree with on a # of things. But, I don't think that your conclusion follows from that. I can hear what he says, disagree with it and tell him so. I can also represent my own opinion about what he said by deciding to not support his business. Leaving him alone basically does nothing to advance the dialogue or assist with debating relevant issues. As for this particular debate, he is entitled to think anything he wants but there really is (or should be) a qualitative difference between allowing beliefs like "I think green is better than red" to exist without comment as opposed to issues of human equality. I believe that we owe it to each other to challenge ideas like his very forcefully, since they go to the very core of people's existence and treatment. Being outraged and expressing it on a food board is just a very small way of doing so.... at least for me.

Again, weinoo and I are in full agreement. My wife and I just spent a month living in Florence and the differences are evident (not our first trip so not a surprise). We already miss some of the things we began to take for granted. As weinoo basically said, although some of the differences can be traced to U.S. & local regulations, there is also the issue of many Americans (not food board folk of course ) wanting an antiseptic product and willing to sacrifice freshness and flavor to get it. After all, you can always add condiments like mustard, ketchup and mayo for the flavor. However, all that being said, some careful shopping can yield a pretty good array of items and Brooklyn has a pretty wide spectrum, from old line Italian meat and cheese stores to newish, artisinal product (Saxleby cheese for example). As long as you remain skeptical of all old things being good and all sincere youngsters/hipsters producing the best new pickle, you can do fine around here. To Franci: dont let the mussels experience completely color your view of Fairway. In my opinion (somewhat biased), the cheese and olive oil there are still great buys & worth going for. As is the view from the back coffee area.

I agree with Weinoo about Union Square probably being the best choice for you. However, a couple more ideas, since I live in Bklyn Heights and shop at Fairway/Fish Tales, so I'm probably close to you. First, the greenmarket by Bklyn Borough Hall sometimes has one of the seafood purveyors from Union Sq. Since it's walkable and open Wed/Sat, you might want to see if that'll work easier. Secondly, check with a couple of the local restaurants that serve mussels and whose owners live in the neighborhood... they'll know the differences and might be able to point you in the right direction. Chez Moi on Atlantic Ave comes to mind as one good choice... the owners are friendly and local. I'd also check with Noodle Pudding (dont let the name fool you, it's a "slow food" type Italian restaurant that's one of our favorite places to eat), all the way down Henry St almost to the Bklyn Bridge... the owner, Tony, is friendly and is fierce about buying fresh seafood, including a lot of local Long Island product, and may be helpful as well. My last thought is much more inconvenient but you might be interested enough to trek to the other end of Brooklyn and talk to the folks on the Sheepshead Bay boats that go out fishing every day. I'm pretty sure that the boats (that sell fish upon their daily returns, and take out day trippers) do not have any direct role with shellfish, but they are all very knowledgable about every aspect of the fishing/wholesaling/retailing industry related to seafood in the area. Besides, you'll get to see one of the "other sides" of Brooklyn. If you want more info., feel free to contact me.