brooklyn jury duty

[bethala]

please help! i have a friend who is on jury duty in downtown brooklyn as we speak. can anyone recommend some lunch options? suggestions greatly appreciated by my friend for her current situation and by me for a civic fate that i will surely meet one of these days.

[chefdaiz]

please help!  i have a friend who is on jury duty in downtown brooklyn as we speak.  can anyone recommend some lunch options?  suggestions greatly appreciated by my friend for her current situation and by me for a civic fate that i will surely meet one of these days.

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try Queen Restaurant at 84 Court Street...its great Italian.

[bethala]

try Queen Restaurant at 84 Court Street...its great Italian.

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thanks for that recommendation, chefdaiz. i didn’t mean to post such a panicked, unresearched thread, but I was panicking for my friend. the idea of being on jury duty and not knowing where to spend treasured lunch time is truly panic-inducing. after taking a deep breath and looking at some of the older posts, i found the following spots were the most recommended in or near the area:

Queen

Yemen Café & Restaurant

Teresa’s

Noodle Pudding

Little Bistro

anyone have any fresh comments on any of these?

thanks again,

beth

Edited August 2, 2006 by bethala (log)

[H. du Bois]

My only comment is that the last couple of times I got called for jury duty, they only gave you an hour before you had to be back, which doesn't leave you many options beyond the greasy fast food across the street. Can these places be got to and from quickly, and will they feed your friend quickly as well?

[bethala]

My only comment is that the last couple of times I got called for jury duty, they only gave you an hour before you had to be back, which doesn't leave you many options beyond the greasy fast food across the street.  Can these places be got to and from quickly, and will they feed your friend quickly as well?

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i must admit i have no idea exactly where the courts are. the last time i went for jury duty, i was a manhattanite. the times has done an occasional piece on where to find lunch when doing manhattan duty, but i don't think they've ever done a similar service for the other boroughs.

[Sneakeater]

I don't think you could do either Noodle Pudding or Little Bistro in an hour from the State Court. You could probably do Teresa's.

(The State Supreme Court is at the top of Montague Street, on Court Street [appropriately enough].)

Edited August 2, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[ahr]

Weather permitting, grab a sandwich and a drink at Lassen & Hennig on Montague Street and enjoy your lunch on the Promenade overlooking the East River and Manhattan.

[raji]

I used to live in DUMBO

Given the time restraint...

I'd hit Fascati's on Henry - best damn slice in that area

Not sure Noodle Pudding is even open for lunch, but that's my favorite Italian Restaurant in the city -

The Thai place on Henry just before Montague is really really good too -

Hop in a cab or bus down to DUMBO and grab lunch at Superfine - their steak sandwich is sooooooooooo delicious

Or grab a medium pie @ grimaldi's. Both seriously worth the cab ride -

The habibi place on henry is also good. But FIRST, please go to fascati's, it's so damn good...

Otherwise that area just completely sucks, I'd take a guilty pleasure and get some Wendy's or Popeye's. If you're going to consume fat, might as well do it right!!!!

I'm picking my brain, there isn't much else good until you get to Atlantic...

[Pan]

If they give you only an hour for lunch, Yemen Cafe might be tough. The service there tends to be friendly but relaxed. I think Fountain Cafe, the Lebanese restuarant across the street, would probably be faster. I got a felafel sandwich from there for takeout that was very good (this was only a few months ago), and I've also gotten good dolma and desserts from there.

Courtesy of superpages.com:

Fountain Cafe Inc

183 Atlantic Avenue (between Court and Clinton)

Brooklyn, NY 11201

(718) 624-6764

[Sneakeater]

I would be shocked if you could take a cab to DUMBO, have lunch, and take a cab back to the Courthouse in an hour.

(I'd also be shocked if your friend thought Superfine was worth all that trouble, but raji and I can have that fight some other time.)

Edited August 3, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

I agree about the Thai place on Joralemon (I think it is) and Henry.

Otherwise, really your friend's best bet is to walk up and down Montague St. and go wherever looks good (or at least bearable). It's not gonna be great, but you can't expect a great lunch every day. (The problem is that the proximity of the Manhattan courts to Chinatown has made great lunches while on jury duty a sort of Manhattan tradition. Unfortunately, Brooklyn isn't like that.)

Too bad Mr. Souvlaki closed.

[bethala]

thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! with any luck, my friend won't have to use too many of them. raji, i agree, about popeye's being a guilty pleasure, but must admit i've never had a wendy's burger. the square shape scares me!

it is really too bad that brooklyn doesn't have the solid jury duty lunch tradition that manhattan does.

[Sneakeater]

Off topic, but can we petition to have Noodle Pudding change its name?

I've never been able to bring myself to eat there because I can't take seriously an Italian restaurant called "Noodle Pudding". But yet so many people whose opinions I respect say it's great.

[bethala]

Off topic, but can we petition to have Noodle Pudding change its name?

I've never been able to bring myself to eat there because I can't take seriously an Italian restaurant called "Noodle Pudding".  But yet so many people whose opinions I respect say it's great.

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i always forget that it's an italian resto. the name makes me think it's a kugel joint, which wouldn't be so bad, either. i do plan on visiting one of these days, despite the funny name.

[raji]

My retorts -

SE - why not? 10 minute cab, 30 minute lunch, 10 minute cab back, that's 50 minutes

SE - Superfine's not superfine but they make a steak sandwich with pesto that's really really damn good. comes with fries, too! And you can get a beer with lunch!

SE - Noodle Pudding can't change it's name because the affable owner who's always there, his last name is Noodle Pudding in Italian

Popeye's tastes damn good

[Sneakeater]

I think it could take you a while to find a return cab from DUMBO. And I worry about really ordering and finishing lunch in 30 minutes.

Oh, so that's how Noodle Pudding got its name!

Edited August 3, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Brooklyn]

The Queen is the best restaurant in the closest proximity to the courts.

Fascati is the best slice around for sure - but is closed until near the end of August.

Raji -

If Noodle Pudding is your favorite Italian restaurant in New York, you need to get out more.

[raji]

Raji -

If Noodle Pudding is your favorite Italian restaurant in New York, you need to get out more.

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I do! I leave Manhattan, cross the Brooklyn bridge, and go to Noodle Pudding!

I can't find a similar Italian price/quality matchup in Manhattan, but if someone knows, I'd certainly like to know.

[Brooklyn]

Crispo

[raji]

Crispo

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OK! I'm gonna check that out. Any others, perhaps closer to the kitchen?

[Brooklyn]

Closer to the kitchen? What do you mean?

[raji]

hell's

[Sneakeater]

Crispo is certainly nearer Hell's Kitchen than, say, Noodle Pudding is.

[Brooklyn]

Strong Point.

[raji]

weisenheimers