Garden Cafe closed??

Nowhere else is PH is comparable for dinner. I think the next best places are either Franny's or James (in that order).

aliseo fails when compared to franny's, pasta-wise. they dont' have pizza but do at their cheaper location, amorina, across the street. personally, I prefer amorina's pizza but kinda get a little crazed about franny's pasta and small plates. yum. james is good - second visit helped them in my op. the scallop app is delish. and the muscadet is actually wonderful.

Frannys vs Garden Cafe? Huh? Aliseo is good, but still no Garden Cafe (but with garden cafe prices and no credit cards).

I would recommend Al Di La on 5th ave - fantastic!

comparing apples,pears and oranges again? damn!

Hey what is the really good Italian place that used to be a drug store in Clinton hill? Been only there once but can´t remember name or exact location!

so people still love garden cafe? i have a special occasion dinner this weekend and i'd love to try it out.

smw380 wrote: so people still love garden cafe? i have a special occasion dinner this weekend and i'd love to try it out.

It's the top restaurant in the neighborhood.

Muk wrote: Pretty much the same experience, Carn, but different entree(s)... and probably about 4 years ago. Also, never really felt welcome there from a service standpoint.

That said, love Amorina. A terrific go-to salad, great value slices, above par kids menu, and lovely pizzas.

Jekyll and Hyde?


[quote=Carnivore][quote=BrookFetish]How about Aliseo? I've never been, but I am curious as to how it would compare in quality.

I only went once, after hearing lots of good things about them. I got a squid dish that was so awful I haven't been back (and it's been over 2 years). Actually, on second thought, it's been long enough that I don't remember whether it was squid or octopus. I just remember an overcooked fishy mess.

On the other hand, their focaccia was excellent, which is probably why I like their pizza place Amorina so much better (although still not nearly as much as Franny's).

me too, too. love amorina with my whole heart. went to aliseo once and haven't wanted to go back. high prices, enh experience. everything on the plate (a lasagna made with mushrooms, i think) had exactly the same, somewhat bland and heavy flavor. got bored partway through. service okay but service at amorina much better. (this could be in part because of a running joke i have with one guy there about my maniacal tiramisu needs -- but just the fact that he remembers said running joke when i'm only in there every couple of months counts as great service in my book.)

only been to GC once. while the food was good, i didn't really feel at home there. like i had come to a friend's house when they weren't home and their parents were feeding me anyway. nothing wrong with the service, i just felt off, like i was badly impersonating someone i don't know well.

i miss sorrel.

the thing about aliseo that I've noticed is that they tend to do a lot of weird stuff that I avoid avoid avoid. the fig stuffed pork loin is great. the seafood lasagna? just as awful as it sounds. the trick to that joint is to walk in and treat albano like you've known him forever. it's the first restaurant I ate in in PH when I first moved here - my folks LOVE IT - and albano took to us for being so chatty. if you've met me and know how chatty I can be with barkeeps, restaurant servers, etc, my dad is 100x me so I come by it naturally. by the time we left, albano was sending us to his friend delissa's new space, sepia, on underhill which had just opened. the thing I hate about aliseo is that their menu is basically a giant lie - most of the time 50% of the dishes aren't available. rather than reprinting a seasonal menu, they just leave everything there and tell you half the shit you want isn't available.

the thing I love about garden cafe is that they use all those old school, american ancient grains. sides made with bulgher or spelt make me super happy. my mother just loves that place (my dad has never been).

I went to Aliseo once, and while I thought the food was okay (and a solid Italian nearby is not a bad thing to have) I definitely noticed that you did better there if you knew the owner. People who came in after us got seated immediately because they knew him. I was kinda turned off by that.

alafairnadia wrote: the thing about aliseo that I've noticed is that they tend to do a lot of weird stuff that I avoid avoid avoid. the fig stuffed pork loin is great. the seafood lasagna? just as awful as it sounds. the trick to that joint is to walk in and treat albano like you've known him forever. it's the first restaurant I ate in in PH when I first moved here - my folks LOVE IT - and albano took to us for being so chatty. if you've met me and know how chatty I can be with barkeeps, restaurant servers, etc, my dad is 100x me so I come by it naturally. by the time we left, albano was sending us to his friend delissa's new space, sepia, on underhill which had just opened. the thing I hate about aliseo is that their menu is basically a giant lie - most of the time 50% of the dishes aren't available. rather than reprinting a seasonal menu, they just leave everything there and tell you half the shit you want isn't available.

the thing I love about garden cafe is that they use all those old school, american ancient grains. sides made with bulgher or spelt make me super happy. my mother just loves that place (my dad has never been).

I gotta say I find their menu terribly UNseasonal. They think its always Autumn!! (oh and the secret ingredient? SALT)

I think I'm missing something. What is this James place and where is it?

stopped being lazy and googled. Looks tasty.

http://jamesrestaurantny.squarespace.com/info/

Hey Sneaky, the restaurant in the drug store you were thinking of is called Locanda Vini e Olii and is on Gates and Cambridge. It is still very much open--we go there regularly.

Well, maybe not closed as such (I have no idea), but it's definitely for sale.