[vanilla]

what do you think of cafe shane?

i live so close that going there would be pointless, but the benches always look so inviting & i pass by the place countless times everday.

just curious....

[daveb]

[vanilla]

[Oiseau]

I like the chicken sandwich and they make a good side salad. I haven't ventured into any other items on their menu and when I go I tell my companion to stick with the sandwiches.

I think they have a hard time preparing more than 2 dishes at a times as I once went with three people, we all ordered sandwiches, yet one person had to wait liek 10 minutes more for his.

Another time I went with someone who ordered a real dinner and I ordered a sandwich and they had to wait like 15 minutes for theirs.

Shane's theme song: (sung to the tune of Fame)

SHANE'S!
You're going to wait forever, you're going to learn how to cry.
SHANE'S!

[Laura B]

The word on this place so far seems to be "eh." See, for example (scroll down):

http://www.dailyheights.com/mediawiki/index.php/Restaurants_and_Bars

[dailyheights]

also, the management has been accused of disparaging other neighborhood restaurants:

http://www.dailyheights.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=511

[ana.log]

i noticed that cafe shane is opening a new outpost in fort greene on fulton street. it's called (brilliantly) cafe shane two.
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[bluedove]

I like some things about them and hate others. For extensive discussion about it, see the threads quoted above.

I do like their omelets, and enjoyed the one time I went for brunch there and they had live music (though I was sitting so close the bassist practically knocked me into my coffee a few times).

[vanilla]

[daveb]

[ana.log]

Yes, I think that was it. The awning is still there ... I guess it's closed though.
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[alafairnadia]

[digital_buffalo]

Give it a try, I think it's pretty good. Most people on this board are pretty strongly against it for reasons other than its food - slow service, overpriced (an evolving and relative issue), too bougie, - doesn't fit people's notions of what an authentic Brooklyn diner should be like, isn't Tom's, whatever. I think the Cajun chicken sandwich is particulary good.

[Oiseau]

A friend just told me he gave cafe Shane a try for breakfast. He ordered an everything bagel with butter. He got a plain bagel with peanut butter. WTF?

[Captain M]

Is this the place down the block from Toms Diner?
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[Oiseau]

[bluedove]

[heynow]

and i was looking forward to having a spot i could get coffee from on the way to the train too. oh well.

[bluedove]

Well, their coffee is fine. I still go there occasionally when I'm in no rush. The place is just...far from flawless.

[alafairnadia]

on my way to work this AM, I noticed that the owner of cafe shane was carrying several completely packed bags from C-TOWN into the restaurant. I hope he checked expiration dates!
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[liftandcut]

The thing about Shane is that the food is good, but the kitchen is too small. It takes forever for the chef to prepare food. THe layout is cramped, as the wall between the dining room and the bar should not exist. The other big problem is that the servers either have low IQs or are severe potheads. ALWAYS check your food before leaving the restaurant when ordering takeout. It's really insane how often they screw up orders there. The women who work there are usually gorgeous though. Heh. The coffee there is better than at Tom's.

[apollonia666]

I've only been to Cafe Shane once, but for what it's worth it was good, not served too slowly, and everyone got what they ordered. This was just a month or so ago -- maybe it's improved since the earlier reviews were posted, or maybe we just caught them on a good day. But I thought it was a great breakfast.

[liftandcut]

You probably caught them on a good day.

[Carnivore]

They kind of rubbed me the wrong way with the Tom's-bashing. I still haven't eaten there.

[liftandcut]

[alafairnadia]

[liftandcut]

Ah, gotcha.

[poh]

Grim if you ask me.

The omelette I ordered arrived with big hair on top. Very gross, but it happens. Have to cut the kitchen some slack, give them a chance, you know... obviously I sent it back, and the waiter went overboard assuring me that they would make me a brand new one, sorry, sorry, etc, etc. So they brought back my "new" omelette about 5 minutes later, luke warm, and looking suspiciously like the previous one sans hair.

I mean, if you're going to pull a stunt like that, you could try a little harder. Wait a bit longer, microwave for 30 seconds.. then I would have been fooled. It was sort of embarassing. And I don't care if they were busy. I live across the street and haven't been back.

[alafairnadia]

[liftandcut]

Yeah, I was there with a friend and she ordered oatmeal and it was served cold. Had to send it back three times and it never came warm. I just stick to coffee and an occasional bagel, although the price of a bagel with cream cheese and tomato is different each time. That shit drives me crazy.

[MikeWalton718]

I want to like cafe Sha-Nay, I really do, I want to see local businesses thrive and prosper, I would love more upscale places on my street. But they have never done me right in the probably 5 times I've eaten there. Always slow, food mediocre and over priced, it's been a while tho, maybe I'll try again. usually when I'm so close to home, I eat at the apt. Like, I love Tom's but don't eat there that often because I can go home and fry my own eggs for next to nuthin... but when people visit in the evening, it'd be nice to have a nice close spot to sit, chill and have some good food. when I've taken people to Sha-Nay, every time I appologize for the lack of judgement. it's a bummer, cause like I said, I WANT to like it but....

[djuoh]

I have banned Shanes.

The hostess refused to seat me because she was too busy chatting with her friends. The wait staff told her to seat me and she said there was no room and continued her conversation. There was a vacant seat next to where she was standing but that would have disturbed her conversation.

I make the trip to the Usuals on Vanderbilt. The best diner in Propect Heights. Don't bother with Shanes...

[sweet tea]

[liftandcut]

I don't want to bash the crap out of Shane, despite my sometimes negative experiences there. I like the owner, though I know some people have expressed different opinions about him. The big problem there is the layout and inefficient use of space. I don't know if the wall in the middle is load bearing. If it is, that explains why it exists. If it isn't, then it should be torn down immediately. The kitchen is also too small and it is hard for the two chefs and dishwasher to pump food out of there quickly. I hope it doesn't fail because I know Luther (the owner) has put everything into the place. Just needs some tweeking.

[vanilla]

the owner totally rules.. and they have soymilk for the coffee & the coffee is actually decent. don't trust the espresso drinks, though..

[jaha127]

I've been to Cafe Shane a couple of times... and honestly had no problems... I mean it could have better seating... but its no worse than Islands... I do wish we had more outdoor restaurant seating around here...

[silverfortress]

I think anyone who is curious should try Shane's. I love the place.

I've been there four times recently, back in March and April, as part of a large group and a couple.

They were a little slow, yes, but the food was always good or great.

I had breakfast twice, and I think it kicks Tom's breakfast right in the a--. Shane's bacon, eggs, bagels, toast, home fries, grits -- all of it -- was FAR superior to Tom's. And their Cuban pork sandwich was also great, if you go for that sort of thing (a 1500-calorie sandwich, I mean)

The Islands, on the other hand, hmm... no thanks.

[devincf]

I like the food better than Tom's. I tend to bring mine home, though, since the seating is such an issue.
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[BigGuy]

The breakfast burrito rocks. I usually get it take-out and haven't noticed too much slowness. Also got delivery once or twice and that worked out too.

[alafairnadia]

huh. the burrito gives me intense gastric distress.

usually, when I resort to shane (aka sunday), I order egg & cheese on a roll/bun. if I go in to shane to order, it takes at least 20 mins to get this (hello! can I come back there and cook it myself?). so I generally call down to them and tell them what I want and when I'mshowing up. but .. multiple times I get randomness ... egg and cheese on a bagel, or cream cheese on a bagel. so then i have to return the randomness, and then I have to reorder whatever I want. BLAH. thankfully, the met has started stocking 6 packs of organic eggs. I now cook my own breakfast sandwiches.
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[Sarah]

The food is so-so, the service is slow, but I dig the neighborhood vibe and always have pleasant conversation with the owner and waitstaff. Don't go if you're in a hurry.
Usually, I'm very picky about service and quality, but I really appreciate their effort to provide something that we seriously need (especially those of us that are east of Washington).

[vanilla]

the coffee takes a good 10minutes.. then whatever creamer you choose::: another 10. last time they were nice enough to offer me new hot coffee without me asking. ...so i guess it's o.k. to linger, which is awesome. even if it's packed they don't care if you order basically nothing and have books all over the place.

[teddyballgame]

Here is my review of the Cafe Shane breakfast burrito from something else. Its a bit lengthy I suppose, but I figured maybe someone would be interested.

The search for the perfect breakfast burrito took me next to another neighborhood spot, Café Shane on the rapidly gentrifying Washington Ave. While this breakfast burrito was still far from perfection, it blew the tortilla off of the other neighborhood option at New Prospect. The neatly wrapped, uncut, very portable Shane burrito was filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, sausage, scallions and cheese. I should note that I ordered mine without the onions that normally accompany it.
As the search for the perfect breakfast burrito continues, each burrito gets me in better touch with what exactly I’m looking for. The neatness and portability of this breakfast burrito were big pluses. I liked being able to eat it with my hands and got the feeling that, if faced with the necessity, I could enjoy it on the subway or while walking through the nearby Botanical Gardens- what bliss!
Before some criticism, I should mention that I thoroughly enjoyed this burrito.
Alas, she was not perfect. Though the scallions gave the burrito a nice bit of flavor, it was almost certainly missing something- missing something Mexican. One doesn’t enter into the relationship with a breakfast burrito without the intention of getting some sort of kick. At Café Shane, however, there is nothing particularly Mexcellent about the burrito. While it is definitely delicious, I would even venture to say that this is no breakfast burrito, but merely a breakfast wrap. My agony was only heightened by the delicious and spicy hash browns that accompanied my burrito, as I was forced to wonder what could have been if those crispy, deep fried little nuggets of seasoning were included in the burrito, not just with the burrito. If only!
The Café Shane breakfast burrito gets a respectable score of 74. It was tasty, local, and portable, and I’m sure that, once this mad search is over and I can rest easy, I will revisit it. For now, however, the search continues…
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