Anyone eaten at Aliseo on Vanderbilt?

anything good or bad to report?

When I told my parents I was considering moving to Brooklyn they protested, "Brooklyn is someplace people move out of, not into." Having fled the borough decades ago they hadn't looked back and had no idea that there were actaully nice parts.

So the first time I had Mom over to visit I was carefull to pick a restaurant that I knew she would respond to and Aliseo was definitely the place in the neighborhood that fit the bill. She had an eggplant dish, raved about it, and stopped worrying about me.

Is that the Italian place by Muddy Waters or their pizza shop across the street?

Very yummy. Not the most seasonal menu - prob would be awesome mid-fall. But no credit cards wich is annoying b/c its sorta spendy.

Aliseo is geat food and pricy.
Watch the wine, because thats what drives the price up.

Albano, the owner is a real ladies man

I guess that's the Italian place. Yes it's very, very good. My date had the sea bass dish except that they ran out of sea bass and gave her cod instead. The cod had the taste of well made lobster and a firm yet very moist texture.
We also had a beet flan whic was really good, and I hate beets. They also made a fruit only dish for me per request which was really delicious. My only problems with the place is that sometimes they run out of items (more than one item at a time) on the menu and I get flak for ordering a dessert wine as my dinner wine. And, they don't serve cappuccino However, the chef is extremely talented and you look past all that after you taste what he makes.

i know everyone loves this place, but i was severely underwhelmed. maybe if i could afford to do it right, order an anitpasto and a pasta and a secondi, i would have liked it better. but the food we got (one pasta dish each -- it was a while ago, but i think i got some kind of lasagne, maybe with mushrooms?) was uninspiring. all too much the same flavor. felt like i was eating glue after a while.

on the other hand, the meat and cheese plates we saw going to other tables looks fabulous, the atmosphere was good, and i do love amorina. i'm okay with prefering the place that costs way less for once.

we thought it was very good but overpriced. i love the idea of having a great italian place in the hood, but hate paying manhattan prices for what's essentially a local joint. food and service should have been not just very good, but spectacular for those prices.

so as much as we enjoyed it, when we want a superb italian meal in the greater ph hood, we truck over to al di la on 5th ave. which is a notch better and costs no more, and possibly even less.

Delicious, but indeed pricey. They really need to accept credit cards. Does the pizza place they run across he street take CCs?

Smokin' Joe wrote: we thought it was very good but overpriced. i love the idea of having a great italian place in the hood, but hate paying manhattan prices for what's essentially a local joint. food and service should have been not just very good, but spectacular for those prices.

so as much as we enjoyed it, when we want a superb italian meal in the greater ph hood, we truck over to al di la on 5th ave. which is a notch better and costs no more, and possibly even less.

Tempo is also superior at similar prices.

It's interesting that the term "pricey" keeps coming up here, because we felt that way too. Is it the "cash only" thing? Paying with a credit card doesn't feel like real money.

Or is it just that no one expects to pay that much money for dinner on Vanderbilt Ave.?

dailyheights wrote: It's interesting that the term "pricey" keeps coming up here, because we felt that way too. Is it the "cash only" thing? Paying with a credit card doesn't feel like real money.

Or is it just that no one expects to pay that much money for dinner on Vanderbilt Ave.?

I think its partly the cash only deal and partly its expensive enough that you wouldnt consider going there every week.

Now, Garden Cafe is on vanderbuilt and they're also spendy...but IMHO worth it.

dailyheights wrote: It's interesting that the term "pricey" keeps coming up here, because we felt that way too. Is it the "cash only" thing? Paying with a credit card doesn't feel like real money.

Or is it just that no one expects to pay that much money for dinner on Vanderbilt Ave.?

credit or cash makes no diff. neither does location. (i only brought up manhattan as shorthand for great dining, although obviously there are plenty of undergood, overpriced places there too.) aliseo is just overpriced for what it is, no matter how you pay. and frankly, if it were just a little bit more expensive, i'd pay it for the convenience of having it nearby.

carnivore: what and where is tempo?

I think Aliseo is a bit of a treasure; I'm married to an Italian and she loves the place--it's always a pleasure to eat there. It's certainly cheaper than many comparable Manhattan restaurants. And worth the price, in my vote.

Smokin' Joe wrote: carnivore: what and where is tempo?

It's a really good Italian place on fifth ave in PS (in the spot where Cucina used to be). Try the bucatini with pistachio pesto.

rogersma wrote: I think Aliseo is a bit of a treasure; I'm married to an Italian and she loves the place--it's always a pleasure to eat there. It's certainly cheaper than many comparable Manhattan restaurants. And worth the price, in my vote.

i agree that it's a treasure and a pleasure,
but it would be nice if they'd lower the price.

Yes, a treasure & a pleasure, but I'd much rather CHARGE a $150-200 meal than carry that much cash around. Or am I the only one who doesn't walk around loaded??

piglet wrote: Yes, a treasure & a pleasure, but I'd much rather CHARGE a $150-200 meal than carry that much cash around. Or am I the only one who doesn't walk around loaded??

whoa! how the heck do you spend that much there?! I don't think I've ever spent more than $80ish on two people there ($40 each, to clarify). and that included A LOT of vino ...

oh wait. I have always liked his house white so I guess that includes a couple carafes of wine.