A great week of great food and drinks. Here was my intinerary. What were your favorites?
Monday: Blue Ribbon
Always a great meal. Similar menu as last year’s. Asparagus Soup was yummy and the BBQ was quite filling. However the chocolate bread pudding dessert was the winner.
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Tuesday: Applewood
Very excited to finally check out this very much hyped restaurant in Park Slope. Lucky to get a table as the entire week was booked. The scallops appetizer was very fresh and delicately cooked. The Hake fish was boring and bland and the crepe dessert was the biggest let down of the whole week. However their chocolate cake dessert (not on the Brooklyn Menu) was by far the best dessert. The food here is all organic and well prepared, but so NOT worth all the hype. Not even close. The ambience is terrible, the food is way more expensive than it should be, and not impressed with the overall dining experience.
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Wednesday: concert break/ The Stills
(yea they rocked)
Thursday: Chestnut
First time here and they had the best setup for Restaurant Week. They had their regular menu and allowed you to pick 1 item from each category marking only a few dishes that you would have to pay extra for. The tables were tight but the ambience was warm and inviting and the staff was very poilte. My haystack shrimp were amazing as was the stuffed pork. I HAD to order the cheesecake which went perfectly with the individual French press coffee. An amazing meal and the best night of the whole week. Plan to go back again and again.
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Friday: Arirang Hibachi
This place was just plain fun. The food was nothing spectacular but having the Japanese chef entertain you while cooking your food with incredibly corny jokes makes the evening enjoyable. The drinks were cheap and unusualy named like “Karate Punch”. Being in Bay Ridge you get a nice view of the Verazano Bridge and afterwards we drank at a local bar til past 3 AM. But that’s another story…
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Saturday: Tatiana
OK, I have been wanting to eat here for quite some time. Nestled on the boardwalk in Brighton Beach this Russian nightclub was everything I expected. The dining room was decadent and seemed to be in the middle of multiple birthday parties where everyone was in their best evening clothes (we were very underdressed). The waiter sternly said there was NO Brooklyn Restaurant menu and gave us a heavy book, which was the menu, full of every food imaginable. I stuck to seafood and everything was presented beautifully and tasted great. We were also treated to some live entertainment which was cheesy but an interesting distraction. A bit pricey, but I’d go back just for the food.
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Sunday: Night & Day
Their Brooklyn Menu consisted of selected items from their regular menu and I went for the pork cheek confit which was very yummy and fatty. The encrusted salmon was very interesting but a bit overwhleming for a fish dish. However having a myriad choices for gelato ice cream was a great ending.
Rating:
Monday: Scottadito Osteria Toscana
Completely empty, we got a nice table near the fireplace. This place also boasts an all organic menu skewed at Northern Italian cuisine. The antipasto was a good start to the Primi which included beat gnocci and Spinach Ravioli. Both incredible. My main dish was pork with prosciutto perfectly cooked. Each course was paired with a different wine perfetly selected and for only 12 dollars. I was so full after dinner and overall a great dining experience.
Rating:
Best Appetizer: Haystack Shrimp @ Chestnut / Scallops @ Applewood
Best Entree: Stuffed Pork @ Chestnut
Best Dessert: Chocolate molten cake @ Applewood / Flourless chocolate cake @ Chestnut
Best (affordable) Wine List: Chestnut
Best Drink List: Night & Day
Best Ambience: Blue Ribbon / Chestnut
My Favorite: Chestnut (highly recommended)
