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“The Grocery”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Brooklyn	Moderate	Great

in tonight.”

Two glasses of Sancerre and lots of conversation about the neighborhood and real estate prices later, we were finally onto our main courses. We ordered the lamb ($27), sliced into tender pink medallions served with a cool, creamy tzatsiki-like yogurt sauce in a dollop over the top. The lamb was fanned out over a bed of nutty barley tabouleh and given a clever Moroccan nod with raisins cinnamon and cumin. It was excellent. The trout ($26), on the other hand, was quite lackluster. It’s a nicely cooked moist fish, head and tail on but deboned, and served with a crispy spaetzle, asparagus and hen of the woods mushrooms. Surprisingly, it lacked bright notes of lemon or any sort of acidity that might balance the earthiness of the fish and the mushrooms. It was rather bland, and so we cleaned our plate of the lamb, but the trout was mostly left over.

No matter, it was a small blip in a beautiful meal conducted with smart and lovely service. And it did leave us room for desserts, which include a terrific steamed pudding and an exceptional selection of homemade sorbets (sour cream lemongrass) and ice creams (caramel cognac). With summer around the corner, I vote for a sidewalk ice cream stand (perhaps called The Grocer’s Freezer). I think it would fit in quite nicely with the artisan cheese shops, funky wine shops, haute boutiques peddling handbags the price of plane tickets to Rome, and restaurants with Michelin stars. Yes, I think that would work quite well.

It’s hard for me to believe how much this neighborhood has changed since that hot summer in 1991. It’s even harder for me to believe it was 17 years ago that I first moved here. (You have no idea how scary that is to me.) But, yes, it was 17 years ago. I can remember when all Smith Street could rave about was The Red Rose. And I can still remember my father telling me I’d be happy in Carroll Gardens. Who knew he’d be right, and that I’d be back.

The Grocery is located at 288 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, 718-596-3335.

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Posted: April 20, 2008

Other restaurants in Brooklyn :
+ Chickenbone Cafe-- Closed   + Pier 116-- Closed   + Chestnut   + Lunch at Peter Luger's   + 360   + Palo Santo   + The Good Fork   + Porchetta-- Closed Now   + Bocca Lupo   + Flatbush Farm   + DuMont Burger   + Dressler   + Farm on Adderley   + The Grocery   + Saul   + Black Mountain Wine House   + The General Greene   + Char No. 4   + James   + Chestnut   + No. 7   + Vinegar Hill House   + Motorino   + Buttermilk Channel   + Buttermilk Channel   + Vutera   + Watty & Meg    + Prime Meats   + Aqualis Grill   + Jack the Horse Tavern   + Roman's   + Fatty 'Cue   + Thistle Hill Tavern   + Broken English   + Trix, by Dara Pollak   + An Ode to New Orleans in Williamsburg: Maison Premiere, By Dara Pollak   + Brooklyn Wok Shop by Dara Pollak   + Arthur on Smith   + La Vara   + Gran Electrica   + Pok Pok Ny   + Ganso    + Reynard   

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