Bar Toto

When you walk into the bar you really have a feeling of a friendly bistro.  In Bar Toto everyone knows each other from the neighborhood, it's the perfect place to meet friends, have a something to eat and hang.  The waitstaff, however, like to hang as well.  That's unfortunate since the food is not so-o-o-o bad. 

We went there for brunch and ordered the frittata- mine was overcooked.  Browned eggs are not culinary delicacy.  Mine was ordered with cheese and there was not enough of it.  We also had two baked eggs served on grilled flat bread with prosciutto, loads of fontina & fresh basil or Eggs Di parma - that was quite good and the eggs were perfectly done.  It came with, as did all the dishes, with great shoestring fries and garlic grilled flat bread.  That alone I could have sat with for a few hours.  It is the type of place you want to stay for a few hours and languish over your beer and coffee.

I wish the service was better but now that I think of it - if it were we really would not be able to stay as long as we like.

Kid friendly - very much so

Outdoor cafe

Takes all Major CC

Open nice and late!

• 411 11th St, (At 6th Ave)
• Park Slope, Brooklyn
• (718) 768-4698
  

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

This is one of those infamous places in the New York history books that will never disappear in our life-time. The pizza they serve is of a tradition called brick-oven baked and it is like no other. There is a resurgence of this baking process and a number of place that serve this type in and around the 5 boroughs. I have been to most of them.

Grimaldi's is housed in a tiny building just under the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side. There is often a line outside, even in inclimate weather. Some are locals and alot are tourists. I often have to give directions to those asking. I am not a fan of Grimaldi's. I work in DUMBO during the day and many times the office will order their pizza. I have not flipped for it like others do. Main reason: the sauce. Why people think that you can open up a can of tomatoes, slop on dough, sprinkle some garlic powder, oregano, cheese and whatever else, bake it in a brick oven and think it will be great is beyond me. The sauce that is cooked and stirred for hours on the stove is the only way it should be. Now - they may argue they do that but I beg to differ, then they should cook it longer.

Grimaldi's boasts that their brick oven is coal-fired - only adding to the smoking flavor of the crust. This does not cover up the lack of flavor in their sauce and adds pollution as far as I am concerned. Want good pizza - brick oven and all that - go to Arturo's on Houston in the City. Excellent!

Kid Friendly - Of course - it's pizza
No Credit Cards - cash only

718.858.4300
19 Old Fulton St.
under the Brooklyn Bridge

theBKdiner.com