Phone: (718) 857-8863
Before any other restaurants (not to talk about the new "hip" joints & stores)
dotted vanderbilt Avenue, Garden Cafe stood there, like a warm and inviting lighthouse at the
dark corner of Prospect Place and Vanderbilt Avenue. Back then it was hard to imagine that
Vanderbilt Avenue could ever become as lively (or cleaned up) as it is today.
We liked Garden Cafe, but were sometimes frustrated by the inconsistency of the food. It could
be glorious, but it could also be quite disappointing.
We will hold on to our reviews of Garden Cafe for a while. Enjoy:
The Policastros & their tiny Garden Café have been in the neighborhood for 20++ years. Year after year they have earned top ratings in the Zagat guide. Most of which ratings probably come from the neighborhood's grateful residents, some of whom still cannot believe that they have such a gem in their midst, but also from diners that come to Brooklyn from other areas. We have been patrons of this restaurant for a very long time.
Why the high ratings?
No, this is not modern or experimental food. But it is very tasty American-French cuisine, skillfully prepared by a veteran chef, out of fresh ingredients. No gimmicks, no tricks or smoke screens to get “oohs” and “aahs”. Just the simple “magic” of a good, experienced chef, preparing real food. And all this from a stamp-sized kitchen.
The Policastros seem to travel to Europe quite a bit and seem to sample good restaurants during these trips. We just had a conversation about certain top French Restaurant where they had dined. Those trips seem like a good way to keep the inspiration strong, year after year.
On top of the good food, Garden Café offers an adult, calm setting, accompanied by the friendly and unhurried service, provided by Ms Policastro, who brings a gracious charm to the dining experience. You never feel rushed, on the contrary; you are given more than ample time to finish your conversation after dinner, and only when you yourself ask for the check, will it be brought to you. Garden Café is a very good choice when you want to enjoy a good meal, but do not want to deal with the hectic & noisy atmosphere of other popular area restaurants.
The only draw in our opinion, is the very short wine list,
although there are nice wines on this list. But a short wine list seems to be common in most of the area restaurants.
We had:
A shared appetizer:
Crudo of Yellowfin Tuna
-sticky rice, watercress & tamari oils ($12)
The cured Yellowfin tuna with the sticky rice and the flavorful watercress & tamari oils, was delicious and delicate. So delicious that - betweeen small happy exlamations - we just gobbled it up. I totally forgot to even photograph it. The tuna was so tender it almost melted in the mouth. The sticky rice brought nice texture contrast (not too much) to the tenderness of the tuna. The watercress & tamari oils, while subtle, brought a beautiful additional dimension to the dish.
Main courses:
Skirt steak
-Yukon Gold potatoes, balsamic–red onion confit ($23)
The skirt steak was perfectly cooked to medium rare. Beautifully charred on top; perfect doneness on the inside. The meat deliciously flavorful and juicy: better tasting than so many skirt steaks I have sampled lately. And even though I am not a fan of mashed / pureed / crushed potatoes, these Yukon crushed potatoes just “vanished”: They accompanied the steak well. And the balsamic-red onion confit was nicely tart; a good taste contrast and addition to the meat and to the soft, round, soothing taste of the potatoes. I had to force myself to eat slowly, to extend the enjoyment.
Fillet of Arctic Char
-Golden beet risotto, olive tapenade sauce ($20)
Perfectly cooked and seasoned: The skin was crispy and tasty, the meat was done perfectly to ordered tenderness (medium), with tasty mushroom slices on top. My husband usually hates risotto because very often risotto is way too buttery / creamy / greasy, but this one he approved of and found tasty: even though there was oil in the dish, the golden beet risotto itself did not feel too oily or greasy. The accompanying olive tapenade sauce and side of small carrots slices complemented the fish and risotto well. Quite good.
Wine:
Caparone; 2004 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
An easy drinking, Lingonberryish California Cab
that was a good match for the steak and, while not a perfect match, it was pretty good even with the char and all the flavors in this dish.
Dessert:
Molten Chocolate cake with Hazelnut cream.
Dessert drink: Tawny port (good match).
Garden Cafe's romantic & cozy dining room.
Click image to enlarge.
| click
on images
to enlarge: |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Garden Cafe's
romantic & cozy atmosphere: |
|
| The cured
Yellowfin Tuna disappeared so fast that this is all that was left by the time I remembered to take a photo:  |
|
| Juicy, tasty
Skirt Steak. The photo does not do it justice.  |
|
Tasty,
fresh Arctic
Char: 
|
|
Garden Cafe's
dining room: |
|