Abistro

12/19/2007 Posted by thebestonemanshow

I came across Abristo in the most interesting of ways. I asked a woman whom I really fancied n wanted to impress to pick the country she'd like to eat in for our first date n when she responded with Senegal, to say the least I was a bit dumbfounded. Senegalese was a cuisine I had never tried nor knew much about, so I was a bit thrown off my footing. With a few calls to some fellow foodies I realized I kept being told the same name – Abistro! Abistro! Abistro! Each review more grandiose than the last of this Senegalese/French fusion restaurant n please understand that the term fusion is used in the best sense and practice of the word in this case. I did some research on my own, stopped by the restaurant, and during an afternoon stroll in the area (Recon), Cassandra the owner was so helpful in explaining EVERYTHING on the menu, mind you they were closed at the time. My date and I returned later that evening to the quaint restaurant with its white washed exterior and no large signage, but huge front glass windows and door that lead you into a warm dark wooded floor with candle lit tables n an open kitchen that let you see Abdoul the chef doing what he does best in all his glory. We took our seats n had one of the best meals ever. We literally ordered 85% of the menu n with each course offering we sat more impressed than the last - from the mussels in a sauce so good I could eat it every day of this cold winter and step out to conquer the world, to the short rib that until that exact moment the saying “melts in your mouth” was to me just a creative description until this short rib did exactly that, n then we had the warm bread pudding a la mode, I think with all the water that’s just filled my mouth with just the mere thought of it I don’t have to say much more. The young lady n I are no longer together, but it still stands as her best date n meal to date n I still eat here at least three times a month. Plain n simply – Abistro is the best. Period. Fin. Done.

Pros: Amazing well prepared fresh food, Great service, Simple but beautiful decor, surprisingly gorgeous bathroom

07/10/2007 Posted by drewpatroopa

I don't get out. I work at home. The eateries I'm forced to frequent serve things between bread, or are more open faced and triangular, maybe with peppers. Fortunately, I've got a lot of family around the city. They like to visit, see a show, do some touristy stuff, and go to a really, really, well reviewed restaurant. I am only too happy to engage in the free eats. Often the dishes are nicely prepared, but the service is slow, the atmosphere is pretentious, and the bills, well the bills get real big real quick. Suffice to say, almost all of these meals take place in Manhattan, and at the end of each one while my family is promising to come to Brooklyn sometime, I tell them about this great little restaurant. I tell them the food is Senegalese. I tell them the atmosphere is intimate and charming. I tell them it's tiny. I tell them it's owned and operated by a really nice, gracious couple, and they treat you like family, but unobtrusively (sounds impossible doesn't it?) in warm relaxed fashion. I tell them I've had almost everything on the menu, and everything is not only delicious, but smart. It's surprising and comforting, spicy but tranquil. I tell them it's a combination of African and French done so flawlessly the you really cant tell where one ends and the other begins. I tell them the apps are delightful, and well portioned, I tell them it's affordable (half portions available on most entrees, but go for the full size for 15 to 20 bucks. You'll want it later, just leave room for the bread pudding). I tell them that all my friends go there for their small celebrations. I tell them it's the best meal for my money I've had in NY so far, and then they start listening. If Im spending my own money on a nice meal, they listen, but they still won't come to Brooklyn.

Pros: Great value, interesting fare, extremely intimate.

Cons: Intimacy also means little seating. Don't bring the friends you only kind of like.