OVEN

02/15/2008 Posted by ERandAM

Was a little concerned, because when we got there, they didn't have our table ready, even though we had a reservation. But they have us each a free glass of wine, which makes any wait more bearable. They warned us that they had a chef call out, so the food might be slow, but it wasn't, and it was yummy, yummy, yummy. The goat cheese salad had lots of cheese, which is great since I'm addicted to the stuff. The bruschetta was warm and tasty, and the wine was great and not too pricey. All around good. It was also great when two of us got appetizers, salads, pizza, and wine, and our bill was less than $50 (though I'm sure the two free glasses of wine helped there). The pizzas are big enough to share, and the salads are a good size too.

12/13/2007 Posted by citybug6768

I was in this part of Brooklyn over this past weekend doing some Holiday shopping and went to Oven for dinner. What a wonderful place...it is small and cozy, has a great wine selection and the staff was exactly what you expect from a good restaurant. The food was the best part, of course, try the veal meatballs or the curry chicken pizza, and everything that came out of the kitchen looked good! I had an great experience and will most certainly be back.

Pros: Good Menu, Staff, Wine List

Cons: n/a

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/12/2007 Posted by bklynjgg

I've never taken the time or effort to add a review, however OVEN was so exceptionally bad that it couldn't pass without comment. I am a nearby resident and wanted to support the new, local business. The arugula salad was inedible - the lettuce seemed somewhat fresh but the dressing tasted like it was straight out of a pre-made, cafeteria bottle - definitely not fresh or tasty. Considering that a simple vinaigrette is a kitchen basic I should have known the main course could only get worse. The margarita pizza should have been fresh and simple since it's the most basic selection on the menu. The dough tasted like pretzel dough and I wondered if they'd bought a frozen pizza from a nearby grocer to heat up for me. The cheese was unidentifiable - mozzarella mix? It tasted cheap and processed and reminded me of school cafeteria food but worse. Such a let down - a local place that served fresh, tasty simple dishes would be a great thing for the neighborhood but OVEN is definitely not it. It was the worst food I've had in recent memory and I'm typically very forgiving of new places that have to work out the challenges of opening any restaurant. SIMPLY GROSS.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

11/12/2007 Posted by brooklynmommy

My husband and I slipped into this quaint spot for lunch, just before picking up my son from school. My husband ordered the shrimp, rice and vegetables. The vegetables were just okay but the shrimp and rice were quite tasty and the price was moderate. I ordered the caprese salad. It's presentation was beautifully stacked but the portion was a bit smaller and deserved a smaller price. We enjoyed ourselves anyway. The waitress was extremely friendly.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/29/2007 Posted by workmonkey

not Grimaldi's. Let the tourists (and brooklyntara) wait, while you head up the street to Oven. We've passed Oven a number of times on walks, but only recently did we see actually see a delicious-looking pizza steaming up the window, and decided we had to give it a try. We struck gold. Sure, the service is on the amateur side, and the decor could use a rethink, but not nearly so much to take away from the incredible pizza. Besides, I'll take great food over great decor any day. I've never even written a citysearch review before, but the pizza was that good. We split an arugula and parmesan salad, a pesto chicken pizza, and a florentine pizza. The portions were immense, so we virtually took a whole pizza home with us. The crust is fresh and full of flavor. The pesto was fresh, as was the mozzarella. It just had something unique and special that the Grimaldis and Lomardis of the world don't have. It's comparable to Una Pizza Napoletana or Arturo's. And the price is right: One pizza (which is enough for two) will run you about 14 dollars. They have an entire list of wines for 20 dollars. They offer a good beer selection too. I had to write this review as a response to brooklyntara. First off, I'm sick of self-proclaimed "foodies" on citysearch. Who isn't a foodie in NYC? I don't know anyone who doesn't eat out virtually every night here. It's why we live here instead of Albany. It's a bogus, arrogant self-description. Besides, who orders scallops at a pizza place? Would you do that at Grimaldi's? You have the sound of a Grimaldi's employee trying to take some fire away from Oven, because anyone who lives in Brooklyn Heights wouldn't wait two hours for Grimaldi's when you can sit down instantly at Oven. Sure, Henry's End and Noodle Pudding are great too - And everyone knows that, which is why you can never get a seat there. Oven is new and will be on par one day. Go before you have to wait. And be glad brooklyntara won't be fighting you for a seat.

Pros: Pizza, Pizza, Pizza

Cons: Amateur service and decor

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/18/2007 Posted by marshawong

Oven has many unique pizzas. My favorite is the Curry Chicken. A favorite of my friends is the BBQ chicken, red onions and cilantro. If you are a traditional pizza fanatic they have what you want too. They have toppings like beef and pepperoni and less traditional toppings like exotic mushrooms(they utilize these in their "mushroom" pizza) so you can mix and match your own perfect pizza. Oven isn't only a pizzeria. They also make one of the best ceasar salads in Brooklyn. I really liked the Scallops, and the Soft Shell Crab. They are slightly more expensive than Fuscatis but it's worth a few extra dollars for the quality of their pizza.

Pros: Interesting pizzas, fresh seafood, impressive ceasar salad, nice staff

Cons: Dull neighborhood

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/18/2007 Posted by brooklyntara

I have been in the restaurant industry for nearly 10 years; I am a huge fan of living in NYC for the simple fact that I love to eat out - trying new food ideas and drinking good drinks is apart of who I am as a person. I have eaten places where the service left much to be desired or perhaps the food was not on point, but being the foodie that I am I have never in my life, have ever walked out of a place and said - that was the worst meal I have ever had. And I am a HARSH CRITIC. This place was B-A-D. The waiters knew nothing of the menu and didn't really seem to care to want to learn and the food was AWFUL...especially at $15 a dish (even for an appitizer). If you do choose to go, don't order the mussels because they were old, rubbery and had a horrible fishy taste (aka - not even close to fresh, maybe frozen?) and the pizza was so boring that at that price I will either go to the gristedes across the road and buy pizza making stuff, go home and be able to eat for days or just walk a block up for a $1.50 slice of Brooklyn pizza. The sauce had no flavor and the mozzerella was cheap. This is especially sad to me because this kind of place could work in this area (every neighborhood could use a reasonibly priced gourmet pizza place - been to La Villa on 5th?) I will give it to them that they have an excellent wine/beer list. But if you want to eat, I highly recommend Noodle Pudding, Henry's End (all on the same block) and if you are really craving this kind of place, my suggestions is to go to Ghramaldi's in DUMBO, not even a 5 minute walk. Now that's pizza.

Pros: Nice decoration

Cons: Food, service, value - too expensive for what you get!

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

10/16/2007 Posted by timegagnebk

First time in, had the Lobster Ravioli Special. Perfect. Cool fresh Lobster in the center. Our Exotic Mushroom Pie was wild! Really different, quite a joy. Impressed with the service, and much better wine list then anything in the Heights. We will be back!

Pros: Specials, pizza, wine list, service

Cons: Annoying table next to us, complained all night. Fought with each other, had to be asked to leave. New to the area, is this normal?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/15/2007 Posted by bowang

BAD! I recently ate at oven, wouldn't recomend it. I sent back the ravioli special because it was ice cold in the middle. No big deal, right? But then the waitress came back and said she was sorry, but the "chef" said that "ravioli was supposed to be served cold in the middle!" I was aghast! It was literally still frozen in the middle! What kind of a "chef" is like this? using frozen ravioli too!?! Avoid! I'm not the kind of person who writes these alot, but I just felt that acting like your customers are ignorant because you can't cook is not cool!!!

Pros: wine list, service

Cons: food!

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful

10/08/2007 Posted by carlcincotti

Amazing salads, meatballs were incredible, and the Cheeseburger pizza was like nothing I have ever had. Really happy to see this place doing so well. Only drawback, the service could be better.

Pros: Creative and quality food, and good wine list.

Cons: Service could be better.