Victoria O.
Yelp
I was visiting a friend in the neighborhood--Brooklyn Heights is truly terra incognito--and two nights later, still thinking about that minestrone.
It used to be some sort of neighborhood American called The Heights, apparently, and Felice (which happily exists in Manhattan as well), came in and did a massive renovation.
It's so unusual to find a restaurant of this scale in any borough, but the corner square footage is enormous, even before the whimsical, romantic, well-lit yurts left over from COVID. They evoke a carousel, which I love.
I started eating indoors literally the day it became legal in NYC (9/26/20, as I recall) and was at a bar the night before the second lockdown. I can't stand eating outside in NYC, mostly in agreement with my late father--a World War II bomber pilot: "Animals eat outside. I am not an animal." I'll make an exception for an especially charming courtyard, but if a restaurant's design is beautiful and original, I want to enjoy the decor with my dinner.
On a Sunday night in early March around 9:15pm, the place wasn't empty but probably not over 20% occupancy. We were seated at a large corner table with views of the suspended shelving at the bar.
Our server was knowledgeable and friendly. He picked out a Barolo for my friend that paired well with the sausage papardelle, which was more about the mushrooms than the meat. He spoke with the passion and detail of a sommelier as he rattled off details about the provenance, level of acidity, and vintages.
The minestrone came in a large wooden bowl and had to be near a quart. The best minestrone I've ever had, it was full of fresh vegetables and slightly spicy. I also had the chicken liver toast appetizer and the portion was extremely generous for the price.
My friend loved his pasta and wine. I didn't have a cocktail so can't speak to the size of drinks but the Yelper complaining about $17 seems not to know that this is just what drinks cost these days. Also, no one who worries about money should buy sparkling or bottled water. I just drink tap, feeling anything else is an affectation. So the woman kvetching about an $11 buck San Pellegrino could easily solve that problem by drinking tap. (Sometimes in LA, where the water is vile, you have to order bottled because the restaurant doesn't filter it properly, but in NYC, there's no need.)
I thought the prices were more than fair. Two enormous appetizers both in the mid-to-high teens. Pastas are in low-to-mid 20s. Meat dishes in the 30s. Again, this is just what dinner costs these days and this Tuscan food is truly outstanding.
It's a minor point, but I love a restaurant with matchboxes. It's an act of rebellion for an upper middle class man or woman to smoke, particularly in an area with multi-million dollar homes. Brooklyn Heights, at least this part, feels far grander than most of Park Slope (and I don't mean Park Slope-adjacent, which for some reason is now just called Park Slope).
A final perk: Brooklyn Heights is convenient for Upper East Siders, especially those of us near the 4 train. You get off at Borough Hall and walk a few blocks and boom, you're in this magical neighborhood, unaware that downtown Brooklyn is right there. (Court Street is still sorta, well, it reminds me of parts of LA with no signage regulation.)