Barrio

8/9/2008
Park Slope: 210 7th Ave (and 3rd St) - (718) 965-4000
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7


If you find yourself strolling around the Park Slope neighborhood or vicinity, you should stop by Barrio for a relaxed atmosphere and solid Mexican food. I thought a rating of 7 might be high but in the end, decided it fair considering for the atmosphere, the quality of the food, and the value.

The food is fresh and light - a pleasant change from other Mexican joints that, though satisfying, leave you feeling like jabba the hut. I enjoyed the flavors in all of the dishes that I tried - and the variety of flavors in particular: delicious calamari-conconut flavored rice with spicy grilled shrimp; a "chile arbol" peanut mole, which tastes strongly of peanut and goes with a roast pork; or a chicken enchilada in a red salsa puree with more typical heat and a bit of tanginess. The seasoned doesn't burn your mouth out or go crazy with one element - sweet, sour, spicy, etc - and offset the balance - in fact, the food both in taste, freshness, and composition achieves a nice balance.

The fish tacos appetizer - though small in portion - were light and pleasantly simple, letting the ingredients be themselves with cilantro, cabbage, and citrus. The Yucatan shrimp dish were meaty, juicy (and not rubbery), strongly seasoned, and nicely charred. And the chicken enchilada was gone in about 5 minutes - the cheese (a crumbled queso fresco), raw onion, red salsa sauce, along with the chicken and tortilla were simply a great combo that and no part of it was unpleasant.

Improvements could be made - such as the addition of a starch to the Puebla pork dish, which would have been better served over rice to catch some of the pork juice and sauce. And I do wonder about the authenticity of the menu - some of the stuff they could do without like the chile caesar salad or granola and yogurt served at brunch. The concern is not only that it makes it disappointingly generic, but also might bring into question the ability to produce real Mexican food. It strikes me as a lack of confidence to stick with one true theme.

As enjoyable as the food at Barrio is the atmosphere, particularly in the warmer weather with all the open windows and a large outdoor eating area, looking out onto the stoller-filled, but pleasant and spacious intersection at 7th ave and 3rd st. With relaxing music (which I can't name) playing through the speakers and friendly, personable, unpretentious servers, the ambiance is calming and struck me as a place you could come back to consistently, for casual dinners, dates, or just to chill and grab a quick drink or bite. Although the owners seemed to have gotten it right with a lot of things about Barrio, the color selection of the exterior awning is a bit odd - bright orange and pink. On the one hand, its loud and vibrant and is about energy, but it's a bit of a shock. They say that people go crazy sitting in a red room - sitting under the awning outside on a sunny day might be a good place to conduct that experiment. I opted to sit inside given the heat lamp-like glow. I'll go when it's nighttime.

When I first visited Barrio, the service was a bit cluttered since it was one of the first weeks of operation, but they have since gotten into rhythm and continue to be a friendly establishment. Although it is possible to rack up a hefty bill here, especially if you get into the drink menu, there are more than enough very reasonable items so that you don't get to the cusp of feeling a significant pinch on the wallet. Given the fun atmosphere, good value, and quality of food, I wouldn't be surprised if Barrio starts to build up a contingent of neighborhood "regulars." I'm considering it myself.

Elementi

5/11/2008
Park Slope: 140 7th Ave (btwn Carroll and Garfield) - (718) 788-8388
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 5

Full Review:
Elimenti is a peculiar new restaurant in Park Slope whose strength is its food and weakness is its lack of character and identity. I'd go there for its food and its chef are very good, but don't expect a particulary memorable overall dining experience. Elementi won't inspire that fondness of your favorite bbq joint, cozy neighborhood nook, or Cheers bar.

It's a fancy looking, large, and centrally located space in a hip area of the Slope that certainly catches the eye when you stroll by. The food sounds delicious and refined with interesting but not overwhelming ingredients ("Lobster meat, Prosecco wine, chives in shell consomme"). But when you peer into the place, it seems devoid of character, soul. The website bills the food as "pan-Italian" but to me that says more 'Olive Garden' than 'serious food establishment.' When you walk-in, you see a large piece of art which is nice, but features the word "Brooklyn" in different ways and has nothing to do with Italy. On the inside, there are non-descript posters on the wall that maybe vaguely recall Italy. To be frank, this could have been French or Spanish or any other type of modernish restaurant and I would have believed it. When I walked out, it left me thinking, "I don't really know what that place was going for" and it wasn't until I looked at the website afterwards that I found out.

As for decor, it's expensive, clean, and modern looking, but at the same time, everything is a dreary brownish color. When there aren't that many people there, it looks lonely. Even when they do have some tables filled, there's something about the interior layout that makes it look sparse, not cozy, with nothing in particular drawing you in. In a word, it's drab. So when I found this place a couple months back when it opened, I read the menu out front and thought - man, I bet that this food is really good but I don't really want to go in there.


For brunch, I had a frittata wth white onions and bacon. The saltiness of the bacon and sweetness of the onion make it nice and it's affordable at $9. The egg was a little overcooked and chewy but most fritattas I've had have been like that. The dish came with some home fries, which were tender but fairly standard and too greasy, and a simple salad which was fine, nothing special there either. The best plate was the endive salad appetizer, which was quite good and included delicious, crunchy, salted walnuts, a beet dressing, slices of red beet, and its usual companion, goat cheese. The endives were sliced into thin, crisp batons and presented attractively and generously on the dish. It's a refreshing, different kind of salad with great taste and texture. Overall, I don't think you'd be disappointed if you came here for brunch, but it's not a must-go brunch spot. The brunch menu isnt inspiring or fun - it's pretty ordinary.


Service at Elementi is friendly enough and we were greeted with a warm smile at the door, but at the table, the servers were uncoordinated, inattentive to details, and not personable. I cannot recall any introduction from our servers, banter, or friendly conversation. They weren't rude, but just - and this is a theme for this restaurant - lacked character. They missed details such as my missing fork or empty water glasses. A side of honey was brought out in a platic cup that you get your mustard in at Shake Shack. Immediately after we ordered drinks, a different server came to ask us our drink order. When a busser was clearing the appetizer, she asked me if I had ordered more food, and took that as a cue to leave my silverware. We difficulty flagging down passing staff for the bill (effective waitstaff should constantly scan the room like hawks for things to take care of, people who're looking for help). Amdist a busy service, I can understand a few slip-ups and generally I like to give servers a benefit of the doubt rather than criticize - but it wasn't particularly busy when all this was happening. Luckily, service can improve and as it is now, Elementi's is not a fatal weakness, but it's definitely not a selling point.

Elementi isn't a restaurant that I could fall in love with partly because it's so ambiguous. But I do like the restaurant, its menu, and its very reasonable prices. I'm rooting for it because if they can inject some life, some soul, into the place, and they can improve the service, it will allow the food to be showcased in an environment it deserves. Elementi has the potential to be a place that helps the Brooklyn food scene creep up in prestige. But even if it stays the same and its execution does not meet its ambitious goals, I consider it a positive addition to Park Slope.