08/11/08

Sad to see you go

by longkappa

Sadly, The "Corner Italian Joint," as we called it, is closed. My wife and I, and eventually our little girl, have gone there for years. We loved the people and the food. My parents once sent us a gift certificate to us for Christmas, I called them while walking home, saying: "thank you so much, it's so nice to enjoy such a nice meal without having to cook it."

They'll be missed by me, and the other guy standing with me on the sidewalk as I read their notice. (At least x100)

• Pros: Hundreds of great meals and memories.
• Cons: Gone, gone, gone.

04/14/08

Skip it and head to another Italian in the area

by kmpnyc

I wanted so much to love this cozy neighborhood place, situated on a relatively quiet corner of Court Street. In fair weather, the restaurant's doors are thrown open to the street, creating a welcoming, al fresco kind of experience. Sadly, after our meal on Saturday 4/12, we will not be returning.

Service was friendly and reasonably attentive, but the food was simply pitiful. The bread basket had to be asked for and was delivered only after an excuse along the lines of "I think we ran out" was mumbled by the waitress; the dressing on a grilled artichoke salad seemed to have been applied with an eyedropper; and a plate of fresh papardelle with lamb ragu was delivered to the table with the ragu so stingily applied, I had to say something to the waitress. When the plate returned it did have more ragu, but the sauce itself was so watery, it tasted of practically nothing. My husband reported a similarly bland arrabiatta.

I am not the kind of diner who requires her food swimming in sauces. I have eaten in several cities in Italy and understand their restraint with sauce compared to the approach to which most Americans are accustomed. Caffe Carciofo was not practicing this kind of culinary restraint. On the contrary, it felt as though they had nearly run out of everything and were stretching whatever they had serve us a reasonable proximity of dinner.

With so many other fantastic restaurant choices in the area, you would be well served to skip this one.

• Pros: cozy, attractive space
• Cons: food

02/13/08

Romantic Atmosphere and Great Pasta!

by HeatherMacKay

I found this little gem searching through the good reviews on this website. I recently moved to the Brooklyn neighborhood ( Cobble Hill) from Manhattan, with my boyfriend. So we popped in here on Saturday night and although the place was packed and we hadn't made a reservation, we were seated right away. The hostess led us to a charming candlelit room that was tucked away in the back of the restaurant. It was so romantic and cozy! Our waitress recommended the grilled Calamari for an appetizer, which turned out to be mouth watering! My boyfriend tried the special Bufala Mozzarella which was simply delicious. We both ordered pasta for dinner, and let me say that it was out of this world! and the portion was huge - We tried the Rigatoni with Creamy Pesto Sundried Tomato and The Special Homemade Pasta with Sweet Sausage and Pork Bolognese Sauce. Everything was absolutely fabulous! We were just too stuffed to sample dessert. But we'll be back! And soon- In fact I made a reservation for Valentine's Day. I definitely recommend this lovely neighborhood spot. The prices were reasonable, the food and wine were excellent, service was friendly. A perfect warm welcome to my new hood!

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Food
• Cons: Parking

01/22/08

An all-around lovely restaurant

by GloriaVespucci

My boyfriend and I decided to have dinner here before catching a movie across the street. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic, the decor is absolutely lovely, warm and homey. We were waited on by 3 servers who were all patient, attentive, (yet, not annoying) helpful and extremely friendly. The timing of our food's arrival couldn't have been better and each course was ridiculously wonderful! You should absolutely try both the house white wine AND the mussels appetizer! We both look forward to eating here again!

• Pros: Wonderful service and fabulous food
• Cons: Parking is difficult

03/22/07

Fresh pasta and friendly staff

by emma3228

Recently, we were searching for fine Italian fare to celebrate a friend's b-day and came across carciofo. The staff was friendly and attentive, food was fresh and comforting. I had the red snapper which was perfectly cooked while my partner had a bowl of pasta with porcini mushrooms and sun dried tomato in cream sauce. Our non-vegetarian buds had the stuffed artichoke, braised pork ribs over pasta, and a large half roasted chicken in balsamic glaze. We had a fabulous time and plan to go back for the 19.95 pre fixe during the week. Only negative was that the weather was too chilly to grab a table al fresco!!

• Pros: kid friendly
• Cons: no delivery

12/28/06

Pedestrian at best - have eaten better pasta on planes.

by kaster

No reason to go back. My pasta with "meat sauce" looked like what Tony Monero was eating when his father smacked him in the head before he headed off to the disco, i.e. no meat, no sauce. My companion was kind enough to switch meals with me, which afforded me the opportunity to sample his pasta, which was absolutely swimming in oil, which was the lesser of 2 evils I guess. The ambiance was what drew us in, but we should have questioned why the restaurant was relatively empty while others on the street were packed. Service was pleasant but slow and careless - sent back my wine, as the glass was covered in soap. twice. Too many good italian neighborhood restaurants within walking distance to merit a second visit. Nice christmas tree though....

08/08/06

Excellent atmosphere and exceptional service

by kicker75

The food is very good here (check out the daily specials), and the ambiance is great (cozy inside and nice sidewalk outdoor dining). However, the top lure is the service. The staff and servers here are top notch. Very friendly and accomodating. One time I came to the restaurant late night, about a half hour before closing. They sat us down, served us, never rushed us, and waited for us to finish dining (as we were the last people in there). They were so nice that we actually felt bad, thinking that they all could have gone home earlier if we ate faster!

• Pros: top notch service

06/15/05

Great pastas

by bjack77

Great food (especially pasta) at Caffe Carciofo in Cobble Hill. The pappardelle with lamb ragu is wonderful! Lots of reasonable daily specials featured as well. Sidewalk caffe in warm weather gives a nice view of busy Court Street. Only drawback here is cash only, but the friendly staff should keep you happy.

• Pros: Ambience, Party room, Daily specials
• Cons: No credit cards

03/05/05

One Enjoyable Evening

by hemi

The first time was a pleasure, the second time with the company of 10 people was a pure delight. The selections of wine were plentiful. The appetizers and main dishes were a complete success. The homemade desserts made the entire evening a pleasure.

• Pros: Reasonable Prices, Freshness of Food, Ambiance

12/26/02

Caffe Yummy

by scorepio76

It is one of the best places to eat on Court Street. With the ever changing menus and the delicious brunches, you will fall in love with this place. If you have never been there, you need to go today.

• Pros: Sidewalk eating, Large party seating
• Cons: no credit cards