Brooklynn’s Bistro
177 Lombard Ave
204-415-4112
October, 2011
With soaring ceilings and massive pillars, this majestic
dining room has entertained power-lunchers and theatre-goers for years. The latest incarnation, Brooklynn’s focuses
on Italian offerings with a distinct Mediterranean feel. The wine list follows with some fine Italian
selections, augmented by some head-turning New World
heavy-hitters. The list isn’t overly
exhaustive but you shouldn’t have a hard time finding something that goes well
with your meal or as a prelude to a show.
Expectedly, the bread comes with a basic but nice olive oil
and balsamic dip. As it should, the
bread tastes crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. This is a basic bread introduction, but it
also tastes basically good; sometimes you don’t need fancy for favourable.
Mussels can overcook easily and often, a restaurant will
serve them with just a little bit too much heat. Most seafoods are very sensitive to too much
fire and overcooking (even slightly) leaves mussels dry, shrivelled and
tough. If I perched myself right beside
the pot of mussels, peeping over the rim expectantly waiting for the shells to
open, I would not have timed the cooking any better than what Brooklynn’s
served today. These plump and juicy
mussels burst in your mouth jettisoning their delicious essence of the
sea. The delicious white wine sauce acts
as a perfect supporter to the mussels’ starring role.
A restaurant wouldn’t be Mediterranean
if it doesn’t offer some sort of pizza on the menu. The Boa comes with a rich pesto sauce instead
of the traditional tomato sauce. The
pesto acts as a wonderful base for the juicy and moist chunks of fire-roasted
chicken. The ultra-thin crust does
little more than hold the ingredients together, while the deliciously oozy
cheese combo binds the pie together.
The hot Italian Sausage and Prawn Bucatini is named
perfectly in the singular, as there is only one prawn. It’s a massive prawn (think small lobster)
that’s perfect flamed on the outside and just-cooked on the inside. Again, if I stand at my barbecue and
carefully coddled my shrimp over the fire, I could not grill it any better than
how they present it here. The thick
bucatini noodles also come perfectly al dente.
I can’t say for sure, but these noodles taste like they could be freshly
prepared. Finally, this masterful meal
comes in a rose sauce that teems with flavourful grounds of sausage.
Sitting in this restaurant, I still get the Manhattan
feeling—the atmosphere I felt when the restaurant was the Liberty
Grill for so long. This milieu certainly
doesn’t feel Mediterranean, but the food tastes every
bit as good as anything I’ve had on the Mediterranean coast. The casual but professional service ensures
that you have a memorable evening.
****½ /5
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