Restaurant Week is an exciting time for New York foodies … except in Brooklyn. From Monday through Feb. 6, more than 300 high-end restaurants offer pre fixe lunches for $24 and dinners for $35. But the list only includes three Brooklyn spots, which is sad, considering we have so many fine eateries. What gives? Turns out, only a few restaurants in the borough are expensive enough to qualify for Restaurant Week bargains. To solve this pickle, Brooklyn started hosting its own Dine In each March, featuring a buttload (more than 200) of spots with $25 dinners. Until then, we’ll take a quick look at the Brooklyn deals you can get during Restaurant Week.
Everyone says you have to try River Cafe at least once, so restaurant Week could be your “once.” They also say that you should go at night, but sadly, the cafe only offers the pre fixe lunch deal, so you can nix the idea of a romantic night with the beautiful lit-up skyline. This year’s menu isn’t posted yet, but the past Restaurant Week menus have been rated good to awesome in online reviews. Based on previous Restaurant Week offerings, you will save about $10-$20 per person. One thing all reviews agree is on: is the dessert is great.
Rating: ****
Price: $$$$$
Benchmark in Park Slope has mixed ratings: Some loved it, but others said the service was lacking. Their menu, however, looks enticing: scallops, grass-fed filet mignon and mashed goat cheese potatoes. Of the three Brooklyn options, you could save the most money here, with up to $20 per person. Worth it? Possibly. Just be sure to order the steak.
Rating: ***1/2
Price: $$$$
Greenhouse Cafe in Bayridge. I’m sorry, no. Do not. If you go here, I will not talk to you again. They already have a dinner pre fix. And it’s only $25. You get some better stuff on the Restaurant Week menu, but you have to order twin lobster tails, or the surf and turf to really make it worth it. Of the three it has consistently the lowest customer rating.
Rating: ***1/2
Price: $$$$
Of the three, River Cafe might be most worth the lunch time trek. If you want to check out some restaurants outside the borough, consult this nifty Approval Matrix to see how much of a deal you’re getting.
(Ratings based on Google average rating of Yelp, MenuPages, OpenTable and Zagat)
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I had the pre-fixe lunch at Greenhouse Cafe during what I think was a Bay Ridge restaurant week (I'm really unsure) this past September. The food was okay, the view of the garden was decent, and the manager or owner guy was a little creepy. He brought some complimentary dessert liquor over for my girl friend and I (we aren't big drinkers, and we aren't "ladies who lunch", so it was random and we didn't really drink it), winking and touching us on the shoulders. I haven't been back.