Abistro

It's been quite an eating frenzy this weekend! Friday night, I went to Abistro, a French/African restaurant in Fort Greene, on Carlton Ave. at Myrtle. The restaurant is tiny - not much bigger than a studio apartment...I counted about 8 or 9 tables. The outside of the restaurant is completely unassuming, no sign above the door or awning, just a plain white facade. The interior of Abistro is just as simple: dim lighting, cream-colored walls, basic wooden tables and chairs. A short, square dark wood pedestal holding a shiny red apple acted as the centerpiece of each table. Since the restaurant is so small and the kitchen is completely open, I felt like I was bathed in delicious garlic flavor all night. It's definitely a quiet, relaxing restaurant where you want to linger for hours.

The five of us started with the plaintain gnocchi and crab cakes - both of which were excellent.

I ordered the grilled tilapia w/ mushroom risotto and sauteed swiss chard. The risotto was fantastic, the consistency was perfect - thick and almost gooey, but not mushy. There was definitely a strong mushroom taste, but also subtle enough so that it wasn't too overwhelming. The fish was incredibly flakey and tasty. I've made tilapia and it always comes out a bit too bland.

For dessert, we split the chocolate cake and bread pudding. Both were great, but I liked the bread pudding better. There was a hint of spice, from the cinnamon and nutmeg.

The restaurant is byob...which made the food taste all that much better! Definitely a new favorite.