Fiore

I discovered Fiore through one of my favorite sites, Serious Eats, via one of my favorite critics, Ed Levine. Upon drooling at the tasty looking pictures and reading about their reasonable prices, I was sold. So far, I've been here twice.

The first time I took my friend Erin and her fiance during their visit to NYC. We ordered a bottle of wine and the fried calamari to start. The wine was reasonablly priced and well presented. The calamari ($6) was excellent-- it was easily a big enough appetizer for four people (cheap!) and included fried thin strips of zucchini and some marinara for dipping. It was light and crispy and addictive.

For my main dish I ordered the Cavatelli Broccoli E Salsiccia ($9), AKA cavatelli pasta with broccoli rabe and sauage. It was a perfect portion with al dente pasta, chunks of savory sausage, shaved parmesean, and crisp-tender, lightly bitter broccoli rabe. I enjoyed the simplicity of it, the pronounced flavors--you could taste each ingredient, and the execution, as everything was cooked perfectly.

During my second visit I had the Penne Carbonara, which was not as successful as my previous choices, but tasty nonetheless and well executed. I admire the thoughtfulness of the menu here, and it feels and tastes more expensive than it is. The atmosphere is pleasant and the service is very good. Try it! -Laurel

My first trip to Fiore was after a trip to a bar somewhere in Williamsburg to participate in The Onion Society for the Preservation of Alcohol Meeting #39 (sponsored by Jameson). Needless to say, by the time we went to the restaurant, I was stumbling - just a tad. Totally in the mood for something greasy, I decided against my normal toasted ravioli or some sort of pesto sauce or gnocchi (my favorite!) and went straight for the lasagna.

I'm not sure if it was the alcohol or that it really did just taste this way, but the lasagna resembled Stouffer's to me. However, I loved the beef inside - it was just right and completely juicy. Other than the food, I really dug the ambience...it was very romantic, especially with Laurel looking at me across the way. It was also crowded, but not until later into the night, oddly enough. I'm definitely interested in eating there again to try something different. - Jennifer

Address: 284 Grand St near Roebling (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/fiore/

Payment: Cash Only

Take Out: No

Delivery: No

Open Late: Midnight on weekends

Bar/Happy Hour: Full bar and wine list