Bocca Lupo

I've been to Bocca Lupo several times over the years, as my aunt and uncle live a stone's throw away. We went here a few times during visits, and I rediscovered how much I liked it upon moving to NY. Jennifer and I have gone a couple of times together, so I'll stick to those experiences.

The first visit was a Sunday afternoon, and we needed a quick-ish meal between visiting my family and going to the movie. They were uncrowded and the wait staff was super friendly.The menu consists of several bruschettas that change seasonally, cheese plates, meat plates, paninis, sides (mostly veggies), and one daily pizza, pasta and risotto. We ordered some bruschetta-- butternut squash with hazelnut, tomato, mozzarella and basil, poached pear, and a sausage one. They were all delicious, but note that they are difficult to split (i.e., cut in two). The standouts were the butternut squash (nutty, lightly sweet, so good) and the sausage (salty porky goodness), but they were all worth trying.


We also ordered the banana and nutella panini for dessert to go. We were in a rush, so we ate it as we walked to the theater. Picture this: each of us stuffing pieces of said panini into our mouths while walking briskly down the sidewalk, powdered sugar EVERYWHERE, us both incomprehensibly mumbling about how freakin good it was. Yeah, we got some looks. But if we had been run over by a bus, we would have died happy in that moment.

On the next visit, the bruschetta menu was totally different, and we were disappointed. I ordered a sausage and broccoli rabe panini and we split a side of zucchini with almonds. The panini was definitely good, a stand-by for my uncle, but a little overly salty. The zucchini was a nice side, enough for two.

Probably the best part about Bocca Lupo is that it is a small neighborhoody place. The menu is dependable and has just enough options. Great place to take a date or a small group. -Laurel



As Laurel said, the first time we went to Bocca Lupo, we were amazed. From the moment we sat down and looked around at other people's plates, I was itching for some good food. The woman to the left of us was eating asparagus, and I instantly convinced Laurel we must have some. Glad I did. Lemony and cooked just right - not too squishy and not too hard - the asparagus was a great compliment to our many bruschettas.

Speaking of which, the bruschetta. All of them were supremely delicious. The butternut squash was my favorite - sweet and not at all stringy like a lot of squash can be, and the hazelnut was a great touch. The pear was the perfect amount of sweet and salty, the sausage was the perfect amount of unhealthy, and the tomato, mozzarella and basil was the perfect amount of...um, tomato, mozzarella, and basil. We ate one at a time, each going in a different order and ranting and raving about how good they were. Ambiance wise, The wait staff were helpful and patient, and the people dining there were nice as well.

Of course, the nutella panini was off the charts delicious, especially when walking fast down a street and laughing about the intense amounts of whipped cream, chocolate, and powdered sugar all over our faces, clothes, hands...everywhere.


The second time wasn't terribly disappointing, but I was very sad the menu had changed. The bruschetta we had before was sooooo good, and I couldn't eat a lot of the options they offered second go around because of one or two leafy ingredients. And the asparagus was also gone.

We quickly searched for a substitute for the asparagus, and decided to go for the zucchini with pine nuts. Unfortunately, the zucchini was cold. It was also slightly limp and had almost no flavor. Sad. As for the panini, I desperately wanted the sausage, but I couldn't have broccoli rabe. Now that I think about it, I guess I could have asked for it without the rabe, but I remember how I wanted to preserve the flavor. That was dumb. Either way, I chose the Triple P (ok, plus M) panini: proscuitto, porchetta, piave, and mascarpone. Pretty good. Wasn't blown away, but it definitely fulfilled my appettite.

And of course we got the nutella panini. Must admit, not as good in a civilized fashion...on a table, with a fork. I actually prefer to have my food all over my body. I think it tastes better. -Jennifer

Address: 391 Henry St (Brooklyn)

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/Bocca-Lupo/

Payment: credit or cash

Delivery: no

Open Late: 2 AM on weekends

Large Group Friendly: better for small gatherings, does not take reservations

Bar/Happy Hour: full bar

Lobo

We've been to Lobo before, but only for margaritas and chips and salsa. I did gather from that visit that the margaritas were tasty and well-mixed, which is pretty much enough for me to return. And return we did-- in honor of Cinco De Mayo.

We had a party of six, so we didn't expect to be seated quickly on the biggest Mexican food-eating, margarita-drinking day of the year. We were told there would be a 45 minute wait, but after standing around for less than 5 minutes we were told a reservation was canceled and a table just our size was ready. What luck!

The menu is large and sports standard Tex-Mex fare: tacos, fajitas, chalupas, burritos, etc. Everything is priced as usual in NYC, ranging from about $9-14 for an entree. Margaritas are $7 for a standard with different flavors and a large size available. I had chimichangas, which consisted of two fried burritos with chicken, rice and beans inside. Not the best, but definitely not bad and satisfied my Mexican food craving. The best parts were easily the chips and salsa and the margaritas. The salsa is free, fresh, well-seasoned, and the staff did a decent job of keeping some on our table at all time. The margaritas were strong and made with fresh juice and good tequila.

The service was decent, especially considering it was their busiest day of the year. I will most likely be back for some drinks and chips and salsa, especially when its nice out so I can relax in the garden seating. -Laurel



Let's face it - if you read our blog, you would think that we are alcoholics. Perhaps we are, but I personally don't think so. The first time we came to this lovely little establishment, we had just gone to the Essex for our first book club meeting and watched leatherheads (which wasn't that great, of course). We had been drunk all day and decided to keep going with some gigantic margaritas. They were still a tad expensive I must say.



Going on Cinco de Mayo was the next obvious choice, and a good one. I was pretty hungover from a night of hanging out with those dudes in The Protomen (by the way, my parents DO read this, and I apologize profusely for disgracing the family name), so I decided to forgo drinking. Instead, I settled in on some nice, delicious chicken burritos. And man, they were tasty. We go to La Esquina a lot in this office, and to be honest - I dig these Lobo burritos a lot more. The beans were pretty gross though, unfortunately, because I love refried beans. Other than that, the atmosphere was pretty cool, except they had the Mexican flag upside down for some reason. Not a big deal, and maybe I'm not in the loop of Mexican culture - but I just thought it was weird. And I like the employees - they were super attentive (probably because they wanted us to leave, but I'll take it that they were just awesome). -Jennifer


Address: 218 Court St at Warren St (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/lobo-brooklyn

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Open Late: Midnight on the weekends.

Delivery: Yes

Large Group Friendly: Yes, and they take reservations for groups of 5 and over.

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes, and margaritas are cheaper during happy hour.