Carniceria - CLOSED

Elite '08

13

110

Catherine H.

Brooklyn, NY

After Porchetta flamed out in a blaze of story (bad checks! oooh, scandalous!), the owner reopened the joint as an Argentinian steakhouse. And it's a nice addition to the Smith Street scene, without being sceney at all. But next time I go to Carniceria (and yes, I'll go again, probably for brunch, which looks very interesting), I'm going to make a point of going hungry. It just doesn't do to arrive at a restaurant that specializes in giant hunks of meat when you're in an "I guess I could eat..." state of affairs. As a result, I was semi-lame and had the "Vegetariano" entree, a delicious paella packed with yummy vegetables like wild mushrooms, green beans, peas, and those little bulbous onions. My friend devoured the "Lomo," a piece of meat slathered in sauce and perched atop a bacon tart. Can't go wrong with that.

So, the food that we did have was great. We didn't get any appetizers -- not that the waiter asked us if we wanted any. And here was the salient feature of our experience: shitty service. The waiter, if that term even applies, started things off with the odd question, "Are you fine with just water?" Uh, no. Shouldn't you be pushing the drinks, my friend? We got beers. Among the other lamenesses: My boyfriend joined us late and had to ask another waiter for a menu. When our waiter finally appeared and poured him a glass of water, he did not refill our glasses. Once we were finished our empty plates sat on the table for a good 10 to 15 minutes before we asked for the check. And that would all be fine if the place was packed, but there were only a few tables occupied, and two waiters. Overall we liked it: The space is beautifully decorated, with a relaxed, cool vibe. Good music, too (vintage Liz Phair, plus my favorite Life Without Buildings song!), which is always a huge plus for me. But man did our waiter suck.

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