THOMAS
BEISL 25
Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217-1434 (718) 222-5800
Half-moon antique windows, ornate plaster ceilings and
retro Austrian beer signs, the sunset-colored space is
comfortably elegant, and graciously tended to by an international
staff.
The versatile Austrian menu, fused with French and American,
rewards both high and low-end appetites: rich, cheese-laden
onion soup, grilled Gruyere and country ham sandwiches
and big-bunned burgers are as satisfying as velvety liver
terrine with kumquat-cranberry compote, speck and sausage
charcuterie and inexpensive cheese plates. Heart-warming,
assured entrees--beef cheek goulash with buttery spaetzlel
and little crocks of aromatic short rib Pot au Feu with
grated horseradish and marrow--are best followed by inexpensive,
insanely good traditional sweets, like bittersweet chocolate-hazelnut
crepes.
MADIBA
195 De Kalb Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 855-9190
The Scene
South African restaurant featuring colorful paintings
of Africa. Food is served at wooden camping tables, and
drinks come in small metal mugs. There's also a lounging
area where bands and performance troupes entertain.
Unique dishes here include potjie (similar to oxtail stew),
bunny chow (a hollowed-out loaf of bread containing vegetable
curry) and bobotie (curried meat and boiled egg pie)--and
that's just scratching the surface. The safari platter
(dried meat sticks) is adventures, and so is the tender
ostrich and tasty seafood dishes like octopus peri-per.
