Like Miniver Cheevy, the unforgettable E.A. Robinson character whose misfortune was to be born at the wrong time, Picket Fence endures the fate of being born in the wrong place. Almost anywhere else, a restaurant of this caliber might generate some buzz. Here, in a city with as many restaurants as some towns have people, it barely registers as a blip on the radar.
No problem: Regulars are quite content to keep Picket Fence their private preserve. And they should be. With main courses averaging $16 and change, prices are positively nostalgic.
So are some of the recipes. A cheese-and-veggie-stuffed baked potato available as a side some evenings is straight out of Joy of Cooking. It is also delicious (and a great way to get the kids to eat their vegetables!). A slightly more updated take on the tuber, wasabi mashed, shares plate space with fava beans and an inch-thick tuna steak done rare as requested. On occasion, there is Burgundy-marinated grilled sirloin—not your primest beef maybe but accurately cooked and flavorful all the same.
Warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla—need I say more? Okay, how about double chocolate pudding under a dollop of thick, unsweetened whipped cream? Your efforts to get to the bottom of the adjective in "overflowing banana pudding" are thwarted by (maybe a result of?) your host's limited English.
It is not lack of a mutually intelligible language but indifference that is sometimes a barrier to your getting what you need when you want it. Bring along your semaphore.
Price range: Appetizers, $6 to $10; main courses, $12 to $22; desserts, $6 to $7.
Recommended dishes: Tuna steak, sweet potato fries, warm apple crisp, double chocolate pudding.
Picket Fence, 1310 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn, 718-282-6661. Open seven days for lunch and dinner, and weekends for brunch. Major credit cards are accepted.
| Follow me on Twitter or join me at Facebook. You can also reach me at howard.portnoy@gmail.com or by posting a comment below. |
Comments