Brooklyn Roots Italian - Review - Bay Ridge - New York - The Infatuation

"Brooklyn Roots Italian has only existed in Bay Ridge for a few years (and in Sunset Park for a few years before that), but if you told us it has been around for a century, we'd believe you. The place has all the makings of an old-school Italian restaurant: The portions are massive, everyone sounds like they could be an extra on The Sopranos, and the servers wear shirts that literally say Old-School Italian. (OK, maybe that's a little on the nose.)"

"It's a casual, festive place that's a shoe-in for a big group dinner, especially if you get the Matty Guns Special, a vodka pasta (rich on its own) with sweet and hot sausage, meatballs, whipped ricotta, and fresh mozzarella. But you could just as easily snag a seat at the bar, meet someone who's lived in the area since kindergarten, and be convinced by the bartender to order the bread pudding, which is in fact a must."

"House Salad Approximately 98% iceberg lettuce, 1% toppings, and 1% dressing. Save room for other things. Matty Guns Special On your first visit, you've got to get the Matty Guns Special. It's like a crash course in Brooklyn Roots Italian. On your second, you can just get a vodka pasta though. The meatballs, two types of sauce, and three types of cheese are slightly too much."

Brooklyn Roots Italian operates in Bay Ridge after a stint in Sunset Park and embodies an old-school Italian restaurant vibe. Portions are massive and staff project a convivial, neighborhood energy. The Matty Guns Special — a vodka pasta with sweet and hot sausage, meatballs, whipped ricotta, and fresh mozzarella — functions as the signature, highly recommended dish. The bar atmosphere facilitates casual encounters and the bread pudding is a strongly recommended dessert for its custardy texture. Menu highlights include a heavily iceberg-based house salad, a lemon-sauced chicken francese with slightly eggy breading, and an off-menu Tuscan Burger topped with fried garlic. Some dishes skew over-rich or slightly tough.

Read at The Infatuation