Borough Restaurant

Formerly known as Bistro Lafayette, this snug restaurant and bar located on Franklin Ave in an up and coming section of Bed-Stuy on the borderline of Clinton Hills offers remarkable food but skimps on hospitality. Borough restaurant while dimly lit is both family friendly and also an intimate setting great for date night. Upon my arrival I waited patiently by the door only to discover that there was no hostess. After about 20 minutes I decided to grab the attention of the bartender who promised that she'd be right with me right away. After a few minutes she came from behind the bar and let me know that I could sit anywhere I choose, which happened to be the table nearest the window which hadn't been cleaned yet. I quickly found out that the bartender was also the hostess, the waitress, the server and the bus boy. After being seated I ordered the crab cakes ($10) and buffalo wings ($7.50) as appetizers. The buffalo wings served with celery, carrot sticks and a blue cheese dressing were excellent, well done and flavorful. The crab cakes however were not well seasoned, they were a little overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. If they were paired with some kind of avocado salsa or even a traditional hollandaise sauce instead of tartar sauce it might have slightly revived them. As an entree I decided to go with the jerk 1/2 of chicken, mashed potatoes and string beans ($12.50). I was immediately impressed with the portion size, which I must say was an entire half of chicken that had been marinated overnight, along with the sides was actually enough for two to share. The chicken was cooked perfectly, tender, juicy and the blend of spices and flavors were mouth watering. The jerk sauce that was served alongside the meal was a bit hot but a great accent that I couldn't help but to dip the chicken in. The mashed potatoes were creamy and even though the server brought out salt & pepper no extra seasonings were necessary, even the string beans were fresh and crisp. The food overall made up for the lack of hospitality and the music kept the night alive. Borough is a great place to dine if you wanna catch the game, grab some drinks or step up from the generic mundane taste of your local Applebees. Borough also offers delivery, Saturday & Sunday brunch specials and happy hour drink specials. Hopefully one of my soon to be favorites as I'm definitely looking forward to trying everything on the menu!

VODOU BAR

This new addition to the Nostrand Ave strip has brought a little extra class to the already up and coming area. The happy hour menu is available everyday and there's a party almost every night at this modern day melting pot. I've been surprised to even see stars drop in like Hill Harper. People of all ages and diversities flock to this cozy but hip hangout whether it be to dine outside for brunch, catch a drink at the bar or dance the night away to the ever changing genres of music played by live DJs. However lets not stray from what this is all about, although Vodou maybe a great spot to enjoy the nightlife we came to eat! When I used to eat from Vodou the jerk turkey burger sliders were delish! The bite size burgers were made from lean turkey meat pepped up with jerk seasoning and your regular fixins' (lettuce & tomatoes). Another classic dish was the baked macaroni cheese which you had the option of adding bacon to and chiliyaki wings which are marinated and tossed in Asian spices and a sweet chili sauce. The menu at Vodou bar has something for everyone from mixed olives and curried deviled eggs to veggie quesadillas. Which is why it was unfortunate when I saw a GRADE PENDING sign posted in their window. After doing some research I learned that VODOU BAR received a C grade in their last inspection which was 03/15/2012. Some of the violations which totalled 32 points included: not keeping cold food items at the necessary temperature, food workers cross contaminating food by touching with their bare hands instead of using proper utensils, evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas and lastly the contamination and failure to discard raw, cooked or prepared food that had been adulterated or cross-contaminated. I understand that dinning out is a risk but this is definitely an unnecessary one. Still a go to for drinks and a little excitement but until things get corrected in the kitchen this is not the place to dine.