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Food

Camera in the Kitchen: iCi

youngna park

Published Sep 29, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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youngna park

Published Sep 29, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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On a recent stroll through Ft. Greene, Gothamist stopped in for a bite at the oft-touted iCi, where a charming garden matches a neighborhoodly interior full of cozying white brick walls and a working fireplace. Opened by husband-and-wife, Laurent and Catherine Saillard in 2004 (he the (in)famous former manager from Rocco's, featured on The Restaurant), iCi, like other purveyors taking advantage of the city's greenmarkets boasts an ever-changing menu with a lot to get excited about. A late summer/fall salad offers arugula with pear tomatoes and parmesan, wilted dandelion greens arrive with crisp bacon and anchovy cream. Entrees, whose prices hover reasonably between $15 - 25, combine the comforts of home cooking with a splash of fine French dining. Roasted Cloonshee Farm Chicken is accompanied by savory grits and braised greens, and baked wild striped bass is light and flaky, adorned with stewed tomatoes that pop in your mouth. Options hover around eight appetizers and entrees apiece, though abundant side options like grits with raw milk cheddar, pickled dilly beans, and bowlfuls of olives are wonderful little treats that add panache to a solid menu.

For brunch and lunch, egg dishes are a must-have. Shirred eggs (eggs baked in a dish) with collard greens and prosiutto were topped with a crisp skin of sharp cheddar cheese, yolks oozing between garlicky greens and moist chunks of fatty prosciutto. Perfect for sopping up with bread, the vegetable frittata is a less runny, equally tasty alternative . For those with a sweet tooth, rich french toast is topped with a heap of fresh berries and yogurt is topped with homemade granola. To quench your thirst, refreshing blood orange ice tea or homemade lemonade will make you pucker, and a generous selection of teas makes you crave your own personal pot.

We all know good food comes from good ingredients, and iCi promotes socially and ecologically responsible growing as one of the determinants of high quality. Apt both for a lazy Sunday in the garden, a romantic date, or because you just don't feel like cooking, iCi makes good food seem like it's just a way of life.

iCi is located at 246 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn. 718.789.2778.

Tagged

brooklyn

chicken

dining

food

gothamist

restaurant

restaurants

the city

The Restaurant

youngna park

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