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Dinner at The General Green — Brooklynian

Dinner at The General Green

nearnostrand
nearnostrand
edited November -1 in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy
So, I had dinner at the General Green tonight. I would have to say that the vibe is nice and the food was cooked well. It was opening night, so although not "perfect," I felt that the service was great. The food tasted good, but I think the portions were a bit small, though not ridiculously so. For example, we had the steak. It was about 8 oz. maybe, perfectly medium rare (they didn't ask for temperatures) and it was the only thing on the plate (except for a little bit of garlic - I think it was garlic). You have to order your "side" seperately. The steak was $11.00. We also had the chicken. It was $10.00 and it was a smallish fried chicken leg on a small salad of corn, quartered radish, and arugula. The burger is $11.00 and comes with potato chips. I don't know how it tastes, but id did seem to be a bit on the smaller side. If my memory serves me correctly, glasses of wine ranged from $6 to about $12.

If you have a large appetite, you should be prepared to order at least 2 dishes. If you don't have a large appetite, you will probably be satisfied with one, but then you won't be eating a balanced meal (vegetables, grains, and protein :o). I liked the food, the room, and the service (for an opening night) but I'm not sure that I will go on a regular basis because for me, bang for the buck is also a big draw.

Comments

  • fivefifths
    fivefifths
    Thank you for the writeup. I will not be going as nothing pisses me off more in a restaurant than those tiny plates. If I have to leave a restaurant still hungry and my bill was over 20 bucks for myself alone I will be very angry.
  • leffertsgirl
    leffertsgirl
    where is The General Green? this is the first i've heard of it.
  • fivefifths
    fivefifths
    LeffertsGirl wrote: where is The General Green? this is the first i've heard of it.
    Where rain and sol used to be on dekalb and cleremont
  • bifteck
    bifteck
    ...and also where June used to be.
  • fivefifths
    fivefifths
    bifteck wrote: ...and also where June used to be.
    oops i meant to say june but said rain...
  • greenbee
    greenbee
    hmm.. doesn't sound too great. I think I'll wait for a few more reviews to come in before I spend my $$ there.

    Thanks for the info!
  • bifteck
    bifteck
    We just stopped by for a quick visit -- the joint is jumpin! Chock full with a 15-minute wait for a table. We snuck a look at the menu and it looks very tasty. Prices aren't super cheap, but totally normal for the area in 2008. Perhaps we'll do dinner sometime next week.
  • nearnostrand
    nearnostrand
    Please know that I certainly don't want to stop anyone from going. The food did taste very good, but the portions were a little small. It's the whole "small plates to share" thing. As I said, the place has a nice vibe and the servers were good, especially for the opening night. What I didn't mention is that you may not want to order the candied bacon. I admit it. I love me some bacon. If you are the kind of person who will be offended by 3 short pieces of bacon for $9.00 with nothing else on the plate, don't do it. It tasted very good, but not $9.00 worth of good.

    I don't know if I would agree that prices are totally normal for the area especially in terms of portion size. I look forward to hearing your review biftek. Maybe my eyes and stomache just big!
  • fivefifths
    fivefifths
    nearnostrand wrote: Please know that I certainly don't want to stop anyone from going. The food did taste very good, but the portions were a little small. It's the whole "small plates to share" thing. As I said, the place has a nice vibe and the servers were good, especially for the opening night. What I didn't mention is that you may not want to order the candied bacon. I admit it. I love me some bacon. If you are the kind of person who will be offended by 3 short pieces of bacon for $9.00 with nothing else on the plate, don't do it. It tasted very good, but not $9.00 worth of good.

    I don't know if I would agree that prices are totally normal for the area especially in terms of portion size. I look forward to hearing your review biftek. Maybe my eyes and stomache just big!
    $9 and 11 "small plates to share" is some real bullshit. for that price I should get a REAL MEAL.
  • sneakyonstmarks
    sneakyonstmarks
    I have nothing against small plates, it gets people to order and try more. People come on these are more high end restaurants where they used really high end products so they profits per dollar is most likely 15 cents per dollar, so if you want a cheap big meal , you could probably go to China town and get yourself a big Bowl of Pho for $4.25 and be satisfied. But its like going to Balthazar or E.U and ordering a steak and expect to pay 8 buck for it. Otherwise stick to Chinese take out!
  • sneakyonstmarks
    sneakyonstmarks
    I have nothing against small plates, it gets people to order and try more. People come on these are more high end restaurants where they used really high end products so they profits per dollar is most likely 15 cents per dollar, so if you want a cheap big meal , you could probably go to China town and get yourself a big Bowl of Pho for $4.25 and be satisfied. But its like going to Balthazar or E.U and ordering a steak and expect to pay 8 buck for it. Otherwise stick to Chinese take out!
  • fivefifths
    fivefifths
    sneakyonstmarks wrote: I have nothing against small plates, it gets people to order and try more. People come on these are more high end restaurants where they used really high end products so they profits per dollar is most likely 15 cents per dollar, so if you want a cheap big meal , you could probably go to China town and get yourself a big Bowl of Pho for $4.25 and be satisfied. But its like going to Balthazar or E.U and ordering a steak and expect to pay 8 buck for it. Otherwise stick to Chinese take out!
    The problem is that these Dekalb spots are all real substandard and mediocre and trying to charge Balthazar prices. I go to Blue Ribbon all the time and pay out the nose and eat incredibly well. No problem there.
  • ch_smooth
    ch_smooth
    Just had dinner there tonight - I got what I expected. I didn't think it was that expensive, but for the area comparable to Manhattan prices ($9-11 for a cocktail, etc., $9-22 for shareable plates). Don't go here expecting a traditional appetizer-entree-dessert meal. We shared the summer bean salad, heirloom tomato salad, salt & pepper ribs and grilled red mullet and were satisfied. It was nice to eat a nice meal without feeling like falling into a food coma.

    So far I like the concept, the food was great and the service prompt and polite.

    What I want to know is, what's with all the dead space in the back?
  • j.b.
    j.b.
    I have to pitch in and say I actually kind of like small plates. What I don't like is when they charge 3/4 of the price of a regular-sized entree for them. The whole point is so you can try different things, set up recommended 'flights', give wine suggestions for each, etc. I dig it. There's this place called Alta near Union Square that really had it down to a science. No small plates over 6; most were 4-5, one or two were 3. Nice, inexpensive wines matching the food. That's the way small-plate to go, I think.
  • ch_smooth
    ch_smooth
    Alta was hit or miss for me - some dishes great, some just so-so. But I guess that is a topic for another thread :)
  • j.b.
    j.b.

    Subject: Went to General Greene last night...

    A couple of things:

    WIN - the layout and decor are nice and a big improvement over the previous place
    LOSE - the drink sizes are too small for their price, and 2 other tables were, within earshot, all saying the same thing (and one of them pushing the point with one of the servers that you don't expect an $11 glass of Riesling in a restaurant to be what seemed to be about 3 oz. I kind of got the impression she thought the customer was wrong, but she was very nice, non-argumentative and came back with an extra (i'd guess) 2 ounces without conceding the point.
    WIN - wine, serving size aside, was generally cheaper by the glass than by the bottle
    LOSE - Way too loud. I wasn't looking for a quiet conversation, but the acoustics made everyone compete with each other to be heard
    WIN - the food was pretty good. It wasn't going to cure cancer or anything, but not bad at all. Could have been cheaper for what you got.
    The ham-gruyere bread pudding was tasty, and the dirty rice ($5) was filling. The bacon dates come 3 for $4. The price is fine, but they were a little cloying and mushy. I really wanted to like the closest example of bacon-wrapped dates.
  • ch_smooth
    ch_smooth
    I thought it was really loud as well. But then again, the table next to us appeared to be shouting.

    I think for the quality and freshness of the ingredients, the prices were alright. For the kind of restaurant they are aspiring to be anyway.

    Anyone try dessert?
  • arrbecca
    arrbecca
    I was there on Friday. They are indeed still working things out (like, they don't even have the back half open for business yet, and the wait staff wasn't all the way 'on point' yet, but they were decent).

    We got there right before the rush, so we were seated immediately and then everything filled up within about 10 minutes. While I agree the plates are small, there is something nice and communal and comfortable about ordering small plates with the intent to share. It is not intended to be a 'dinner' place - it's a tapas place. We got drinks and a few plates, and since things were good and tasty and comfortable, we ordered a few more plates. We chatted with people sitting nearby (the seating style is conducive to this) and it was all lovely. I thought the food was thoughtfully prepared - care went into picking the ingredients and the dressings and the presentation and I would go back in a heartbeat.

    For a few drinks, a few plates and dessert, it was...I forget exactly but it was around $50+. I consider that totally fine.
  • carlton banks
    carlton banks
    I went last night and was not impressed. It was only 9:00 and they were out of the only 2 seafood dishes on the menu. The service was subpar and the food, while decent, wasn't anything special. Given the fact Madiba & Chez Oskar were packed and General Greene had maybe 5 tables filled, it doesn't bode well for the future... I think that location may be cursed.
  • ch_smooth
    ch_smooth
    http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/underground/48917/

    a glowing review from ny mag. who i do and don't trust at the same time :)
  • wasder
    wasder
    I gotta say I went there for the first time the other day and loved it. It was so much fun and the food was all really interesting and delicious. I really like that style of having lots of things to share and the drinks I thought were great.
  • mon1018
    mon1018
    I got the information.
    Thanks for sharing. 8)
  • redsauce
    redsauce
    I've heard alot about this place but can't seem to find a website or a full menu posted online yet.

    I may have to venture in and take a glance, but if anyone can share a link it would be appreciated
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