Ortine is great but empty
I just got back from an awesome meal at Ortine, and my friend and I were the only ones in the whole place. I got a great Puttanesca pizza with a crust that blows Amorina out of the water and my friend got a fantastic nicoise salad. We also shared a bowl of really fresh clams. I used to go quite a bit for coffee when it was open during the day and was a little confused when they decided to only serve dinner during the week. Granted, the atmosphere is definitely more "cafe" than "restaurant" and the menu is a bit of a mish-mash, but the food and service is really really good. Have other people tried Ortine for dinner? What do you think is the reason more people don't go there? On paper it seems like just the type of place (casual, moderately ambitious food with a local, seasonal slant) that would do well in this neighborhood. I guess I just hope it doesn't go the way of Tavern On Dean.
Comments
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I've tried it, and it was good.
But there is very little foot traffic way down there on Washington; I'm rarely down there ...it seems like an island with not much else around it. -
True. I live right around the corner but if you're not in that part of the hood you would have to really seek it out.
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Ortine is the best. That's why we all gotta do our part and either support it regularly and/or spread the word. I always end up taking out of towners there too. Breakfast and dinner are both bangin. And LOVE the Michalata or whatever that awesome beer+hot sauce drink is.
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didn't know this place existed. maybe that's why no one goes there.
i'll check it out. -
I lived literally right about that place and always wondered what would go in. Its nice to hear its a tasty place. Unfortunately since I am further down Washington towards the museum I am rarely down that way. I think I need to just make the trek and try it out.
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I think the main reason has to be location.
First its hidden away (in my opinion) and second that is not a very highly trafficked area by foot. -
Other places over come such things with shameless promotion.
...annoying menus under people's doors, on their windshields, etc. -
on the brightside, it's location keeps it frequented by real appreciative customers and by word-of-mouth visitors, a helluva lot better than it getting too big for its britches. They don't need to blow up to get by, and it's nice that way.
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Ortine has these totally amazing polenta fries, surprisingly popcorny-tasting, which come with the vegan chili, which is also pretty good. The lentil salad with arugula was really tasty for a light brunch with potatoes on the side. I really like Ortine, the interior is so charming and their back garden is really pretty. Definitely perfect for brunch. I'd probably go there more if they had a one or two more vegan options to choose from, esp for brunch.
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unicyclist-courier wrote: I'd probably go there more if they had a one or two more vegan options to choose from, esp for brunch.
This is the reason I haven't stopped by but now that I know they have a couple of things maybe I will check it out -
I went with e friend on Monday night, for the first time: pasta, salad and bread for $10 was good value and interesting; the pizza was great. Not many other customers and the service was a bit lackadaisical, but I'll definitely go again.
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Ortine is one of my favorite spots in the nabe. They have happy hour from 5 to 7 every day: $3 drafts of Sweet Action, $5 pizzas, pretty cheap wings. (Or at least they used to.) Thurs. is half-price-bottles-of-wine night. Their pizza is superior--excellent sauce, outstanding ingredients, delicious crust. Love their vegan chili. Their house-roasted nuts always kick ass. The lentil and argula salad rocks. I can't say enough good things about the place. The garden is lovely too. Do yourself a favor and start going there regularly. As for the wait staff--top to bottom great. Genuinely friendly, totally non-intrusive. I can't think of one negative thing to say about the place. It's just a top-to-bottom, wall-to-wall success, and it deserves your business.
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We ate here for the first time this weekend. Fairly decent crowd (though a lot of them were friends of the band playing in the garden). They served a very nice and refreshing yellow watermelon sangria with mint, and the pizza was great--the crust is as good as any we've had in Brooklyn.
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Is it kid-friendly? Or, I should say 3 kids friendly, b/c that is way more of a burden than a cute baby in a stroller.
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I don't know about the establishment and its rules, but a pizza margherita is about the only kid-friendly thing on the menu.
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brownie, beggars can't be choosers. go there w/ the 3 kids. shouldn't be a problem.
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They have lots of egg dishes on the menu. I always liked breakfast for dinner when I was a kid.
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bumping to ask: do i read correctly that ortine now has *bread*? at night?
i love that place for brunch (omg their baked grits -- and this is coming from a major grits snob), and i want to love it for dinner. but there's never any frickin' starch. or if there is, it's like cinnamon pita chips. wtf?
i do love them, though. great atmosphere, especially in the back garden. sweet staff. nice wine. and the sardine appetizer is wonderful -- would be perfect with some bread. -
I thought they provided diners with awesome home-made flavored popcorn. Love the garden too, but the colony of mice flourishing back there needs to be dealt with.
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i guess, now that you mention it, i did notice the popcorn last time i was there for a glass of wine.
any confirmation on bread, though? popcorn is nice, but bread is what would make those sardines complete. -
i hadn't heard about bread as a regular thing, but for their weekly pasta night on mondays they usually have homemade foccacia...
http://ortine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=5
(ortine's website special event page) -
Just came back from an awesome brunch. The poutine and eggs- DIVINE!
Also, happy to report that the place was full- inside and out. -
Just wondering, does Ortine ever change its menu? I mean, it's great and all and I've enjoyed going a few times since discovering the place over the summer, but it seems like for such a small menu, they could make some seasonal changes.
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Gone.
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New name to be Atlantic Co.
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I've never heard of Ortine, so obviously they were failing to reach some local demographic.
Will happily check out their rebirth.
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Ortine was a nice place, but I hadn't been there in so long. When alcohol is involved, though, I will be tempted to step out more often. Can't wait to check this place out!
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Emily from Brownstoner may have read our thread:
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/10/ortine-closed-new-bar-opening-on-halloween/#disqus_thread
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