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Bar Toto.. Opinions? — Brooklynian

Bar Toto.. Opinions?

veets
veets
edited November -1 in Park Slope
Bar Toto is on 6th ave and 11th Street.. I have eaten there a number of times and really enjoyed it, especially in the spring and summer when you can eat outside. Usually I hate eating on the street in PS but this stretch of 6th ave is pretty quiet. Any opinions?

Comments

  • shishkab
    shishkab
    on which: the restaurant or outdoor dining?
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    I only tolerate out-door dinning at upscale joints on raised patios bearing sturdy, elegant clean furniture accompanied by out-door heaters during perfect weather in which attentive waiters promptly fulfill all diner’s dinning wishes.
    The above is my new standard after going to a cafe in the Lower East Side that, since it was packed inside, the waiter was foolish enough to drag out two rickety chairs and place them on top of the creaky metal cellar door to offer my friend and I “patio dinning” between a garbage can and bike rack while homeless guys begged “for any extra change you can spare.” We went to Starbucks instead.
  • veets
    veets
    I wasn't looking for a reaction on outdoor dining.. geez it's cold outside. The menu is not pricey. Fave is burgers with all sorts of toppings tucked in to a grilled flatted bread of some sort, nice soups, fresh salads.
  • mrdennis
    mrdennis
    Bar Toto is a place I regular in the slope. I'm not really into the tight seating, but the food and atmosphere really compensate for it. Though I usually end up with a veggie burger, the menu is excellent.

    Has anyone noticed Bar Toto's high turn over rate of servers? The winter has been more regular, but over the summer/fall it seemed like we had a different server every time we ate there. The service has been consistent and good, and the servers are usually very pleasant. So it seems strange from my perspective for all the different servers.
  • anonymous
    anonymous

    Subject: well since you asked?

    somehow the OP seems like he or she is fishing for info. Usually people say 'i just went to x, y or z and highly recommend it because...' I think your 'tone' threw people off (at least it threw me off) that's why people were wondering if you were asking about outdoor dining. Nonetheless, okay, whatever your reasons (and they may be on the up&up), I think the atmosphere is VERY nice but the food is o-kay and I didn't love it enough to recommend it or go there again, unless in a pinch. the servers /waiter&waitress seemed nervous as if they aren't sure what the owner or manager is going to do next, maybe that's why there is turnover. my 2 cents.
  • veets
    veets
    Well sorry for my tone. I am not fishing for information or whatever is implied in your comments. I am a new poster on this site and being a long time resident in Park Slope I think I do have things to contribute. Perhaps I am still unfamiliar with the "format" it is customary to use when discussing restaurants or retail stores on the forum. Sorry. I had no agenda other than getting opinions about a restaurant that I like to go to.
  • pieinthesky
    pieinthesky
    I am a big Bar Toto fan-- it's the perfect neighborhood restaurant, where I can meet a friend for an inexpensive, non-event meal and enjoy quality Italian food that's not generic. Their pastas and brick-oven pizzas are especially nice, and their selection of amari (Italian bitters) is pretty exceptional.

    I do wish they would expand their brunch selection a bit, and I agree that their service has been inconsistent - sometimes good and friendly, other times inexplicably frazzled... (meh, some of my best friends are that way :))
  • rose
    rose
    Do people agree that the food is good? I went for dinner once when the place was new, and the food was so bad that I never went back. It was just pizza, but it was the worst pizza I'd ever had outside of a school cafeteria. If they've improved, I'd give it another try.
  • anonymous
    anonymous
    The food there is so delicious!! I am not a fan of the seating arrangement though. On a busy night, you are bumping elbows with your neighbor. If you're lucky, the people sitting next to you are cool...
  • jamzer
    jamzer
    Rose - the food is pretty good and it is a cool, casual neighborhood place. Kind of a pub-like atmosphere. I like their burgers and the beer selection is good. The owner is the guy constantly walking around helping the waiters. He'll engage in a conversation with you if you like.
  • ljnd
    ljnd
    I love the place. Pietro's calimari is the best I've ever had - not rubbery, not over-breaded, just perfect. And amazing Italian wines. Giorgio (behind the bar) is a sweetie. Their pot de creme is great too.
  • captain salty
    captain salty
    i love bar toto! used to live on 11th b/w 7/8, and we would go there all the time in the warmer months, we would take our dog, they would have water bowls for dogs, food is great, service is also great.
  • barndorfer
    barndorfer
    I like drinking there. It's never crowded, the beer isn't too expensive, and the music (if it's even on) is quiet enough that I can still have a conversation.
  • diane
    diane
    Perhaps because i live right across the street, I've only eaten there once but I thought it was very good - now reading about the calimari, I'll have to go again soon. Magnolia's is only a block away on 12th and 6th Ave -also with an quiet outside area, I love their hanger steak and they have an excellent prix fix menu every night.
  • captain salty
    captain salty
    magnolia was probably the single worst meal i've had in park slope. went once, never going back.

    bar toto = awesome! and yes, the calamari is good!
  • diane
    diane
    Sorry you had such a bad experience at Magnolia!
  • captain salty
    captain salty
    it's not just me either, we had a group of five, and all of us felt the same way.
  • veets
    veets
    I have eaten at Magnolias afew times because friends were playing there. terrible food and pricey. It is just not an inviting place.
  • veets
    veets
    I have eaten at Magnolias afew times because friends were playing there. terrible food and pricey. It is just not an inviting place.
  • veets
    veets
    I have eaten at Magnolias afew times because friends were playing there. terrible food and pricey. It is just not an inviting place.
  • captain salty
    captain salty
    veets wrote: I have eaten at Magnolias afew times because friends were playing there. terrible food and pricey. It is just not an inviting place.
    i agree with you, but you forgot to mention horrible service too.
  • erikka
    erikka
    I have had two incredibly bad meals there--one of the pizzas tasted like it was made with canned tomato paste that they had dumped sugar into. The burgers are good, the fries are good, everything else is just bleh.
  • captain salty
    captain salty
    erikka wrote: I have had two incredibly bad meals there--one of the pizzas tasted like it was made with canned tomato paste that they had dumped sugar into. The burgers are good, the fries are good, everything else is just bleh.
    magnolia or bar toto?
  • erikka
    erikka
    Captain Salty wrote: [quote=erikka]I have had two incredibly bad meals there--one of the pizzas tasted like it was made with canned tomato paste that they had dumped sugar into. The burgers are good, the fries are good, everything else is just bleh.
    magnolia or bar toto?

    Bar Toto. To be fair, I should quantify that I've eaten there five times: one was good, two were passable, and two were downright inedible.
  • username: *
    username: *
    mrdennis wrote: ...Has anyone noticed Bar Toto's high turn over rate of servers? ...
    A hearty endorsement here for Toto, which has become an indispensible part of my Park Slope routine; the friendly service, the pretty-good food and, in warmer months, the sidewalk seating make a four-screwdriver brunch feel downright therapeutic instead of, you know, like I'm a stupid drunk.

    ...Uhh, but I also was wondering about the turnover. Maybe all restaurants are like this, but none of my favorite servers from the summer seem to be around. I wonder if it's somehow a bad gig. :?:
  • ben
    ben
    I don't think you can make much money as a server at a place like that so that's not going to keep them around. Plus, the type of people that are going to serve at Bar Toto most likely have something else going on and are just buying time until they get work in their desired field. I think restaurants have a high turnover as it is unless you go to a high end place where you have career servers that actually make good money.
  • wexlerglazer
    wexlerglazer

    Subject: <3 BT <3

    I love Bar Toto in all seasons. It's lovely to dine outside in summer and inside when it's cold out. And the paninis and fries are amazing, as far as I'm concerned.
  • rachmouse
    rachmouse
    I go to Bar Toto at least 2-3 times a month. More than any other place in the Slope. Certainly convenience is a factor, but I also really like the food. Anything with bread is good - the pizza, the hummus, bruschetta, etc. I usually end up getting the margharita pizza and having them put the arugula on top. It is never bad and often sublime. The only thing I've had that I haven't enjoyed has been the soups. I tried them twice and both times they were too salty. Now I don't get them.

    Oh - and they have some of the best fries in the neighborhood.
  • xanra
    xanra
    We wound up trying this place after Barminnow closed down. I really like the ambiance of the place, it's very comfortable. However i find the food to be quite greasy and heavy. The deserts are better than the food.
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