Yesterday evening, I met my friend Michelle in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn for a meal at one of her favorite restaurants, Marco’s. A sweet Italian trattoria owned by Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg of Franny’s and Bklyn Larder.
The menu changes often, depending on the season and the markets. As per Michelle, some staples like the Wood-Grilled Bread with Olio Verde extra virgin olive oil and the Wood-Grilled oysters with pickles and black pepper will almost always be on the menu. While it was a difficult decision (we wanted to eat everything on the menu), we decided to save the bread and the oysters for next time and try some new (to both of us) dishes.
The 2013 Bisson Glera LIGURIA Prosecco felt like a celebratory way to toast the meal. Our Prosecco arrived with forest-green olives sprinkled with fennel pollen. Next up came the:
Eggplant w/Pecorino Fiore Sardo (not pictured)
The soft eggplant bites were tossed with a heavy pour of olive oil and a generous shaving of cheese. With little bits of chopped celery (I think it was celery? Whatever it was, it was good) and again, fennel pollen.
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Another difficult decision arose when it came time to order a pasta. We ultimately chose the:
Spaghetti w/ fennel, chilies, lemon & bottarga di muggine
Neither of us had ever tried bottarga di muggine, which is basically shaved fish eggs. We were told that bottarga is similar to an anchovy in adding that salty depth of flavor. While it was certainly different than anything we had ever tried, the bottarga-specked spaghetti grew on us. More fennel pollen, plus sautéed fennel bulb. The pasta was also *perfectly* cooked.
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Our main dish was the:
Scallops w/ cherry tomatoes, basil & pine nuts
Nothing like bursting sun-gold baby tomatoes. We wanted to lick the plate.
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And for an extra veggie side we ordered the:
Radicchio & Spinach w/ garlic & Piave
The radicchio and spinach were slightly charred, highlighting a sweeter flavor in these usually bitter lettuces. The garlic was very thinly sliced and crisped to a little garlic chip. Sometimes I forget how good the sides can be at the right restaurant.
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We recruited Michelle’s fiancé (!!), Matt, to join us for dessert:
Rye Chocolate Cake w/ mint gelato (pictured, left)
Semifreddo w/ Amarena cherries, cocoa nib & Pianogrillo extra virgin olive oil (pictured, right)
Both desserts were phenomenal. The rye in the chocolate cake lends a deeper dark chocolate flavor. And the olive oil semifreddo had the perfect crunchy, salty richness that I always crave in my desserts.
Can’t wait to come back for more good eats, Marco’s!
Marco’s Trattoria
295 Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Tags: brooklyn, dinner, Italian, Marco's, restaurant
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