I’ll admit I was hesitant being the Queen’s Hideaway mourner that I am. I didn’t want to cheat on one of my old favorites. But I did and I loved it.
Anella is not hidden from the passer-by, but without a sign, its easy to do just that. Inside, its similarly minimalistic, with sparse walls and simple table settings. The staff is as warm and tidy as the restaurant’s atmosphere and we had nice chat with the bartender who was making a grapefruit-lime mocktail (they continue to await the arrival of their liquor license that’s taking its sweet time – sigh).
We decided to dine on the lighter side and ordered two appetizers and a salad, but were shocked by the large portions that arrived. The bruschetta of the day was three towers of roasted vegetables perched on small toasts and drizzled in a sticky balsamic dressing. In between difficult bites (hard to unhinge your jaw when you’re not a snake), we feasted on the abundant beet salad that was cold and crisp. Yesterday’s carpaccio of the day was a sushi-grade tuna dressed with freshly squeezed lemon and a homemade aioli. I missed it when it was all gone and it was gone quickly.
Our bill totaled around $23 dollars which was perfect for a person waiting to get paid. I imagine that not having drinks was what ultimately kept the cost down, but with cocktails not on the menu, I hardly missed them.
Afterward we went to have a drink at Anella’s neighbor, TBD. While there, a waiter from next door came running over with a hot plate in hand: A pizza right out of Anella’s oven for the bartender’s dinner. As I watched the bartender hand the waiter a couple bucks, I was further impressed by the already intact sense of community Anella seemed to have – how it just dove right in to Greenpoint.
Anella
222 Franklin St
I went there this week, too, and my experience was all-around pleasant. I also had the ginormous bruschetta (tomato, ricotta, and pesto on my night), as well as delicious truffle pizza and a gigantic bowl of fresh-tasting pasta with seafood. We weren’t planning on staying for dessert, but we liked the food so much we stayed–and ordered TWO (no sharing for us). We got the chocolate terrine, which was dense and intense, and cheesecake, which was actually not too heavy. The whole thing came to around $60.
unless of course they really are your next door neighbor and leave the doors open and blast music when they are closing down. luckily that was isolated to a single night so far.
I was planning to check this place out this weekend and report! Looks like they’re getting great reviews all over the place, can’t wait to give in my two cents!
j
I wasn’t a fan of Queen’s Hideawy but I definitely look forward to checking this joint out!