Lamb & Jaffy

First tried this place when it opened. It was pretty good, considering they were cooking by candlelight hahaha, i liked it. But things changed. big time. i have now said three times that i will not return. The service is friendly but something is always not available or comes up short. sorry guys. not feelin it. The artwork and décor outshine the food.

I’m trying to book a reservation with these guys and niether their email nor their phone line seems to work? Despite their nice website, I’m beginning to think this is byob unicorn.
Any idea how to reach these people?

This is our favorite neighborhood restaurant! We come for quiet dinners and also have had huge parties with us. We have been coming since they opened. We have never had a meal that has disappointed. We love the Devils on the Horseback, Lamb chops and pork tenderloin. The warm Chocolate Cake desert is amazing!
Plus the bonus of BYOB! We love good wine and it is nice to bring your own bottle and not double your dinner bill. They only charge a $ 5 corkage fee. The waiter Steve treats us like royalty.
Lamb and Jaffy is a cozy and warm restaurant that serves yummy comfort food, not some hipster trendy joint.

Um, yeah. This place.
It’s coincidental how so many of the reviews mention that they had really high hopes for this restaurant, only to be disappointed. It’s probably because it’s in north Greenpoint, which doesn’t have much in the way of restaurants. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will turn into the go-​to spot in this area.
I rarely dish out one-​star reviews, but when you combine slow service with mediocre food and a snotty attitude, well, I think it’s warranted.
We entered Lamb & Jaffy only to see the place completely empty during prime brunch time, and asked the waitress if they were open. She said they were and then left the room.
We seated ourselves, and then she came back in and said the garden was open and seated us out there. The overall theme to this place is a bit morbid what with the abundance of skeleton figurines and skulls and such, but I actually didn’t mind that, especially out back. However, if you’re out here in the summertime, watch out for the bugs and the bird poop (the former there’s not much they can do about, the latter… well…).
The brunch menu is standard fare, and reasonably priced. We ordered the Huevos Rancheros and the Big Breakfast, and 20 minutes later the waitress emerges with a plate of burnt toast and says, «We’re working on it.» Seriously?
20 minutes after that we finally get our food (let me say again we were the ONLY people in the place). My two eggs over-​easy came out over-​scrambled and black with char. The home fries had hair in them, and an unidentified bit of something, and were seasoned with way too much Mrs. Dash. The pancake was falling apart.
Honestly, I think the cook didn’t show up and the waitress tried whipping up our breakfast, but then the Huevos Rancheros actually came out halfway decent.
I ate what I could, got the check, paid up and as we were walking out said to the waitress «Thanks! Have a good day.» She muttered something to the effect of «Yeah, I’ll have a good day alright.» What a horrible way to cap off an overall horrible experience.

This place is much like eating in someone’s home, with the accordant pluses and minuses. I’ll come back.

The service is slow, but the back garden is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Grab a beautiful bottle of wine, get gussied up, and L&J is a heavenly date spot.
While brunch here has never impressed me, dinners always have.

We were under the illusion that Lamb and Jaffy specialised in lamb and mediterranean food. A sensible enough assumption (although it begs the question, «what is a jaffy?»).
How wrong can you be?
(Incidentally, I googled «jaffy» and the most prominent definition was some incomprehensible bilge on Urban Dictionary; Australian English slang. Didn’t help me in my quest for truth.)
We went in and it was EMPITTY. Two handsome skulls on the wall only added to the feeling that we were creeping through a graveyard at midnight, scouring for scraps. This was on a Friday night; not a good omen for the future of this establishment. Admittedly it had rained and poured all afternoon and the bottoms of my trowsers were soggy. Unpleasant.
Well: let’s not have this turn into a WEATHER REPORT, let us stick to the question at hand. I said to the waiter «Now what exactly is a devil on horseback?» I only asked because I have come across several different definitions of this. He said it was a streak of bacon wrapped around a date; and he looked at me with contempt.
Not unreasonably, you might say.
I was going, «I thought it was bacon wrapped around a cocktail sausage. Or a prune.»
Noël interjected, «It’s a fig I thought.»
«INTERESTING DISCUSSION WE’RE HAVING.»
Then he coolly tells us that the lamb burger was off the menu.
He said, «All your spotted horses are gone.»
He asked, «Who’s going to buy you ribbons when I’m gone?»
I said that I wasn’t sure.
There was still the bison burger, of course; you can always depend on the bison. I nearly said, «Now, what is the difference between a buffalo and a bison? «but I’d already been burned. I also thought to myself, «Maybe they should change the name of the place to Bison and Jaffy!»
I didn’t voice this thought either.
Let us «hie us» to the menu.
I had the soup — a corn bisque. Okay but ultra-​average. It pulsed down my alimentary canal almost wholly without detection by the numerous taste-​buds situated beneath my tongue.
My CONSTANT DINING COMPANION and Noël shared the mussels platter and spent the duration of the experience conferring quietly as to whether it was «spoiled.» I thought it was fine and gamely slurped the sauce with my spoon. I then proceeded to worry for the remainder of the evening that I would be ill in the morning but that happily never happened.
Now comes the bison burger. We got it and the waiter pissed off outside for a cigarette presumably. Perhaps he went down the road for a pint. He just didn’t give a fig for us or our custom. I had to go up to the chef and plead for a carafe of water.
The bison burger was just okay.
No better than the buffalo burger at The Ear.
What is the difference betwen a buffalo and a bison?
The answer is, of course: «YOU CAN’T WASH YOUR FACE IN A BUFFALO.» The joke is my father’s.
To sum it up, «with the best will in the world,» the experience was a fiasco. Bison dressed as lamb, you might say, if you were the punning sort.
I am.
(Was that actually even a pun?)

I went to L&J about a month ago on a Sunday night. My girlfriend and I walked in at around seven p.m. and left closer to nine. The reason for noting this is because in the whole of about two hours, nobody showed up. Honestly, in all of Greenpoint, the two of us were the only ones with a preconceived notion to eat here. Maybe, I’m out of the loop. Sunday could very well be a slower night for Lamb & Jaffy. It struck me as unusual that a restaurant which has been around for some time now was completely empty.
Anyway, let’s move on to what really matters, the food. We decided to start off with their Mussels du Jour. They were served in a light, red pepper combination, very tasty, a nice alternative to your Uncle Paulie’s mussels’ marinara. Along with the appetizer, I went with the soup du jour, a Carrot-​based soup. It was okay. I guess you can’t expect much from carrots. Okay, on to the entrée. My girlfriend ordered the Grilled Skirt Steak w/​potato gratin that was drizzled over by a pinot noir reduction. It was cooked perfectly and was delicious however the mushrooms and such which it was served over was a tad on the cold side. As for mine, the Pistachio Rusted Pork Tenderloin w/​spiced basmati, I was satisfied. We ended the night with the panna cotta du jour, highly recommended!
Other items on the menu that caught my eye were the Roasted Cornish Game Hen served w/​capers and the Garlic Braised Organic Rabbit w/​sweet potato fries. Maybe next time I’ll try their risotto which if I’m not mistaken, changes periodically. If you’re a fan of comfort food, give L&J a try.
FYI, they don’t take credit cards but they do have outdoor seating that much was true.

Lamb and Jaffy graciously allowed me and 20 of my closet friends to party (hardy) on a Friday night for my birthday. We BYOBed a ridiculous amount of wine (and beer and whiskey) and acted like loud rude assholes to all the other dinners in the room… well, so I assume since we pretty much acted like we were the only ones there… and I’m not sorry…
The waiter was beyond attentive even thought it was a full house, the food was perfectly timed, the water bottles were replenished and there was plenty of corkscrews to go around. He sure earned that mandatory tip and huge hug at the end of the night.
I begin with the special Roasted Radicchio with Brandy Soaked Cherry which was served blooming onion style and was perfectly smoky while retaining a tender crunch. I then ordered both the Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese salad and Greens with Baked Brie salad (its my birthday I can do what I want!). The beets were succulent with a surprising complement of dill, but could have used some neutral roughage since each ingredient is quite strong. The baked brie was outstanding — I expected the standard phyllo dough wrapped cheese but was instead presented with a croissant wrapped hunk of warm gooey brie!
My entrée was (the only vegetarian option) a green bean/​asparagus/​tomato Risotto and a side of the Haricotsverts and Fennel. I get the feeling the risotto was a way for the kitchen to use surplus vegetables, but chef Michael De Prima’s mastery of herbs makes this dish a bright surprise. Everyone else seemed to adore their food too: Skirt Steak, Pork Chops, Scallops and the Burger (with 2 kinds of cheese — bravo Karl H.). The only problem was with the fish, which unfortunately was served to seasoned chef Ashley H. — it was not properly deboned and she send it back to the kitchen (and had the scallops instead).
We ended with a variety of desserts — the refreshing Panna Cotta with lemon should have been my favorite, but I cannot deny my eternal love of floral foods. Even though I’m not crazy about chocolate, the soft feathery mound of ROSE CREAM accompanying the lava cake is a winner!
We got out of there for around $ 35 each and drunk as hobos. I will definitely be back… if they will still have me…

My partner and I have been getting the breakfast burrito as a hangover remedy for over a year, as it’s right around our corner and I can usually convince her to pick them up, if I hand over my wallet. It really is the best breakfast burrito ever — in a different class than you would imagine a breakfast burrito to be. And there’s a lovely little back garden for when the weather is nice.
@Lauren K: The art is a hispanic motif from Dia de los Muertos. So, yes, a sort of halloween theme. Not sure why the negative tone and illogical association with Greenpoint, unless you just want us to know that you don’t think art and food mix well and assume that’s right thinking. And in that case, may I suggest Palace Fried Chicken? You are sure not to encounter any offensive cultural items that invoke spooky notions of mortality there, and it’s probably better suited to your refined palate. Oh, and they serve it up fast and hot.
I’ve never had anything but a friendly, reasonably paced service at L&J. But me, personally, I’m schooled in the tradition of enjoying my food and company at leisure. It’s kind of why I go to restaurants.
And I love the BYOB. We’re not loaded, so we plan to eat out, and being able to save a 300% markup on mediocre wine is a blessing. We can bring something good of our own, and still not feel like we’re getting fleeced.
The food. Well, I’ve mentioned the breakfast burrito. Now the burgers of which there are three; beef, lamb, and bison. I’ve been to the much hyped Dumont burger and I have to say, that place is just dumb. L&J has a superior burger that by New York standards isn’t even that over-​priced at $ 10 for either. I’m partial to the lamb, but that’s personal taste. They are all delicious.
My partner usually gets the pork loin after entertaining nearly everthing else. Since I have perfected (in my small mind) the loin, I don’t usually order it in restaurants anymore. I tend to the trout, since that’s something I love and don’t encounter regularly. Don’t mistake me for an expert, but I would say everything is prepared in a delicate continental tradition. There’s a Turkish theme in some of the dishes which I love. Most people will find the dishes familiar, but with one or two things different. The important thing to me is that obviously the chef has put thought and practice into the dishes, and is successful.

I want to like this place, I really do. The atmosphere is warm and neighborhoody, although they do have a strange Halloween thing going on. Why there are so many skeletons hanging on the wall is beyond me, but what can I say, its Greenpoint. The food has a lot of promise. The BYOB part with a wine store right next door is cool. But like Jamie K said… there are a lot of buts.
I’ve only been twice but both times the service was super slow. Which would be understandable if they were busy, but when I went with my boyfriend the other night, there was only one other couple in there. What gives? And then my boyfriend’s skirt steak was barely even warm. How hard is it to bring out hot food to only four people?
On the other hand my vegetable risotto was really good (AND hot!), it was served with almonds and hunks of brie and greasy fried cauliflour. No complaints there.
I was sad to see they took the rabbit and pork tenderloin off the menu, those dishes were pretty solid.
Maybe I’ll visit again in a year and see if they’ve sorted out their service and temperature problems. And filled up their chairs a bit because lets face it, being the only people in a restaurant feels kinda weird.

Maybe it was a bad day for them, not sure. We didn’t have that great of an experience here on our first visit. Maybe it was because it was a Saturday afternoon right after brunch? Who knows? They were out of everything! Then when my friend got her food it was completely different than what the menu said… almost like they were improvising with what they had. Our server made us feel like we were an inconvenience to her and we barley saw her the whole time we were there.
I might try it again because I belive everyone deserves a second chance and plus the atmosphere was good.
I am thinking about adding another star…

My hubby and I looooove this place.
We discovered it about a year and half ago while checking out reviews for The Queen’s Hideaway. The reviewer said that the TQH sucked and just walk around the corner to L&J and it was the best advice!
The food is superb and I love that its BYOB (especially because there is a wine store next door). It makes a delicious dinner affordable. I love the trout and steak. Highly recommend the pigs on horseback (or whatever they are called!)
Reservations are recommended and it’s a great date place, special occasion or birthday dinner spot.

I just went here two nights in a row on accident. Well, the first night was on purpose. The first night was pretty good. There wasn’t a lot of people there, so service was really attentive and fast. I got the scallops which were almost perfect but a bit underdone, accented with blue potatoes and green beans. My boyfriend got a bison burger which he seemed to enjoy. We finished the meal with crème brûlée, which was awesome…
tonight we went there for a friends birthday. there was 6 of us… service started slow… really really slow. Granted, there was one guy for the whole place. Ok. we aren’t in a huge hurry… We all started off with the the cucumber soup which was amazing. summertime in a bowl. about 30 minutes later our meals came. everything was decent except the mussels… BAD. I mean, don’t order fish on Sunday bad. we let the waiter know and they brought out another meal even though we let him know it wasn’t necessary.
all in all. BYOB, which Is great. Lovely atmosphere. solid food. even though they have a few hit or miss dishes. Oh… and there is a wondering cat that may jump on your tables.

Yet another reason to love Greenpoint…
Lamb & Jaffy is a little bit out of the way, but I, for one, am glad about that because we were able to get a table with no wait during primetime Sunday brunch hour. Oh, shoot, maybe I shouldn’t be writing this review in order to keep it that way, but hey, I’m sure you’re a nice person and you deserve a great brunch!
So anyway, what makes brunch at Lamb & Jaffy special is the attention to little details. We were served complimentary blueberry muffins with honey butter while we waited for our meal. The (real maple) syrup was served in a vial with an immersed cinnamon stick. The homefries, which were some of the best I’ve ever had, were crunchy and sprinkled with lemon zest, giving them a delicious twist. And, to echo the other reviewers, the bacon was thick, tasty, and non-​greasy. I really appreciated feeling like I was being well taken care of, and getting brunch food that was comforting and not fancy, but still more unique than what I would throw together at home.
The staff and décor is unpretentious, and several brunchers seemed to know one another. There were a lot of, «Oh! Hey!“s going around whenever new people walked in, which made it feel very neighborhoody. Again, love me some Greenpoint.
UPDATE…
I just tried Lamb & Jaffy for dinner and it was also great! All four of my pals ordered different entrees and each person enjoyed theirs. I would skip the appetizers, however. We got two and shared them and neither was particularly special. Still, L & J has definitely moved up to «favorite expensive-​for-​Greenpoint» restaurant on my list.

If I had to rate L&J based on only my entrée, I’d give it a 5, hands down. But service, ambiance, butter-​usage, etc. altogether made the trip a 3 star ordeal. To get into the specifics though, there were four of us, two were repeat offenders as they are Greenpointers and we were up visiting from Southside Williamsburg (terribly far, I know). To begin, our friends got the devils on horseback (figs wrapped in bacon), and my mans got the green beans and I got a side of sweet potato fries. I think the only «booyah» was the devils on horseback. The green beans were served with a heaping side of butter (very rich, buttery food is definitely «in» but gee whiz) and my sweet potato fries did nothing to quench my craving for those sweet n’ savory little treats. They were over fried and barely tasted of potato. But oh well.
On to entrees, I got the pork tenderloin (so did the other lady who we dined with) and the two dudes got the cornish game hen and trout dishes respectively. I give a HOLY SHIT to my tenderloin and butternut squash purée, but I will say that the purée was heavy on the butter (to hell with it though, it was delightful!). The trout was not super satisfying for my mans and the cornish game hen was pretty super.
For dessert, we got the bananas foster and no thank you. I won’t order them again for a while. These were heavy on the rum and for this non-​drinker it was a bit much. The crème brule looked nice but I’m not really down with it in general.
Overall, we were there for SOOOOO LONNNNNGGGG and had been talking about eating there for an even longer time so the whole thing was a little disappointing. But then I think about my tenderloin and I’m all, «tenderoni!» Very conflicting and complicated, I know. I mean, it’s only dinner.

I had the most enjoyable dinner with my BF out in the back garden. It’s so great to discover that places like Lamb and Jaffy have the best little backyards. They did a really good job loading it up with plants and making it feel very spirited.
We both enjoyed our dishes. I had mussels in white wine with lemon and broccoli rabe and it really hit the spot. I’m so wary about ordering mussels because they can either be really great or really bad, in this case they were great. I asked for a couple extra slices of bread too so that I could dunk in the spectacular juices… that’s sometimes the best part right?
My BF had the steak with potatoes gratin and it was awesome! I kept asking for little nibbles and the fact that the rosemary was so fresh made the dish all the more delicious.
I’ve heard that the service is slow there but you just have to go knowing that. I sometimes felt bad for that poor waiter, being all by himself and what not but he did a fantastic job!
And BYO, who wouldn’t love that?
ps try the devils on horseback, or blue cheese filled bacon wrapped dates, they are the perfect mix of sweet and salty and a great way to start the meal.
10/​17/​07-​Went to L&J again last night and it definitely didn’t fail! Went with a few people and though we stuck with a few of the same menu items stated above we branched out a little too! My friend had the game hen served over an heirloom tomato salad that was incredible, the hen was perfectly cooked and the tomatoes were slathered in herbs and garlic. We also had the mesclun salad with mango which was simple with a nice sweet twist. Two other must tries are the baked brie salad and the stuffed mushrooms. When you cut into it the baked brie released a little puff of steam letting us now that it would be perfectly melty on the inside and crisp puff pastry on the inside! It might me my favorite neighborhood place and since they are BYOB your bill doesn’t end up being out of this world… it’s SO worth it.

For Greenpoint, this place feels like 4 stars, but if it were in a neighborhood with more options, it’d get 3.
The ambiance in the garden and the entire staff are great. The food is pretty standard «new american» which means the monkfishes and tilapias and skirt steaks that you find at lots of places these days.
Everything tasted good but not great. The only exception to that was the skirt steak, which at $ 18 and heavily, heavily salted (especially the mushrooms and potato gratin served on the side) wasn’t worth the money.
The bananas foster seemed like a great idea (how retro!) but the unfortunately tasted really bitter. The crème brûlée was great.
I’ve been there for brunch too and thought the food was better. There were a lot more audible «mmmms» at our table that time.

First thing to note: Lamb & Jaffy has no liquor license, so it’s BYO, but conveniently there is a liquor store next door. So stop at the store first, get your wine, then come to L&J.
Now that the booze situation is out of the way, on the to real review. Lamb & Jaffy is a great little gem on the western portion of Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint — an area a bit less populated since it’s further from the subway. The restaurant’s atmosphere lends itself well to a quiet date — at least, the times I’ve been here the place was nearly empty, leading me to wonder if they’re making enough to stay in business. If it’s nice outside, definitely ask to sit in the garden out back — it’s spacious and pretty… just remember to apply bug spray first. I got eaten alive out there.
The menu here is pretty basic, but som etimes that’s a really great thing. Seasonal ingredients in French-​style dishes work very well. My favorite dish here is the salad with brie en croute, walnuts, and raspberry vinagrette. There aren’t many vegetarian options for me on the menu, but I’m always happy to eat this salad and pick at my friends’ side dishes. Butternut squash and polenta (can you tell I ate here during the winter?) sides were elegant and amazing.
Prices are higher than your average Greenpoint restaurant, but being that this place is more upscale than your average Greenpoint restaurant, it’s a nice little splurge for a date night or a fun dinner with friends.

A very nice addition to the ‘hood that is not Polish. Nothing against polish food but there are only so many greasy pierogis one can eat.
My friends and I went to Lamb and Jaffy’s for Brunch and was pleasantly suprised. It was nicely decorated and modern looking without being too cold. There was a very large menufor Brunch and I had a hard time deciding what to pick. I had the Eggs Benedict and they were delicious with thickly sliced ham. My friends liked the Huevos Rancheros and the make your own omelet except that they forgot the cheese. Once we pointed it out they immediately remedied it. The servings were suprisingly large too.
I would give it 5 stars but the waiter was a bit gloomy but that seems to be common with many Hipsters. I can’t wait to try diner next.