Red Gravy

Liked it a lot, but seems to have closed now.

Loved this place but it unfortunately closed, rather abruptly a week or so ago :(

I LOVE this place, and I don’t come here nearly enough. It’s been months, and I need to change that. What do I love? Happy hour sitting at the bar… the bar menu is great, and with a quartino of wine, my friends and I are happy campers. I love the risotto balls, and the bread with the bean dip, frankly, I haven’t had anything bad there. It’s a great neighborhood staple, and writing this makes me think I need to visit soon.

After a recommendation by a friend, My wife and I hosted a post bar mitzvah lunch here for about 75 guests. Food and service was truly outstanding and we will be back. David the manager helped put together a great menu that worked for everybody and I cannot say enough about how well we were treated.

Stopped in for brunch at Red Gravy on the way across Brooklyn. We enjoyed many happy evenings at Saul’s original place on Smith Street and thought this would be a special treat– we were not disappointed. Space is pleasant and airy, service efficient and friendly — but the reason to come here is the food. Fantastic meatballs with polenta, very cheesy rice balls, Italian scrambled eggs, delicious homemade focaccia. Several cuts above the typical Brooklyn brunch and /​or Italian.

I really like this place. Great food. Great service. Nice room. Solid, reasonably priced wine list. Very good southern Italian dishes. A neighborhood restaurant done well.

Well, do not go here for saturday brunch period. First the whole place had a smell of eau de sewage, not great. Gave the bartender a $ 20 for a drink and she left the bar with it without explanation. Apparently she didn’t have ANY change at the bar. There were almost no tables but service was slow and haphazard. I ordered the Carbonara and when it came the pasta was SWIMMING in sauce, it was quite unpleasant. They brought our check before we asked for it and someone had to leave the building to get change of a $ 100 bill. OUr change was then thrown down on the table and nobody said goodbye when we left.

For its location, and ‘what its going for’ (which to me seemed like a kind of authenticity of staple/​rustic/​home cooked Italian), Red Gravy does it really well.
What worked:
— Arancini
— Broccollini and ricotta
— Crostini
— Staff is friendly, even though we came in on Super Bowl Sunday…
The sole miss:
— Sunday gravy special. Please allow me to explain… I think that this dish holds a special place to someone at the restaurant (likely the chef or the owner). I get the vibe that the name is tied to this signature dish? Either way, the style of the red sauce tasted old and burnt to me, and I didn’t love it.
I would come back if I was in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. I would also recommend a friend to come here. My bottom line: this place has conviction in what they’re cooking, and even if I didn’t love their special, I know I loved other dishes and I know there’s an audience that would 5 star this place.

I remember the stern hostess/​manager more than the pricey but forgettable food. Visit Noodle Pudding or River Deli instead. River Deli is actually a restaurant.

Food decent but very expensive for portion sizes. You hardly get any food. Expect to leave hungry. The service is AWFUL. Never been waited on by people so confused and unsure. Food brought to wrong tables. Ect. Very unprofessional. Would not go back.

I’ve been to this place three times and I’ve learned my lesson by now.
Terrible, terrible service– had a reservation on a Sat night (7:30) and waited for about 20 mins before anyone even acknowledged us or the huge line of people. Rushed, rude wait staff, multiple mistakes, and very mediocre food. Would have no problem with any of this if the prices were reasonable but it’s pretty expensive for what it is. I will say it’s a cozy and inviting space.

To be perfectly honest, I can state without a doubt that I prefer neighborhood staples Queen and Noodle Pudding over Red Gravy… but that would have been a very tough act to beat.
That being said, I think Red Gravy has potential. It’s more of a rustic Italian approach to cooking with the ambiance to match. The dishes are a little on the Manhattan size (i.e. small portions) for the money and the sauce is a little thin for my tastes.
I think not offering a few simple dishes hurts them a little bit… Sometimes this Italian girl just craves a bowl of spaghetti and red gravy, know what I’m sayin’?

Casual Italian with a fresh take on a few classics and great chef recipes. Will have to try dessert next time. I loaded up on the appetizers, which were perfect.

We had a fantastic, somewhat nontraditional brunch birthday party here recently. I had been a bit nervous about things going smoothly but David, the manager, worked with us on the family-​style menu and was amazingly amenable to our requests. He and his waitstaff coolly handled our group of 25, keeping great pace with everyone.
As far as the food — skate Francese, gemelli, and roasted chicken were huge hits with our guests. A friend raved about the crispy potatoes. And I loved the watermelon-​cucumber salad: Who knew that the smoked cheese could be so salad-​changing?
The kitchen turned out such a generous quantity of food that my party had trouble finishing it. But the event was a total success and our guests lingered long after it was over. And that’s what a party should be.

Cozy, warm atmosphere, exposed brick walls, candle lights etc… and friendly staff. Service is a little chaotic (we had 5 different waiters — apparently everyone works on all the tables simultaneously) but very nice.
The wine we ordered was great.
This is a small portion place. Your pasta dish is 5 bites — small in our case. I found it pretty unreasonable. You‘re not a 2 Michelin star, high end restaurant and I‘m not in the middle of your 10 course tasting menu. You‘re on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and you have home made pasta. Can I have more than one fourth of a plate?
Quality of the food — nothing to write home about, but OK. My dish was semi cold when it was served.

Meatballs with fennel and polenta
Cubes of watermelon and cucumber with aged balsamic vinager
Best damn Sausage I’ve had and peppers to boot
Pasta with mushrooms and pancetta
They just handmade my pasta for me in a pasta machine!
This is incredible !
And the bartender, oh the bartender, Lulu makes the most incredible drinks I have ever tasted, and a smile
Lemon semifreddo
Tiramisu to die for
Do not miss out on dessert!
Can not wait to come back

There’s a small but definite amount of food snobbery that exists in my family (perhaps a bit has rubbed off on me), So growing up we ordered our steak medium rare, and we never went to chain restaurants.* We also tended to avoid your run-​of-​the-​mill red-​sauce Italian joints simply because we can make a damn good chicken parm (or whatever) at home, so it’s not usually worth paying for.
I’m telling you this because I took Red Gravy’s name far too literally for the first few months of their existence, and I feel like kicking someone else** because of it. This is not your average red-​sauce spot, serving up family-​style spaghetti and meatballs and platters of chicken piccata. What I’ve been missing out on (that I now feel qualified to report after a few meals) is Italian food of excellent quality, at a better price point than you’d think.
Red Gravy is Saul Bolton’s Italian brainchild, and so OF COURSE it’s not simple food. The man is a Brooklyn institution, and it’s not surprising that their menu is full of carefully cooked, thoughtfully composed plates of appetizers, pastas and mains that have yet to disappoint. Not to mention, it’s one of the best date places in the neighborhood.
I nearly always start with a well-​balanced cocktail, and the arancini (that and the meatballs are two of the best values on the menu). You could make a meal of those two apps and their warm, fresh bread with the white bean purée. But then you’d miss out on their pasta… I’ve enjoyed agnolotti, fusilli, tagliatelle and ravioli, and it’s difficult to go wrong. I’ve also loved the veal marsala, the striped bass, and the rich and double-​cut boar chop in a sweet sauce studded with medjool dates, along with whatever dishes anyone else is eating. Because I’ll eat off their plates, even if they don’t want me to.
I’ve never been upset with anything we’ve ordered, only confused by the tiniest of apple salads, and only because the portion size/​price made so little sense when compared to the heaps of oxtail on my pasta. If that (and slightly strange service on occasion) is my only complaint, life is good.
All that, and they have a bathroom sign that insists everyone wash their hands, not just the employees. That’s the truth.
I’m looking at you.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
*I’ve still never been to an Olive Garden, and I’ve come to terms with it.
**I don’t kick myself. That hurts.

Honestly places like this one makes me cringe and ask the food gods WHY.
I would give this place 1 star except the bottle of wine we had was delicious and the FREE focaccia bread was actually the best part of our meal.
To begin this horrendous food journey, I will start with why we came here. Virginia T., Michelle R. and I went to the opening party of Luzzo’s next door (way better food and service BTW). The space was small and it was a crowded event so we decided after an hour or so to go to the cute restaurant we all passed on our way here — Red Gravy. This was the worst decision of the week. The phrase «don’t judge a book by it’s cover» comes to mind.
Although Red Gravy is obnoxiously cute, it is also plain ol’ obnoxious. First of all, rude, pestering and judging waitresses is not a good look. Not only did she condescendingly ask us if ALL we’re getting is the meat platter, beet salad and uni squid ink pasta, but she had a stank face on the whole night. Like b*, I can order whatever I want. I would understand if there was a huge line of people lining up for your table… or if we hadn’t ordered a bottle of wine but dude you’ll get your tip… so chill.
Second, I’m all about presentation and a beautiful plate… but our radish salad took up legit 30% of the plate. We all laughed before the waiter could even put down our plate. I wanted to ask if they ran out of beets. Like are we in a famine? Did I not get the memo on the shortage of beets in Brooklyn? The 5 bite salad itself was surprisingly good, although I can’t say the same for the uni squid ink pasta special. This «special» belongs on a dingy diner’s chalkboard. The uni was chunky and the pasta cold. The uni had a unpleasant stinky taste and texture… not the velvety delicate uni we’re all used to.
Third, I gotta go back to that waitress. Being chatty girls we were taking our time with our food and our wine. She came back like 1 029 830 219 times asking if we were finished. The 4^th time she asked if we were finished with our full plate of food, I straight up had to tell her to stop bothering us. She then had the audacity to check our tip amount while we were standing up from our table. Girl was all sorts of wrong.
I think it’s safe to say neither one of us will ever be back again.

Red Gravy is such a trifling heart tease. A couple friends and I were in the area for an event and unanimously decided to grab a light dinner here because we took one look at the restaurant and our teeth ached from cuteness overload. The brick walls, soft lighting and well-​designed bar area did us in.
We stepped in, took a seat, and that’s precisely when all the cuteness and charm ended. A surly middle aged woman stormed over to take our order which consisted of a bottle of wine, selection of cured meats, a beet salad, and uni pasta dish to share. Upon hearing that we would not be ordering a full entrée each, she shot us a look of pure hatred and said, «That’s it? Ok, well then…» Shortly, a server provided us with some complimentary focaccia and fava bean dip which was tasty and we soon brushed off the earlier incident… that is, until our beet salad arrived. I wish I took a picture of this gem because I kid you not, this was a $ 13 tiny pile of beets on a corner of a plate. So small that the focaccia starter was a mammoth in comparison.
The cured meats were decent, but pretty dry. Prosciutto generally should have a velvety texture, but this seemed like it was sitting out for a while after being sliced. Before we even finished this plate, the woman from earlier came by to ask us if we were done with it. Strike two.
Then came la piece de resistance — the special of the day’s sea urchin pasta. This was such an abhorrence it pains me to write this. The fresh squid ink noodles were tough and undercooked which left a powdery flour taste in our mouths – not the most ideal. The sea urchin looked promising, but was overcooked and not fresh. Instead of melting into a buttery deliciousness, it was gummy and had a strange firm texture. Let’s just say I am surprised we are all still alive at this point. Again, while we were trying to enjoy this pasta, the waitress came over twice to check on us and ask if we were finished. Strike three.
Overall, the service and food were just not up to par, and especially not for the steep prices they charge here. Despite being scoffed at for our small order, the three of us still paid about $ 40 each after tax and tip. I wouldn’t consider that cheap for a light dinner. The cherry on top was the waitress returning once more before we left to glance at the tips we left on the receipt before picking them up.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Will not be returning for seconds.

Red Gravy has been in the neighborhood for a couple months now, so this meal was way overdue. We ordered the polenta & meatballs, octopus, and arancini as shared appetizer, and ordered the apple crostata for dessert.
I enjoyed the polenta & meatballs the most as the sauce had a nice spice to it. The arancini came out piping hot, and were perfect for dipping in the meatball sauce. The octopus, on the other hand, I didn’t end up enjoying as much as I thought I would… I was so excited when the dish came out because it’s so pretty, but found the dish to be way too salty, and the green olives didn’t help.
The apple crostata was a nice ending to the meal. As a nice gesture from the kitchen, we received a trio of sorbets that were awesome — chocolate, limoncello, and fennel flavored. We really enjoyed those, and the flavors were really stand out.
All in all, the experience was definitely a 3.5, and I look forward to coming back to Red Gravy in the future.