Floresta

Just when Floresta was on the upswing, it went and closed. It was open for weekends for a little bit during it’s final moments but couldn’t muster the strength to stick around. It just happens to be in a plagued section of Greenpoint where little activity translates to fewer businesses. It was the hope (rather, my hope) it would breathe new life into the area, one where high end food was sorely lacking.
Argentina’s claim to foodie fame are their legendary steaks and Floresta didn’t disappoint. The carne was where it was at, everything else was pretty secondary. And through the first few months, it seemed one of the hotter businesses in the hood. The void of brunch left by Sugar & Joe (
) was filled momentarily and a bustling dinner service that was something akin to the Brazilian joints in Astoria.
Just when things were starting to get good, they announced their closing. Perhaps it was too much for the owners or likely a consequence of being at in this part of Greenpoint. I do hope Floresta’s reincarnation will pop up somewhere close, I would love nothing more than a good piece of steak.

Are they opening again a few doors down? There’s a coming soon sign in the window.

They are closing, so sad! I just moved here and really enjoyed the one meal I ate here.

4 months later and I’m STILL recommending this place to all my friends. I live in Queens, but I had never heard of this place until a friend hosted a dinner there one night. The meal was amazing.
We started with the house salad, which was topped with cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese and pecans… so good, and very filling for a house salad. Next we got a sampler of empanadas, the spinach and cheese was to die for. But the real award-​winner was the steak frites, still the best I’ve had to date. It was so tender and meaty and came topped with a delicious chimichurri. The fries were drenched in this garlic sauce as well, and topped with Parmesan cheese. It was sooooo good, but the only downside was that it was hard to get rid of the garlic smell the next day. I had the cheesecake for dessert and just like the rest, it was great.
The server was attentive and she came to check on us frequently. Though it may have been because there weren’t that many people there on the night we went. I suspect that its awkward location in the middle of Sunnyside is why 1) I hadn’t heard of it previously and 2) It may not be as popular as other restaurants in Manhattan that it is clearly better than.
Either way, I enjoyed it and it is highly recommended!

they are closing WTF!

Top notch! Highly recommended. A wonderful surprise; a quality of food and atmosphere I never would have expected on that strip of Greenpoint Avenue.

Really liked this place. Great addition to the neighborhood.
Food was good and wine was good. The service was a little slow which is why i docked a star. The nights I have gone, there haven’t been a lot of people but i still seemed to get pretty slow service. Other than that, great place. I will definitely be going back for more.

I haven’t eaten here in person, but I’ve had delivery a bunch of times. If you’re too lazy too cook and to lazy to go out, this is the place for good food. The burger is tasty, as is the steak.
The have the best French fries I ever did have.

Finally got to use my Groupon coupon for this place 2 weeks ago, and I must say I would definitely come back to eat here again. We got there early on a week night so there were a lot of seats available and the waiter let us sit anywhere, we sat at the corner booth, the place has a modern look and its comfortable, the décor is very elegant. The server was very very helpful and knowledgeable, he went into details to explain all the dishes and dessert that we had questions about. My boyfriend ordered the New York Strip and I had the herb roasted chicken, we also had the grilled asparagus and fries. For 24 bucks, the steak was huge, and it was made exactly to his liking. The chicken fell off the bones after picking it with the fork, the texture was just right. Grilled asparagus was superb but I can’t say the same about the fries, the fries didn’t impress me much. For desert we had the apple crêpe flambé, and OMG it tasted delicious, the fire and alcohol crisped the sugar and it had this amazing crunch to it when you put it in your mouth… heavenly…
During the dinner, I noticed that my water had a layer of oil on top, I wasn’t sure if it was the glass itself or from my buttered lip since I had bread with butter but I asked the waiter to change the water for me anyway just in case. I used to part time in restaurants as a waitress when I was in school so I know sometimes glasses have left over dish detergent residue so it didn’t bother me that much. but because of this, the waiter surprised us with the free desert when he give us the check so we saved like 6 bucks but the service was great so I made that up with the tips anyway. Overall, the service was great, the price wasn’t that bad, and our water glasses was never down to the bottom, the waiters were very attentive and fill up the glass every time it went down to below half.

Honestly, this is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to. I’ve been here several times for birthdays & just nights out to eat.
The atmosphere is really elegant but laid back and not at all pretentious, which it could be given the caliber of food.
A big plus is the staff. I hate when you go to a place & the staff doesn’t know crap about the food… Not a floresta the staff really knows the food & can tell you about it especially the wine & food combinations & they have good wines & Argentine beer is pretty good too, who knew. The staff will tell you what’s good & what’s really great & tell you what they like & don’t like & why, which I always find really really helpful
the food is excellent if you are a meat eater. The steaks with the homemade chimichurri sauce is wonderful. There is a host of good meats & cuts to choose from the sausages are also really great.
The deserts are also Soo good.
I recommend this place all the way

I know, I know. Who’s gonna trust a vegetarian’s review of a steakhouse. But I’m not just a vegetarian. I’m a Brooklynite. So to trek all the way out to Sunnyside, something must be up.
Actually, I’ve been out here once, and twice had their catering. Now, all I can say for the steak is that all of my meat-​eating friends rave on either side of me as they rip apart the steaks, take down an empanada or two, or go at it with any other kind of succulent flesh. That’s like review by osmosis. So at least I got the aural flavor.
Vegetarians have our choices between the usual at an Argentinean steakhouse. The berro y tomate and house salads are both wonderful, and neither the ravioli nor the gnocchi are a bad consolation prize to be awarded. And fortunately they do have spinach empanadas that are melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious in your own right, but really serve as an excuse for us to get in on that chimichurri sauce. Most of the sides are also vegetarian, and mostly vegetable based.
The staff are wonderfully nice, usually all know the flavors and always have a smile to lighten up the room, a nice complement to the classy ambiance Floresta maintains.

oooh.
a nice place, with good food a couple of subway stops from my house! hell yeah! hello steak!
im docking off a star because i found the crepes a bit too eggy, but otherwise my meal was perfect.
of course, it gets better because i came in here with a
coupon.

I AM TEAM FLORESTA! The food is delicious, the staff is attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is cozy! MY ADVICE: GO IMMEDIATELY! You will not regret it!

My date and I went here for dinner in early July. He had the prix fixe meal which came with two empanadas (we chose beef and spinach) as an appetizer, a NY strip steak and a dessert. Every item was delicious. The empanadas were perfectly fried and crispy with two yummy sauces; a total knockout. Steak was exactly as he ordered, medium rare, and came with tasty herb fries. I had pasta. It was a large portion, and the waitress kindly packed up my leftovers to go. They were still tasty for lunch the next day. Flan was the prix fixe dessert and was served with a side of whipped cream. Absolutely delicious and a great end to our evening. They do not have a liquor license yet so we enjoyed south american grapefruit sodas.
It was a great experience, and an excellent meal. I haven’t stopped raving about it to my friends.

I went here with my family and I have to say I was impressed. Because I was with my family, there was a whole lot of sharing, and so I was able to taste many menu items.
To start, the empanadas were delicious (I tried the beef and the spinach), as was the garlic shrimp and the antipasto. The arugula and Parmesan salad had a lemony bite that I really enjoyed.
As for my meal, I had the gnocchi with Mornay sauce. The gnocchi was soft and fresh, though the sauce could have used a bit more flavour. (I’d go for the browned butter next time.) My mother’s pork milanesa was somehow the most delicious thing I had that day, despite being so simple, and the asparagus and blackened green beans were quickly devoured. The french fries Provencal were a little soggy, but if they were crispier I could tell they had a good flavour.
Finally, the lemon panna cotta I had for desert was so good that I ate it despite being extraordinarily full. And the staff was friendly and helpful the entire time. Definitely worth a short excursion to Sunnyside.

So if you’re wondering «Where can I take a nice date to in Sunnyside?», stop wondering and go to Floresta. It’s a new Argentine Steakhouse that reopened a few doors from its previous location, but what a difference from its previous life!
They have nice new décor, a new Argentinian Chef and a great menu. I have been only once, but I plan to go next pay-​day. The attention to detail on the food was great. The skirt-​steak was accompanied by their chimichurri sauce which was really good as well as homemade slow roasted red peppers that added a whole other dimension to the beef.
The sides were really tasty and the service Excellent.
I highly, highly recommend this place anytime you want to treat yourself to a very well-​made dinner with amazing flavors.

Just got back from a fabulous meal at Floresta. I spent 2 years living in Chicago, and my favorite restaurant there was a little Argentinian steak place called Tango Sur. When I moved to NY, I thought I was saying goodbye to delicious and affordable vacio and chimichurri forever… until Floresta!
The rundown – the vacio (bottom sirloin) was cooked perfectly rare; great char on the outside. The meat was very high quality – good marbling and terrific flavor. The pork and picante chorizo were also incredible – spicy and with that perfect snap. Roasted asparagus was crisp and had a great smoky flavor. The chef was nice enough to give us a tasty amuse bouche of wrapped sopressata and muenster. Finally, the chimichurri was fabulous – it was obvious that it was freshly made, and it was the perfect complement to both the steak and the chorizo. Service was attentive, professional, and friendly. The prices are beyond reasonable. What more could you ask for? Well, a nice wine I suppose, but the liquor license is coming soon enough.
If this seems like a passionate review, well, it’s because I’ve been waiting a long time to have a restaurant like this in Sunnyside, and I’m so pleased that it’s here and that it is so delicious!

How can you not love this place… especially if you’re a carnivore. The chef is a former butcher, so you’ve got multiple cuts of steak, along with pork chops, lamb chops, ribs, chicken, fish, etc. Almost everything you see on the menu is house made, including the sausage, fresh mozzarella, gnocchi and dulce de leche ice cream (yes, we asked the chef).
My wife and I had a hard time deciding on what to order, but eventually settled on a couple of empanadas (chicken and Ham/​cheese) and butternut squash soup to start. We were then surprised with an order a potato croquettes (ham and cheese) «courtesy of the chef». The empanadas were full of flavor, particularly the chicken. The soup was served in a coffee cup and topped with cream and spices, giving it the look of a cappucino, which was a nice way to present it. The croquettes were expertly cooked. The outside was super crispy, while the inside was nice a creamy, without the croquette falling apart at first bite.
For entrees, my wife got the skirt steak and I got the rib lamb chops. Just to make sure we didn’t go home hungry, we added a Wild Mushroom Risotto to split. We added broccoli rabe and garlic mash as appetizer. Both the skirt steak and the lamb were especially juicy and delicious, cooked just how we ordered. The broccoli rabe had just enough bitterness in it to make it a very interesting vegetable side. The garlic mash was fantastic (BTW, Floresta is very liberal in it’s use of garlic, in a good way). The risotto had excellent flavor and the rice had a little «bite» to it, which is how I like my risotto.
The desserts were the surprise of the evening. Steak/​Meat centric restaurants are not necessarily know for delicate desserts (think pie ala mode and huge ice cream sundaes), but the kitchen staff showed great skill in their flan and panna cotta preparations. You could taste the freshness… obviously not some brought in dessert. The apple crêpe flambé with dulce de leche ice cream was just an great topper to a great meal.
All this for just around $ 100, which to me is a great bargain considering how much we ordered and the quality of the food. If you don’t drive, Floresta is just a few blocks from the 7 train. I suggest you all go out and support this local business.

The steak is great — I had the porterhouse and it was a great cut of meat and perfectly cooked. My wife had the Bass which was very good. We also liked the garlic mashed potato and the beef empanada.
The chef also made us a spinach appetizer in a sort of a filo dough pastry — delicious (and on the house: D)
I highly recommend the place — good service staff, nice vibe and fairly reasonable prices. Its well worth a visit.
Very interesting desert too — a champaign soaked pear with some kind of ricotta sauce — light and a perfect finish to the meal.

So, I was very excited to see a new Argentinean Restaurant right near my abode. I went out with friends; excited to partake in the restaurant’s cuisine. Upon arriving, the restaurant manager informed us that they had not yet obtained a liquor license. Not to be discouraged, I asked if we could bring in our own booze. She explained with the pending liquor license, they didn’t want alcohol brought in. Disappointed, but not daunted, sat down to eat.
We had ordered an appetizer — a piece of sausage on toast. It was okay but it looked like something I would pull together when there wasn’t anything left in the fridge at home (I should mention, I don’t have any culinary background). Once the appetizers were finished, the wait began. About an hour and a half had passed before our table was served. During this time the glasses of finished sodas and waters began to accumulate on the table. Cold lobster ravioli, pasta that was stuck together in a bundle about a half-​inch thick
(that looked like it was cooked in a spoonful of water) and a cold steak, apparently was the reason for the wait.
When my friend sent back her cold ravioli she was informed that there wasn’t any of the sauce left that she originally requested. She was left to substitute her original request with whatever remained in the kitchen. Apparently, making things fresh was not on the menu.
Surprisingly, given all the pitfalls of the evening (the chef came out and apologized to several of the remaining tables– the restaurant’s fiascos weren’t isolated to our table), nothing was omitted from our bill nor was anything offered to us to compensate for the overall experience.
While there were many things that were disappointing about this restaurant, (did I mention they didn’t take credit cards– we were informed of this fact only when the bill arrived) I tried to convince myself that it was the restaurant’s opening weekend; glitches were bound to happen.