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A Couple's Review of Le Fanfare in Greenpoint

3/26/2024

As a couple, we recently had the chance to try dinner at Le Fanfare in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Here's what each of us thought of it:

Aaron: Le Fanfare is okay. I wish I could say it was great or awful, but it really rides that line. Aesthetically it’s pretty cool, channeling “that new hip spot.” The staff is friendly, always a welcoming atmosphere. We sat at a high table built into the wall that was reminiscent of the high school desks we all hated, but with slightly more style. They could stand to be an inch wider and accompanied by stools with some sort of back support, though.

The food was good, and we greatly enjoyed the cheesy rice balls (they had some special name that I can’t remember). My steak was done the way I liked it, but the biggest issue with Le Fanfare was that the portions across the board were just too small. Most of my steak dinner was vegetables, and by that I mean uncut grilled carrots and bell peppers. As good as the steak was, the vegetables struck me as just lazy. The rustic aim it seemed to be going for missed the mark and landed somewhere between not-well-thought-out and boring.

The chocolate ganache we had for dessert was excellent, easily the star of the whole show, though the accouterments took up more of the dish than the dish itself (a running theme with the food here). The drinks were fun and decently priced, though unless wine is your thing the bar wasn’t especially well stocked. All of Le Fanfare rang as a place you’d get specialty food from, but the food was not good enough to be considered “special.” A decent date spot I’d say. But nothing to write home about.

Christine: OK, those fried rice balls are called arancini, Aaron. And they were delicious. Here's my low-light cell phone pic showing off the fried beauties:

As for everything else, I totally agree with Aaron that the restaurant is not one of the culinary gems of New York City. This is a place to be seen. It's in a hip zip, it's conveniently located, the decor ain't half bad, and they have a decent cocktail menu.

As for the food? Eh. Maybe if I were in a smaller, less cultured place, I'd be more impressed. But this Brooklyn. You're going to have to work harder.

It did not help that we kicked off the meal with a less-than-fresh octopus. I want my octopus to be crisp, not mealy. The sauce and garnish were tasty, but not enough to make up for the lackluster seafood quality.

Seconding what Aaron said about his steak platter. Apart from taste, the presentation was less than spectacular. Take a gander at the proportions and placement; they're all wrong:

My duck pasta was too heavy on the pasta and, frankly, I wasn't expecting the meat to be minced. I wanted duck morsels. Instead, I found myself hunting for duck in my own dinner.

Dessert was a pleasant surprise after the disappoint of the entrées. Both dishes not only looked appealing but delivered some pleasure, too. I will say that the cannoli were a little too hard. Otherwise, I was happy.

If you're aiming for a fashionable spot, Le Fanfare is a decent pick. If you're intent on a true foodie's delight, I'd look elsewhere.