Isa

11/22/2011

ISehhhhhhhhhhhh...
Super cute space. Great ambience. Awesome website! Cute menus. Food: pretty good. Worth it? Nope. The food is well below what it should be for the price. You want an awesome, filling meal that is creative and delicious that promises a proper bang for your buck? Go to Graffiti in the E.V. on 10th st. btwn 1st and 2nd. These people missed the mark. Soweeee!

11/4/2011

After reading an article on UrbanDaddy about a soft opening in Williamsburg with a campfire ambiance that was BYOB.. I had to try it immediately.  

This restaurant was right off the L Bedford line and it was a GORGEOUS day out when we went.  The windows were open and the interior was absolutely gorgeous.  The owners were very friendly and it seemed as though they were still in the process of taking care of last minute stuff w/ the interior since it was a soft opening.  I'm not sure if it's still BYOB since they had a bar set and ready to go when we went.

The tables had the clean nature wooden feel and very different from a restaurant you would find in Manhattan.

The bread they gave in the beginning was DELICIOUS. There were about 3-4 different ones which were all nice and warm.  We couldn't stop eating it.  

We ordered the whole sardine that this restaurant is known for and the pigs feet for the appetizer.  Both were absolutely amazing.  Nothing like I've had before.  You have to eat the sardine w/ the olive to kind of get the fishiness out by the sourness of the olives.   We then shared the ribeye for dinner which was AMAZING w/ the dandelion and mushrooms.  THe ribeye was huge and enough for us both.  

Overall very satisfying and unique meal.  I would like to go back and try their prix fixed menu.

1/5/2013

I live right next to this restaurant. When it originally opened, they had inventive cuisine that was unusual but extremely high caliber. I had read some time later that the owner wanted to appeal more to the neighborhood so they let go of the original chef to make it more accessible.

I understand wanting to change it to make it more food friendly and accessible to the locals. However, the food here is actually BAD now.

They have the usual chicken, hanger steak, kale salad etc. But the quality is on par with that of a diner - and the prices are super high.

There is also no love or passion put into the food. It's like an assembly line. I got the feeling that no one cares - just going through the motions.

On the plus side, the space is beautiful and the servers are friendly. Cocktails are also good.

To the owners of Isa - please hire a decent chef and kitchen staff.  This place is getting worse and worse. I would be a regular here if the food were good.

3/25/2012

I had wanted to dine at Isa in south Williamsburg since reading the story in The New York Times about the restaurant designer, Taavo Somer. Granted much of my desire was rooted in decor, but I also felt confident that the food would be just as unique.

Walking into the restaurant, through bright crochet'd curtains that seemed purchased off Etsy, I was greeted in every direction with warm wood notes. Every chair was wood, every table, the floor, the walls, there were even wood logs fit into triangular shelves. The stage in the main room is the open kitchen, complete with Carrera marble countertop. It's gorgeous. The side room, to the right, features a long, comfortable bar and more tables. We didn't get to sit near the kitchen, but I would have enjoyed being close to the commotion.

While waiting for my friend I perused the drink menu, settling on a cocktail named Yoga Tuesdays, a drink made with gin, beet juice, mint, lime and limoncello. The drink arrived in a shallow champagne glass, bright pink with a lime wedge. It was, interesting. I don't think I like limoncello, lesson learned. When my friend arrived we settled in to our wood table. A waiter came by and handed us color xeroxes, rather like we were getting a band flyer on the street. "Let me know if you have any questions," he said.

Reviewing the flyer one first had to decipher how the information was laid out, nothing was noted as an appetizer, a main or a dessert. The menu items leapt out like a shopping list for the grocery store. There was Ham for $10. Oysters & Ice for $16. Bread for $5. Beets & Granola for $14. Reading through the items one is forced to think first about what ingredients one likes. And then to flag down the waiter for help. Thankfully our very tall waiter was very helpful and when he walked away we had enough details to make some ordering decisions. Maybe next time we can just use darts?

We shared three appetizers: steak tartare (shown above), beet "salad", and daikon pickles. The tartare was finely chopped and placed alongside a creamy sunchoke puree, a circular pile of crunchy flax seeds and a light poof of pepper. The dish was wonderful, inventive and tasty, if a wee salty for my liking. The pickled daikon was good, but again, too salty (yes, I know they're pickles). The gently curled beet salad, which came with yogurt and granola, was wonderful. The five-dollar bread, which comes with herbed butter is worth every penny, but considering that the prices are already rather UP there, I think paying for bread seems a bit gauche.

For dinner I had the mackerel along with a red blend from a California grower called Coturri. I would definitely track down this wine so I could drink it again. The mackerel was large, a dish that we easily could have split (note to waiter). The fish, reaching both ends of the plate, was hidden by overlaying circles of carrots, radishes and beets, all with a light al dente crunch. It was so pretty I spent a few moments trying to get a photo of it. My date had the pork loin, which just seemed too rich for an entire main dish. The mackerel was light, rich, delicate. It was the star of the meal.

By now we were both stuffed, so we skipped what I'm sure would have been further inventive culinary creations, this time with a dash of sugar. I'd love to go again, perhaps when someone else is picking up the bill.

1/29/2012

I didn't have the food, but I'd highly recommend the cocktails. We came into Isa on the way back from dinner on a snowy night, and decided to stop in for a drink. The warm lighting attracted us from the street. Inside, the decor is very woodsy, with a comforting fire smell.

The bartender was so friendly, and made us some delicious drinks. They don't have names (yet!) but he engaged us in a fun game of trying to figure out the perfect title for each drink. I had a warm drink with an amazing allspice rum that was the perfect cocktail to combat the cold.

I'd definitely go back, and hope to try the food next time.

3/16/2012

Stopped in for a 6:30 dinner reservation and we were promptly seated.

Really enjoyed the table arrangements, though the one table we ended at was a wee bit small and a little shaky considering all of the items they put on your table at Isa. Not a complaint - just an item to keep an eye out for should you have the option of choosing your table.

The menu is an adventure, and as noted by other reviewers, if you're not looking for something different than this might not be the place for you. The menu needed to be studied as it's unconventional, but not so foreign as to seem an alien artifact. It's a small menu, with 2-4 entrees, and about as menu appetizers to choose from. The waiter answered all of our considerable questions and steered us true.

The portion sizes are not giant, but I can't tell you how many times I've said that I would rather have a smaller portion of great quality food than the heaping portions of mediocre food you get at a lot of places. Isa follows that concept through to completion. It's not cheap, but it feels like you get what you pay for. And everyone at the table enjoyed their entrees - even the mackerel which a few reviews have pointed out as being unenjoyable. It's a fishy fish - I'm not sure what people were expecting otherwise - and it's simply prepared. In my world that's a good thing, but it is a polarizing kind of fish: you like it or you don't. The pork chop was delicious. We're not a party of gluttons and each of us had an app and an entree, but no dessert - we were all satisfied at the end without being overly stuffed.

The pacing was right on and the wine was delicious - though we didn't opt for any of the more adventurous offerings (like their Orange wine - labeled for its color and not its ingredients.)

With its enjoyably open kitchen, courteous and professional floor staff, and modern New England tavern-like decor we really appreciated the space. I think the best seat in the house is table 13 (we admired it from afar), a triangular affair nestled in the corner with windows on two sides: in the spring as the days grow longer this is going to be a fantastic place to sit!

If you like adventurous food in a great setting and don't mind paying for it, then I would highly recommend this restaurant. We've already talked about when we're heading back, perhaps with the next iteration of the menu.

10/21/2013

We walked by and it looked so nice inside... But the food was just average and kind of boring for the price (and the pasta was overcooked). The service was friendly but inattentive (they've forgotten our drinks and we had to ask again two times). Disappointing!

9/16/2012

ISA can't seem to get it right.  We came there in the early days and the staff was great, however the food was pretentious and left us extremely hungry and unsatisfied.

We came yesterday to try the "new ISA".  We sat at the bar.  Unfortunately the service was lazy, unprofessional, and neglectful.  We had two appetizers that were very good, but we had to give up on waiting for our entrees.  It was taking too long - there was no explanation, no apologies, no drinks offered, and the empty first course plates sitting in front of us for 30 minutes.  

We had to ask for everything, rather than being asked.  We really wanted to like this place as we love Freemans and Peels.  Unfortunately, we won't be back.

11/27/2011

My wife and I dined at the bar here the night before Thanksgiving...place was packed!
We were served by a great bartender named Eric who took the time (amidst all of the activity) to tell us about the decor of the restaurant, which apparently was loosely based upon the design of a structure owned by the 'source family', a hippie commune outside of LA.
The decor was a cross between a ski lodge and a mid 19th century New England  country inn.  Wood stacked up on one side of the restaurant, ready for placement in the wood fired oven.
The main dining room is basically a chef's table on acid.  
This takes the concept of 'open kitchen' to an entirely new level.  It is awesome, and you are able to watch the head chef keep careful eye over every single thing done in the kitchen.  It's like reality TV...live.
Food = awesome.  Drinks were equally inventive and creative.
Finally, the menu design was super rad, reminded me of club promotion posters from the 70's (or so I'd imagine)
Great place, highly recommended.

• 

  Bar area

  Bar area

12/1/2012

I went there with high expectations.  I heard great things about it.  It looked cozy from the outside. I understand this industry so I always make a huge effort to be accommodating and friendly.  

It was maybe 9:30 on a Friday night.  We didn't have reservations.  The host said we could wait at the bar and get drinks.  It was not packed and no one was waiting before us.  We were told a 45 min wait.  I imagine everyone had just gotten there and that was fine.  

We went to the bar all smiles and said hello to the DOUCHEBAG bartender with his stupid vest on.  He immediately said "You guys are going to have to wait a while." I was actually disgusted with his demeanor and greeting.  He didn't even say hello, no smile and barely made eye contact.  

I don't care about waiting.  I don't care for people who don't know how to manage themselves in that line of work.

We waited 20 minutes and 3 tables miraculously opened up.  We ordered our drinks and food.  I ordered a hot drink and it was luke warm at best.  It was nasty.  I asked the waitress to heat it up or something and it came back the same way.  I ordered the Pork Steak and it arrived raw.  PINK inside.  The waitress took it away and brought back as if it came out of the microwave.  I am not a chef but I make better pork steaks.  It came back partly cooked and partly raw again.  I was over it and felt sick from my first chewy raw pork bite.

Our bill was about $80 bucks, no compensation for any of the overpriced shit they served.  

Shitty douchebag bartender, nasty overpriced food, clueless wait service.

You should skip that douchy place.

12/16/2011

Met some friends for dinner here this week, I must say I was not impressed.  There are only 2 entree choices (I had the duck, which was cooked perfectly medium and the skin/fat was perfectly crispy).  The accompaniments were very underwhelming and seemingly mismatched.  The highlight of the meal was the whole squid in squid ink which was roasted to perfection.  

Here's the thing: Everything was executed very well, meaning care was taken in preparation and presentation but the plates seemed contrived and forced.  Nothing made me want more (which was good because the portions are relatively small).  

Everyone in my party wanted pizza or a burger after we left which is rather disappointing after a $100 per person meal.  

Bottom line:  If you are looking to spend a good amount of money on really well prepared food that is unique but contrived then you should go.  If you are looking to have a meal that will satisfy you on any level this is not the place to go.

3/1/2012

Went there tonight, and I've got to tell you it is very mediocre.  Ordered the calamari, which was fantastic, but that was about it .  Porridge was good not great, a little overwhelming with the blue cheese.  Although my wife who does not like blue cheese enjoyed it, so it has got that going for it.

We also shared the mackerel, which as an oily fish we should have known better, but nothing helped to offset the taste.  There was a nice mustard accompaniment, which was great on the potatoes and mushrooms but not the fish.

FInally, on the desert, after a wonderful description by the bartender, who recommended the sunchoke mousse, we were absolutely disappointed.  Perhaps we expected something to be sweet, it was not.  In fact we sent it back, something we rarely do.

Overall, it is a great space, in an interesting spot, but they need to figure out what they do well and stick with it. As of now, they haven't figured it out.

4/1/2013

As a Williamsburg resident, I am always looking for a new great restaurant, so I went with a group of friends to try out ISA.

Food was pretty good, but the service was not.  The waitress had the personality of a skillet and when we went to pay and asked to please have the bill divided equally on our credit cards, she pushed it back and told us to do the math for her before she ran the cards.  Think she forgot she is the employee and we were the customers!!!

I am a soda-holic (Coke or Pepsi) and found out they do not serve any sodas!!!  That is insane - soda is a staple for any restaurant. I think they are going for unique-ness here but it does not achieve that - it is just an annoying MISS for their customers.

I wanted to order the meatball sandwich which I have to have french fries with, but guess what?....they did not have french fries, so I did not order it.

I think it is crazy when a restaurant has to keep telling their customer no to basic foods and drinks. Also they chose to use super uncomfortable wood slat chairs - not the kind you want to sit there and order more drinks and chat - you want to finish your food and one drink and then get up to rest your butt and back.

Too bad they have made some bad business choices because the food was not bad.  

I will not go back!!!!

2/18/2013

My husband and I dined  at ISA for Valentines Day and was not impressed with the service at all ! The waitress Danielle  had no personality and seemed very unhappy to be there . The staff overall not friendly . The open kitchen is stellar . The kale salad and fried chicken was delicious . The chicken was well seasoned with the garlic mashed potatoes but misleading as the the chicken was not fried but more on the pan seared side. The tiramisu was awful and cold . It reminded me of a dessert served from a diner ! Not sure if we would go there again considering there are so many other options in the neighborhood with better service .

1/16/2012

Seriously good, modern, smart food choices here. It changes daily and seasonally, and the portions are smallish yet perfect. Really it is a place to savor food.

You can watch the chefs--but it's not drama. It's more like a quiet, peaceful yet commanding presence.

It's cozy and good for an adventurous date or with friends who love food too.

3/18/2013

This place is everything that's wrong with Williamsburg. The neighborhood's reputation is overpowering its actual charm, which itself is eroding as people funnel in trying to find some kind of authentic, creative, cool, or whatever vibe that they read about in NY Mag or, I guess now at this point, saw on Girls. And now you have restaurants, bars and stores trying to appease their ill-informed expectations. It leaves us with establishments like this one that offer you only glamour and a mood and not an actually good dining experience.  

I went here for a birthday dinner with a party of 6. Walking in you definitely pick up on a curated and highly thought out atmosphere. The interior design is perhaps one of the best of its pseudo-country, pseudo-DIY, pseudo-euro, very Brooklyn genre. It's a lovely space. There were many people drinking more so than eating, snacking on tapas I suppose, gulping down wine and beer. The crowd was what you'd expect from the area: good looking, well dressed, youngish (if only in spirit) and well postured for a night of fun and cheer that could only be had outside of Manhattan. It was a cold night and the whole place was terribly inviting and cozy. It definitely gets points for ambiance.

My party was waiting for me upstairs, I followed a back waiter up who suddenly dropped a tray of glasses ahead of me, the glasses were tossed down the stairs, breaking and flying through the air  just missing me by a few inches. I was startled but not as badly as the poor guy who had to now sweep up the mess and go back down and start again. Something was off about him, either he had a medical condition or his nerves were made of overcooked pasta. He seemed anxious, nervous, and not totally there. I quickly moved past him and found my seat.

The waitress was a very very sweet girl but not good at her job. She seemed just as nervous as the back waiter, as if she had majorly screwed up already and this was her last chance. Even if this was not the case, it's the impression she gave and it immediately tainted the night. She was awkward but always had a smile. She would be very eager to check if we wanted another drink but then never delivered them (which, to their credit, they comped). She would over apologize for the smallest blunders but then proceed to make real ones. My party would have had a more comfortable time even if we had to get up and serve ourselves.

The food was an overall disappointment. This place isn't Le Bernadin or the Four Seasons but it's not cheap either and the skill of the chef does not demand the prices they asked. One dish ordered in my party was cooked once, ruined, and then had to be prepared again. So while everyone else had their food they sent him an amuse-bouche to tide him over. When he finally received and tasted his dish he quickly regretted not having just canceled the order at the first sign of trouble. One can imagine the inability of a cook who ruins a bowl of pasta.

My dish was some kind of beef and starch combo. It would have been tasty if it wasn't served at room temperature, but even then its flavors, inventiveness, and sophistication were lacking the excitement I desire when I know I'm spending more than $60 on dinner.

I'd eat here again, if I had to, but it's a much better spot for some drinks and a snack.

3/19/2013

I can't say anything about the food because I didn't eat here. I went for the performance art! The second floor has recently become an experimental theater/performance/cabaret space, which I'm guessing is the initiative of the "new management" mentioned in other reviews. The night I went the offering was "Two Towel Margarita: A Performance by Travis Boyer." It happened three times during the night, at 9, 10, and 11. (Between and during the performance it was just a party, with people standing around, drinking, and dancing. The music was really fun.) I thought from the title that it was going to involve serving some weird margaritas but it turned out to be body shots. What Travis Boyer did was he took his shirt off and lay back on a table, and an assistant held a plastic bag over his head, and people stood in line to take turns drinking tequila off his chest. Like I said, this was not what I was expecting and it did not sound appealing, but I came for the experience so I had to do it! When it got closer to being my turn I could get a better view of what was happening. Travis Boyer has a weird-looking torso. Not fat and not skinny but with fleshy lumps around the midsection and bony up at the shoulders, as well as an unusually deep chest cavity. As people walked up to slurp tequila out of the gully in his chest, his weird torso was jerking and writhing this way and that, as if he couldn't breathe (because of the plastic over his head) and he hated being there. It made me feel uncomfortable and a little nauseous. But it was too late to turn back. My turn. His cavity got refilled and I bent down to drink. Wow!! It was so disgusting! I don't even like tequila to begin with, and this was cheap stuff, mixed with the artist's rank sweat. When I was drinking my lips and tongue touched his clammy flesh a little bit. I was trying to avoid this but with him writhing around like he was my attempts were futile! Damn it was gross. But performance art is supposed to move you out of your comfort zone so in that sense it was definitely a success. I drank two beers after that but I couldn't wash away the flavor of sweaty tequila. And even though I brushed my teeth super-thoroughly that night I was still thinking about it in the morning. ISA left me with a horrible taste in my mouth AND a satisfyingly memorable experience. That's not something you can say about every restaurant!

10/23/2011

On the evening we went, Isa was offering a Prix Fixe at $50 per person.  With two people that basically means you can try everything on the menu that day.  I liked that the menu is limited and that you are getting something special and seasonally available.  At first I was dubious about some of the items (sunchoke desserts?) but everything we tried was unique and delicious.  As other reviews point out, the portions are small, but the experience is not really value-oriented and I don't fault Isa a bit for it.  

Waitstaff was very courteous and friendly.  The room is very pleasant, but a bit too noisy on the night we were there.

1/28/2012

Interesting, well-prepared food: the squid with pil pil and ink particularly. Enjoyed the use of seeds to add crunch and saltiness to dishes.  Amazing umami laden dessert--can't really describe it :  the dessert chef is a real talent and very friendly to slightly inebriated customers introducing themselves.
Solid and well-priced wine list.  
Friendly and efficient service.  
A surprisingly reasonable tab by any cities' standards (I think we would have paid more here in Portland).
What's not to like?

7/25/2012 Updated review

Not going back since they decided to dumb it down for me.  Also, who in their right mind would fire that genius pastry chef.

7/24/2013

Our waitress was from the future and couldn't be bothered with the now. Aside from that, all I can say is,  A BOMB Caesar. Couldn't stop dippin my bread.

6/15/2012

Used to be awesome. :(

9/14/2012

Meh, nothing special and I'm not one to complain about prices but this was over priced for the food they served. I went in the Spring time, hopefully their menu has improved.

1/6/2013

The emptiness of this place at peak brunch time on a Saturday should of been enough of a warning for us to get out while there was still time. I can't remember the last time I had a meal this bad. The inexplicable prices were another bad sign. The eggs, bacon, and toast entree was a reasonable $10, but if you want a side of bacon that will be $6, a side of toast $7, or an apple turnover appetizer $10. The $10 pancakes are served with nothing but syrup. Anyway I opted for the eggs bacon and toast. The eggs were dry and without flavor. The bacon was extremely well done and dry. It shattered when you tried to bite it. The toast was okay, nothing particularly good or bad about it. I asked for some jam or jelly and got something that looked like applesauce and had no flavor or sweetness to it. I should have sent the food back but instead just got a bagel after.

6/5/2013

Had the worst meal ever last night. The saddest $28 skirt steak. Under seasoned, dry and flavorless (i didnt think was possible with skirt steak) with wilted aruula and a dry triangle of polenta. My kids shared a pizza which they barely ate so I tasted it....awful. Husband had soup and a special app that was mediocre at best. Even the rasberry tart was lame. 3 cocktails and a glass of wine. $175 with tip.
Service was fine.
This was my 3rd and last time to this restaurant. I have never written a review of anything ever but this was so shockingly bad and overpriced.
1st time I went in the beginning when Ignacio was the chef. It was inventive, delicious and made sense with the atmosphere. Felt like there was a concept in place.
2nd time I did a private dinner upstairs for a friends birthday right after the concept/menu change. Food was decent but the overall bill was high for what it all was but I swore I would not go back because the manager on that night handed me the check at 10:45 and told us to wrap it up in the next half hour. I worked in the restaurant industry for 13 years and you never do that. Obviously she had somewhere to go. I was angry.
So last night I thought I would give it another shot. Never again

2/25/2012

I felt like we were in an episode of Portlandia. The mini-dissertation on the food was a little more than any of us were prepared for on Friday after a long work week. Of course at first we asked if we had ordered too much. Silly rabbit, normal (NY normal, not some ridiculous Texas portion) portions don't exist here. We left still a little bit hungry on so many levels.

The highlights:
daikon and horseradish, really balanced, vinegary, and the shaved fresh horseradish was a great touch.
scallops, just wish there was more of it, maybe a little too delicate. overall good dish
squid, hello the whole thing with enough black ink to rewrite the declaration of independence. good flavor but it looked like you were in a mud pit fight that
somehow caught you by surprise
cod--let's just say there was a very very light touch when it came to cooking this. it's was somewhere between sashimi and rare. we were wondering if we were okay eating it.
duck breast--another very very light touch. blue not rare. great quality ingredient but you just felt it needed  a little bit more time by the flame
their porridge or ode to risotto not oliver twist had a really nice pronounced cheesy flavor
skipped dessert.

Summary, it was like having bad sex with a really good looking woman. Everything looked and sounded like it was going to be amazing, but when you actually had it it just fell short of the mark. There was not enough of it, not enough flavor, and it cost more than it should.

5/26/2012

Overpriced for limited menu. The food is theoretically creative but in reality fairly pedestrian. The squid in its own ink is tasty but the cod is just fair. The atmosphere is hipster/rustic too cool for school. Save your money and go next store to 1or 8.

11/12/2011

My wife and I stumbled across ISA on our way to 1-or-8, the new sushi spot next door (which is excellent by the way)...we knew nothing about it but thought it looked nice and decided to give it a try.  

The first thing we noticed upon entering is the open kitchen...other "open" kitchens I've seen are simply those with windows opening into the dining room, but at ISA there's no visible barrier between the two rooms.  I thought this was an interesting concept but immediately hoped for a table in the second dining room so I wouldn't feel like the cooks were watching me eat the whole time.

We both thought the ambiance was nice - as mentioned in other reviews is has a cozy log cabin kind of feel - but it was a cold night and the dining room was very chilly so we kept our jackets on for the entire meal.  The service was excellent...the wait staff seemed very knowledgeable about food and wine, and overall they were extremely friendly.

Taking a step back...when we walked in we saw the kitchen with probably 5 or 6 guys cooking, and since it's kind of a small space I figured they must be really serious about the food (I've cooked in a few restaurants and know you can churn out meals with fewer people in the kitchen).  So the point is, I was really expecting the food to be amazing.

We got the $50 prix fixe (3 courses), and between the two of us we ended up having 6 different  dishes.  Before the first course we were given fresh bread (baked in house) and salty butter...the sourdough was good but the other bread tasted like bird seed. Don't get me wrong though, I ate all of the bird seed bread.  

For an app I had steak tartar which was probably the best I've ever tasted (even better than the tartar I used to make at The Modern)...my wife had a apple/beet app that I didn't taste and she didn't mention.  She shared my tartar which means she had two bites (it was excellent but very small).

For entrees we had cod and pork...the cod was almost too salty to eat and the pork was tasty, but had a lot of fat and some gristle.  The portion sizes were also very small.  With regards to the "almost too salty to eat cod" I know what you're thinking, why didn't I send it back?   I guess I just wanted to have a relaxed meal without any uncomfortable or awkward confrontations.

My wife thought her dessert was both beautiful and delicious (I think it was a lemony marscarpone concoction), and my buckwheat and apple dessert was good but tasted too healthy for my preference.

Overall I think they should pair their rustic feel with more rustic menu items and larger portions.  After spending $160 on dinner for two the last thing I want to think about is grabbing a snack on the way home.  This place has potential though, so hopefully they'll find their groove.

4/11/2012

High on creativity, low in sense.  New menu every night translated to unusual food pairings that sounded as bad as they tasted.   Bread was good.

6/2/2012

ISA=Ignorant SNotty Assholes.

WHAT is with the attitude?

At least that's what the experience from the manager and the bartender was to us.

After we were greeted with a pretentious welcome of "I'll I've got is seats at the bar" from the manager, not even a "hello" - to the aloof bartender who scoffed when we asked what a good tequila drink he could recommend was.

Needless to say our first visit to Isa was unpleasant. Now I'm no uber foodie aficionado, but I've lived in Austin, Texas, New York/Brooklyn to know a good restaurant with some amazing food and service when I experience one, and frankly, this wasn't it.

After a ridiculously over kitschy menu, and another brow beating from the bartender when we decided to stick with only ordering an appetizer, because we were fed up with his snickering to co workers of how we asked him what to recommend. We decided to wrap up our calamari, which was pretty decent, but honestly the tonality of the entire exchange at this restaurant left such a bitter taste in my mouth, I wouldn't be paid to go back. Get off your high horse, you're a wanna-be restaurant in Brooklyn, not the high court of all things culture and cuisine.

I grew up with my parents running a successful restaurant, and aside from great food, you have to, at the very least, respect the people who walk through your door, and are willing to experiment on your bullshit overpriced fair, and know they are probably way more successful and discerning than you give them credit for.

I give this place another year and a half before it hits rock bottom, at which point the owner will wonder what happen. I hope they read this review and put the food, the staff and the attitude in check and make it a kick ass place, but chances are they won't.

2/10/2012

Came based on the Time Out's best NYC restaurants and had the rib eye that supposedly melts in your mouth. It was a standard non-aged, non-grass fed standard ribeye baked to medium rare. The sous chef then cut each ribeye in half and plated about a 5oz portion on each plate accompanied by root vegetables. For $55 it tasted good, was beautifully presented, and it was just the right amount of food.  My only complaint was that the squid was a bit undercooked and slimy.

8/18/2011

I came into Isa for it's soft opening this week and couldn't believe how incredible a space it is!  The antique reclaimed wood decor and hand crafted tables felt like dining in a hobbit den.  Even cooler is the open air kitchen which feeds into the dining room allowing you to watch the chefs construct each dish from cutting board to plate.  The whole atmosphere of Isa blends together to create a space that is rustic, modern and incredibly inviting.  

And the food was phenomenal!  Our server explained that the menu is still being worked out but everything we tried was an invocation for the senses.  The house bread is baked in their wood burning oven which is the star of the culinary show churning out cast iron sears all evening.  We tried the sardine served with it's own skeleton and learned that the head really is the best part.  The prices are a steal so my friend and I shared a bunch of plates starting at $4 a piece.  The chicory salad had a vegan cashew cheese that was incredible!  I never knew cheese made from nuts could be so creamy and rich!  And we definitely both flipped over the fresh melon with yogurt in a sweet potato leaf.  It was covered with a blend of toasted nuts and seaweed, phenomenal.  The plates were all beautifully garnished and our server was wonderful for explaining all of the mystery ingredients.  We thought the Mackerel came with an egg yolk beside it but it turned out to be a dazzlingly delicious lemon confit that perfectly cut the richness of the fish.  Get the steak, it's perfectly seared, unbelievably tender and the fried potato skins with lardon was a heavenly match to such a fine piece of beef.

As I write this they still don't have their liquor license so we brought a bottle of wine but were told that they're going to have an extensive and eccentric wine list with everything available as either a bottle, half bottle or glass.  Can't wait!  And get dessert!  We were stuffed but by suggestion shared the charred peach with sorbet which tasted like distilled Summer in a verbena tea bowl.  Light, fresh, fantastic.

All in all I'm hooked, so happy to have this wonderful food offering in the neighborhood.  I almost want to keep it a secret so I can get a seat whenever I want but urge anyone to have dinner there, it's an experience you won't soon shrug off.

4/6/2012

Don't know what the hype is about this place.  The menu is very limited and the food is ok at best.  It was so memorable that I don't remember what we even had!  I do remember one ham dish.  Liked it the best....but than again they just took ham and sliced it.  There are so many great places in this neighborhood that I amazed it is still open!

9/1/2012

fancy. like a restaurant you'd find in napa valley but it's in williamsburg because the world comes to brooklyn, duh. waiters and bartenders were nice, i only had a bottle of wine here but the food looked pretty delicious.

9/1/2011

This place seems to be more about hype than substance.  The staff are friendly & knowledgeable, but the food itself is nothing to write home about.
One gets the impression the chef feels like he/she can send anything out to the dining room and it will be received like the 2nd coming of the messiah, (or 1st depending on your beliefs).
The Treviso Salad was delicious:  a great blend of bitter greens, nutty pistachios, salty cheese with some kind of anchovy dressing - excellent.
But everything else we had was o.k./fair at best:
Scallops App. was tiny, in some kind of citrus dressing - o.k., not interesting in anyway.
Tile Fish Entree - bland, undercooked, flavorless.  Once again tiny portions.
The Pork Steak on the bone was delicious, but simple, salted, grilled topped with pickled beets.
The Duck - nice cut of meat, but once again flavorless, served with raw cauliflower shavings - whoopie doo.........
The place has a definite "manhattan" feel with portions from the 90s.
There are too many better restaurants in the neighborhood to return here.

3/4/2013

I used to come here more ofter during their early days, but recently the food has changed for the worst. On valentine day, we had a very dry and inatentive waitress who made the experience uncomfortable. It doesnt look like we are coming back.

8/25/2011

Divine space!!food was ok, small portion, expensive for what it is, good hospitality.

1/21/2012

One of the best meals I had for a long time. The tartare and squid was amazing. The sun choke dessert was mind blowing And interesting. Expensive but worth it.

12/28/2011

A truly outstanding establishment for Brooklyn offering artfully conceived dishes that will surprise you in both concept and taste.  The menu is geared more toward curating an excellent experience rather than offering numerous items to please all palates.  The bad reviews on here are written by those who don't understand forward thinking food.  If you liked wd-50, you will like Isa.  If you want comfort food, go to Dumont and order the pan roasted chicken -- which has been on their menu since they opened around 10 years ago.  Obviously you don't like to try new things and should move back to Kansas.

4/12/2012

We ate here with a group of 5 on Easter Sunday 2012.  It was the worst experience I have every had.  Pork or Fish.  My pork was undercooked and fatty, very small portion. Veggies were limited.  Bread was the only thing I liked.  All 4 others were disgusted.