NYCReview
Included In
Restaurants like Stone Park Cafe aren’t often written about. Aside from a two-star New York Times review from 2005 and a whole bunch of chatter on Yelp, you won't find much out there about this Park Slope staple. Such is the case with a lot of neighborhood restaurants that opened in the middle of the last decade, before the foodbloggerazzi existed to break news about plywood going up on the sandwich place down the street. Could it be a new Momofuku Milk bar? Nope it's a nail salon, now go get a real job.
The good news is that lack of recent internet recognition doesn't seen to matter much for Stone Park Cafe. Try visiting for brunch any time after 11:00am, and you will probably have the opportunity to meet every single person that lives in Park Slope. Waits can get ridiculous, but that's because they're serving the best brunch in the 'hood, by far. We've been several times, almost solely for the short rib hash and the hangtown fry - a plate of eggs and bacon with fried oysters. It doesn't get much more Infatuation friendly than that. Dinner is always solid as well, and the fact that Stone Park cafe has been consistently packing them in for the last eight years straight should tell you that the place is nothing if not incredibly consistent. Our only complaints here have been about service, mostly just because they often seem overwhelmed by the crowds during brunch. I suppose that goes with the territory when you're serving the whole neighborhood at once.
Food Rundown
Short Rib Hash
A glorious plate of short ribs hashed up with some potatoes, and eggs however you'd like them. This is not a light plate of food, and is best deployed in the fight against a crippling hangover. That jug of Trader Joe's wine you drank last night doesn't stand a chance.
Hangtown Fry
Fried oysters and eggs for breakfast isn't for everyone. And if it's not for you, we aren't friends.
Pan Seared Bluefish Cakes
Think eggs benedict on top of crab cakes. That's pretty much what this is, but with bluefish instead of crab. It's awesome.
Short Rib Slider
These sliders on the dinner menu are probably the reason there is a short rib hash for brunch. That's cool with us, 'cause the short rib is really good. These sliders also have a quail egg on them, just to make you feel extra bad about what you just ate.
Ricotta Cavatelli
We liked this pasta, which is more about the fennel sausage and mushrooms than it is the ricotta. Order it if you don't feel like going for a big entree.
Center Cut Pork Chop
Standard and solid. This is exactly the kind of food you'd expect to eat at this restaurant, and that's a good thing.