Scalino
“When something's al dente my radar goes off and my happiness level increases by about a trillion percent.”
“If you take away only one thing from this review, it should be that you NEED to get the pappardelle in tomato cream sauce with bacon.”
“They tell you to sit wherever you like and bring over a chalkboard with the hand-written specials for you to read.”
Scalino
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I love that places like this still exist in Park Slope. So many new restaurants are all about the pretentious bs, and have forgotten the simplicity of a delicious hearty meal and welcoming atmosphere.
Love how this place is so modest and unassuming. They tell you to sit wherever you like and bring over a chalkboard with the hand-written specials for you to read. They were out of a couple items that day, but had plenty left.
We ordered a few things to share: grilled calamari, grilled scallops, and the pappardelle with tomato cream sauce and bacon. Worth noting, when they found out that we were sharing everything, they went ahead and split all the dishes into two portions! I really appreciated such a thoughtful gesture.
The grilled calamari was served simply, with garlic and red peppers in a white wine sauce. It was very good and very light. The grilled scallops were cooked perfectly and paired well with accompanying salad and cannelini beans.
The real star of the show, however, was the pappardelle. OH. MY. GOD. This dish was absolutely fantastic. Fresh, perfectly al dente pappardelle, a wonderfully creamy yet light tomato cream sauce, bits of smoky bacon, I was in heaven. I couldn't get enough of it.
I'm already planning for the next time I go back (and believe me, I won't be sharing that pappardelle).
The first time I went to Scalino, I didn't even have a Yelp account! This was back in 2009, and the fact that Scalino is still around in the high-turnover Park Slope is a testament to how good it is.
It's a cute corner restaurant with only a few tables inside. This time around, we came for lunch on a Saturday. As I remembered, they do their specials menu on a chalkboard that they bring to your table. Our host/waitress told us they didn't have several items just because the fish hadn't been delivered yet for the week, which was fine because there was still a lot of great things they had in stock.
If you take away only one thing from this review, it should be that you NEED to get the pappardelle in tomato cream sauce with bacon. No, really. Do it. It's so creamy, and with freshly grated cheese on top, it's just amazing. The bacon isn't overpowering, and the pasta is so incredibly fresh. We were sharing plates, so they actually took the time to plate two portions for us before bringing it out. Loved them so much for that. I'm actually fairly certain they made us more as a result, but you can never tell with Italian restaurants…
Also had two of their specials – the grilled calamari and the grilled scallops. Again, they plated the scallops separately for us. Wonderful sear on the outside, atop this wonderful light salad with cannellini beans. Scallops are probably my favorite seafood, so I'm very critical, but Scalino definitely did them right.
The calamari was a huge portion, and was cooked well. Not too rubbery, which is always a concern. We did see the table next to us get the fried calamari, and kind of wish we got that instead. But hey, gotta stay healthy!
Their prices are great and you can't beat the service. I wholeheartedly plan to come back soon (and hopefully not wait another 6 years!). Please go support these guys. It truly is one of my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn!
Delicious italian place with excellent service for a reasonable price – can't beat that in an area like Park Slope.
I came here with two friends this past Sunday evening. We were seated immediately and were served bread with olive oil and glasses of water.
I noticed the staff is ethnically diverse here but that does not deter from the food. It's definitely not up to par with the "mom&pop" italian places in other areas, but for the value it's great.
We ordered the spicy mussels, the bolognese, Pappardelle, Spinach And Ricotta Ravioli, and corn&string beans on the side. We asked for bacon on the side for the pappardelle since my friend is vegetarian and the waiter was very accommodating.
We really enjoyed the ravioli and the grilled corn&string beans especially. the pappardelle was very tasty, especially when you throw the bacon on top. I was disappointed by the bolognese – I don't think they put enough meat in the plate in my opinion. Also one of the waitresses was trying to be motherly and cute (according to my friends) as she shoved a napkin in my face when I asked for one.I didn't appreciate that. You can be affectionate it other ways, thank you for the effort though.
Overall pretty good. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes good food, service and a simple atmosphere!
This is why I love yelp! You can't go wrong Going to a restaurant with lots of high reviews. The place is small so make reservations. Due to shortage of seating and delicious food be prepare for very hands on service to try and get you out. The male waiter/manager/owner was extremely rude. Guess it's hard to be pleasant when you're working non-stop at a fast pace.
When I made reservations, I told them it was my friends bday and asked they to out a candle in our desert. Even though they're so busy, the waitress dimmed the light and due to the intimate setting, the whole packed restaurant sang happy birthday to my friend, it was quite an experience.
The Prosciutto & melon was a total delight. Melon was super sweet and fresh and the prosciutto was thin and not stringy.
Grill octopus were cooked to perfection and has the grill flavor. I loved it!!!! Even better were The Fresh mozzarella with arugula. Mozzarella was superb, so moist, creamy and FRESH.
The meal gets even better with the entrees. Lamb shank was moist, tender and savory on a bed of white beans. It was so good!
Salmon was the only dish on the table I wouldn't order again. Even though my friend order it medium, it was cooked well. Even though it wasn't dry, it could've been better.
Pappardelle with smoke bacon and tomato creme sauce was totally consumed and the plates licked clean. The pasta was cooked al dente and the flavoring of the sauce was on point.
The breaded chicken cutlet topped with a bed of salad was super thin, crispy, tender and moist.
There were 6 deserts and we got all 6. The wait staff asked if we were sure we were getting it all. I was super glad I did.
Lemon tort
Apple tart
Creme brûlée
Chocolate soufflé
Chocolate mousse
Tiramisu
The list is in order with my favorite on top. Let's just say they were all so great we inhaled it and the wait staff were surprised we finished it all and finished it so fast. Definitely getting the lemon tort, apple tart and creme brûlée again. My least favorites were the tiramisu and the chocolate mousse. The tiramisu was too moist, soaked in too much espresso.
If it wasn't for the rude male worker, I would totally give this place 5 stars.
I feel cheated. Feel like I paid top dollar for a bunch of pasta.
I went here with my family (who was staving at the time) and we all left hungry, and the bill was too high.
We all ordered entree's because we needed a good Italian meal. The menu items are in Italian and not explained. I specifically asked the waitress about the pork dish and what to expect. She didn't directly answer my questions and went off on some tangent about the smokeyness of the meat. When I got the dish there were 4, yes I counted, large bacon bit sized pieces of pork in a dish of pasta. Not even a lot of pasta.
I was not a happy camper. I ate a bunch of bread and moved on with my life but I write this as a warning to others. Don't expect a meal from this place. Expect a taste of a meal.
In fact don't go here to eat. It seems like a place to go have a glass of over priced wine and act trendy.
Very simple restaurant, no fuss, but they make up for it in taste. It's casual, but a warm atmosphere.
Simple recipes, but really quality pasta and ingredients. I got the papperdelle wtih creamy tomato and smoked bacon. It was like eating silk with a little bit of meaty, smokey goodness.
Try to go here every time I am back In Brooklyn.
Really great food, pasta is on point. I come here for the lunch special which includes a garden salad. If you want arugula, it is $1 extra. I've tried all of the pasta dishes they have, they're all made well with fresh ingredients. My favorite is the paparadelle with bacon. The cream sauce is nice without being too heavy. Pasta is al dente.
I must comment on the service. There was a man, whom I think is the owner, that was extremely rude. He says who decided to sit outside, must be the Latina. I thought it was all jokes but his face looked super annoyed because it was super hot out. My coworker asked for chicken to be added to her salad so he pointed to another dish that was over $5 more than the salad. We were like is this real? He responds with 'this is Park slope'. If we are going to pay Park slope prices we should get Park slope service. One of us orders a salad but he says he doesn't have a full size salad so he brings her two side salads. He brings us our pastas and gave one of us the wrong thing. He responds with oh I MIGHT have made a mistake. I've been here one other time and a woman was serving us, she wasn't the most pleasant but only because it was quite busy.
I love the food but the service is terrible.
How is this my first time trying this place out?
I met up with a friend around 12:30 on a Monday – not busy at all, of course. It has a very humble appearance. You wouldn't expect a place like this to have such good food!
We had some bread and olive oil while waiting for our food. I knew it was a good meal because the bread was so fluffy on the inside and the crust was crispy! We started off with an appetizer of arugula, mozzarella and grape tomatoes. That is exactly what came out. Very simple, but great ingredients! The mozzarella was fresh and the tomatoes were juicy.
Because it was a part of their lunch special ($10 for pasta and 1/2 salad), we got the Mista Salad (mixed greens with grape tomatoes). Because we basically got two salads dishes, we just combined them. I definitely feel like I could've done without the appetizer, but whatever. Greens are good, right?
After reading all the other yelp reviews, I had to try the pappardelle with tomato cream sauce and bacon. The waitress even shaved Parmesan on top when she served it to us! (Offered pepper too) The pappardelle was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was creamy but light? The bacon added a nice texture and flavor that kept you from getting bored of the same tomato cream. It may not look like too much, but it was filling!
To cap off the meal, we had the chocolate soufflé which comes with vanilla ice cream on top. The soufflé was hot, and the ice cream somehow didn't completely melt, even though we were outside on a hot day. It was exactly what we needed after that meal. I do need to come back for the rest of their desserts, especially the creme brûlée.