Cozy. Friendly. Delicious…
that’s Toby’s Public House in Park Slope, Brooklyn. My good friend first introduced me to Toby’s
when she had the pleasure of living just a stone’s throw from this awesome brick
oven pizzeria and bar. Years later when
she sadly left New York for DC, her goodbye dinner was at Toby’s. Now whenever she comes back to visit, a
ceremonial stop to Toby’s is always on the itinerary. Every time I eat at Toby’s the food seems to
gets better and better. On this recent
trip, Toby’s was packed with happy patrons.
We chose to eat at the bar to avoid an unusually long table wait caused
by the NFL playoffs. This turned out to
be an awesome decision thanks to the very nice bartender Mike, who doubled as our
waiter.
First we ordered a plate of Toby’s decadent mushroom ravioli. It was served straight from the brick oven in
a seasoned cast iron pan and topped with a luscious creamy black truffle sauce. The dish was so good (and we were so hungry)
that I didn’t take time to snap a pic. I
know it’s hard to believe! Trust me,
they looked and tasted fabulous and you should order them when you go!
After the ravioli, we had a tough time choosing which pizza to
order since every pie on the menu sounded amazing. My pick, and favorite, was the Proscuitto Di
Parma with baby arugula, parmigiano reggiono, and olive oil. We also had the Del Mac with sweet italian
sausage and red onions, and the Quattro Stagioni with parma cotto ham, crimini
mushroom, artichoke hearts, and olives.
All three thin crust pizzas were perfectly balanced and flavorful. That was the first time that I remember
actually having ham on pizza, and it was surprisingly tasty.
Since there is always room for dessert, I also shared a slice of
light and fluffy key lime pie. A perfect
end to a great meal.
During my time at the bar I learned from Mike that Toby’s has
a special beer club for discounts and specials. You even get your own mug that hangs above the
bar. And if you can’t make it to
Brooklyn, Toby’s has a second newer location in Little Italy. I’ve heard that the pizza there is equally as
delicious, so I can’t wait to try it one day soon!
