Best Brooklyn Family Style

Italian Garden Restaurant

Perhaps it's no John's on Washington Avenue, but this little out-of-the-way eatery would make our Godfather proud (at least if he were visiting Texas). We've searched high and low for anything even close to a decent meatball or a real antipasto, and this quirky place has it. Located downtown on Eighth Street between Lavaca and Colorado for many years, the restaurant moved far north during the Eighties. Dinners include salad, minestrone soup, an individual pizza, and a satisfying main course (we like eggplant parmagiana and spaghetti with Italian sausage). Last time we dined to the croons of Frank Sinatra, and Pavarotti accompanied our dessert of fabulous homemade cheesecake. The only thing missing are the guns and the cannoli.