Over the years, Italian food offerings in Bed-Stuy have matured and expanded. Daphne’s is modern, on-trend, and very seasonal, so it’s hard to place the octopus terrine and beef tartare with pave vecchio and sumac into a single Italian regional food group.
On an early fall date night last year, we had focaccia with cultured butter, followed by white bean salad with cauliflower, fermented chile, and parmesan, and a local fluke crudo. Walking out, we saw people we knew waiting to be seated, and they asked us what to order: I told them to get the swordfish au poivre with potatoes and mustard greens, and the pappardelle with chanterelles and black pearl oyster mushrooms.
When my new mom-friend wanted to toast the beginning of the winter season, she and I texted each other the websites of Roman-style and northern Italian restaurants in Bed-Stuy, and Daphne’s was at the bottom of the list. I even started thinking of sending her suggestions for red-sauce joints and classic Italian NYC fare for our early dinner. Her fast-fingered choice was Daphne’s. We were first in line for the 5 p.m. walk-in and had Lambrusco, fried eggplant, and arancini at the bar. Then I visited again to kick off the new year. A long-time friend and I caught up on our entrepreneurial lives over rigatoni verde with rabbit ragu, and I took home the tiramisu and ate it the following day for breakfast. In the warmer months, I finish with one of their housemade ice creams.
Dining and Cooking