Arthur on Smith, an ambitious yet relaxing Italian restaurant on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, opened somewhat quietly last spring. Despite a sterling recommendation from Food Republic's Matt Rodbard, who lives in the neighborhood, it wasn't until last month that I finally got around to checking it out—I have to admit that part of my reluctance had to do with the name: Arthur on Smith... which to my ears evoked an unbearably precious and overpriced "New American" restaurant better suited for some bland block of Boston... or over-gentrified Brooklyn.
The name, I learned, is in honor of Chef Joe Isidori's father Arthur, a chef who died in 2011 as Isidori was getting the restaurant together. (So yeah, I'm an asshole.) And the cuisine is far from some precious New American concept—Isidori calls it "seasonal Italian American," and says the menu is mostly inspired by his grandmother Fanny Isidori, who worked as a chef in midtown Manhattan. As realized by Isidori, Arthur on Smith melds several generations of one family's Italian cooking, in a restaurant hand-made by the chef himself. The interior, in the evenings, is dimly-lit and soothing, with comfortable leather-backed chairs, an expansive bar for eating and drinking, and the de rigeuer reclaimed wood and exposed brick. (We are still in Brooklyn, after all.)
Isidori, who earned a Michelin star at DJT in Las Vegas, was Donald Trump's personal chef for a number of years, and you can tell he's relishing the chance to be in total control. One night last month he invited me in as his guest, and personally presented each dish with a detailed explanation of its ingredients and inspiration. The menu is manageable (Isidori says his father always told him that chefs shouldn't "make such a fuss"), and all the pasta is made in-house from scratch. Order the exceptional Buccatini with Rhode Island Squid, Berkshire Bacon and Preserved Tomato, and you'll have a sense of how much attention Isidori pays to the quality of his ingredients.
The butternut squash with ricotta, aged balsamic, and sweet basil is also an outstanding interplay of flavors and textures, and you also can't go wrong with the rich and hearty Squid Ink Risotto with smoked squid, Littleneck clams, fresh lemon and oregano. Of course there are a variety of specialty cocktails (try the Breukelen gin cocktail, garnished with a sprig of rosemary) and plenty of craft beer on tap. All right, with all the fastidious sourcing maybe it's a little precious, but the quality is so stellar it doesn't matter. And you should definitely save room for the butterscotch pudding with house-made vanilla ice cream, which comes garnished with popcorn. It's creamy but not too sweet, and downright addictive.
276 Smith Street, Brooklyn (Between Sackett St. & Degraw St) // (718) 360-2340
