Profile

Situated so close to the murky, much-abused Gowanus Canal that you can smell high tide from its patio tables, the century-old Monte's Venetian Room remains tethered to Italian Carroll Gardens in a big, big way. Looking as though they just stepped off of set of Prizzi's Honor (scenes of which were filmed at the restaurant), loyal customers lounge on curved red banquettes beneath the 70-year-old wraparound mural of Venice, sharing carafes of the house red and tucking into heaping plates of ardent, albeit mostly unspectacular, Italian-American fare. Casual, South Brooklyn-accented waiters will point out the crowd favorites from the lengthy menu, though recommendations like veal saltimbocca, cooked to limpness and overly drenched in wine sauce, or half-frozen slices of ricotta cheesecake, barely live up to the advanced billing. The same goes for the antipasti, mounded with cubed cheese and pickled vegetables. The cuisine is obviously not the restaurant's strong point; rather, it's the blast of Old Brooklyn panache that lends Monte's its modest charm. — Jon Steinberg

Owner Anthony Monte, grandson of restaurant founders Angelo and Angelina Monte, says that his family's restaurant is the oldest Italian eatery in New York, a title also claimed by the Theater District's Barbetta, which likewise opened in 1906.

Note
Catering is available on the premises, and depending on the size of the order, may be delivered throughout the city.