Letter of Recommendation New York
How Daphne’s Redefines What It Means to Be an Ideal Neighborhood Restaurant
Published:
Editor’s Note: Daphne’s was impacted by recent storms that flooded the restaurant’s basement and forced them to close temporarily, losing thousands in inventory and income. They’ve since reopened and are eager to welcome back neighbors and diners across the city.
In the early 1970s, you’d likely hear the late musician Roy Ayers’ album, “We Live in Brooklyn Baby” beaming through radio speakers, and you’d see fresh-faced kids double-dutch on Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Throop Avenue near Halsey in Brooklyn. Today, on that same corner, what used to be a deli has a curved igloo-style wall inside, a six-seat bar, and fits 50 guests for dinner. It’s now Daphne’s, an Italian food destination for locals and the Brooklyn curious, that maneuvers, with caution, through both old and new traditions.
Bed-Stuy residents, myself included, always have valued the finer things, and dishes like their campanelle pasta nestled in broccoli and shishito pepper pesto build on the legacy of creatives in the neighborhood. And over the course of many visits, it’s become clear to me that Daphne’s is deliberate in redefining what it means to be a neighborhood restaurant.
Motherhood smothered the spontaneity of dining out far from where I live. It takes me months to try the hottest restaurants in Manhattan. Sometimes, when I happen to be in the city and decide to walk-in, the wait is too long for my hectic schedule, or the restaurant is closed for a private event. So, I keep it casual in Central Brooklyn at wine bars like Che, newcomer Laziza, a happy hour at Dick and Jane’s, or dinner at Hart’s. No trekking to Borgo, Via Carota, or Ci Siamo for artichokes, risotto, or gelati; I can stay close to home. For months, I’ve been taking the plunge in a single pool of luxury, walking distance from my apartment.
The Resy Rundown
Daphne’s
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Why We Like It
It’s a bona fide neighborhood spot for fresh, housemade pastas and a lovely, curated list of natural wines by the glass in the heart of Bed-Stuy. -
Essential Dishes
Sourdough focaccia; any of the pastas; chicken Milanese. -
Must-Order Drinks
Sumercé; Saverio’s Manhattan.
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Who and What It’s For
Bed-Stuy locals, and anyone who appreciates a place that reveres both old and new traditions. -
How to Get In
Reservations drop a month in advance at midnight. -
Pro Tip
The menu changes often, so order the dessert because it’ll probably be gone on your next visit.
The space fits outside the casual, not kid-friendly box; the drapey, white window covering accented with sexy dangling metal fringe makes hiring a babysitter worthwhile. It’s a detail that takes inspiration from Phillip Johnson’s design for The Grill, an iconic NYC restaurant. “Will Rose lives in the neighborhood. He is a set designer, and this was his first restaurant design,” Gary Fishkop, Daphne’s owner and partner, explains. The curved wall was a freestyle touch from their contractor. Fishkop and Park Cacici, executive chef and partner, were concise in keeping the simple all-glass storefront look.
Daphne’s offers old-school opulence in buttery, forest-hued banquettes and upbeat, happy servers who appear to have let the block partygoers’ energy absorb into their interactions with guests. “One of the reasons why we have been successful is that anyone that has had anything to do with Daphne’s lives in the neighborhood,” Fishkop says. From the branding team to the general manager, Jackie Tran, everyone lives close by. It’s a crucial element in creating a special neighborhood place.
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.
As we’ll eventually ease into a change of seasons next year, I know the soft life with a spritz and roasted half chicken for two is easily within reach, just blocks away in my very own Bed-Stuy. I’m not crossing the bridge searching, searching, searching for my spring dose of sugar snap peas, sheep’s milk cheese, and mint. I’m a new regular at Daphne’s — early, consistent, and loyal, baby.
Daphne’s is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Nicole A. Taylor is a James Beard Award-nominated food writer, home chef, and producer. She is also the author of Watermelon & Red Birds, the very first cookbook to celebrate Juneteenth. In addition to her other cookbooks, The Up South Cookbook and The Last O.G. Cookbook. Nicole has written for the New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine, and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, BET, Today, Wall Street Journal, Today, Washington Post, NPR, Apple, and Oxford American. Brooklyn Magazine named Taylor to its list of 100 influential people in Brooklyn culture, and her cookbooks have graced more than two dozen “best” lists. Follow her on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Follow Resy, too.
