Ici Reigns Supreme

Ici is one of the best restaurants in Fort Greene.

A meal at this French bistro with an emphasis on seasonal fare is a treat worth the cost.

We chose to have our meal in the restaurant’s backyard, a quaint deck with several trees looming overhead.

Dinner began with the sautéed squid salad with radishes and Meyer lemon ($10). The combination of flavors was stunning. Lemon and squid is a familiar, consistently delicious combination, but the fresh radishes elevated the appetizer to another level. The crunch of the radish and the chewy, fresh squid was a surprisingly perfect blend of textures.

Then came the pies de resistance: a pork chop big enough to feed two Great Danes.

This fresh cut of pork ($28) had a half-inch thick piece of fat along its edge, and was as tender as a rack of ribs. The meat was juicy throughout, and served atop a bed of polenta, baby Swiss char. Combined with the mushroom jus, this was one of the best pieces of pork I’d ever eaten.

For dessert — at this point the meal was approaching new heights of decadence — we shared four ricotta fritters served with a warm chocolate sauce. They were essentially fancy, homemade doughnuts with a slight hint of ricotta. They were simple and delicious.

Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have a wide variety of culinary delights, and Ici has to be high on the list. Save up some cash and treat yourself, it is worth it.