Teura ^il Ponte- Restaurant 1215 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224

"Run, don't walk, to Teura before everyone finds out! My friend and I arrived with high expectations after seeing all the 5-star reviews (as of writing this review Teura has the highest rating of any restaurant in Brooklyn on top-rated.online, a Google review aggregator). I was excited but ready to be disappointed. But my expectations were surpassed. Teura has a small menu and the restaurant was out of a few items when we visited (a good sign, signaling to me that they make everything fresh). The wine list includes a great selection of DOC Italian wines by the glass at affordable prices. To start off, we had the focaccia, which came with a basil-infused tomato gelée. I had just come back from a trip to Genoa, the birthplace of focaccia, and Teura's rivalled the best I had on the trip. The texture was perfectly soft on the inside with just a gentle crisp to the olive oil-soaked crust. The gelée had a wonderfully concentrated flavor. We finished it off and asked for more. Next, we had the octopus appetizer. This was the only miss of the night - there were a bit too many flavors and textures in the dish, and it was missing a bit of acid to brighten it up. Next, we had the veal Qebapa. Even before I ate my first bite I knew it was going to be delicious. The rustic presentation, the slight char, and the wonderful aroma had me salivating! And then the first bite... the succulent, just-cooked inside, perfectly seasoned, with a wonderfully pure veal aroma. After devouring all the qebapa, we were in the mood for some vegetables, and the manager generously offered to cook some for us off-menu. Each of the vegetables was perfectly seasoned and cooked to a perfect, still-slightly-crisp texture. We were dying to know what roasted onions would taste like coming out of this restaurant's miraculous kitchen and the manager enthusiastically agreed to roast some of them for us as well. They were nicely charred and delectably sweet. Now here's Teura's secret weapon - they took over a closed Grimaldi's location and inherited its big brick pizza oven. And they cook a lot of their menu items in it. The extremely high and consistent heat gets you that flavor concentration, that juicy-on-the-inside-and-charred-on-the outside perfection. The seating was very comfortable and the silverware, plates and glassware were thoughtfully considered. The lighting in the restaurant was a little brighter than ideal, but it did not detract at all from our wonderful experience. The ambience got more cosy when the main lights were turned off later in the evening. The service at Teura was great - attentive and friendly without being overbearing. We felt treated like family! Our server and the manager were happy to talk about their dishes and welcomed our feedback. We stayed about three hours and never once felt rushed, a rare experience in NYC. I can't wait to go back!"

"The food was phenomenal, the bread, baked clams, and grilled meat platter were some of the best we’ve had in our 7+ years in the city."

"Came with my husband and two kids. Across from all the attractions on Coney Island. Worth the visit. Yummy food. The beet salad is divine. 4 cheese pizza and cheesecake are yummy. Clean bathrooms. Lovely service and environment. It's what I would call a hidden gem. Feel lucky to have found them. The pic is what's left of the cheese cake. There's nothing left of the pizza or beet salad. I should have taken before pics of those!!"

"Starting bread plate and beef appetizer was tremendous, very good. House special pizza took along time to come out but was good (served thin crust)."

"Excellent service and excellent food. Everything exceeded our expectations. If you can’t decide where to go, eat here. Totally worth it. Might go back tomorrow to try more dishes! The cheesecake melts in your mouth."