Press
“Getting the best delivery on the street where you live ”
- The New York Times
"It's hard not to love a restaurant that lets children roam the premises "
- Ultimate Review Guide
“Two Boots: A downtown gem you can kick up your heels for ”
- Park Slope Courier: by Kenneth Brown
“Kick up your heels at Two Boots: Good food and great sounds go together ”
- Park Slope Courier: by Stephen Witt
“Two Boots Restaurant: A Party in Your Mouth ”
- Courier Lifestyles
“Royal Feast: Kids are treated like kings at these family oriented resteraunts ”
- Go: The Brooklyn Papers
PARK SLOPE COURIER
“KICK UP YOUR HEELS AT TWO BOOTS: GOOD FOOD AND GREAT SOUNDS GO TOGETHER”
BY STEPHEN WITT
It could be a venue straight out of a Hank Williams songbook, combining crawfish pie, Jambalaya and live music.But we ain’t talking backwoods Louisiana here – we’re talking Park Slope. The place is Two Boots Restaurant at 514 2nd Street just off 7th Avenue, which mixes Cajun and Italian food to come up with something special.It was also the place that Land I stopped into on a recent Saturday night for a bite to eat and some liquid refreshment after chasing down new stories.
This was our first time in Two Boots together, but not our first in Two Boots.That’s because the restaurant, which started in the East Village and has spread to other locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, is known for their excellent pizza featuring a thin, cornmeal crust and a tomato sauce made with red wine, crushed red peppers and a host of other herbs and spices.But the Park Slope Two Boots goes a step further. IT also has a happening full bar, four separate dining areas and live music.“We’ve been doing live music on Friday and Saturday nights for about 10 years,” said Piper Wandzilak, who co-owns Two Boots with her husband Andy, who also serves as the head chef. “We have a mix – everything from country to rhythm and blues to Zydeco music to funky jazz to New Orleans style blues,” she added.
Wandzilak said the music, which starts at 10pm, can sometimes be the main attraction. She said that she and her husband are usually the first ones on the dance floor. Other times the music is laid back and not as intrusive on the dining crowd, she said.“It depends on the band and the night. Some bands have huge crowds. Sometimes it’s more of a listening room and sometimes not,” said Wandzilak. On this night the band playing on the small stage was the four piece Willy Nilly String band. The band provided nice ambiance music for diners. In fact, I spotted several young couples enjoying a late night dinner and who seemed to enjoy romantic talk with the sounds of non-threatening live music behind them.
Past the band and to the left was another dining room, with an excellent wrap-around mural of New Orleans, featuring the Mississippi River, the French-style architecture, musicians, the Mardi Gras and such famous luminaries as old Satchmo himself – Louis Armstrong. There was also an outdoor patio, which I was told includes a small section for smokers. The bar area in front was busy and the bartender poured a nice drink while the Yankee game was on the television in the background. In fact, the bar is something of a point of pride for Wandzilak and she told me earlier there are nine flavors of frozen margaritas alone and an encyclopedia of mixed drinks.“I’m the one that invents the cocktails. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it,” she told me. I ordered a Brooklyn lager and got into a conversation with a German tourist, who works as a sound engineer in Strasborg and was about to go back. I also took a look at the menu which features a host of Cajun dishes as well as southern cuisine such as chicken fried steak with old-fashioned milk gravy and mashed potatoes. All are reasonably priced.Two Boot is located at 514 2nd Street. The phone number is 499-3253. There is no cover and no minimum...