Bar Toto: Family-Friendly, Affordable Italian in Park Slope
Bar Toto, located on the corner of 11th St and 6th Ave in Park Slope, is affordable italian cuisine with a twist. You will traverse the patio, open the heavy black door, and walk through half a dozen thick curtains before you enter. Therein lies a full service bar, in the midst of cozy, rustic tables and booths that line the walls of Bar Toto. The bar’s lighting and colorful selection of wine and liquor gives vibrance to the otherwise quant restaurant.
In 2003, husband and wife restaurateur team Peter Sclafani and Kristen Hallett opened Bar Toto. These are the minds behind such casual, affordable dining options in Brooklyn as Bevacco, Bar Tano and Luce, the latter of which previously stood where Bar Toto now resides.
“[Sclafani] always takes what worked from their last restaurant and then adds something new,” Bar Toto Manager Jed Stewart said, explaining the unique design.
What is most striking about the dinner rush at Bar Toto, especially on a Sunday night, is the crowd. The tables were filled with regulars and Stewart frequently put our conversation on hold to catch up with guests. Still, it seemed even a neighborhood favorite is not safe from gentrification.
“People live here for a year and they come a lot and then you never see them again,” Stewart told me. “Suddenly you starting seeing the new person that moves into their house coming in.”
Unsurprisingly for Park Slope, a family was seated at nearly every table, strollers lining the walls. Bar Toto’s menu is crafted with family in mind. Portions are heaping and nothing on the menu costs over $20, with the exception of the meaty entrees. Still, $27 for a steak or short rib dinner is well within reasonable.
The pasta dishes, all fresh pasta with the exception of the penne and spaghetti, are all modern twists on classics like the Bolognese or the Penne with prosciutto, peas and cream sauce. The ingredients are sparse but refined. There are a variety of kid-friendly Panini Burgers, but what I saw in front of every child was Bar Toto’s Grilled Pizza. Similar in look and preparation to a woodfired pizza, but with less smokey flavor and a little more dough, these are a hit with families, always ensuring leftovers for the next day.
The prosciutto pie is tasty, a simple pizza topped with crisp prosciutto and arugula to cut the salty flavor. The crust may not be thin and crisp to the liking of many pretentious New Yorkers, like myself, but it is by no means a bad pizza.
Speaking of crisp dishes, the calamari was remarkably hot and fresh. Lightly breaded, and slightly -less-lightly salted, the rings and tentacles avoided the pitfalls of bad calamari. The dish were neither too cold nor too chewy. As is a recurring theme at Bar Toto, this appetizer did not skimp on the portion. This house favorite is meant to be shared.
The homemade pasta is the real star of the menu. The popular Bolognese over tagliatelle was a sweet, hearty dish. The fresh tagliatelle was delicate but kept just enough structure to support the beef, veal, and pork ragu. There was a real sweetness to the red sauce that was foregrounded by the addition of the veal and pork.
The more time I spent at Bar Toto, the more I realized how oddly specific is to the Park Slope, and how catering to locals has been the key to its success of over 15 years. Affordable large portions appeal to the palettes of both adults and children through the use of organic produce and eggs, grass-fed beef and fresh herbs.
On the wall in the back corner, you can see local art for sale. That’s the work of a Bar Toto bartender’s husbands, they’ve been selling them for over a year now. And people have been buying them. Community matters in Park Slope. Even when the community is only home to a family for one or two years, Bar Toto gives them a place to feel like a member of the larger family — the kind that still comes home from miles away for a good dinner.
