Starve A Fever. Then Get Better and Stuff Your Face.

After being laid up last week with the flu and then having my parents in town for the weekend, I have lots of catching up to do. First up: restaurants.

This was a weekend of trying new (or new to me) places. After my parents' arrival on Friday night, I planned to take them to dinner at my neighborhood favorite, Bar Toto (411 11th Street, Brooklyn). When the host informed us of the 30-minute wait, he suggested checking out Bar Tano (457 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn), a new place that the creators of Bar Toto opened in Gowanus at the beginning of February.

I'd been by Bar Tano's space several times over the course of its renovation but never knew what it was going to be. Once I saw the beautiful pressed tin ceiling (a surefire way to my heart), I set my hopes high for a new place in what is pretty much a dead zone for eateries. Learning that it was related to Bar Toto was even better.

The menu is lighter than Bar Toto's, evidently to focus less on food and more on drink. We shared some antipasti, and because I'd already gorged on a delicious triple-creme cheese that had ridden down from MA with my folks, I kept it light for dinner. The lentils and sausage appetizer was great; the saltiness of the sausage could have been overpowering, but the lentils were full of fresh herbs and so lightly salted that they cut it perfectly. The roasted cauliflower, despite being very tasty, was much too oily. Tastes of my mom's salad with herbed chicken and my dad's house-made potato chips were both quite good, though.

I don't know that I'd go out of my way just to eat here again, but the ambiance is great and my experience definitely speaks to its focus - this would be a great place to go for a glass of wine and perhaps a bite to eat, rather than the other way around.

Saturday was farm day, with brunch at The Farm on Adderley and dinner at Flatbush Farm.

The Farm on Adderley (1108 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn) had been on my list for quite some time (it opened in the summer of 2006 to very good reviews), so we headed out to Ditmas Park to give it a try.

Now, high praise from my dad is fairly hard to come by, so it says a lot that he admitted on the spot that he was eating the best French toast he'd ever tasted. That about sums up the experience. We arrived at 12:30 and were seated immediately in the front section of the restaurant (they also have a sizable outdoor dining area that I'm looking forward to testing out this spring). Our waiter was attentive, and we got our food within minutes of ordering.

My mom had the Farmer's Breakfast, which was scrambled eggs served over sautéed Swiss chard and home fries with brioche toast. The home fries were heavy on the thyme, but definitely in a good way. The chard was just right. Dad's brioche French toast was served with roasted apples, and after taking a bite I had to agree with him - it was the best French toast I've ever had, too. It was actually light, unlike the chewy, custard-y mess you can end up with at some places, and perfectly crisp on the outside. The apples complemented it nicely and were sweet enough that I hesitated to pour on any syrup.

I was glad I ordered what I did, though, because one bite would not have been enough. The Three Minute Eggs were poached and served over goat cheese polenta and slow-roasted tomatoes, then drizzled with grated parmesan, truffle oil, and a little fresh chive. Heaven on a plate, I kid you not.

All that, plus their coffee is most excellent, and it was $8 a plate. Ding ding ding!

Dinner at Flatbush Farm (76 St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn) was great, too, but there's only so much I can write about all this food before I just tell you to go there yourself when you're in the area. The Farm has been dependable for yummy seasonal foods (the roast duck with sweet potato puree and braised red cabbage is the perfect winter meal) and great cocktails (try the house-made limoncello), but their bar (called Barn... GET IT) isn't so hot if you just want to drink beer. It's fairly overpriced for that, and the Slope's got plenty of alternatives if that's what you're looking for (see: O'Connor's).

My dad joked more than once about how my life in Brooklyn seems to be centered on my eating experiences. I'd protest, but that's pretty hard to argue when one of our big activities this weekend was an in-depth walking tour of the Red Hook Fairway.

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