It’s been a long wait for all these rumored new places to open around town, and as they do, it gets a bit more convenient and much more fun to live in Bushwick. Now we finally have another option for full-service dining in the neighborhood: Phorum opens for dinner tonight at 5.
They’ll be serving pizzas made in their impressive steel oven, pastas, salads, and main courses featuring a variety of meats, fish, and seafood. Owners Anna Maria and Enzo insist on using organic and local ingredients as much as they can — nearly the entire menu.
Come check out Phorum and watch for their brunch service starting in July.
Phorum
50 Starr Street | 718-417-7830
armstrong June 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
good to hear. I just peeped their PDF menu however and those are some steep prices. who knows, it all may very well fly though.
Silvia June 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
We just ate at Phorum and all the food was fabulous! We had the tuna tartare topped with fresh herbs – amazing; the asparagus and beet salad was super good; spinach gnocchi were made with fresh spinach and ricotta; organic chicken with mashed potatoes has some flavorful herbs with an awesome after taste – really everything was just superb! And then there was flan and chocolate tarte for dessert and I just couldn’t stop eating them! There are bottles of wine for less than $20 which is quite reasonable. The service was flawless. I highly recommend it!!
herpes June 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
went here last night. the flan was crappy and expensive. i did not leave as a happy camper, but who knows, maybe it’ll get better. besides, it is hard to gauge a resturant by dessert.
Matt June 23rd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Armstrong, agreed on their prices. Just a bit to much. Although, they are NOT following the NEK formula (start very small and cheap, expand) but going right out the gate so I can see why they are priced like that.
I just hope that it doesn’t cut down on repeat customers. Can’t hit it as often, etc.
Anyway, going sometime this week and very excited about it. Glad Silvia enjoyed, and I’ll stay away from the Flan, thanks to herpes. oh lord that was a weird sentence.
Phorum neighbor June 23rd, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Can a forward thinking enteprenur please open a eating and drinking establishment that people in Bushwick can actually afford on a regular basis?
Tandem and Phorum, both new, both too expensive.
Ingo Hart June 23rd, 2009 at 11:09 pm
So happy this is finally open. I’ll be stopping in at some point this week for sure.
R June 24th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Had a great dinner…yes prices are a bit higher than we’re used to BUT the hanger steak costs the same as it does as a special at Life and is 10,000 times better. Good wine for reasonable prices (same prices for the rotgut at Life- though I admit Life wines have gotten better over the years), and really attentive service (unlike NEK where the service started out sucky and just got worse). Try the chocolate tart!
And it seems like a great place to sit and have a glass of wine at the bar. I hope that they add wine flights!
jackpine June 24th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Yes the entrees are on the high side for a lot of Bushwick budgets, but, there’s plenty on the menu under $10 the appetizer heading. I had the very tasty mussels with chirzo. If you dip the bread in sauce it eats like a meal. I also had the brussell sprouts with pancetta and although less in mass than a typical Chinese joint it’s pretty damn sizable when you include the bread. Just think of the bread as the equivalent of rice and it’s only a few bucks more than every other place in our ‘hood.
Ingo Hart June 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
The menu and the location look good but this place is pretty expensive.
dude July 1st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
The prices were lowered this week and most stuff is under $15 now.
Y July 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I’m glad to hear that the prices have come down. I’ve been to Phorum a few times and have sampled a handful of things on the menu. The duck pizza is delicious and the price was right. The brussel sprouts and panchetta were perfect, and exactly what I was hoping would arrive at my table.
The calamari dish on the other hand was ok, it was certainly not worth the price. The calamari itself was good, It’s hard to go wrong with grilled calamari, but the side was the real disappointment here. I don’t think that hard chickpeas are the right pairing with this dish.
I know there are a few comments about the flan. I will say that I LOVE flan, but the flan at Phorum, although, the flavor was good, the consistency was not. It was way too thick and eggy.
As for the decor, it has promise. The problem is that the space is relatively large and they need to figure out a way to make it feel more intimate, especially considering each time I have been there only about a quarter of the seats have been occupied. I would suggest that they turn the lights down. The light from the kitchen is way too bright. I think some soft candle light might do the trick.
I do think that Phorum is on the right track after all they have just opened, like any new restaurant they’re going to need a few weeks to work the kinks out.
PBR July 14th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Too expensive? Too expensive? No wonder every restaurant in the neighborhood microwaves their crap.
Ingo Hart July 14th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Actually I went by and the prices are much lower than they were at first. Very reasonable now.
P September 11th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Just checked the website to find out their on vacation until Sept 22nd? That seems strange for any restaurant.
Professional Alternative October 12th, 2009 at 11:43 am
FAIL.