em>And now, it’s time for our weekly feature from Eat It: The Brooklyn Food blog. This week’s review is of Aliseo in Prospect Heights:

< Lucky me! I was taken to dinner at the wonderful Aliseo (665 Vanderbilt Avenue, between Prospect Place & Park Place, 718-783-3400), an amazing and romantic Italian restaurant in Prospect Heights where the food is top notch. It’s a tiny sliver of a place, with barely a sign, but once you walk in you know it’s going to be good. Ornate decorations abound with huge vases and cornucopias in the corners bursting with shafts of wheat. The lighting is low, so it’s perfect for a special night out for two, but they also easily accommodated us, a boisterous party of seven. The owner is frequently there and is a gregarious, friendly man who is happy to talk food and wine with you. He’ll make recommendations, pairings, and will let you know where to find a bottle of your favorite vino. The menu is extensive and offers more creative combinations than your average pasta & sauce spot. Salad with squid and fennel, baby meatballs covered in sesame seeds (this was delicious – tasty morsels and slightly juicy, coated with sesame seeds which added a nutty flavor, in a lemon arugula pesto), whole fish, honey pasta (this was a bit of a miss for me, it was too sweet for my brain to to make sense of it as pasta) and meat dishes, all in good sized portions and robustly flavored. There are daily specials as well.

The use of specials sauces and fresh herbs (like a roasted squash entree in a dark, thick mushroomy sauce) make the flavors of the food pop, and everything is well balanced and subtle, yet defined. I highly recommend Aliseo for anything from romantic nights out to big family dinners as the food is high quality and lovingly prepared in a lovely and comfortable space. Closed Mondays. Click here to see photos and more descriptions of the Branzino, Ravioli, Squash and more!