2009 is here! Bring on the new year, and hopefully better luck than the last. As I sit here, blogging because I am currently un-staffed, it gives me the chance to devote myself to writing about my delicious food experiences. As I’ve noted before I know I’m pretty bad at updating this blog but I do aim to make my entries as meaningful (aka. “makes-you-hungry”) as possible.
I realized that I really enjoy eating brunch, namely because of theeggs. Ahhhh eggs…that cholesterol-filled bright-yellow yolk adjoined with streaming egg whites…perfect for starting a new day.
Top to Bottom: Eggs Norwegian from Pastis; Spinach and Garlic Eggs from 5 Ninth; Smoked Salmon Benedict from Stanton Social
All I can say is that I have a genuine appreciation for eggs done well. Trust me, plenty of places put too much hollandaise sauce or eggs are too well done. Cna you imagine DRY, CRUSTY eggs? Ew. That thought just makes me unhappy.
And now to talk about restaurants! My friends and I felt the urge to try out Stanton Social, located in the Lower East Side. Founded on the idea of sharing, all the dishes are designed as small portions to be served throughout the entire mealtime. At first I was a bit confused thinking, “is this like…Chinese lazy-susan dining style?” to which I was definitely off. I would say this is like…American-style tapas, specifically catered to accommodate several people.
Now that you are thoroughly confused, this is what I mean:
Grilled Pizzetta with fresh mozzarella, oven dried tomato, roasted garlic and hot chile oil. It was good, though nothing stood out about it.
Social Frittata with wild mushrooms with smoked goat cheese. Can’t say I really liked it, simply because it has smoked goat cheese…and those who know me know that I do not have an affinity towards cheese…
French Onion Soup Dumplings. I think these made the meal actually. Nothing to me stood out, aside from the restaurant concept and this dish. It had enough cheese, and the bread was able to catch the onion soup.
In addition, we saw BLAKE LIVELY there. She is as pretty as she is on television, and I wanted to take a picture with her. However, my friends advised me against it and by the time I mustered enough courage to ask, another group of Asians took pictures with her. That ruined my opportunity, but at least I know we dined with a celebrity…from afar…
Overall, food is okay and the concept is interesting. The decor definitely made it feel warm as well so I would say they did a good job incorporating sharing themes with their whole restaurant.
Stanton Social
99 Stanton St.
New York, NY 10002
http://thestantonsocial.com/