Beauty and Essex

The party don’t start till I walk in…ok, maybe it’s already started.

Its “feels like” 8 degrees outside, I’m dressed up (sexy, cause I'm always sexy, but not too sexy – hey I’m married now, no one to impress but the other ladies), coat, hat, scarf, purse, gloves in tow. We get to the restaurant and there is a line outside. It’s not just a -someone is holding the door for a group of people- line. It’s a – this is a club/restaurant and we want to look like even more people are here than really are- line. Or so I wish… Luckily, one of my party members had already been standing in line and was arguing with the bouncer to let her in when we walked up. They let us in, only to realize that there is nowhere to go. The place is thronged with pretty people. This seems to be a turnoff for some Yelpers, but for me… I just blend right in. We get our beeper and shimmy up to the bar. I actually did not ever go upstairs, which I’m told is just as clubby as the bottom floor, maybe even more so.

Let me talk about what happened to me at the bar. We walk up, discuss the order and I start to dive in. There are 8 of us, so I designate myself the one to push through and get a bottle of proscecco. When I’m about to dive in, two girls get up from their bar stools. WHOOPIE! So, my friend and I sit down, talk to the bar tender a bit and order our bottle. About 3 minutes later, which I’m half standing up from the bar stool to check on the bottle, I feel a shove on my back and the barstool is taken out from under me! One of the girls had returned and literally shoved me off the seat. I may not always be the nicest bar-position girl, but I would definitely never go as far as to shove someone off a seat. But hey, this is NYC. There are some bitches out there. Luckily for that girl (man I sound hard core), the beeper rings and we cancel the bottle and go to the front. Once there, we find out that they actually ring the beeper as a warning for you to close out your bar tab and your table will be ready close to eventually soon.

I probably sound like I hate Beauty and Essex, but it’s not true. Would I rush to go back? Probably not. Would I go back if I had 12 friends in town from out of state and they wanted a “taste of NY”? You betcha! This is like a step up from Buddakhan, which is my usual big-party-from-out-of-town choice because the food is good and the place is huge. At Beauty and Essex, not only did I feel cool just being there, but I felt like I was in Vegas baby! Loud music, huge space, surrounded by bachelorette parties. Sorry for partying. Or am I?

Let’s talk food. The menu was staggering and a bit overwhelming. It made me happy that there were 8 people. If I went just me and my husband, granted we would order more than normal people who care about their health and weight, we would be so upset that we didn’t get to try the 15 items we wanted.

I am so fortunate to have such wonderful girlfriends who have such insatiable appetites for life (and booze). We had the tomato tartar, yellowtail crudo, a kale and apple salad, two Jewels on toast, whipped ricotta and avocado and lemon, lobster bisque dumplings, chicken meatballs, seared tuna and some pasta that was excellent but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was made of… crispy hominy, brussel sprouts, broccolini and onion rings were our sides.

Things I would recommend out of those? ALL of the sides (ok, I didn’t have the onion rings but they looked good). Whatever hominy is – too lazy to look it up at the moment – I like it! The Kale and Apple salad was one of my favorites. I like a bitter lettuce. The dressing was tangy and acidic which made the kale even easier to eat.

The tomato tartar was probably the most interesting item we ate; it tasted just like steak tartar. They use all the same seasoning/spices. My only complaint is that I thought it was going to come out just like a meat tartar. But instead, we got little bite size tartars with a small quail egg on top. I like to crack my quail eggs over my tartar, to use the yolks as a dressing. The egg yolks were too cooked. But hey, maybe it was meant that way. It still tasted amazing. My least favorite was the lobster bisque dumplings. Hard to believe since I’m obsessed with lobster and anything fried (again with the health). I think there was just too much lemongrass. I tasted no lobster. I’m semi-scared of lobster bisque because one time at this place, I now cringe when I walk by, called Red eye Grill, on 56th and 7th, I had a terrible allergic reaction to lobster bisque. I think I was poisoned. FYI this was 2004 so don’t get all up in arms. Calm down. The post is over.

Wow, how could I leave this out… if this place wasn’t opulent enough for you, make sure you make a trip to the bathroom. I’m not sure if people hang out in the bathroom because its less crowded then the bar or they are just there for the free champagne and good sounds and good smells… good times.

Although I could barely hear any of you over the loud, thumping club music, thank you to Rehana, Heidi, Erica, Caren, Liz, Jenny and Kate for letting me choose the restaurant once again. Just call me the Queen of scoring reservations one month in advance. Do it. I dare you.

Stanton Social

Stanton Social is an old (well, semi old) restaurant on the Lower East side, an area I tend not to venture to, especially in the cold snow. However, this past weekend was a special occasion. I was going out to a ladies lunch. Seven ladies and a baby (is that a movie?).

I have been to dinner at Stanton Social many times (actually the last time I went there is when I became bf/gf with N!). The menu is practically the same for brunch and dinner. I was expecting more. Brunch additions were (as the entire restaurants is tapas) small eggs benedict, silver dollar pancakes and an egg bruschetta, to name a few. The breakfast bruschetta was the hit for me. Scrambled eggs, asiago cheese and tomatoes on crusty bread. The perfect size for a small bite of well cooked breakfast.

We ordered an old favorite French Onion Soup Dumplings. They are amazing. Six of them in a dish which is literally a french onion soup filled dumpling. Watch out, the first bite is tricky as it may burn your mouth! Next, some people ordered sliders (always a fave) and I ordered a grilled cheese. I am a lover of grilled cheese and this did not fit the bill. I had to open the sandwich (size of my palm) to look for the cheese, which was non-existent. Total and complete letdown. Some onions were involved that made it look grayish yellow. The quesadillas and fish tacos were mediocre at best. Yes, again with the fish tacos. I can’t help it. The fish tacos, albeit flavorful, were stuffed so full that the fish and add-ons (fiery mango & avocado salsa) squeezed out the ends with each bite. The ricotta fritters were unremarkable with their bland crust. They tasted more like a donut.

Good thing I was drinking… I suggest if you have never been to Stanton Social, go to check out the scene (it was in an episode of the new MTV show The City). The bar area upstairs can be fun and you can order dishes at the bar, if there is any room. First timers may be impressed by the inventive food options, but it gets old. Time for a menu change.

Boqueria

A friend of mine went to Boqueria last night (http://www.boquerianyc.com/). She loved. I love. So, had to tell the world...which right now consists of my one follower: Thanks Mark!

Boqueria recently opened a new shop in Soho. I have not been and they do not take reservations. About a year ago, I went to Boqueria in Chelsea/Flatiron and it was wonderful. We sat right away and the server was extraordinarily friendly. Maybe too friendly... Pretty sure she wanted to be our best friend. To be very honest, I cannot remember what I ate, but I do remember it being very good and very reasonable. Great date spot. Mood lighting and all. Tough bar area as the restaurant is small in the front. Check out the menu: http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=39721&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=0