New York Food

On a recent trip to New York I was on a mission to do things NYC style. Obviously that involved no sleep, a lot of shopping and attempting to sample the best the city has to offer. One of the places I was recommended for a Sex and the City style experience was the Stanton Social, a bar and restaurant on the lower east side.

So I grabbed three buddies and headed down to be sociable at the Stanton Social. Immediately on entry the reason for the name becomes obvious. The atmosphere buzzes with a combination of trendy men and women, fashionable types, Wall Street guys and pre-party people both old and young.

We sat down and got straight to work on some of those famous cocktails. I was recommended a Basil-Lime Gimlet and continued with one – okay fine three – more throughout the night. My pals went for one cocktail each before moving on to a spicy Italian red wine.

Now for the food. You don't have to come here for a “meal” as such. You can just come here to nibble a couple of dishes while drinking cocktails. We, of course, went the whole hog.

The menu which is extensive enough to ensure plenty of variety is also refreshingly simple. One side of A4 gives you everything on offer. There are no starters or mains but a selection of dishes to share.

The great thing about the Stanton Social is that it does classic American but with influences from all over the globe. Potato and goat cheese pierogis, a modern take on a polish classic; Sweet and sour chicken spring rolls with a sprinkling of goat's cheese; Grilled apple and brie quessadillas, an inventive way of snazzing up a spanish dish were all particularly tasty.

But the ultimate best was an amazing dish of french onion soup dumplings which was literally a ball of soup covered in melted cheese. Inventive, quirky and explode in your mouth good. Classic homely dishes of Macaroni cheese and 'old school meatballs' all add up to one big food extravaganza. All the dish are for sharing and very reasonably priced at an average of $10 a dish.