Lunch, an underrated affair

Everyone always talks about dinner, but some of my greatest restaurant experiences have been at lunch. Whether its discovering amazing flavors in a sandwich or having a 4 hour lunch at Gramercy Tavern while it was snowing. Two recent lunches that proved to be worth mentioning...

DBGB

Chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud's first downtown venture features a more casual atmosphere and menu compared to his uptown restaurants. DBGB Kitchen and Bar named after the music club CBGB offers Lyonnais-inspired bistro cooking with a solid beer list of 22 draft beers and over 75 bottled beer. Mr. Boulud takes his expertise and makes it more simple--makes it affordable. 

The space is perfectly designed for the Bowery with a masculine charm of steel and glass. Beer and sausages reign supreme on the menu; but you shouldn't stop there. A look around the menu will reflect Boulud's knowledge and his plates will reflect his technique. Souch and I went for lunch today after thumbing through all the places we want to go. We sat at a table in the bar area right by the window. The floor was sunken beneath street level; but you still had a good view of what was happening on the bowery. During the warmer months, they have outside seating available which is always cool. 

We started with DB's Smoked Salmon--crispy potato latkes and creme frache while also getting the charcuterie plate--tasting of pate, jambon de paris, and rillettes paired with sourdough bread. For entrees, I got the cod sandwich while Andrew got the house made turkey sandwich. The cod sandwich was excellent! They beer battered the cod and placed it on a warm sesame bun with a spicy ranch dressing. The sandwich was accompanied by a arugula and frisee salad. Souch seemed to enjoy his turkey sandwich. We also got these house-made sodas which weren't bad--weren't that great either but interesting for sure. 

The service was a bit lackluster. Our server might have said 5 words to us the whole time not including her trying to up-sell a side dish when I asked if we ordered OK. I would have probably listened to her if she seemed at all excited rather than fumbling around the menu looking for something that she could sell me. But the service wasn't bad--it just lacked hospitality. But maybe thats just me drinking the Danny Meyer kolaid. 

Overall, a good lunch for sure. Definitely want to go back to attack the beer list. 

Mary's Fish Camp

A West Village gem for any seafood lover. Grabbed a corner table with a great view overlooking Charles Street. Fish was super fresh and flavors were subtle and layered. I really enjoyed my lunch here with my sister and would probably go back more if I could afford it. 

  Fish Tacos!

 Cod Sandwich!

 Tuna Sliders!