Since I have a personal affiliation with this restaurant, I won’t be giving it a rating, just a rave review…
My review is in honour of the man responsible for my Stanton Social obsession, my best friend Ben, and his 26th birthday. Happy birthday Ben! (And a special thanks to Bobo for letting me use the photos from her blog!)
I’ve discovered that the exquisite tapas-style dishes at Stanton Social actually embody all the amazing qualities about Ben. Each dish is great on its own, but if you order a bunch of them, you have Ben, a conglomeration of many distinct pieces, each piece amazing by itself, but together, they form something that you will be fortunate to experience even once in your lifetime.
The Duck Confit and Black Bean Empanadas and the French Onion Soup Dumplings are the first thing you’ll learn about Ben if you spend even a few minutes chatting with him. There is so much more than meets the eye. Under the typical empanada lies a sharp blood orange jam, and the duck confit crouches in anticipation of the pleasure it will bring your palate. Under that nondescript, well-dressed dumpling shell, a sizzling soup awaits the opportunity to dance on your tongue. Ben may not be dancing on your tongue anytime soon, but he can lead a strong salsa on the dance floor.
Red snapper is a safe, unoffensive fish, often a first choice of fish lovers who fear the raw-in-the-middle tuna steak and want to move past the salmon. Ben appears to be this safe, unoffensive person at first, but like the Red Snapper Tacos, he packs some punch. Never underestimate the smoothness of avocado combined with a pleasant but sweet kick of spicy mango, and never assume that any taco is safe.
Like the Kobe Beef Burger, no one ever has anything bad to say about Ben. He is in so many ways that consistent burger you know and love, something you can always rely upon in the midst of a crazy world. Like this slider, when you feel xenophobic about all the exotic dishes you’re sampling, he’ll keep you grounded (or ground?...GROAN) and you’ll never doubt that he is of the highest quality.
The Potato and Goat Cheese Pierogies are creamy and…there is absolutely no way I can attribute that to Ben without it sounding indecent so we’re just going to leave this one at: don’t order this unless you’re dining with at least two other people. It’s fabulously rich but leaves you too full to order too many other dishes.
The Chicken and Cashew Spring Rolls represent Ben’s secret Chinese heritage. Ben is actually a mediocre Chinese man, don’t let the Jewish exterior fool you! His mastery of the word Ai-Ya is uncanny, and his addiction to the Journey to the West TV series will someday give him away. Like Ben’s Chinese, the spring rolls are good, not yet exceptional, but still very good. I wouldn’t order this only because there are so many more innovative things on the menu, but if you’re craving a feast from the East, by all means carry on…
Finally, the Stanton Social Beef Wellington is the perfection-seeker that Ben always is, and like Ben, it’s a combination of all the best things, and all these things just build off each other for a result that excels in all areas. This foie-gras-filet-mignon pastry literally melts in your mouth, and the flavors mesh into one smooth, so-good-you-want-to-keep-it-in-your-mouth-forever bite. Take just one bite of this, and you’ll have your fellow diners saying “I’ll have what she’s having.”
To wrap up the end of a perfect dinner with a perfect friend, the Warm Doughnuts are a classic. And if you ever just need a solid comfort food to be your anchor, like Ben, the Red Velvet Twinkie will never leave you hanging.
Overall, Stanton Social is an admired establishment that lives up to its name – a restaurant and bar nestled in the Lower East Side of NYC that brings people together. There is a downstairs dining room for those who simply want dinner on Stanton, and there is an upstairs bar with tables for those who want to eat and be more social. I insist you have dinner here, but if you really must just stop in for drinks, indulge in the virile Black Magic or the glib Pineapple 75 Martini and make dinner reservations for later. And if you see Ben and me celebrating 8 years of friendship, just remember to be social.
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