The Stanton Social

99 Stanton Street between Ludlow and Orchard Streets (Lower East Side)

New York, NY 10002

(212) 995-0099

Subway: F/V to 2nd Avenue; J/M/Z to Essex Street

Bus: M14A/15 to Houston Street; M21 to Allen or Essex Streets

I love to plan dinners with friends, and with the new year upon us, I thought it would be a fortuitous 2007 to begin the year with a close-friend dinner. I chose The Stanton Social because I had heard good things, I love sharing and tasting, and I figured it may not be too expensive for a group. Also, the reservation was easy to get for a group of 8 on a Wednesday at 7pm (using OpenTable).

Although I arrived 15 minutes late, I was still the first one there, but my dining companions followed soon after. The restaurant was also incredibly accommodating when my table of 8 became 10. A modern loungey entrance greets you as you enter on the main floor of the restaurant with comfortable banquette-like seating on your right, although this sleek look was hampered by a makeshift coat check and coat rack on this cool January night. We were seated on the second floor where a full bar sat in the center surrounded by a dining room. When side-by-side, the chairs at our table, although incredibly comfortable and inviting, didn't allow space for one to be seated at the table without pulling the entire chair out and letting everyone on that side in; I found this annoying and therefore, didn't want to get up the entire meal in order to avoid disturbing my fellow diners.

Everyone at the table was starving, so we decided to order three dishes for every two people; we could always order more as needed. When I asked our server what he recommended, he told me that the French onion soup dumplings were the most popular item on the menu. This annoyed me. I didn't ask for the most popular item; I wanted to know what HE recommended. Strike one against the waiter. (Aside: one of my friends there had tried the French onion soup dumplings before and didn't feel they were worth ordering again.)

We divided the table in half to make ordering and sharing easier. Our side of the table decided on red snapper tacos with mango & avocado salsa, duck confit empanadas, "old school" meatballs with herbed ricotta crepe manicotti, charred squid lettuce wraps with three sauces, braised short rib soft tacos with refried white beans, manchego and tomato relish and finally the dry-aged grilled hanger steak served with pillows of blue cheese. Dishes were served as they were ready and were slightly difficult to share amongst five people, but each person was more considerate of the next, and we made do. What the waiter did not explain was that it's possible to make each dish to serve the number of people you're with (strike two) -- so if the dish generally serves 3, you can ask for a serving for 5 at an additional cost.

We received the red snapper tacos and duck confit empanadas immediately, and I thought the tacos were fresh, flavorful and delicious especially with a squeeze of lime which added a brightness. The empanadas were dry, including the filling, which was disappointing. This could have been remedied, or at least helped, by the blood orange sauce that accompanied it, but one of the busboys took the dipper away before I was able to decide either way.

The charred squid were wonderful, a touch spicy, tender, not chewy or rubbery at all, and had been seasoned and marinated well. Each of the sauces that came with the lettuce wraps added a lovely accent that piqued our tastebuds, and had us wondering what each flavor was (without peeking back at the menu). When we were out of lettuce, I was happy to just munch on the remaining squid. The short rib soft tacos was more filling than we expected, and it was a perfect dish to share amongst our group. I enjoyed the "mini-taco bar" feel that the accompaniments gave to the dish. The short-ribs had been braised well, so that the meat was tender and had the depth of flavor that you would expect.

Our final dishes, the meatballs and hanger steak, came out together. The meatballs were soft and quite good in a bold tomato sauce that almost hid the manicotti which it all sat atop. The manicotti were good, but I prefer manicotti in a more structured tube than the soft crepe that this one had. The hanger steak was also good, cooked medium-rare as requested; however, the blue-cheese pillows that were found in the dish threw off the entire flavor of the meal (and I like blue cheese!), and I wasn't able to get rid of it from that point on. Everything else that I nibbled on the rest of the evening was plagued with the lingering flavor of that rancid cheese.

Although we were all pretty stuffed by the end of it, we decided to try the cookie sampler, which was a disappointing end to a decent meal. The waiter did not indicate which cookies were which, and it was basically trial and error as we went through the plate... mostly errors.

We had some problems with our bill, where our server overcharged us, but he rectified the situation as soon as I said something. Service was slow, and a bit bumbly, but this seems to be the vibe that The Stanton Social tries to achieve. I never felt hurried by the staff; in fact, I felt that I needed to hurry the waiter a bit.

The Stanton Social definitely has things going for it: cool owners, some good dishes, a well-decorated great space (I loved the antique hand mirrors on the walls that gave a vintage twist to the modern look)... and most importantly, a rather inexpensive tab, food-wise: only $35 per person. Keep in mind, we did not drink (I had a raucous evening involving too much Jameson the night before), and there was no raw bar on this occasion, but if you're looking for a fun place to go with a group, definitely keep The Stanton Social in mind.