The Diner of All Diners

So it's not often that you are comped a full meal and drinks. Hell, it's not often you are comped anything. (Why is that by the way?) But last night, Mal and I, OH we were comped alright.


It seems like new restaurants are opening EVERYWHERE and EVERYDAY here in New York. People who frequent Portland know all about Pok Pok Wing. Well one of those just opened up about a 2 minute walk from us. It replaced BaoHaus, another huge food pilgrimage stop. Since we have been here, 6 new restaurants have opened within a quarter mile. And I am sure just as many have closed. It is seriously cut throat. Am I complaining? NOPE. I clearly like food. And the more options I have, the better.


Our good buddy Jay moved here about a month before us from San Diego as well. He has been in the restaurant business for quite some time and was looking to pick right up where he left off in SD. So one night we were at a bar called The Summit. Awesome drinks. Probably some of the best we have had yet. We got to talking to the bar tender and she mentioned she was opening a restaurant of her own. Jay being the sly guy he is, offered his card and they exchange all the necessaries. Well fast forward about 2 months later, he is the night GM of the restaurant.


And this isn't just some restaurant opening up. First of all, it's a diner. Diners are awesome. But this isn't a normal diner, it's a gourmet diner. With a world renowned chef to boot. The guy who owns it is Mathieu Palombino. He is also the owner of a pizza place that is suppose to be one of the best in the city called, Motorino. Just google his name and TONS of articles come up. Did I mention that this place is also a full bar? With cocktails? Like good cocktails? The Summit Bar owner, Hamid Rashidzada, is the guy who provided the drink menu. Google his name too and you will see how popular he is as well.



So Jay informed us about a week ago that they are going to be doing a friends and family night before the restaurant opens, and said that he put our names on the list to go. Needless to say, we were stoked. We haven't really had a "nice" meal since we have been here, mostly because it is so ungodly expensive. He also informed us that EVERYTHING would be free. Jackpot.

Our reservation was at 7. The restaurant seems done, at least I hope it is cause they open on Sunday, and it looks good. Classic diner style but still looks classy. We started off with drinks. I got the Jenni Lee. Bourbon, lime, bitters, and mint. A very smooth drink. Usually bourbon is the dark drink I try and stay away from, but this was damn good. 

Mal is a big fan of tequila, so naturally she went with the Sunshine on my Shoulders first. Herradura tequila, hibiscus agave, fresh lime, and orange bitters. She loved it. And it reminded her of our favorite place, The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.

We then ordered some appetizers to get the food going. I didn't take any pictures cause to be honest, the plate didn't look that appealing. The food was good, but the plate looked bleh. We got a charcuterie plate with smoked ham, prosciutto, paté, salami, and smoked bacon. We also got a cheese plate that had bleú, brie, gouda, goat, and one terrible smelling one that I didn't even bother with. Mixing these two appetizers together was awesome. We then ordered some more drinks, of course. Mal got the Rupert Holmes. Coconut rum, coconut milk, bitters, jalapeño accent, and pineapple juice. A seriously tasty fruity drink.

And I got what was the best cocktail I have ever had. The 1879. Mitchers whiskey, orange zest, and bitters. I liked it so much that throughout the night, I had 3 of them. So smooth and delicious. 

At this point we had ordered our entree's and were just kind of enjoying our time. Our waiter came over and apparently thought we needed more alcohol. Not complaining. So he brought us over a 23 year old aged rum called Ron Zacapa Centenario from Honduras. It was the smoothest alcohol I have ever tasted. And full disclosure, we had two more towards the end of our night.

Needless to say, we were both feeling pretty toasty at this point. Me with two 1879's and the Jenni Lee in and Mal having gone back to the Sunshine on my Shoulders plus the Rupert Holmes. Our meals had arrived. If there is Mac and Cheese on a menu, Mal will order it. So that's what she did. A mammoth bowl of it at that. And it was fucking delicious. The best tasting mac and cheese is always the one that is stickiest. And this bowl of mac and cheese was god damn sticky. 

I ordered the NY Strip Steak. I rarely eat steak. And I only do when I know it is worth eating. This was worth eating. A 13 ounce steak is a big chunk of meat. And I ate every bite. It was, to date, the best piece of meat I have ever had. Ordered it medium and with the béarnaise sauce. The chef decided to send out all three available sauces (ginger ketchup, béarnaise, and red wine). Well, being that I am not the total food connoisseur, I started pouring the red wine sauce all over the meat (only cause I realized after tasting the béarnaise that it was just a tad too buttery). The sauce was insane. It brought out so much more flavor from the meat. It wasn't until I asked our waiter for another side of the red wine sauce did he point out that I was actually enjoying the ginger ketchup. WHICH BLEW MY MIND. Ketchup? On steak? Ew. Yea not this ketchup. 

My steak came with a massive side of fries that were absolutely delicious. Sans most of them were all cut in about half inch sizes, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. But regardless I dipped the shit out of those fries in the ginger ketchup sauce as well. 

After devouring the steak, our waiter informed us that the bartenders were jonesing to make a boozy milkshake. Yea, didn't turn that offer down. I got a milkshake that had vanilla ice cream, mint, cherry jubilee and bourbon. Not as thick as I would have liked it, but delicious and definitely boozy nonetheless.

Mal got a pistachio milkshake. Hate pistachio. But she seemed to enjoy it. 

At this point, we were both drunk, and both so insanely full. Two appetizers, twelve drinks, one 13 oz. steak, one cauldron of mac and cheese, and 2 milkshakes. What did we pay? 55 dollars (for tip). What should we have paid? $255.00 without tip. $310.00 with tip.

STOKED. Cannot thank Jay enough. Bowery Diner is gonna do awesome. This was by far the best meal we have had in New York so far. And not just because it was free. But because every bite and every sip was amazing.