The Stanton Social @ NYC ****

‘Chicken n’ Waffles’ (Brick Pressed Chicken, Aged Cheddar Waffle, Corn Pudding and Balsamic Spiked Maple Syrup)

It is seldom that I decide to dine at a restaurant with the full expectation that it does not serve Really Good Food. It is even more seldom that my prejudgements are proved to be mistaken. Despite a decidedly ’sceney’ atmosphere and louder than ’energetic’ noise level, with two levels, a raw bar, and a wet bar, it is clear that the AvroKo design firm of  Public and Double Crown fame have done it again. Eastern-influenced décor and finger-licking Southern-style cuisine manage somehow to coincide and not collide.

Participating in ‘Social Monday,’ a prix fixe menu option that includes a free after-dinner drink at the upstairs lounge, entitles one to a steady stream of eclectic small plates such as Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Corn, Smoked Goat Cheese and Spiced Cashews, Chipotle Grilled Shrimp with Tomato and Feta Relish, and my personal favorite Warm Donuts that come, as advertised, tantalizingly, deliciously warm.

The next time you find yourself on the LES, step inside and be surprised.

Details: 99 Stanton Street New York, NY 10002-1405 (+1-212-995-0099)