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The Bowery Diner: The red neon sign outside may read “Diner,” but last time we checked, greasy spoons don’t usually dole out duck confit, escargot-style whelks and steak tartar. That is, unless the diner in question is the brainchild of Belgian chef Mathieu Palombino, who carries over the quality of his high-profile pizzeria Motorino to long-awaited LES spot, the Bowery Diner. Palombino’s popular pies may not have made the menu, but classic diner dishes like burgers, fries and a solid Reuben with in-house smoked pastrami ($16) did, sharing the bill with fancier fare like the “L.I. Duck Salad,” topped with confit gizzard and port-poached figs ($17). The diner’s décor matches the menu’s blend of mid-century nostalgia and upscale upgrades, with stainless-steel paneling, Formica countertops and turquoise trim punched up by burgundy booths and glowing globe light fixtures. Snag a stool at the counter-bar, where scruffy, paper-hat-sporting servers gab away about Patti Smith and bartenders shake up everything from good ol’ egg creams to cocktails like the fresh-‘n-fruity “Teaches of Peaches” (gin, peach-infused agave, fresh lemon juice and soda, $11). Palombino pitched the downtown den as an American homage to the brasserie, the type of place you can sit in for hours, no questions asked—good thing too, because you’ll never want to leave the casually cool Bowery Diner.
Reviewed 1/17/12 |
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