"Social"izing on Stanton

Have you ever spent considerable time at a restaurant deliberating between two or three menu items only to finally choose one and then be disappointed with it? Ever uttered "<>, I should have ordered that!" as the waitress passed you with a certain menu item and headed to another table? Well I do it all the time. I go to a restaurant, usually one I've been to before, and closely review the menu (even though I've probably memorized it already). I note the specials, I check out all the new dishes and I find a few that sound good. And then, without fail, when the waitress (or waiter, I suppose) comes to take my order, I revert back to ol' faithful and request something I've had before. Anyone who has ever dined with me can tell you that I'm not a huge risk taker with food. I order the same thing, over and over. I get scared about ordering new things even though I'm bored with chicken fingers and spicy salmon rolls. Which is why, when presented with the opportunity to sample a bunch of little things, I'm pretty excited. Because if I don't like it, there's not a whole lot left to eat (or let go to waste). Dimsum in Chinatown? Love it! Tapas at a Spanish restaurant? In heaven! A buffet? I'm a pig in mud!

Tonight's dinner with my friend Angela landed us at Stanton Social. It's one of my favorite restaurants on the island (possibly in the world). It's an American take on tapas. Everything is served teeny tiny. One of the most delectable (and creative!) items on the menu is the French Onion Soup Dumplings. These little bites of heaven are indescribable. The picture doesn't really do them justice (but I had to include it since this is, technically, a photo blog). The noodle shell is wrapped around warm, brothy onions. They are served in this little casserole dish with dumpling slots and covered with melted cheese. They are bite sized only to the Jolly Green Giant; the rest of us can do it in two or three bites. I do believe it's the most popular item on their menu.


We ordered a few more little plates (potato and goat cheese pierogies, a tomato and fresh mozzarella pizette, a mini Kobe beef slider and some warm mini donuts for dessert) and satisfied all of our cravings. And with all the choices to choose from on our table, we didn't suffer from even the slightest bit of plate envy. And shockingly enough, I loved everything we ordered! Except for the chives on top of our pierogies and the basil on top of our pizette. That stuff got dropped in the rejection bowl.