The Stanton Social | New York City

There is nothing better than a fun night out with girlfriends at a trendy restaurant with good food, drinks, and hot music. 

This past Friday my friends, Sheetal and Amrita, and I met up at The Stanton Social for dinner.
This sexy & trendy restaurant is known as the “jewel’” of Manhattan’s Lower East Side district.  The Stanton Social is a lounge restaurant that serves tapas meant for sharing.
Here is the lounge/bar area located upstairs.

LOCATION:
99 Stanton Street
New York, NY 10002
(Lower East Side)

MENU: Stanton Social Menu
COST: $$$
CUISINE: Tapas/Small Plates
RECOMMENDED TO: Bar Scene, Casual Dining, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining.
AMBIENCE: Romantic/Trendy/Sexy/Elegant


MY REVIEW:
As a complimentary starter we were served a cracker topped with white bean dip and some pesto.  It was amazing, but I can’t recall the name of the starter.
We each started with a cocktail.  I went for the Basil-Lime Gimlet made with Vodka, muddled basil, lemon syrup, and fresh lime.  This drink was refreshing and tasty, but also quite strong.  I love nothing more than to unwind with a drink on a Friday night!
Since I was having so much fun, I ended up ordering a second drink, or as I call it “peer pressure.”  This time I went for Bea’s Gin-Lemon Mojito made with Bombay Sapphire, shredded mint, fresh lemon, lemon syrup, and lemon-lime soda.  This drink was excellent, and I actually liked it a bit more than the first.  Gosh, I love alcohol so much!
Sheetal went for the Blood Orange Jalapeno Margarita.  Doesn’t this drink look so pretty?  It was good, strong, and spicy, and she was pretty hit after just half a drink.  Although I liked the Jalapeno Margarita, I’m not too fond of spicy alcoholic beverages as I prefer fresh and fruity drinks more. 
Amrita went for 2 glasses of Red Wine – she’s so healthy, but she also helped Sheetal finish the Blood Orange Jalapeno Margarita.  🙂
Since Sheetal is vegetarian, we just ordered 1 non-vegetarian plate – the Red Snapper Tacos which were fried shells topped with avocado and spicy mango.  Excellent choice with 3 servings!
We ordered 2 different types of pizzettas.  The first was the Grilled Ovendried Tomato Pizzetta topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, roasted garlic, and chile oil.  The pizza was delicious, light, and very flavorful.
The second pizzetta we ordered was the Wild Mushroom Pizzetta topped with mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and parsley.  This pizza was also delicious, but slightly heavy.  I prefer tomato-based pizzas over cheese-based.
Next up, Social Mac & Cheese without bacon.  As much as I love Mac & Cheese, unfortunately I was very disappointed with the outcome of this dish.  Often times I’ve noticed when dining at a more upscale restaurant, the Mac & Cheese can be a let down since these types of establishments tend to get really fancy with the types of cheeses they use, and in the process the dish loses some of that traditional “cheese” flavor I so love. 
We also ordered Artichoke Fritters which were excellent, and of course deep-fried.  The fritters were flavorful, light, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. 
Last tapa of the night was the Butternut Squash Ravioli.  Although the ravioli was delicious and cooked in a warm brown butter sauce, hello heaven, I wasn’t expecting it to be so sweet.  This tasted more like dessert, but still very good.
We ended the night with Stanton Social’s signature Warm Doughnuts served with 3 types of sauces – chocolate, raspberry, and caramel.  The doughnuts were good, but I’m not quite sure what was so “signature” about this dish, I mean, they are just doughnuts.  Next time I would probably consider the Strawberry Shortcake. 

VERDICT: 4 / 5
Overall, I really enjoyed the ambience, food, and drinks at The Stanton Social.  The drinks and dishes here are very creative, some more so than others.  The only dish I was really disappointed with was the Mac & Cheese which is “supposedly” one of their best items.

The service here is outstanding.  After finishing up every dish, our waiter would swing by and replace our plates with new ones.  He must have done this like 6 times.  Just FYI, I recommend 2 tapas for every 1 person, since there were 3 of us, we went for 6 tapas.  The portions here are a bit smaller.  We left feeling full, but not ridiculously full.  

The Stanton Social makes an excellent first date spot or a great night out on a double date or a fun night with good ol’ girlfriends.  Quite honestly, the more people you have, the better, this way you can truly enjoy tasting different dishes.  I look forward to dining here again and this time I will consider ordering more non-vegetarian tapas, especially the Hand Pulled Chicken Arepas and Chipotle Grilled Shrimp.  Also, the one dish everyone raves about is the French Onion Soup Dumplings, we just weren’t in a soupy kinda mood on a Friday night, but definitely next time.  Make reservations ahead of time since they get really packed by 7 PM. 

Food: Good
Drinks: Good (unique & creative)
Decor: Excellent
Service: Excellent, or rather Outstanding
Value: Good


TELL ME: Have you been to The Stanton Social, if so, what did you think?