It wasn’t until recently that we figured out D&C was more than just a place to grab a libation or two. You can actually have an excellent meal as well. Think of it as tapas joint the resembles a wedding cocktail hour: American classics that go quite well with a drink shaken or stirred. The kitchen paces itself well, so dishes come out one at a time, and they give you a chance to enjoy your drink as well as the food. After a long day, a Robert Johnson Swizzle (single barrel bourbon, lime juice, 10yr port, vanilla syrup and more) with a side of truffle mac n cheese is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Food Rundown:

Tuna Tartare
Some of the best tuna tartare we’ve had in recent memory and a steal at twelve bucks – it’s a nice amount of food. The tuna has a really nice spicy kick, and it’s served with homemade kettle corn chips that are stupid good. Get this.

Truffle Mac & Cheese
When we sent out a tweet from Death & Co, we got like 6 replies all saying some version of “holy crap the mac and cheese spoons are off the chain!” The people are never wrong. Indeed, this stuff is chronic. Served on individual spoons, this mac with aged cheddar and truffle bread crumbs hits the spot.

Seared Petite Filet Mignon
A pleasantly surprising ditty of a steak. The meat has a great seared crust on it, and for sixteen dollars, we aren’t complaining. This is really good, and could easily fill up one not-so-starving person.

Lobster Brioche Rolls
Three lobster sliders served on toasted brioche rolls. These bad boys were a great compliment to the Grass Kilt (coconut green tea-infused grouse scotch, lemon juice, pineapple juice, acacia honey syrup, cinnamon syrup) I was sipping when they rolled out of the kitchen. Now, this isn’t the purist Luke’s Lobster approach – this is more of a chicken salad type of lobster salad as the lobster bits are mixed in equal parts with crunchy jicama, apple and fennel slaw. They’re little mini lobster sandwiches, and they’re good.

Wild Mushroom Tart
Sautéed mushrooms with caramelized onion pesto and walnuts on top of a pastry tart. Surprisingly tasty, and definitely a good drinking snack.

Dearest Al Di La. It’s taken way too long for this relationship to get off the ground. People have been telling me about you for a while now, saying we’d be the perfect match. It just so happens that low key Italian ladies that don’t abuse my credit card are right in my wheelhouse. I hear you’re pretty good in the kitchen too. Unfortunately, stalking you on the internet can only get me so far. I’m jealous of the others who’ve had their way with you and brag about it all over Yelp. And why can’t I find you on Facebook?

Up until now, distance is the only thing that has kept us from this inevitable union. I have been making an effort to get out to Brooklyn more, but Park Slope? You’re really making this difficult. Nonetheless, I’m glad I made the trip. You are everything that I knew you would be. I love those huge communal tables you have. And wow…those are tight specials and perfectly sized portions. I’m going to start hitting shows at The Bell House all the time now, just so I have an excuse to see you. I do have one problem though. At some point, I am going to have to tell my girlfriend about you. Maybe, when the time is right, you guys can meet. I know she would like you. But I need time. First I’m going to have to convince her to be OK with a little ménage à pasta.

Food Rundown:

Fresh Spring Salad
Make sure you pay attention to the salads, especially the specials. This chopped salad boasted all kinds of awesome fresh greens along with fava beans, green beans, asparagus, peas and fennel in a zesty champagne vinaigrette.

Steamed Mussels
A big ass pot of jumbo mussels. Served in an excellent garlic broth, the biggest prize is at the bottom where a thick piece of bread sits, soaking up the goodness. We fully back these.

Pea Ravioli
Amazing homemade ravioli. Check the TwitPic. Inside the pasta was a heavenly spring pea puree with marscapone cheese, and they came served with a ridiculous butter sauce and fresh peas for garnish. This is pasta perfection.

Squid Ink Risotto
Al Di La is known for their risottos and has rotating specials. Order one to share, they’re generous portions. The squid ink risotto is absolutely tremendous.

Saltimbocca Alla Romana
A boneless pork loin scallopine with sage, prosciutto and sauteed potatoes. This was definitely our least favorite dish of the night, but that’s partly due to the fact that we were stuffed by this point. Either way, we wish we had ordered the rabbit which we hear is ridiculous. Next time.

Aldea pimps out their chef, George Mendes, New Orleans style. In NOLA, chef photos and accolades greet you at the front door and decorate restaurant walls, watching you eat. By the time your meal is finished, you know damn well that John Besh or Donald Link is the man that made it all possible. Aldea revolves its world around Mendes in a similar way. Our waiter must have dropped George’s name three or four times, and I guarantee he’s required to do that. It all feels a little desperate…if your food is that good, New Yorkers will recognize. No need to shove it in our faces. Despite all the name dropping, Aldea is a very comfortable eating environment. We lucked out and got the best seat in the house, the back booth right in front of the kitchen, which you should absolutely request when you’re making a reservation. Overall, we’re not saying Aldea is a bad restaurant, it just doesn’t live up to all the hype. We’ll go back sometime, we’re just not in any rush.

Food Rundown:

Jamon Iberico
Definitely some high quality ham, but for $21, it’s not worth the high price tag. Spend the money on something else.

Sea Urchin Toast
Ok. This was good. Really good. But it’s also incredibly rich. Chunks of sea urchin (which look like slices of mandarine oranges) sit on top of a thin toasted cracker-thing with cauliflower cream and sea lettuce. Pretty great.

Salt Cod Croquettas
Possibly the creamiest cod crox we’ve ever had. I personally enjoyed them, but the rest of the table was not feelin’ the ultra-smooth texture of these.

Wellfleet Oysters
Six Oysters, seventeen bucks. I mean, come on. That’s a bit much, especially when they suck. The oysters were quite disappointing, as was the pickled ramp mignonette. Next.

Slow-Poached Egg
This was excellent. A slow poached egg sitting in a light spring garlic broth with truffle, sweet peas and smoked bacon. Break the yolk and mix everything together for the ultimate bite.

Tilefish
Holy crap, this was gross. So bad that we actually sent it back to catch a little fire (the fish wasn’t cooked at all). It appeared that they plated and garnished the fish right out of the fridge, and this wasn’t supposed to be a sushi dish. When it came back cooked, it didn’t matter. This fish tasted like it’d been sitting around for weeks and the biggest travesty is that it came highly recommended from our waiter. Stay away from the tilefish.

Arroz De Pato
The dish Aldea is famous for, and pretty much the reason that we came. New York Magazine awarded it “Best Paella” and the Village Voice named it the Best Duck Dish of 2009. It’s definitely really good, but as with this entire restaurant, it just didn’t blow me (or the rest of my table), away. A paella of duck confit, chorizo, olive, and duck cracklings, the texture is fantastic, but the flavors are just a tad too overbearing.

Pork and Clams
Don’t let the name fool you, this really is just a pork belly dish. I thought we’d get a healthy dose of both belly and clams, but that wasn’t the case. There were maybe three clams on the plate, seemingly for decoration only. That being said, the thin strips of pork belly were quite savory and the sweet and sour glaze was really tasty.

Time Out reports that J.G. is calling ABC his “hippie restaurant”. It’s such a well thought out concept, at first you almost want to roll your eyes and brush it off as one big cliche. Don’t do it. Embrace the flannel shirts, recycled paper towels and foliage free branches. This is industrial rustic done right. Everything is incredibly well executed, and the attention to detail really caught our eye. We’re usually not the type to discuss light fixtures or artwork at the dinner table, but for a brief moment in time, we actually managed to sustain a conversation about something other than our typical immature dinner banter. The ladies at our table were in heaven, and we’re honestly surprised that they didn’t try to stuff every piece of mismatched china and clay dinnerware into their purses. Speaking of purses, typically Jean-Georges dining comes with a hefty price tag, but that’s not the case at ABC Kitchen. This is actually an affordable way to experience his cuisine – indulge you should. A diverse mix of salads, pizzas, pastas and main course proteins decorate a menu that’s meant to be shared. Take a hit and pass, it’s the hippie way.

Food Rundown:

Ramp Toast
Make sure you sample at least one of the toast options on the market table section of the menu. We were all set to roll with the Peekytoe crab toast until we heard the specials. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Green Pea Soup
When was the last time you ordered pea soup and had whole peas show up in your bowl? This isn’t your standard pea soup…oh no, these peas are fresh out of JG’s garden and into your belly. There’s something refreshing about how simple this soup is – peas and carrots with a hint of mint. Good stuff.

Mackerel Sashimi
When eating off a balanced menu like this, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not messing with one of the light seafood apps. Since fluke rarely impresses, we went mackerel and really enjoyed it. The ginger marinade really gave it some nice additional flavor.

Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad
This is quickly becoming one of ABC’s signature dishes and with good reason. I usually leave words like “divine” for females to use on their own food blogs, but in this case, I might actually play that card. That’s exactly what a well constructed bite of this salad is – a little bit of carrot, some avocado and a few seeds all in the same mouthful. Divine.

Pretzel Dusted Calamari
This whole ‘pretzel dust’ thing is a little gimmicky and didn’t taste any different from other batches of calamari. My one complaint here is that underneath the alleged pretzel dusting was rubbery, overcooked calamari. The two dipping sauces were excellent though, and somewhat made up for the chewy squid

Bowtie Pasta with Kasha and Veal Meatballs
Jean-Georges’ take on an old Jewish dish Kasha varnishkes would probably have my ancestors rolling in their graves, but had us scraping the plate clean. If you are ordering one pasta dish, this is the one to get. The crispy kasha and fresh bowtie pasta played off the veal meatballs perfectly. Our table freaked out over this.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Clams
God damn. For me personally, it doesn’t get any better than this right here. A ridiculous amount little neck clams brought to life by hints of mint, parsley and fresh chilies. If you like clams, spicy and pizza like me, you’ll be in heaven.

Chili-Herbed Black Sea Bass
A nice piece of fish, this sea bass with a little extra kick was good, not great. If we could do it all over again, we’d roll with the arctic char or cod.

Organic Crispy Chicken
Ideally crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside. Well executed and highly recommended.

Dessert
Saving a little space for sweets here is worth your while. Definitely order the sundae with salted caramel-peanut ice cream, candied popcorn, whipped creme fraiche & chocolate sauce. All you need is a couple bites, but those couple bites are glorious. Other fan faves included the chocolate cake with marshmallow icing and vanilla & citrus cream doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce. Good times.

There is a good chance you’ve eaten Italian food on this block before, and if you haven’t, it’s time you do. This one street is home to not only Il Posto Accanto and it’s sister restaurant Il Baggato, but also date night MVP Supper. But Il Posto Accanto is the one that nobody seems to talk about. It’s the smallest, quietest, and least flashy of the three Italian spots on the block, and that’s what makes it great. You can still roll in on a Friday night and get a seat because everyone else is trying to get a table next door at Il Baggato. What they don’t know is that the two restaurants share a kitchen, and Il Posto Accanto is home to some of the best meatballs and pastas in town, along with a great wine list and open air dining. We were honestly sort of torn about writing this place up, but you’re a loyal reader and deserve to have it in your repertoire. Just promise you won’t tell New Jersey.

Food Rundown:

MeatballsThree to an order, swimming in a bowl of sauce. These might be the best meatballs in town. No matter what else you are ordering, get an order and split it.