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Root & Bone 1 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida

As they do not take reservations, I had my party of four arrive at Root & Bone at 5:15 on a Sunday evening, fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to open - and a line had already formed. At 5:30, they began seating people; however, the restaurant only has about a dozen small tables with circa 1950s classroom chairs and white-washed tables. The three different locations for bar stools can hold about another fifteen or so total. We were fortunate to be seated right away, but within a short amount of time, I observed more and more gathered outside. Our waitress informed me that these people would probably not get a table for another two hours. Incredible.

Is it worth the wait? Absolutely. Having written about this space in its two previous incarnations, I marveled at how partners and chefs, Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth, had maximized every inch in the room, giving it a refreshing, bright new look. I loved the collection of mismatched decorative plates and random silverware. However, as soon as we took a look at the menu, the interior no longer took precedence. My family members could not contain themselves and they began ordering.

We started out with both Grandma Daisy's Angel Biscuits and the Southern Style Cornbread. As we were quickly polishing these off, two more plates of food were set before us: Southern Peach Caprese - a fantastic combination of grilled peaches, tomatoes and a warm fried pimento cheese mini cake - and the Chilled Watermelon salad served with cucumber and a citrus vinaigrette. The fun continued for the boys with a half bucket of fried chicken served with waffles, cheddar cheese, and whiskey maple syrup, as well as the Braised Short Rib Meat Loaf. For sides, we had the Macaroni & Cheese and Stone Ground Cheese Grits. Needless to say, there were leftovers, but we did a fine job of finishing most of the meal. Despite our full stomachs, we felt compelled to order the warm, scrumptious chocolate pecan pie.

Satiated, and oh so pleased to have had all the comfort food we could possibly eat, we agreed that Root & Bone has a southern charm that should not be missed.

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Root & Bone 1 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 2 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 3 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 4 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 5 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 6 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 7 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 8 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 9 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 10 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 11 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida
Root & Bone 12 Southern Alphabet City East Village Loisaida

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The Book Club

Book Club isn’t just for the suburbs anymore — as a new bookshop, bar and coffeehouse gives East Village denizens and beyond a new place to pore over and pour over their favorite reads. Married proprietors Erin Neary and Nat Esten, East Village residents themselves, had longed for an independent bookstore to serve the Alphabet City area, they told the Manhattan Sideways team when we popped in to see dozens of happy customers enjoying a read and a latte one sunny Friday morning. “We always thought that the neighborhood needed another bookstore, ” said Erin, “and we also kept wondering, ‘Wouldn't it be so cool if you could drink wine while you were shopping for books? ’” They decided not only to open a bookstore and bar, but to additionally add in the day-to-night-element of coffee into the mix. While both Erin and Nat had worked in hospitality before, bookselling was new to them. “I started doing research in 2017 and worked with the American Booksellers Association’s consulting program to help new bookstores get off the ground, ” said Erin. “I met with them as well as other bar owners and bookstore owners in the neighborhood and did as much research as I could without actually doing it. ” The duo launched Book Club in November 2019, enjoying an enthusiastic community reception until COVID-19 forced them to pivot. “Nate started doing bike deliveries — as many as 20 miles a day! ” Erin told us. “He’d go out to Harlem to drop off books and then all the way out to Bushwick — so a lot of people learned about the store that way. ”Once they were able to reopen to the public, Book Club forged full steam ahead in engaging the community in “book club”-esque events — from author talks to poetry readings to creative writing workshops, with additional unique offerings like an adult spelling bee and a “drink and draw” sketching class. They’ve also recently received their full liquor license, and plan to roll out literary-themed cocktails like an In Cold Bloody Mary or the Murder on the Orient Espresso Martini, Erin told us. More than anything, she added, she enjoyed having customers back in the store to guide them toward their next favorite book. “Our staff are not just really good baristas, but they’re avid readers as well. So between myself and the rest of the team, we have a really good handle on the books here — it’s fun to be able to curate not just what we stock, but to get the right book into someone’s hands. ”