All photos courtesy Bongos.
On a late spring afternoon in the Lower East Side, we went to Bongos on Orchard Street for dinner, where we were treated to a feast as pretty to the eyes, as tasty as to the palate.
The super cozy neighborhood bistro, which just opened last month, comes courtesy of the biz duo Michael Beaumont Bray and Noble Harris, who also own the LES bars Kind Regards and Dingaling. This is their first full-service venture. The restaurant has elegant, yet relaxing vibes for friends or loved ones getting together for a dinner party, or catching up.
Bongos’ menu offers a playful spin on bistro fare, prepared by a young chef from New Orleans, Gabriel Borges. Those flavorful accents will have you cleaning your plate. Appetizers to try include a choice of traditional oysters, or charbroiled oysters with pecorino, Aleppo, and herbs. We especially loved the fried artichokes, with fennel, vinegar, parmesan, and chili. For dinner, the Bongos Chicken is a must, with Calabrian relish, house pickles, and herbs. Other entreé selections to try include the Bistro Steak with demi sauce; Steak Tartare with black sesame, ancho, and pickled mustard seed, or the Pacific Whiting with guajillo mojo, sourdough, and fennel.
“I was encouraged to bring my background and personal history into focus, ” says Chef Gabriel Borges. “We started veering more towards “bistrot” which by definition means ‘unpretentious restaurant’. That gave me some freedom to bring influences you don’t see at a standard New York French bistro. We have a delicious burger, but we put an elegant sea bass crudo with jasmine and green strawberries that you certainly wouldn’t see at Corner Bistro or the Odeon. Fried pickles, ricotta with cucumber and dill are flying out the kitchen. I’m getting a ton of freedom to do dishes on seasonality that don’t really fit a format, and we’re trying to course things out like we’re hosting at home. We all have a lot of love for dining in New York and we wanted to share that with the LES.
“For us it’s about feeling connected, food and drink as a conduit for talking about everything else in life as well,” Borges continued. ” There’s nothing better than having my friends over and cooking for them. I’m hoping I’m bringing that feeling to our dining room.”
For cocktails, there’s something for everyone. I personally loved the Bongos Highball, with scotch, honey, ginger, and lemon. Other hits include The Southside (gin, mint, cucumber, lime), along with a selection of “Negroni-ish” cocktails, an Orange Julius, (vodka, vanilla, tangerine, lemon) as well as wine and beer.
Decadent desserts are at the ready at Bongos, too, with chocolate mousse w/blueberry compote, toasted sesame, and whipped cream, in addition to a mountainous ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, served with cookies.
There are several dining spaces for guests-including the amber-hued grand dining room, and a backyard atrium, Patrons can also enjoy a selection of B-grade noir films on rotation.
Bongos recently added a weekend brunch menu, that includes some fresh selections to start your weekend right, such as Sea Bass Crudo, topped with jasmine, cucumber and lime; Wild Blue Crab Tartar, made with buttermilk and topped with celery; Smoked Char Dip, topped with crispy capers and pickled shallots, with a side of sourdough bread; and Pork Belly, house cured and rubbed with hickory and maple chili syrup. Brunch hours are Saturday, noon to 4pm, and Sundays, noon to 6pm.
Bongos is located at 85 Orchard Street. For more information and reservations, visit bongosnyc.com
Check out more of the best dining in NYC here.