Socialeatzing

After going up and down the island of Manhattan searching for a perfect apartment (oxymoron?), we were left with a short window for a late lunch yesterday before my parents had to leave for the airport.  I chose Social Eatz because it was a short walk from my apartment and because I knew my parents would appreciate the Asian twist on comfort food.  I'll be honest, I also chose it because the owner is Top Chef alum Angelo Sosa, and my goal is to try as many of the Top Cheffers' restaurants as possible - this being one of the few I can easily afford.


We started with the edamame fritters simply because they sounded interesting (as does anything fried).  They were served with cilantro, dill, pickled onion, and garlic aioli.  The dill made it!  I think dill is an underused herb (until someone decides to cook salmon) - but it really worked with these fritters.  Although they have won awards for the Bibimbap Burger, my Daddy decided to go with the Bulgogi Burger, based on the waitress' suggestion.  My Daddy is a big fan of kimchee, so the Korean flair to this burger had him hooked.  My Mommy got the Chop Chop salad and was surprised by how much she liked the gooey six-minute egg on top - we have a convert!  I ordered the korean beef tacos, which had a spicy bean sprout kimchee that gave the sweet beef a kick in the gut.  Since it was my parents' last meal in the city, we were feeling a tad gluttonous so we also ordered the curry creamed spinach and the mac and cheese side dishes.  I thought both were great and well portioned for the price.  My Mommy commented that even my brother, who tends to avoid spinach would have piled this version on his plate. 

When you want your Mama's version of comfort food, go to her house.  When you want to experiment with those classic dishes, go to Social Eatz.