Buckets of fried chicken are more common to game-day takeout than haute cuisine, but as we've seen with the rise of gourmet breaded birds, raising the lowbrow to highbrow can be the basis of a successful business model. There are lots of classy birds out there—see Bobwhite, Buttermilk Channel and newcomer Root & Bone—but to our knowledge, Sarah Simmons's new eatery Birds & Bubbles (opening tomorrow) is the first time the dish has been paired with champagne.
At her "culinary salon" City Grit, Simmons had often experimented with dishes from her Southern heritage, with low country shrimp suppers and other nods to classic dishes from the region. With her first traditional restaurant, Simmons executes these types of dishes on the regular, frying up buckets of savory fried chicken, bowls of crawfish etouffee and plates of dainty deviled eggs.
Chicken's the main event here, like a half chicken served with a quarter bottle of champagne (Splitty-Split, $55) or the Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner, which comes with a whole fried chicken, three sides and a bread basket stocked with biscuits, jalapeno cornbread and benne seed challah rolls. Then there are those Deviled Eggs ($4), whipped and topped with sriracha flakes.
Meat eschewers aren't left out, with "Chicken Scratch" options like a Vegetable Curry ($21) with seasonal vegetables and a buttermilk biscuit roti, plus a Rice Grits Risotto ($19) with heirloom tomatoes, yuzu and ginger. Smaller dishes are also vegetarian-pescatarian friendly, including a Tomato Pie ($13) made with NY State Cheddar, heirloom tomatoes and dill and sides like Vidalia Onion Souffle and a Summer Slaw with nam pla prik—a Thai fish sauce and chili condiment—peanuts and cilantro.
The bubbles are equally important, of course, and even if you know nothing about champagnes the staff can guide your choices. The price point is higher than your average LES restaurant, but keep in mind that the real stuff is always imported. If the budget doesn't allow for bubbly, the restaurant will also offer a full bar plus five craft beers by the can and bottle.
The dining room plays off the high-low concept as well, combining elements like plush banquettes with fun photos of friends and chefs gnawing on fried chicken. The big seating selling point: the enclosed back yard, which twinkles by lamplight at night. Check out the cute covered "grotto" before the inevitable four-month shut in.
100B Forsyth Street at Grand Street, 646-368-9240; website
