For my brother’s birthday celebration, it seemed only obvious that I would have to concoct a delicious plan for a night out. Saturday night came, and I gave my brother and his fiancé these directions: “Take the bus (x10) to the 23rd street stop, get off and walk on the south side past Madison Avenue. When you pass the McDonalds look for a silvery/metal rounded entrance and, even though it looks like you can’t go in, go in.” That’s Milk and Honey. Originally a “members only” speakeasy on the lower east side, they reopened with slightly less strict entry rules not too long ago in the Flatiron area. And it is definitely a pretty cool experience. This was my second time here, and I loved it more than the first, as a much more experienced bourbon drinker. So when you order at Milk and Honey, you don’t simply order. Instead, you describe your preferences and mood to the waiter who comes up with his own drink for you. I told him I liked bourbon and old fashioneds, but maybe wanted a lighter/sweeter twist on the original. 
So was born a chocolate cafe old fashioned (on the right), which was possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Justin’s more traditional bourbon drink is to the left. And my brother and his fiancé’s:
Theirs were delicious too, as they had described wanting something “fresh and herby.” Since we got to Milk and Honey at 7, and were starving and still a few hours away from dinner, we also all shared a little snack, the Serrano with Brie, which was a perfect bite.
I’m such a huge fan of speakeasies, this place is a sure favorite. If you can find it, you should definitely give it a shot.
Ok now is my confession: three drinks at Milk and Honey was a poor decision. Not that they weren’t absolutely delicious, but the rest of my dinner and night kind of became a blur. We walked to Resto, just a few blocks north of the bar, and had what turned out to be an excellent meal. Resto earned an honorable four star Baconboozer rating. I’m going to skimp on details of the meal, mostly because I don’t know them myself, but I will give you the pictures and highlights:
Appetizers first…
Mustard spaetzle: a favorite for everyone
Lamb ribs: another favorite – so good
Crispy shrimp: good, but probably my least favorite app
Steak tartare: yum.
For veggies we did the roasted corn and the roasted Brussels sprouts, both of which were delicious, here’s a picture of the Brussels sprouts, my favorite.
And for entrees, all of which were excellent:
Moules and frites, good but least fav of entrees
Long Island duck – personal fav. So, so, so tender and cooked to perfection.
Steak and onions – so good
To drink, we did a fun carafe of beer, which I wasn’t expecting to come out in such a cool presentation:
Those glasses wobble, be careful!
And luckily, the table next to us was doing an awesome head to tail feast, so we got to witness that. The guys even let me snap a picture of their lamb head, which I obviously envied:
For dessert, we went with the buttermilk panna cotta, what Justin claimed to be the best panna cotta he’s ever had:
It was light and fresh and delicious.
And they even brought my brother out a birthday dessert so we could obnoxiously sing:
While my memories of the experience are somewhat blurred, the pictures bring the tastes back, and I know for sure that this was a fun, unique, and delicious dining experience. Congrats, Resto, on your four stars! I can’t wait to go back to their sister restaurant, the Cannibal, for a full review of that!