Beauty is definitely the word for it. Beauty & Essex is gorgeous and dramatic. It’s like an oasis in the Lower East Side. Of course I am sure Lower East Siders are not big fans of this chi chi exclusive spot! We aren’t fans of the club scene, so we made 6:15 reservations for dinner. This is a sister restaurant to Stanton Social and the similarity is pretty obvious when you see the banquettes and decor…

There is a skylight in the center which is not to be believed. And you can see the outdoor plants, etc. up there. Potentially rooftop in summer?!

The entry is a pawn shop, which would be clever if they didn’t staff it with an idiot. Don’t ask any questions or actually want to buy something. They don’t know the prices. There is a rather huge selection of guitars on sale. Steve asked the girl what the story was with all of the guitars and she said…’oh, they’re from the owner’s collection. He knows the story.’

I actually was interested in a marcasite bracelet that was stunning. I asked on the way in and out for a price…the first guy at the hostess station said he didn’t know and dismissed me by saying ‘we’ll be happy to assist you on the way out.’ Then the girl in the pawn shop on the way out said…’oh, this one doesn’t have a price tag on it, so it must not be for sale. But there’s another one at the hostess station!’ OMG, I guess they don’t actually want people to spend MONEY in the pawn shop. They just thought it would be a cool front for a club.

The food format also follows the Stanton Social formula. Everything is small bites to share. Frankly, we were not totally blown away by the food, but then we were not expecting to be. Cocktails run $13/each. I had the Ruby Mojito, which consisted of Zacapa 15yr rum, St. Germain, lemon juice, mint, and raspberry-lemon soda. This is a lethal cocktail. I could not taste any alcohol at all.

This is what we ate…the best item by far was the chicken meatball plate. BTW, most items come in 3’s and they are happy to give you one extra for an upcharge, which we did for the Jewels on Toast and the Meatballs.

Raw Bar
Tempura Shrimp Cocktail charred jalapeno cocktail sauce 16.00

Jewels On Toast
Classic Pan Con Tomate 8.00
Add With Fresh Burrata 6.00
The burrata was not as good as most we’ve had – burrata is mozzarella filled with mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is pure mozzarella and the center is creamy and delicious. Theirs was mostly mozzarella.

Appetizers
Braised Short Rib Tamales 13.00

Shared Plates
Oven Braised Chicken Meatballs sheep’s milk ricotta, wild mushroom, truffle 16.00

Desserts
Box Of Doughnuts pumpkin spice, buttermilk, vanilla glazed chocolate & apple-bacon 12.00

After dinner, we walked up the dramatic staircase…

to the upstairs bar and lounge area where I tried another signature cocktail. This time I went with the Essex Sour Blush made with Woodford reserve bourbon, Thomaso’s sour mix, and Barola Chinato (an after dinner drink from Piedmont region of Italy). Another ass-knocker. Whew. Delicious and powerful.

The crowd was a mix. I was really expecting it to be the ‘pretty crowd’, but clearly we were too early (haha – with all the other losers who can’t get past a velvet rope). By the time we left it was surely getting packed and nightmarish. I think we did the perfect thing. In and out before 10pm. I’d recommend going just to check out the space. Stunning.

http://www.beautyandessex.com/
146 Essex St. – Lower East Side