We started with a drink at the bar where a crowd of locals-meets-weekenders and 50′s-meets-30′s fuels an energetic and lively atmosphere. The bartenders seem to know their wines, pour a clean tap beer and mix up some strong cocktails. The restaurant and bar interior has a classic feel to it with Tommy Bahama-esque sail linen fans, wicker chairs and open-air bay windows onto Main Street infusing the space with a laid-back, summer ambiance.

Once seated, our dinner got off to a bit of a slow start as there seemed to be some confusion as to which server had our table, or if our table even came with a server. But things eventually got sorted out and the minor delay gave us ample time to plot our ordering plan of attack. We like dining out with large groups so we can try an array of menu items. With the other Andy quarterbacking, we settled on a dozen oysters, crab cake, clams casino and crab claws to start. Everything was good…very good. The crab cake, which is chock full o’ large chunks of sweet crab meat and served with a mustardy remoulade, was a standout. As were the crab legs, which for a fleeting moment took me back to Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami.

When you want to go big, you get the Porterhouse. When you want to go huge, you get the Porterhouse for 5. Thankfully, Andy and Anna have been to this Bobby Van’s enough to know that to order the ‘Porterhouse for (insert # of people in your party)’ basically puts you in Man vs. Food territory. And you can likely get away with ordering the ‘Porterhouse for (insert # of people in your party minus 2)’. Here’s a little tip: here you always want to order the Porterhouse for an odd number. They aren’t going to cut a Porterhouse in half so whether you order ‘for 5′ or ‘for 6′, you’re gonna get the exact same amount of meat, and it’s only going to cost $45/person either way. So our ‘Porterhouse for 5′ for 6 of us was pretty much a no-brainer.

For sides, we went with the hash browns, onion rings and asparagus. The lobster mac n’ cheese on the blackboard list of specials caught our eye and so we ordered up a couple of them, too. There was to be no messing around at this meal.

It’s pretty obvious that Executive Chef John Stella knows what he’s doing in the kitchen. Plain and simple this was one of the best Porterhouse steaks I’ve ever had. It couldn’t have been a more perfectly executed medium rare. We’re talking original Peter Luger’s good, if not better. The lobster mac n’ cheese was fabulous as well (i mean, how could it not be) and a little bit of truffle oil essence took it to the next level. The hash browns were also excellent and ultra crispy around the edges, just the way I like ‘em.

This Bobby Van’s may be a victim of its own name recognition. With five Manhattan locations, many New Yorkers have eaten at a Bobby Van’s or otherwise come to form an opinion of it as a steakhouse. When people hear Bobby Van’s Bridgehampton, they likely equate it with the locations they have come to know in the city. But this Bobby Van’s is different. It has a different audience, a different menu and, overall, it’s a different experience. Chef Stella has added a Mediterranean and Asian flair that you won’t find on the menus in the city, as evidenced by items like Thai Shrimp Tacos, Miso Black Cod and an olive oil poached Halibut with Mediterranean orzo pilaf. This isn’t your typical old school men’s club steakhouse. It’s more sceney like a Prime 112 or STK, and a perfect example of a place that can do it all without sacrificing quality. This is pretty much everything you want in a steakhouse dinner. An iconic steakhouse meal start to finish.

Bobby Van’s Bridgehampton By the Numbers:

1969 — year cabaret piano player Bobby Van founded Bobby Van’s restaurant in Bridgehampton

14 – number of people that would perish if Lizzie Grubman drove her car through the front of the restaurant

5 – number of times I uttered “this is damn near the best porterhouse I’ve ever had”

3 — number of times I woke up during the night with “meat sweats” after our attempted Porterhouse for 5 takedown

52 — number of laps I had to run around Anna and Andy’s pool the next morning to burn off calories from the meal

1979 – year Bobby Van moved his restaurant across the street to a newly-renovated building (World Pie is located in the original Bobby Van’s space)

8 — number of steak sandwiches we were able to make the next day using the leftovers from our ‘Porterhouse for 5′

21 — how many dollars it costs on a Tuesday night for the Lobster special — 1 1/4 lb lobster served with a local baked potato and corn on the cob

It goes to show that even places that don’t do the slightly gimmicky tableside guac preparation can still churn out some damn good guac. The trio included a cool, mild variation, a medium guacamole with strawberries, and a spicy tomato-based version.We particularly liked the one with the strawberries. Next, we ordered up a couple of apps for the table. Ever since our dinner at Per Se and our epic White Truffle Tasting Dinner at Babbo, I have been a sucker for anything that comes with truffles. I have even been using this Truffle Honey Mustard at home to make sandwiches and a black truffle oil that I put in my eggs. So I was pretty psyched to see the black truffle quesadillas w/ huitlacoche salsa on the menu, which we ordered in addition to a Mexican cheese fondue with huitlacoche mushrooms.

There are a couple of times during a meal where you get a chance to tell exactly what kind of restaurant you’re dining in. When we were brought the wrong quesadilla order, our server told us he’d bring out the truffle ones and just to enjoy the ones on the table. Classy move. The cheese fondue was delicious with a characteristic huitlacoche-y flavor of corn and earthy mushroom. The black truffle quesadillas were unreal. We’re not talking a spray or two of a black truffle oil, these guys were laced with generous shavings of black truffle. For our entrees, Jeff and MJ ordered the the brick oven-roasted shredded suckling pig, Winnie the lobster tacos, Jill and Laura the Veracruz-style paella w/ shrimp, chorizo, clams and octopus, and I got the braised short ribs. We also ordered a side of avocado fries for the table to taste. The shredded suckling pig was pulled evenly and very tender with a smoky flavor imparted by the guajillo peppers and a habanero-sour orange salsa.

My chile ancho glazed braised short ribs were intensely flavorful and moist. Winnie’s lobster tacos were tender and flavorful. And Laura and Jill’s paella was also delicious, if a bit different than your typical paella served in a bit more soupy broth. At this point we were all plenty satiated and opted to skip out on dessert. But we couldn’t turn down the complimentary round of blanco tequila shots that our server brought out to the table after we settled the bill. Such a nice touch and perfect ending to a great dinner out with friends at Toloache.

CommunityWalk Map – East Village Eating & Drinking Tour

(1) Happy Hour drinks at Drop-Off Service (Ave. A at 13th) — We didn’t realize it was happy hour until we ordered a double Maker’s and ginger ale (me) and a Dewar’s rocks (Alton) and it was only $12. Alton felt like he was back in Atlanta with those prices. They also have great beers on tap, like Stone Arrogant Bastard. All drinks are half-price everyday from 3-8pm. Sweet. They don’t have a kitchen but they do have meat pies and sausage rolls from Tuck Shop.

(2) A Couple of Dogs at PDT/Crif Dogs (St. Marks b/t Ave. A and 1st Ave.) — I wanted to show Alton the vintage phonebooth leading into PDT and grab a couple of inventive cocktails (like the old-fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon), but there was too long of a wait. Instead we mosied over to the Crif Dogs counter and ordered a couple of franks — for me, a philly tubesteak (cheese and sauteed onions; $4) and a chihuahua (bacon-wrapped dog with avocado; $4.50) for Alton. Aside from burning the hell out of the inside of my mouth, these dogs were delicious. A perfect start to the eating portion of our tour. 

(3) 6 pcs of Pork Dumplings at The Dumpling Man (St. Marks b/t Ave. A and 1st Ave) — These fresh, made to order dumplings are not the best the city has to offer, but they’re not the worst either. A tip: while you wait, get your soy sauce, chopsticks, and a fork to take with you if you are planning to eat elsewhere cause they don’t put it in the bag. So far, dumplings and dogs…and we were only getting started… 

(4) Jill joined us at this point and we walked across 1st Ave. to Seoul Station (St. Marks b/t 1st Ave and 2nd Ave) for some Korean tacos and mini buns — We split a spicy pork taco, a beef bulgogi taco and each had a mini bun. The tacos are $2.50 a piece. An order of mini buns is $2.95 for 4 buns. We also got an order of pork dumplings since there is a $10 min for credit cards. Comparing our tasting notes, we were in agreement that the pork tacos are the way to go. They are loaded with pork au jus and it’s the sweet spiciness of the pork mixed with the cilantro, chopped onions and salsa that gives it the edge over the beef taco, which was more sweet than spicy and seemed to be made from fairly low-grade beef. The dumplings were average at best.

Spicy Pork Tacos

(5) Bon chon fried chicken and a pitcher of Kirin beer at Boka (St. Marks b/t 2nd and 3rd) — We were here for one thing, and one thing only — the ridiculously good, crispy, golden fried korean-style bon chon chicken. This was something that Alton definitely couldn’t get back in Atl. We were basically the only non-Korean people in the joint, which tells you it has to be good. And this was one of the best batch of bon chon I’ve had. They arrived in a big bowl and appeared to be two different flavors and two different sizes (big drumsticks and smaller wing-style pieces). The flavor was a perfect blend of spicy and sweet — like a soy garlic flavor with a kick. Oh, and they have an AYCE/AYCD recession special during the week: 4-8pm all you can eat Bon Chon + Coors light for $20. 

Crispy, Delicious Bon Chon Chicken

(6) Falafel and shwarma stop at Mamoun’s (St. Marks b/t 2nd and 3rd) — Now Alton and I did our fair share of late-night shwarma and falafel-feasting while in Amsterdam several years back, so it would only be fitting to take him to try one of NYC’s finest. Jill went with a falafel while Alton and I decided on a shwarma. I’m not sure if it was a culmination of all the spicy foods we had been eating on the tour, but the famous hot sauce seemed to be the hottest it’s ever been to me. Since then I’ve had the Brick Lane Phaal Curry, which makes Mamoun’s sauce seem like ketchup. 

(7) Belgian Fries at Pommes Frites – What would an E. Village culinary tour be without a stop at Pommes Frites? We snagged a large with 3 sauces and headed over to Jimmy’s No. 43 for a much-needed beer.

Belgian Fries @ Pommes Frites

(8) Beers at Jimmy’s No. 43 — In addition to being a great food ‘hood, the E. Village is also Manhattan’s best beer ‘hood. Other than Brooklyn, there are more beer bars per block here than anywhere else in the city. We hit up Jimmy’s for a quick round — Maudite (Alton), Green Flash Special Belgian Style (Jill) and a Sixpoint Bengali IPA (me). 

(9) Lights and Darks at McSorley’s Ale House – By this time we were feeling no pain (other than my mouth burn from not waiting to let my Crif Dog cool off and the Mamoun’s hot sauce). We decided to finish the tour (at least the E. Village portion — we would still end up at Vig 27 for a round of drinks and for some unknown drunken reason Alton and I thought it would be a good idea to hit up a Chelsea night club until 3:30am) with a round of lights and darks at McSorley’s.

The takeaway: instead of taking a friend who’s in town out to a fancy dinner, why not do an all-out eating and drinking tour of the city’s best food and drink neighborhood — the East Village.

We sat in the back of the dining room near the pool table/lounge area.  Nicole and I ordered a bottle of Chenin Blanc for under $40, which was excellent while the boys stuck with the beer.  Now for the food… 

We started with the Fruit de Mer “tasting of all three” for about $15. 

This has to be the best value appetizer I have had in a while. The plate had a generous serving of scallop and fennel crudo, a glass filled with marinated octopus, and a curried mussel cocktail.  All four of us were able to have a couple of mussels each and get a nice tasting of the crudo and octopus.  I was hugely impressed at that price point. 

We also ordered the duck confit with creamy lentils and banyuls vinegar for $12.  This was also very tasty and classically prepared, but it was not the best choice to split between four people because we had to remove the meat from the bone and divide it up. 

The meat was tender and fell off the bone and the flavors of the lentils and banyuls vinegar came together nicely.  It was a bit on the salty side.   

BEST PART… “Le Grand Macaroni & Cheese” with prosciutto and chopped truffles for $18.  Can comfort food get any better than this?  We all shared the truffle m&c and  I couldn’t imagine eating the whole dish alone (well, I could dream about it but would have to spend a few days in the gym afterwards).  It was rich, decadent, creamy, crispy on top, flavorful, and fabulous… you get the idea. 

I do love having truffles shaved over any dish, so this is not exactly comparable to the Waverly Inn m&c, because they are chopped, but I do have to say that I enjoyed this more (and for $18 instead of $55).  Andy certainly couldn’t keep his wandering spoon away from the au gratin dish. 

For my entrée, I had the monkfish which came in a tomato broth with mussels, clams, and shrimp for $24. 

It was as hearty as a fish dish could get (besides some of the John Dory entrees I’ve tried)- perfect comfort food for a chilly night in the city.  I felt like I was eating a tasty home cooked meal and I was surprised at how many mussels, clams, and shrimp were in the dish.  The vegetables and fresh herbs were plentiful and the tomato broth was steaming.  I couldn’t even finish all of my shellfish.  Andy and Josh had the plat du jour, duck à l’orange for $29. 

I tasted a bit of Andy’s and the duck breast was perfectly medium rare.  I love this dish and it did bring me back to a bistro in Paris- job well done.  Nicole ordered the sea scallops for $22 and also enjoyed her dish. 

I did not try them, but they looked perfectly cooked- another success.   

By the time dessert came around, we were very happily stuffed.  All in all, this is not a bargain destination but it is a very good value for the amount and for the quality of food you will have and for the friendly service and bustling atmosphere.  It is also impressive to find a wine list with a number of bottles under $40.  We’ll be back and next time I’ll be challenging Andy to a game of pool.  I wish we lived across the street.