BWW Preview: THE JOHN LAMB Restaurant and Bar Now Open on the LES

The John Lamb is a New American restaurant located in The Sago, a boutique hotel on the Lower East Side. Named in honor of the New York City born soldier who served as an Artillery Colonel under George Washington in the Revolutionary War, the restaurant and bar reflects influences and inspiration from Colonial times to the immigrants who first inhabited the nearby tenements up through today. Dedicated to locally sourced cuisine, the menu offers a wonderfully diverse variety of plates for sharing, artisanal cocktails, beers and wines-as well as communal dining with a customizable dining experience featuring whole animals.

The John Lamb was conceived by owner Joseph Valentine, the former owner-operator of FireBird Restaurant and Caviar Bar, who also designed the interior. The overall feeling is speakeasy meets steampunk. At the Allen Street entrance, guests are greeted in an intimate living room and lounge with tufted sofas. The dining room features antique-style wallpaper, exposed brick, Edison bulb wall sconces and dramatic circular chandeliers. Diners are seated on tufted faux-leather banquettes in dark almost black brown at wood-topped tables. The restaurant stretches from Allen to Orchard. On the Orchard Street side, guests can get cozy with drink at the oak wood bar.

Working closely with Valentine, Executive Chef James Asaro, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has selected a roster of local farms, producers and distributors to source ingredients from Maine to Maryland. Chef Asaro began his career as one of the opening cooks at New York Times three-star restaurant Gaia, in Greenwich, CT. He was previously an executive chef for B.R. Guest at Ruby Foos, and at The Palm in Times Square. He also served as Corporate Chef at City Crab and Big Daddy's. He draws on his extensive experience with cuisines from all around the world to create The John Lamb's New York melting pot cuisine.

The menu is guaranteed to be both fun and delicious-and to change frequently based on seasonality and availability. An ideal meal starts at the raw bar-with $1 oyster happy hours from 4-7PM and 10PM to close-crudo of the day, and Jumbo shrimp, and bar snacks such as deviled eggs or devils on horseback; marinated olives or blistered shishito peppers.

Then it's on to plates for sharing: salads such as Grilled Radicchio gorgonzola dolce, toasted pine nuts, black cherry balsamic glaze, and lemon olive oil; Roasted Heirloom Beets, local goat cheese, spiced walnuts, and mâche. And heartier plates such as Seared Scallops with sweet potato hash, fresh chicory leaves, and orange-ginger beurre blanc; Southern-style Fried Chicken with homemade cheddar biscuits, sausage gravy and maple bacon mashed sweet potatoes. A selection of sausages sourced from local favorite Schaller & Weber, are prepared with the perfect accompaniments-Irish Bangers with hash brown potatoes and sautéed onions; Saucisse Bretonne with caramelized apples and Vermont blue cheese. A staple of the menu will be the Grass Fed Burger made from a custom blend of ground brisket, chuck and short rib, with option to add Applewood smoked bacon and cheese.

The cocktail program, developed and overseen by Mikey Belasco, formerly of The Gilroy and The Grey Lady, takes its cues from the kitchen and local farms. The cocktails are clean, straightforward, and easy to appreciate with a focus on North American spirits. Some signature cocktails are the Born and Raised, a light and bright orange mixture of tequila, sweet potato syrup, orange juice, and carrot juice, garnished with dill, and Chattanooga Choo-Choo, composed of tobacco-rinsed George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey, hickory maple syrup, and mesquite BBQ bitters, with a lava salt and dehydrated maple syrup rim. The Benedictine Arnold, a nod to John Lamb's service under Benedict Arnold in the battle of Quebec as well as the Benedictine base of the cocktail, augmented with VSOP 6-year aged rhum agricole, Old Tom Gin, Chinese five-spice bitters, and licorice root. The Johnny Appleseed is a magnificent marriage of apples with whisky, featuring housemade apple pie moonshine, apple brandy, rye whiskey, Peychauds and apple bitters and a spritz of absinthe. The beverage program also includes an extensive list of wines and New York State beers on tap.

A very special feature of The John Lamb is communal dining-served at the reclaimed wood communal table for eight. These custom-designed dinners, created by

special order (at least 48 hours in advance) are a joint venture with the client who can select from a range including whole hog, whole or rack of lamb, duck, salmon, turkey, and more, depending on season and availability. The group meals include the clients' selections of side dishes, local beers and wines.

The John Lamb is located at 120 Allen Street in the Sago Hotel on the Lower East Side. www.thejohnlamb.com. Hours of operation: Sun-Wed 3pm-12am, Thurs-Sat 3pm-2am. Takeout and delivery to come. The restaurant will also provide food and beverage for the hotel, including room service. For reservations or whole animal group dinners, please call 212-392-4244.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The John Lamb

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