The John Lamb is a relative new comer to the Lower East Side. Situated close to the Tenement Museum, it brings some of that old New York feel, but with a very modern twist.
You have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the sitting area, but it’s decorated and opened up so well, that you don’t feel like you’re underground. Vintage wallpaper and lamps that look like a zoetrope bring a sort of Edwardian feel to the place, which fits well with the clean lines and spaciousness.
When we got there, the bartender and the manger were preparing one of their barrel aged cocktails. It should be ready in about a month, just in time for holiday parties! But, you don’t have to wait a month to try some amazing cocktails!!! We had the Johnny Appleseed which was a perfect apple flavor drink (but not in the tart or sugary way that an appletini can be, and not so in your face AUTUMN the way a cider based drink is), the Chattanooga Choo-Choo had an incredibly smokey flavor (this is not a bad thing, at all), Santa’s Little Helper was faintly chocolately, without turning into a generic bar mixed drink, and the Lamb’s Fav was a fun lemony drink that wasn’t too heavy. The high light was the Sago-tini, a mango based drink, that not only tasted incredible (like an alcoholic mango lassi!!) but also came in a golden goblet!! The drinks are all expertly and artfully prepared by the bartender. I’m not sure what the high class word for that is, but it was artful to watch as well as delicious to drink.
The menu at the John Lamb shows a variety of food that both sticks to your ribs but you don’t get so much of it that it’s overwhelming, and again, that sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not. The Deviled Eggs had bacon, which is something that you’d think I’d have already heard of by now, but it was seriously a game changer. The Irish Bangers came on a skillet with some potatoes and a mushroom gravy that makes you want to lick the skillet clean. The Seared Scallops were just right, and not too bland and hockey puck like, nor too fishy. The Kung Pao Calamari was a new twist. The kung pao sauce had a clean spice to it, and mixed well with the calamari, and there was more than enough to go around. The Southern Style Fried Chicken was a treat, especially with a small pile of mini cheddar biscuits that came right out of the oven.
All of the food at The John Lamb is locally sourced, when they can, with an emphasis on the immediate New York City area, and you can tell in both the food and the drinks that there is a care taken to find good ingredients and to put care into what’s being served. The John Lamb is great for an after work or pre-show cocktail, or a sit-down dinner. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit their webpage!