Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter
94 Ave C, East Village, New York City
Getting There: F to Second Avenue
www.bobwhitecounter.com

Glitz and glamour isn’t always the key to a memorable dining experience. Sometimes it is the aesthetically simple spots that cause you to go run home and tell everyone you know about it. Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter fits this mold like a well worn glove. Located on the ever growing Avenue C, Bobwhite is a welcome addition to the current trend of comfort food joints, but without any semblance of pretentiousness.

Our crew stepped inside Bobwhite for the first time on a Friday for an early dinner. The restaurant takes a simple, bare bones yet extremely comfortable approach to its design. When guests enter inside the cozy space, they are greeted with a counter crew of cool, funny women to take their order- almost like a diner waitress that you’ve known for years. All food and beverages are casually ordered from the counter space while the dining area features a handful of wooden high top tables with stools that line the sparse white walls. Bobwhite feels like it could easily be one of the many laid back coffee shops that surround the neighborhood.

Speaking of eats, we were quickly pointed toward some of Bobwhite’s greatest hits to give us a well rounded taste of their offerings. We opted to grab three menu items to appropriately sample a few distinct foods. First up was the much talked about Catfish Sandwich ($8.50), which were prepared and arrived quickly alongside the rest of our order. Heaping amounts of perfectly breaded- and fried to a golden brown- catfish sat on a soft brioche style bun. The fish filets were topped with a generous amount of house made slaw and their version of tartar sauce. Each bite was juicy and complex showing us exactly what a non-fast food fish sandwich tastes like. On the side came a perfectly sized salad with a tangy dressing.

The next two dishes may have appeared similar, considering the main ingredient in each dish, however the way in which they were served and how they ultimately tasted was a world of difference. We began by digging into the “Fried Chicken Supper” ($11.50). Just like the previous sandwich, the portion size was just right, providing us with wing and drumstick chicken segments. With each bite, we received a rush of savory flavor which paired Bobwhites homemade fried breading mixture with the tender bird meat. To enhance the Southern feel to this dish a fresh and toasty biscuit (also homemade) was served alongside another hearty salad. The chicken was excellently seasoned and crispy, making it well worth its word of mouth hype. Finally, we closed our trio of dishes out with the “Fried Chicken Sandwich” ($8.50). The overstuffed sandwich was made up of a huge cut of the fried chicken breast sitting on a fresh bun and topped with vinegary homemade pickles. Since the chicken was boneless this time we really sunk our teeth into it, getting a ton of decadently salty juices. The pickle topper was brilliant as it presented a sour combination to the savory.

Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter is a reason for anyone to venture down to Avenue C. From the simple yet cool atmosphere, friendly and funny staff, and of course the killer eats, it was a real winner. And at the more than reasonable price points, Bobwhite serves up some of the most delicious comfort foods in town. With so many recent openings vying for similar buzz, Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter manages to get every bit of the trend right, making every bite a tasty one for us.

Rundown of the Meal

Catfish Sandwich ( $8.50)

Fried Chicken Supper ($11.50) *

Fried Chicken Sandwich ($8.50)

*Meal Highlight