The Stanton Social

Profile

Popular since opening in 2005, Stanton Social knows the secret to Lower East Side popularity: Appeal to the transplanted A-listers without alienating the neighborhood’s scruffier long-timers. The posh first-floor dining room is a romance of dark wood with semicircular chocolate-suede banquettes, flickering votives, and cylindrical glass lamps suspended from a soaring ceiling; the upstairs lounge is a shrine to wine. Yet any hint of pretense vanishes once the food arrives. Chef-owner Chris Santos’s globe-spanning tapas menu is as quirky as it is nouveau. Some plates are delicate (tuna tartare in dainty phyllo; French-onion-soup dumplings); other choices are adamantly messy (Kobe-beef sliders; crunchy red-snapper tacos). The snack cakes for dessert include a bite-size version of a red velvet Twinkie; other options include warm donuts and a chocolate tasting. — Sarah Gold

Until 2 a.m. Mon.-Wed., 3 a.m. Thu.-Sun.

Nori spiced tuna wonton, $15; red snapper tacos, $10; Kobe beef slider, $8

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Gael Greene's Full Review (5/26/05)

Recipes at The Stanton Social

• Pomegranate Peach Bellini (2010)