Alder Restaurant Review: After a decade of quietly reinventing (and tweaking and deconstructing) dishes at wd-50 on the Lower East Side, talented chef Wylie Dufresne opened up this 56-seat “tavern” in the East Village. The cuisine here is similarly creative, but at the same time much more approachable and served in a somewhat casual atmosphere. “Pigs in a Blanket” takes a hot dog bun (flattened through a pasta machine) and wraps it around a Chinese sausage; the whole is then deep fried, resulting in a palate-explosive blend of texture and flavor. Caesar nigiri delivers what its name implies: romaine, egg and Parmesan in sushi form. Rye pasta, an homage to the New York deli (famed Second Avenue Deli used to exist across the street), is the pastrami sandwich in pasta form, and it works splendidly. The dessert list is short, but don’t skip the vanilla ice cream drizzled with red pepper coulis. There are three cocktails on tap, which change fairly regularly, several inventive house cocktails and an affordable wine list.
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area.
