Dimes

Dimes Restaurant Review:

At Alissa Wagner and Sabrina DeSousa’s tiny spot where Chinatown meets the Lower East Side, the vibe is always friendly and buzzing with models and hipsters sipping wheatgrass margaritas and nibbling matcha sesame sweet buns. Breakfast is served till 4 p.m., and it’s a wise choice: the Counter Culture coffee is strong, the eggs on the breakfast sandwich are fluffy and the Magic Toast --- topped with tart mandarinquat and permission compote, goat cheese and mint --- is magical indeed. At lunchtime, Dimes’ take on a banh mi, piled with Tuscan-style chicken livers, doesn’t quite work. Instead, order the BLT. They’re not joking about the bacon, which is impressive in both quality and quantity, and pickled jalapeño lends a welcome kick to the sandwich. Wash it down with some on-tap kombucha. Quinoa can be the boring veggie option, but not at Dimes, where the spicy, satisfying dish comes finished with a vegetable extravaganza of beet relish, roasted peppers, asparagus, sweet corn and eggplant. Roasted chicken is crispy-skinned and happily juicy. For dessert, carrot cake is not too sweet and a creamy pot de crème is tinged with cardamom. The short wine list focuses on organic and sustainable bottles. One block over, Dimes Deli sells grab-and-go salads, sandwiches, grain bowls and fresh produce. Close your eyes and you’re in California.