DBGB (on the Bowery)

i'm assuming daniel boulud's new burger-centric locale, on bowery just north of houston, will be easier to find next week. tonight, all that distinguished it from a service entrance to the newish condominium complex was a cardboard square taped to the door, bearing the number 299 (this doesn't bode well for walk-ins, but i suppose that was all part of the grand design on this first official night of service).

not realizing there is an abbreviated bar menu, we opted for one of the double-wide bar stools. no regrets; the beer list alone is enough to keep a body occupied, and i've always been an advocate of (what i convince myself is) the "best of" bar menu as a way to feel out a new spot. there's no hooks at this bar (i always check) but there's a bar (pardon the pun) on which you can drape your coat (or perhaps onto which you can hang if you've had a beer too many?) and the stools, well, i can only imagine all the fun the bartenders are going to have playing tetris with single diners and three-tops when it's crowded. i'd say if you don't want a seat-mate to crash your solo dinner at the bar, come during the week.

we started with the creole caipirihna (made with rum instead of cachaca) and the paloma, with mezcal and grapefruit juice. the menu features two trademark boulud cocktails and several of colin's creation. there's a fine selection of oysters. (and here i will digress in recognition of the recession: at $3 a pop they just make my oyster-price-litmus of $18 a half dozen. can you get some of the same oysters cheaper? sure, but $3 kumamotos are a great deal, by maybe a dime, so it's worth it to feel comfortable making your bivalve selections without regard to the slight price variations you may encounter elsewhere.) for our part, we opted for the aforementioned 'motos, a couple of glidden points and a new one to us, salt ponds: rhode island denizens, medium sized with a shallow cup, briny, metallic. they all played well with a glass of cremant de jura.

the crispy tripe, two squares to a $4 order, is the perfect intro to intestines for even the most squeamish of diners. their innocuously flavorful chewiness was delighfully balanced by the slightly sweet mustard sauce that accompanied them.

cheese (5 for $15; berry apricot chutney, mixed nuts, green grapes) and "the frenchie" (the burger topped with pork belly) rounded out the meal. the fries are as good as you would expect, and the whole kaboodle comes with classy wooden caddy containing standard plastic squeeze bottles of heinz ketchup (if it ain't broke), maille mustard (maille, oh maille, its horseradishy goodness far surpasses other mustards of that color and texture) and a house-made mustard condiment: grainy, seedy. the trio slathered well on fries and all.

the place had filled up by the time we thought about sweet. at our cozy deuce at the bar, we hadn't looked up much throughout dinner. the kitchen is open, a long pass facing the tables and booths of the rather large dining room, partitioned by open shelving for glassware and such. mirrors make the space look a bigger than it is. and it's pretty big. but it's a good time to fill up a room with a menu like that. although i'll note that the burger was a little small for $17, pork belly notwithstanding.

alexander in his sweater vest poured us rochefort [sic] and the aptly named old engine oil, just two beer options out of dozens on draft, $7 and up. for dessert there are a handful of temptations including a baked alaska for two ($18, fabulous idea); we couldn't see past the end of our coffee caramel sundae full of brownie chunks, mini cookies, nuts and whipped cream. they have three two-scoop sundae options, $9 each. you certainly can't do better at grom, or for that matter, any of those bloody frozen yogurt chains.

the music's good. the mix included a couple of tunes from television's marquee moon, and a song by the hold steady. also worthy of mention: krug is $30 a glass, not a bad deal if you're feeling decadent.

i could see myself dropping some cash here. even more if i were gainfully employed and not planning a trip halfway around the world in two months. DBGB is a good way to get your boulud on without breaking the bank. and they can leave that cardboard up on the door for all i care, as long as there's always a double wide seat at the bar for me and daisy.