The $35 Challenge: Eating Late At Southwark


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$35 for three courses sounds like a helluva deal. And that’s what Restaurant Week is built around. But say you want to go somewhere awesome without having to deal with the crowds, the restrictions and the stressed-out wait staffs that are also a part of Restaurant Week. Is that possible?

More than possible, should you happen to find yourself in Queen Village at 11pm and within sprinting distance of Southwark. They’ve got a late-night menu there that’s just perfect for rounding out a long night, and you can eat your fill from it without ever being in danger of cracking the $35 Restaurant Week barrier. Here’s how:

Roasted potatoes $6

Fresh herbs and roasted garlic aioli

Steamed Clams $11

Dry vermouth, shallots, tomato, chili sauce

Charcuterie plate $16

And yeah, that’s only $33. Which means you still have two whole dollars to spare. With that in mind, you have some options. You could dump the clams in favor of grilled Andouille sausage with corn and greens, bringing the total to $34. Or, if you show up a little early, you could go for the escargot (which will bring you to $35 on the nose). Alternately, you could lose the charcuterie plate and have the octopus Bolognese without going over the limit by too much, but you kinda shouldn’t. Because newly-minted exec chef Nick Macri is something of a pig whisperer (I should say salami whisperer, but that just sounds dirty…). Either way, that’s really something you shouldn’t miss out on.

Southwark [Official]

All Restaurant Week Coverage [Foobooz]