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Back Forty

190 Ave. B, New York, NY 10009 40.7279 -73.9793
nr. 12th St. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work212-388-1990 Send to Phone

Cuisine: American Traditional
Price Range:
$$
Key to Prices and ratings
Upscale

Almost Perfect

Exceptional

Generally Excellent

Very Good

Good

Cheap Eats

Best in Category

Excellent

Delicious

Very Good

Noteworthy
Very Expensive

Expensive

Moderate

Cheap
Reader Rating:
7.5 out of 10
|
8 Reviews | Write a Review

Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

backfortynyc.com

Hours

Mon-Thu, 6pm-11pm; Fri, 6pm-midnight; Sat, noon-3:30pm and 6pm-midnight; Sun, noon-3:30pm and 6pm-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

L at First Ave.

Prices

$12-$18

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Bar Scene
Brunch - Weekend
Dine at the Bar
Good for Groups
Hot Spot
Notable Chef
Outdoor Dining

Alcohol

Full Bar

Reservations

Not Accepted

Profile

You can’t toss a parsnip these days without hitting a local and seasonally minded menu. But if anyone deserves credit for championing the Slow Food movement early on, it’s Peter Hoffman, the Alice Waters of Soho, who’s been running the restaurant Savoy since 1990, and who can be seen on Greenmarket days tooling around on a converted wheelbarrow-bicycle of sorts loaded down with luscious local produce. He brings his sustainably minded style to Avenue B, where he and his chef de cuisine, Shanna Pacifico, prepare family-friendly fare like Catskills trout, a grass-fed burger, and apple-cider doughnuts. More casual than Savoy, with main courses averaging $15, it’s the sort of spot you’d drop into for a seasonal cocktail or a glass of North Fork wine at the recycled-pine bar. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Brunch

Sat. and Sun., noon—3:30 p.m.

Food:	8

Service:	6

Décor:	8

Value:	8

My friend and I were sullenly directed to the back wall of tables at the empty restaurant: "just sit over there" directed the hostess. I asked which of the drinks containing ginger she liked best, and she looked at me like I had seven eyebrows. Then when we inquired whether the music could be turned down a touch, she looked at us, hard, and said "they'll just turn it up again when more people get here." If she had been our server, I would have left or complained, but thankfully she was replaced by a very pleasant young woman who did a great job the rest of the night. Skip dessert.

Back Forty

Doesn't deliver on the hype.

dorr from 10075 | Posted on 5/25/09

Overall Rating: 105 (Mixed Reviews)


Food:	6
Service:	4

Décor:	3

Value:	5

The front of house is a mess - I've gone twice: the first time the host would not even put our names on the waiting list because one of our party was not there yet - but the wait was over an hour - WTF! The second time, we were seated, but the host and the waiters had no clear boundaries on who was taking care of the tables. Food is just OK - though some interesting choices. Decor is bland and layout is clunky. The bar is nice and the bartenders seemed great - nice selection of beer - but impossibly crowded at night. (The codfish hushpuppies were mostly hushpuppy.)

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