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Owners Will and Rob Shamlian of Fat Baby and Mason Dixon fame court a stylish Lower East Side following with this packed corner gastropub. Dark slat wood walls and hefty banquet-style tables have an almost medieval allure that’s urbanized by brushed steel countertops and industrial hanging chandeliers. The glass-encased, intriguingly sexy space would be enough to draw a crowd, but nearly eighty international beers (half on draft) and impressively elevated bar food—herbed popcorn, foie-gras-filled prunes, and haute grilled cheese from consulting chef Wayne Nish attract as many foodies as partiers. The descriptive drink list simplifies the search for the perfect draught, like Canada’s Unibroue Ephemere, a stellar white beer with a tart apple punch and “subtle vanilla” finish. Better to spend your energy plunging garlic toast into a massive bowl of delicious white-wine-sopped mussels enriched with cream and discs of chorizo. Heartier appetites are sated by a tender short-rib burger, or a PBLT, slabs of seared of pork belly flopped into an oversized Challah bun. — Alexandra Vallis

Reservations are accepted for parties of 12 or more.

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