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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 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 10 or more.

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