Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy serves strong drinks and comfort food with a kick. The bar-restaurant was formerly a dollar store, and fittingly, food prices don’t spike high above that price bracket. The 42-seat space allows couples and small groups to grab a seat at the bar or a booth; refurbished school chairs and a patchworked wooden mural provide an Instagram-worthy setting in defiance of the space’s low lighting. Habanero-honey duck wings are a standout, flaky and sweet; the American-cheese-topped burger, toothpicked to a deviled egg and served with passable tater tots, is skippable. While most diners nosh on these rib-sticking dishes, it’s the vegetables that stand out. Preparations change frequently, but have included tomatoes served with a tangy buttermilk crema and bread crumbs, string beans topped with housemade ricotta, and a light, refreshing, and citrusy oishi salad with pickled mackerel, Chinese cabbage, and ponzu. Wash it all down with the Hustle, a super-strong, fruity, rum-based digestif laced with herbs reminiscent of potpourri.