Son Cubano & The Stanton Social
Thursday was basically my eating day as me and 3 friends ventured out in to the Meatpacking District for lunch (at Son Cubano), desert (at Pastis) and dinner (at The Stanton Social). Son Cubano is a trendy Cuban restaurant on 14th st which is empty at lunch, but packed at dinner. I went for lunch, where the crowd was down but so were the prices on the menu. Son Cubano has tapas style dishes as well as traditional appetizers and entrees. The calamari as a tapa was very good, the calamari wasn't chewy and it didn't have an overly salty taste as some other calamari dishes do. The paella was good at the time of consumption, but I think it did have a negative effect on my digestive system and there for I'm not recommending anyone try it. The service was poor as they misplaced my friend's order and wouldn't replace it with the proper entree. The waiter also didn't speak English well. I had higher expectations of Son Cubano and I probably won't be returning soon!
The Stanton Social on the other hand was a great dining experience from start to finish. Its located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Stanton street. They serve an array of cuisines which range from Japanese Tuna Tartare to American Kobe Beef Sliders. All the food is served family style in tapas form and everything is built for sharing. The best part is the menu isn't expensive for the quality of food you get. To eat well, you'll spend about $40 max a person. Anything more than that is honestly a waste. The tapas style dishes unfortunately are hit or miss. The highlights were the tuna tartare, the perogis and the snapper tacos. Some of the downfalls were the souvlaki and the duck confit empanadas. The soup dumplings were kind of in between, but had a pungent odor of feet. The Stanton Social features a crowded bar area and blasting music as well as an elegant dining area and a chic Asian influenced lounge. The waitress we had was great at recommending dishes for us to have and was quite attentive of my peanut allergy, which is always nice. The Stanton Social is a great restaurant for parties and social gatherings of any kind, and you'll eat well too!







