#78 – CHICKEN LIVER BAGUETTE at POST OFFICE

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

SADLY, POST OFFICE IS NOW CLOSED.

There’s a good reason why most bar food is usually greasy, fried, and fatty. Fat and grease cut through and soak up all that booze. They work well together. Unless you’re going to deep fry the lettuce, salads aren’t as perfect of a match for alcohol. Except if you’re serving a light rosé or sauvignon blanc.

Post Office, the comfortable and modest gastropub, in the south side of Williamsburg, does not specialize in white wines. They’re known for their brown liquor – whiskeys, especially bourbon. And the food that they’re offering is not rich and fatty just for the sake of calories, but to pair perfectly with their well-balanced cocktail list.

I really love this place. The atmosphere, especially in the early evening when it isn’t too crowded or too dark, is relaxed and genuine.  The food we sampled paired perfectly with the spicy/sweet cocktail of bourbon, bitters, and citrus.

We started with a phenomenal steak tartare that had a zippy, bright balance of flavors. And the toast points were buttered and seasoned. How rare is that?

Time Out’s list included the chicken liver baguette. I’m not a big fan of chicken liver, but, oh boy, this sandwich was just superb. Not unlike a Vietnamese banh mi, the ingredients were sandwiched between a crusty, chewy baguette. There was a moderate schmear of chicken liver (you could taste the rich minerality, but it did not overpower) which complimented the tangy and acidic vegetables: frisee, pickled carrots, cucumbers, onions. To top it off was the addition of two strips of the crispiest bacon I’ve had in a long time.

This was an example of pub food at its finest. Sure, it had rich and fatty components (which made me love sipping that bourbon cocktail even more), but it had fresh, lively ingredients to keep the sandwich in check.

Would Post Office’s Chicken Liver Baguette make my Top 100 of the year? It was a pretty awesome sandwich that didn’t overwhelm like a ton of chicken liver might. It gets a 9 out of 10 for its perfect balance and perfect deliciousness.