Back Forty

My favorite bar, drink, and burger in New York!

The bartenders are nice, have good suggestions, and know exactly what they're doing. I've become an addict of their eponymous drink. There's also an eclectic beer selection that rotates often (Gulden Drak was a nice surprise). The burgers are juicy and flavorful.

I LOVE the atmosphere here. Never too loud to have a conversation.

Update: Jan 2015: AAAAAAAAAND it's gone. RIP Back Forty.

Holy crap is this place awesome. I've been here twice now and I've officially put in on my list of places to take people to when they visit. I came barging in here with a group of 5 that metastasized into 9. Our server didn't even bat an eye and she didn't even blanch when we all asked for separate checks; that alone is worth a repeat visit. They bring in a weekly steer and make-well I know they do steaks, burgers and have beef tongue and oxtail nuggets, basically. For some reason I end up going there when they just have those cuts. Regardless, they're delicious and on my first visit they had a beef short rib that I devoured, and oxtails that I also ate up and was still in the mood for beef so got the beef tongue. If you don't like eating the weird stuff, then that's fine because it's more for me.

In addition, they have a kick ass beer selection that rotates all the time and is never boring. This is how locavores should really do it.

Back Forty has some pretty excellent options for brunch.

The place is pretty hopping, and we had to wait for a table for two for about 10 minutes on a Sunday around 1:30 PM. We got seated in the back, near the area that opens out into open air seating in the backyard garden. I'm glad we were inside though, since it was really hot out, but actually not much better inside. It would've been much nicer if they had some A/C going.

As for the good, everything was really good, EXCEPT for the Pork Jowl Nuggets. Sorry, food snobs, I just don't get the appeal of pure pork belly fat (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/WscndEjYQAHyhqq1e0TBRg?select=LzBSc1gdjGIrd1Kf8lM42g). That's what these were - $4 for 3 little bites of nasty jiggly fat surrounded in some batter. Gross.

Back to the positives: the Fresh Doughnuts are the right way to go to start off the meal - nice and hot and slightly crispy and delicious. We also got the buttermilk pancakes and the buttermilk fried chicken and waffles. I've never had so much beige and so little water. But both of these entrees were awesome. The pancakes had a nice smattering of walnuts and creme fraiche on top, which were an awesome combination with the hot, fluffy pancakes. The fried chicken was pretty good too, and the waffles they came with were amazing - nice and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

So I think as long as you don't order the fried fat, I think you will have a very pleasant and satisfying dining experience.

I got a promotion so I treated myself to one of the most perfect places in the world, Back Forty.

6-8pm, all the drinks are half off. I got there at 7 and you best believe I had every single beer they offered on tap by 8. They were all delicious, particularly the "Sweet Action." The beer from the cask was a little warm--- it was all good though, went down smooth like mother's milk.

Magically, I bumped into a former colleague dressed head to toe in formal wear (macho, macho). Naturally, I suggested we crack some crabs--- only 2 dollars each!! We had to sit at a special communal table covered with the day's NYtimes (handy). He smashed crab all over himself (better take off your Rolex, champ) and I laughed and laughed while gingerly pulling sweet flesh out from my expertly hand opened shells.

"That's what ties are for. They were invented so that your coat wouldn't dirty your shirt.... Unfortunately now they're more expensive than shirts..." his voice trailed off as he looked at his crab juiced Italian silk (heeheehee).

We played a drinking game since we only had an hour for half-priced beer. For each crab we ate we had to chug one beer (my idea). Old Bay Seasoning is a good rim for carbonated wheat... a great thing to take the edge off something too hoppy I'd say. The crabs were smothered in it, so sensational. The GM and servers watched our game slightly amused--- mostly they were impressed we knew how to eat crab.

After washing our hands thoroughly, we sat down for dinner. My colleague almost got whiplash when he saw the burger with all the fixings come out of the kitchen and he ordered one immediately. It was so beautiful, I'd eaten it many times in the past (pure, fresh beef joy) and declined a bite. It looked juicy, in fact, so juicy it dripped all over his expensive navy sleeves (tisk, tisk--- hahaha, why am I evil?).

I ordered the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. It was a roasted vegetable dish on top of wheat. Each little root vegetable was too precious--- their skin was so sweet from being lovingly roasted. The little cippolinis melted away like French caramels. Mmmmm, dirt candy.

We ordered two desserts! The stout float and the doughnuts. Hahaha, for every doughnut we ate we had to chug one glass of beer (my idea, again). The doughnuts were perfect. Cakelike and yet refreshing with its lemon verbanay glaze. Such a smart, satisfying dessert.

The stout float I wasn't liking so much-- good vanilla ice cream though. The strawberries were a little too syrupy. What am I talking about? I was just too full to put it in my mouth. It was bitter, tangy, creamy--- dreamy.

My lightweight colleague hailed a cab (pussy) but I walked happily back home with my food baby in tow. FTW!!!! Back Forty is the best at what they do--- which is bringin' the delicious.

Here's what you should do.

1. Stop being such a clown. Then it'll be easier to...
2. Make some friends.
3. Get said friends together, and reserve a table for Back Forty's crab boil.
4. Show up at the appointed time; don't wear white.
5. In fact, don't wear anything you like, or want to wear again.
6. Order pitchers of beer. Fire Island, Sixpoint, etc.
7. Slather the jalapeno butter on the cornbread, and eat it.
8. Stop bitching about the $40/pp price. It's worth it.
9. Tear into the pile of crabs they dump on the table in front of you, burning and cutting up your fingers as you get messier than you've been in ten years, spraying crab guts all over yourself and others in a frenzy of mallet-smashing, shell-cracking fun. Take brief breaks to shovel the sides into your mouth (the greenbeans/potatoes are buttery, salty dopeness).

Oh, and don't make ridiculous statements about not needing dessert. You'll eat that strawberry rhubarb thing and love it.

Ummm I swore this place was known for their burgers but they sure could have fooled me!

C and I came here and I told C how much I was dying to try their burgers.

We started off with the Pork Jowl Nuggets - good but nothing extraordinary.

C got the trout rather than the cod, only because the waitress said the cod was too heavy. I am not a trout fan, since it's usually too fishy for my taste. But C decided to order the trout because it was lighter than the cod. C liked the trout but I guessed right, it's too fishy!
ECK!

I, of course got the burger and the meat was way too salty. The bread was too hard and just not good at all.

I was so disappointed that I told C I don't want any dessert here.

However, they deserve 5 stars for the service and atmosphere!

2.5 stars, really, but I've only been there once and am unlikely to return...

Excellent pork jowl nuggets and service. The rest of the food was ... ok. I ordered the grilled German Beer Sausage with sauerkraut and herbed spaetzel and the 2 generous links of encased pork were - dare I say - too rich and gamey for me? The dish needed more of the spaetzel and sauerkraut and after I had managed to down the first link, could not bring myself to consume the other... A bite of the boy's burger was fine... nothing that stood out very much...

Desserts - a chocolate bread pudding and Bourbon pecan pie - dry and too sweet. We should have stayed at Mayahuel, where we had stopped first.

Hailed as the Alice Waters of Soho, Peter Hoffman achieves 'slow food' success at Back Forty.

Environment: Dining at Back Forty reminds you of home. Although too dimly lit, the restaurant is cozy and the staff are extremely attentive and welcoming.

Menu: The restaurant was able to accommodate our group of 10 by offering us a prix fixe menu with the items listed below:

- Pork Jowl Nuggets with jalapeño jam
- Shaved Fennel & Pumpkin Salad with turmeric dressing & parsley
- Cauliflower Gratin with cave aged gruyere, leeks & breadcrumbs
- Whole Grilled Catskill Trout with cilantro salsa verde
- Beer Battered Onion Rings with smoked paprika mayo
- The Grass Fed Burger with spicy home made ketchup & pickle
- Fresh Doughnuts

The "comfort food" items of onion rings (the best I've ever tasted), fresh doughnuts (light and not too sweet) and burgers (tastes like heaven) hold a special place in my heart and stomach. The fennel and pumpkin salad was a refreshing dish but I was pretty ambivalent about the trout.

A prix fixe family style meal with two drinks approximated $80 per person which was a great deal considering the variety of dishes we tasted. It is fair to say that everyone in our party walked out suffering food coma and slightly buzzed. If I lived in NYC, I would definitely take my friends back to dine at Back Forty again.

Their sister-restaurant The Savoy, has packed up and moved on, hopefully to be reincarnated somehow, but shed no tears and get thyself to Back Forty.

Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite restaurant in Manhattan is 9 times out of 10 I say this place. It's a combination of:
- The layout and design; has many areas that feel seperate yet connected
- the excellent signature cocktail that I have spent the last 2 years tryign to perfect.
- Outstanding menu with freshest ingredients, enough pizazz to be interesting but not unapproachable.
- A staff that could be really too-cool-for-school if they wanted to but don't.
- And great seasonal events and themed dinners.

Homey but attractively presented food, a relaxed setting, and a shy waitress made for a pleasant and satisfying night.

My friend and I were seated right away and presented with placemat menus. Like a BBQ joint but so different...so much better.

We chose the brussels sprouts with cherry butter and shallot puree, along with the goat cheese/roasted plums/honeycomb appetizer.

The brussels sprouts were cooked to perfection, though I would have like a little more cherry in my butter. The cheese appetizer was out of this world: the goat cheese shaped like a fanned napkin, and the honeycomb chewy and sweet. Both paired well with the roasted plums and the crunchy dark bread toast provided.

As we ate, we sipped on water from an old Jack Daniel's bottle (good way to save money,) and on two fabulous cocktails for the miraculous price of $10 each. My friend had the "Back Forty," which incorporates a lot of honey into what would be a very strong drink otherwise. Mine, the "Concord Fizz," was as girly as you can get, but very much my speed. Concords (careful of seeds,) soda and rhum were all mixed together in a tall glass...perfection.

I was less pleased with my entree: the mini pumpkin stuffed with quinoa, cheese, and surrounded by a pool of mole. The filling was great, as were the mole and the pickled radishes alongside, but there was too much pumpkin for the filling. I adore pumpkin, but eating it by itself is not so fun.

I liked my friend's pan-seared skate with celery root and cauliflower a lot more. But be careful for bones.

A firm believer in dessert after every meal, I insisted on getting a chocolate pecan brownie with vanilla ice cream (most of which I ate.) It was fabulous due to its crusty top and warm, molten innards. I don't recommend finishing it as I did: be prepared for a world of nausea afterwards.

Overall, the experience was wonderful, and I would certainly return. The crowd is laidback, our waitress was adorable despite stumbling over her words half the time, and the food was simple yet mostly delicious.