88 Orchard Offering New Small Plate Menu

Posted: February 2, 2010 at 6:11 am

Starting tomorrow, 88 Orchard will be offering up a new “small plates” menu during the daily dinner rush.  After 6 pm, to be precise.  This culinary changeup is a move, in their own words, to “redefine itself.”

From the Boogie inbox:

On Wednesday, February 3, local Lower East Side favorite 88 Orchard—at the corner of Orchard and Broome Streets—will be redefining itself with an all-new small-plates evening menu crafted by Mariko Makino.

The café will maintain its successful daytime breakfast and lunch service until 6 pm, at which point it will transform from counter service to table service. Customers will be treated to candlelit dining, a fresh new selection of beer and wine and an updated menu of comfort food and desserts.

A mix of American comfort foods with dashes of worldly cuisine mark Makino’s menu, which includes Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad, Mango Jalapeño Quesadillas, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and 88’s rendering of sloppy Joes with lamb, red pepper and mint. In keeping with the café’s cozy, neighborly atmosphere, dishes have been specially designed for sharing. While 88 Orchard encourages patrons to come in to taste the new small plates, it welcomes those who are looking for a quiet place to relax with a great latte made from rich, aromatic Irving Farm beans.

In an effort to support local foods and businesses, 88 Orchard will offer cheeses from Saxelby Cheesemongers, dumplings from Vanessa’s Dumpling House, a rotating selection of gelato from Il Laboratorio del Gelato and bakery items from This Chick Bakes.

Additionally, a regular live music calendar will launch with a performance by jazz guitarist and neighborhood resident Adam Levy on Tuesday, February 16.

Menu

Winter

Mixed Olives 3
Sweet & Spicy Nuts cayenne pepper and maple syrup 3
Bacon-Wrapped Dates stuffed with almonds 6
Salvatore Bklyn Ricotta, Honey and Thyme w/ toasted walnut raisin bread 7
Grilled Eggplant Dip with toasted baguette 5
Fromage select cheeses from Saxelby Cheesemongers

small plates
cold

Wild Arugula and Orange Salad black olives, red onion and goat feta 6.75
Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad goat cheese, walnuts and mixed greens (add chicken, 2) 7
Curried Apple Quinoa dried currants and roasted almonds 7.50
Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad cucumber and tahini 6.75

hot

Tomato Basil Soup grilled cheese croutons 7
Rosemary Ham & Brie pear, fig reduction and mustard on ciabatta 9
Not-So-Sloppy Joes lamb, red pepper and mint sliders 12
Mac ‘n’ Cheese white cheddar, gruyere and parmesan cheeses topped with panko 8
Mango Jalapeño Quesadilla monterey jack, white cheddar and red onion (add chicken, 2) 7
Vanessa’s Pork Dumplings soy ginger and sweet chili dipping sauces 5

sweet

Peanut-Crusted Pound Cake Panini with banana and nutella, served with vanilla Il Laboratorio del Gelato 7
Mexican Hot Chocolate dark chocolate, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and artisanal marshmallows 5
Cookies and Milk chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies served with a glass of milk 5
Il Laboratorio del Gelato seasonal flavors, double dip (6) or triple dip (8)

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Street: Broome Street, Orchard Street
Tags: 88 Orchard, 88 Orchard Street, coffee, Il Laboratorio del Gelato, menu, This Chick Bakes, Vanessa's Dumpling House


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  • guest
    I sampled the chickpea dish earlier this week - delicious.
  • Joey
    Haha, I liked that too. Amazing. 5$ dumplings. The one on Essex is even closer.

    Have to hand it to "Vanessa" though - great branding. There are like 10 identical dumpling places within 5 blocks, and yet "Vanessa's Dumplings" is the neighborhood staple. So, I guess what I'm saying is.. they know how to market to white people too.
  • Au contraire, Joey - all dumplings are not identical. Vanessa's is one of the "big three" in the neighborhood - the other two being Fried Dumpling on Allen and Prosperity on Eldridge. The dumplings at these three establishments are, to connoiseurs, the best of the lot, with much debate as to which of the three takes the top spot. That joint on Essex is, frankly, not even in the running. Perhaps to your mouth they are identical, but there's a great deal of difference in the 4(or 5)/$1 dumplings of the LES.
  • Joey
    Hahaha, dumpling snobs. What next.

    :)
  • Samuel
    they serve 6 dumplings instead of 4, and with homemade dipping sauces
  • Wow. They're offering Vanessa's Dumplings, something they're just buying and re-serving... at a 500% markup.

    Yeah, mighty neighborly...

    I understand they need to make a profit, sure - but Vanessa's is, like, just a couple blocks away. I can't possibly imagine anyone paying $5 for, quite literally, exactly the same thing they'd get for $1. But I guess some people will pay a premium for having their food handed to them by young white people instead of old Chinese women.
  • Ralph Parker
    I asked and they aren't bought & "re-served". Yeah, they are the frozen ones but they cook them for each order and serve them with some tasty dipping sauces not offered by Vanessa's or any other dumpling house.
    Assume the offering on the menu is so that everyone in your crew is happy dining with a variety of choices and can drink a beer in the awesome corner spot that is 88 (it's truly a different atmosphere at night). You know, 88 could have just put the dumplings on their menu and not given Vanessa's credit or been honest about where they're purchased from.
    And Hey! You don't have to order the $5 dumplings! The other menu options are very delicious... especially the Beet Salad, the Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad, Sloppy Joes and the Mango Jalapeno Quesadilla.
    I'd rather go to 88 any day (or night) than a Starbucks/Cosi/Dunkin Donuts or TGIF's/Red Lobster/Olive Garden/the list goes on. I'd rather support independent, local businesses. :)
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