NEW YORK BAR REVIEW: Double Chicken Please
New York's alright (if you like art and jazz), but one thing that is absolutely maddening is the difficulty to secure a reservation at any remotely popular establishment. This is the case in other cities as well, but the Big Apple is one of the worst offenders. Seemingly every single place has a different time frame when bookings open, be it a month out, two weeks, seven days, and if you're not ready exactly at midnight (or 6 AM, or 9 AM, or whenever the hell they decide to do the drop, it's always different) you are screwed.
I consider myself something of an expert when it comes to this field, but on my last trip to NYC I suffered an embarrassing (and devastating) fail trying to visit this bar: I had researched heavily, done several practice runs on prior days, and was ready at the exact time (11 PM six days out, in case you were wondering what the random number generator landed on here), but I already had a dinner reservation at another spot down the street two hours later, and since the other restaurant – Dhamaka, for those curious – was also on Resy, apparently I was forbidden from having more than one within that time frame, EVEN THOUGH DCP ONLY ALLOWS 90 MINUTES PER TABLE! By the time I quickly attempted to rebook on another account, it was too late, poof, they were all gone. Sure, I could have waited in the walk-in line for two hours, but nothing is worth that, in my opinion.
After wallowing in self-pity for a year, this time I vowed to let nothing come in my way. Despite clicking on the box for 7:30 PM literally the second it popped up, by the time I clicked confirm it was already unavailable, but fortunately I was able to snag a 9:30 slot before the bots took the rest (I'm not kidding, by 30 seconds past eleven everything was gone). Rejoice! Finally, one of my major bucket list bars was within my grasp. *Side note: if anyone ever runs for president on the platform of standardizing reservation protocols, they would win in a landslide.*
Double Chicken Please is located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, within blocks of numerous other highly lauded bars, but manages to stand out from the crowd. Opened in 2020, it immediately became a sensation, ranking as high as #2 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2023. And five years in it hasn't dropped a beat, remaining one of the most popular joints in the city.
There are actually two separate concepts in one: up front is Free Range, where cocktails are inspired by classic cartoons, and The Coop in the back, where the drinks are all named after and emulate different food items. This may sound odd, but each and every one is god damn incredible, having an uncanny resemblance to anything from Japanese Cold Noodle to Cold Pizza to Mango Sticky Rice, but so so delicious. And the food, where fried chicken sandwiches are the star of the show, is also tremendous, but we'll get to those in a bit.
One quick observation that I had to fit in here somewhere (this was literally the only thing I made a note of so I wouldn't forget): in the bathroom I heard some very unusual sounds, which at first I thought was something coming from the kitchen, but it turns out were recorded chicken clucking noises emitting from a speaker. Very bizarre, but I love the commitment to the brand.
The drink menu is cleverly separated into appetizers, mains, and desserts, along with some "Classics?". From the first category I selected Melon Prosciutto (prosciutto e melone if you're Italian), not a dish I think I've ever tried in food form, but ostensibly a popular simple appetizer of cantaloupe wrapped in fancy ham. This liquid version included shochu, Grey Goose vodka, jamón, cantaloupe, watermelon, dry sherry, goat cheese, and clarified milk. I'm normally not a huge vodka guy, but honestly I didn't even really examine the ingredients before ordering, I just went with my heart when it came to the food counterparts that sounded the most interesting. It's a bit difficult to elaborate much on these, since the names basically give away exactly what they taste like, but this one was the sweet and savory combination you'd expect, refreshing rockmelon balanced impeccably with salty pork. A wild start.
Speaking of sweet and savory, my entree (lol) took this to the next level: the Thai Curry with Korean gin, Ilegal Joven mezcal, green curry, and lime. The base was by far the most savory beverage I've ever enjoyed (a far cry from the repulsive Bloody Marys that I absolutely abhor), quite literally reminiscent of eating a green curry at Street To Kitchen, yet somehow transformed and tempered into a highly drinkable cocktail. This was partially accomplished by the garnish/pairing of a thai tea popsicle, whose cream and rich bites in between sips were the perfect complement to the spices and flavors of the kaeng.
For dessert was French Toast, consisting of Grey Goose vodka (again!), roasted barley brioche, coconut, milk, maple syrup, and egg, and finished with a house-made espresso Oreo emblazoned with the DCP logo. You can already guess what this tasted of: my favorite breakfast food, that scrumptious custardy eggy bread with notes of cinnamon and vanilla, cut by the chocolaty acerbic bites of the cookie. I can't claim to know how they accomplish this culinary/mixological sorcery, but someone deserves a Nobel Prize, or at the very least a James Beard Award.
One other drink I have to shout out: the sensational Key Lime Pie. Gin, winter melon, sweet cream, egg white, lime, soda, and something called "The Plum, I Suppose" combine to not only mimic the eponymous pastry, but actually exceed any KLP I've ever had. The tangy citrus was there of course, but they also managed to replicate the classic graham cracker crust flavor, and even a bit of the texture. Not to mention the fun green 3D-looking logo featured on top (see photo below). You're probably wondering what the hell The Plum, I Suppose is (other than a line from a Robert Frost poem), and I'll be honest, so was I. Turns out it's a Danish spirit from a company called Empirical which comes from kernels of plum stones (?) and distilled marigold kombucha (??), teaming up to create an almondy marzipan flavor (????) that I guess delivers part of that aforementioned crust taste. Absolutely bonkers.
I promised I'd get to the food, and I never disappoint. There are some sharable snacks including spicy koji cucumbers (not something I'd usually eat, but quite good!) and a baby gem lettuce salad with green goddess dressing, toasted almonds, and a shower of parmesan. But what really matters are the chicken sandwiches, made Taiwanese-style (coated with sweet potato starch and five-spice powder mix) in four different varieties. The Hot Honey with buttermilk and thai basil on a potato bun, and the Salted Egg Yolk with dried shrimp and pickles on brioche were good, but I had to go for the Mochi Donut. There was no bun for this certifiably insane sandwich: instead, a strawberry glazed (and sprinkled!) sliced donut served as the housing for the chicken... after the mandatory photo for The Gram, it was recommended to flip over the top donut to avoid getting red icing all over your fingers. To complete the dish were habanero, cilantro, and a slice of pickled pineapple. This sandwich absolutely blew my mind, hitting every single taste bud in my mouth with sweet, salty, spicy, sour, soft, squishy, crunchy... everything! I've never done crack – shocking, I know, considering the frenetic way I write and talk – but I imagine this must be what it's like. (That sound you just heard was my parents letting out a massive sigh of relief.)
So yeah... this place rocks. Without a doubt one of my favorite bars ever, and I need to go back ASAP. So unique and creative, but without compromising on quality at all. In fact, I loved it so much I bought a hat, and you know I only cop merch if it's somewhere I absolutely adore. If you are in New York, this is an absolute must. Let me know and I'll help you get a reservation.
RANKING UPDATE: Easily earns a spot on the Cocktail Bars section of my Beyond Houston page, up there among my favorites in the entire world with Handshake Speakeasy and Connaught Bar. Since New York is such a cocktail mecca, I'll give it a second entry instead of bumping my previous one (Katana Kitten). In fact, just for fun, here's a quick off-the-dome list of my favorite NYC bars, from many sojourns over the years (probably forgetting some but that's ok):
- Double Chicken Please
- Katana Kitten
- Paradise Lost
- Superbueno
- Bierwax (beer)
- Schmuck.
- Sip & Guzzle
- The Long Island Bar
- Grand Army
- Employees Only
NEXT UP: I was going to say "revisiting the best restaurant in Montrose", but then I thought about it and like three of my five favorite places in the city are in that neighborhood, so let's just call it the best restaurant in Montrose that also happens to be in a 1930's house.