Yardbird!

I have this uncanny knack for going to any restaurant on its second day of being open. I always. do. that.

Tonight, I went to Yardbird Southern Table and Bar at Lincoln and Lenox. First - the name - the name is obnoxious. It's five-words-long, and, frankly, sort of douchey. Actually, the more I think of the name, the more annoyed I get so I'm going to move on, because by and large, it was a really positive experience.

I like the way they decorated the place - I remember the space when it was a gross, roach-infested bodega, with its original frosted glass windows (they should have kept some of the original windows, actually). It's decorated with sort of an Edwardian-Industrial-Meets-Plantation-House vibe, which totally works.

And the food is totally decent, although I can't see myself eating some of those dishes more than two or three times... Stuff was pretty tasty like the Chicken Biscuits and the macaroni and cheese. There were some things that were clearly ganked from Gigi's menu, like the pickled cauliflower and bread-and-butter pickles and the short-rib meatloaf (which were both delicious, but had both made an appearance at Gigi's.) The obsession with bacon, however, is sort of getting tiresome. The fried green tomato sandwiches with bacon were...okay, but the bacon ice cream with sweet potato beignets in crushed blueberry sauce... that bacon ice cream was a bit much - sort of like the one time I had truffle ice cream at the Setai. (Full Disclosure: I may not be a "savory ice cream" person...)

Service was friendly, and they've got a TON of staff - I think there were like two or three managers on the floor directing the staff, which were really hustlin'.

I drank most of their specialty cocktail menu, and the smoked pear was my favorite (it's the drink with the rim of crushed smoked almonds...) and the drinks are good.

In all, it's a solid place. I'll be back.