Bobwhite Counter — Restaurant in New York

This is the sort of place one can really appreciate having in one's neighborhood. They have a small, simple menu of comfort food with all winners and no fillers. You basically select the fried chicken platter (or the catfish platter and more on this later) and choose one of the sides. You'll get a biscuit too. All are top notch and prepared just when you order, except for the side (and let it be clear, there is no benefit to such sides being prepared per order anyway).

The chicken isn't brined in black tea for 14 hours or over-embellished in any way. It is finely breaded and always tasty and juicy. They use a slightly smaller chicken, which may disappoint some. I think it's a masterstroke as the smaller chicken pieces cook faster and more evenly, so every bite is tasty and juicy. Also, three pieces of chicken of that size align more with the portion of protein what we should be eating in a meal, and it's balanced well with a side of collard greens and the amazingly light yet decadent biscuit. We are just used to "supersize" dimensions.

The prices are also on point. I don't think I need to make a point in this review about the ridiculously high food prices in manhattan, driven by fads and an inflation of perceived values for ordinary meals like ramen (which costs 2.5-3X more than in Tokyo despite the intense competition). Providing a quality product at a fair price makes Bobwhite a place you can visit regularly and appreciate.

After at least a dozen meals of the chicken platter, I figured it was 'now or never' that I try the catfish. Let's just say that I didn't miss the chicken one bit. That's always the fear when you stray from your "go to" but I conclude that in this test, that the catfish is an equal to the chicken and deserving of its place on the menu. I have yet to try the chicken tenders or any of the sandwiches but I'm now eager to explore the menu further. Also, all the sides...

Fried Chicken Just by looking at Bobwhite’s fried chicken, you can tell a lot of love goes into its preparation. The bird itself is perfectly cooked - soft and juicy on the inside, just the way it should be. And it’s available as an $11 dinner for one or also family style, with helpings for four or more. Delivery fried chicken has never been this good.

Pork Chop Sandwich A thin patty of seared pork is served on a toasted bun with a homemade relish delivered straight from heaven. Good lord this thing is amazing. Don’t shy away from it because it sounds intimidating. This sandwich is actually the perfect size, and is completely manageable.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich Solid, but no where near as good as either of the aforementioned items. Stick to the pork chop if you’re going to get a sandwich.

Winter Salad Standard mixed greens salad with red beets, goat cheese, grapefruit, candied pecans, and a honey-shallot vinaigrette with a homemade buttermilk biscuit on top. Nice touch.

Sides The options rotate, but their tomato pudding is one of their signature dishes as it’s Grandma’s recipe and always on the menu. Definitely check that out. The braised greens are good, as are the mac ’n cheese.

Pecan Pie Infatuation approved. The only thing we would have done differently is possibly heated up the pie a bit and served it with some vanilla ice cream. That being said, it’s delicious and worth every ounce of fat it’s gonna put on...

What happened to this place? It used to be a restaurant. It used to have a cozy ambiance where you could go inside and order lovely food and hear Johnny Cash on the speakers. There used to be real plates and glasses and service. Now it’s just a takeout place with plastic sneeze guards where the bar used to be. And the food is served cold and prepackaged and you have to eat it outside in a urine-smelly street hut. I had to clean the table myself. No butter for the biscuit. Everything in plastic - plastic cups, plastic cutlery. I remember when this place was great. It was a huge let down tonight. I’ll never go back.

Edited to reply to the owner: Yes, all the food was prepackaged. I ordered Mac and cheese and it was cold. I asked the person if she could heat it up and she looked at me like I had two heads. Then she came back with a replacement Mac and cheese in another prepackaged to go container. Do you all not even have a microwave back there now?

And no butter for the biscuit?

Everything in to-go packaging? This bothered me because it’s unsustainable in this new climate hell we’re descending into. I go out to dinner to eat in a restaurant, not to eat Popeyes on the street. Your restaurant bites now, accept it. It’s straight take-out.

Finally, social distancing is over. Lots of other places are actual restaurants again with plates and service. Stop blaming the pandemic for your decline in...