The Stand

New York Comedy Club The Stand Opens a Restaurant From Per Se Alum | Eater NY

"Aiming to be a comedy club with food that doesn’t suck, the Stand’s new Union Square location has brought on Harold Villarosa—who previously worked at Per Se and Denmark’s Noma—to run an American restaurant above the comedy club. The menu features a raw bar with oysters, clams, and crab claws, simple starters like charcuterie and a blue crab hummus, and brick-oven pizzas including a white pie with clams and a rotating seasonal pie; the brick oven also turns out snacks such as charred cauliflower and grilled sardines. Mains center on rotisserie meats, including a lamb leg and half or whole chicken and duck, while a “fast plates” section offers snacks like a crab roll, ricotta gnudi, charred prawns with homemade masa tortillas, and a $7 burger; most dishes are under $20. Open for lunch and dinner, the two-level space seats 140 with velvet banquettes, the comedy club downstairs will offer a tightened version of the menu, and cocktails come from Christian Orlando (formerly of Seamstress and Henry at the Life Hotel). The Stand originally opened in Gramercy in 2012, closed that location in June 2018, and has now reopened in Union Square for dining, drinking, and entertainment." - Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya