"Note: As of January 2024, this restaurant has expanded and become permanent as Third Kingdom. Mushrooms are having a moment, and it’s not all about truffle oil this time. Right now, you can eat a multi-course meal made up entirely of mushrooms at &Beer, a new vegan pop-up incubator in a narrow room attached to the East Village beer bar Proletariat. For their debut, &Beer decided to get extra freaky and go full fungi for the summer. Everything from beeches ‘n’ cheese, pickled pink hon shimeji, and lion’s mane dumplings make an appearance on the a la carte menu, some more successfully executed than others. (Skip the dessert tortellini, which tastes a little like they forgot to clean the dirt off the truffles.) The novelty is interesting, but as it turns out, six straight courses of mushrooms might be too many mushrooms. Instead of ordering a full dinner, use Mushrooms &Beer as an extension of Proletariat. Grab a seat at the counter to try some eccentric brews, and order the baby trumpets in mole de pipian as a bar snack." - Neha Talreja
