BITES ON A BUDGET is a toothsome and tasty series where members of the OC family forage for great food––under $10
It's only 4 PM but it’s already dark out when OC online intern Anthony and I arrive at Bobwhite Counter on Avenue C in Alphabet City. We shiver a little in the cold and are tired after a long walk. But what better place to forget about the cold than a restaurant serving Southern comfort food in the light of glass jar candles?
Keedick Coulter, hailing from Roanoke, Virginia, founded Bobwhite Counter two years ago with a menu of mouthwatering family recipes, including the famous chicken that's brined overnight in sweet tea and then pressure-fried to perfection. I order the pulled pork sandwich with Loulie’s chow-chow ($9.50), but before I even attempt the savory wonder I nibble a bit of salad. Wait, is that salad? What magnificent taste has magically transformed an average-looking green leaf into the best thing that has happened to me all day? According to our waiter, Josh, that would be Bobwhite's homemade mustard vinaigrette. Knowing that my Swedish heritage makes me a novice of Southern sauces, Anthony offered me a taste of his Farmhouse salad with buttermilk dressing ($8.50), adding, “You can really tell when something is homemade."
The prices at Bobwhite's are surprisingly low considering all ingredients are locally produced, and, when possible, seasonal and sustainable. "He just knows what tastes good. I guess that’s the case when you grow up around food," Josh says of Mr. Coulter. Encouraged, we finish our meal by sharing a cool, sweet banana pudding ($4).
BOBWHITE COUNTER
94 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009
MAP
The amazing pulled pork sandwich with Loulie’s chow-chow. Chow-chow is a traditional Southern relish made with green tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, onions, and turmeric.
Farmhouse salad with buttermilk dressing
Homemade banana pudding satisfied all my newfound Southern comfort food cravings!