If buttermilk biscuits are your god, then your holiest of pilgrimages must lead you to the Clinton Street Baking Company and Restaurant. Map: 4 Clinton Street (between East Houston and Stanton).
And a life is unlived unless these menu items have been embraced, the first couple in conjunction with the biscuit:
- The maple butter, ordered separately, will unmercifully pump decadent sweetness straight to your soul with torrential vigor.
- The house raspberry jam, included with your biscuit order, will joyfully slay any pious groping for a sugar-free life.
- The sauce topping their huevos rancheros (creamy, spicy, green).
- The cheese grits (queso needs more friends like these grits).
The crowd: Locals plus a phenomenal stream of, if my language identification is correct, Japanese tourists.
The staff: Helpful, friendly and fast.
The wait: Every time I have been, it has been busy, and a wait, though typically of a bearable 10 to 20 minutes, almost always ensues.
The layout: It is a bit cramped, but not quite to the point of knocking elbows with your neighbor. Walking to the bathroom will entail ample sidestepping to make room for busboys and servers.