Where the Owners of Agi’s Counter Go for Date Night in New York

Jeremy Salamon: We’re tied to the restaurant, so it’s always hard for us to get out. That means date nights are really important to us. Obviously, so we can spend time together, but also to get inspiration: We like to see what other restaurants are doing, what plates they’re using. We also mix that with being mindful when we go out in terms of budget; we don’t have the time or the money to go to expensive places.

I think we’re looking for comfort food and things that are really simple. That being said, we tend to frequent The Fly.

It’s super close to where we live; we live about 10 minutes away. It’s like I have another relationship that is with roast chicken, and Mike knows that. We order a lot from there, we brought our parents there, and I had my birthday there. We’ve celebrated there a lot. It’s also just a simple date night with their roast chicken, French fries with aioli, and a Caesar salad.

Michael Herman: They also have an amaretto sour which really speaks to my Long Island heritage. Once in a while, I’ll go when I want to feel like I’m fresh out of college on Long Island.

Herman: This was actually the spot that we went to the day that we signed the lease for Agi’s Counter. We knew that our lives were about to change quite a bit, and we just wanted to have a nice night out. We ended up at Anton’s; I think it was both of our first times there.

We got this anchovy pasta and we just fell in love with it. It became synonymous with a celebrative night. If we’re going to do something nice to celebrate, the first question is “Should we go get anchovy pasta and a martini?”

Salamon: We love all sorts of cocktails, but my go-to is really a Negroni and Mike loves a martini.

P.S. Here’s a look at all the dishes you’ll want to order from Anton’s.

Salamon: I used to work here, so it’s nice to go back once in a while, but it’s so busy. And also, it’s just so tiny. I mean, in New York, all restaurants are, but still.

The food is amazing. Mike loves a good steak tartare, and theirs is phenomenal. Then we get the salade poulet, which is a big chicken salad, and then they have the beets with horseradish, and the prosciutto pearls with honey on the open-faced tartine.

Herman: It reminds me that we’re doing OK. Agi’s is small too, and I feel like sometimes we’re sending people into small spaces. But this reminds you that if people are happy with the food they’re eating and the experience they’re having, being a little close to the table next to you is really not a big deal.

Salamon: For Anton’s and Buvette in the West Village, generally before or after our meal, we always like to go walk around. That’s part of the date night. Maybe it’s TMI, but we like to peep into people’s windows at the beautiful houses that we’re not living in.

Herman: They have two locations, one in Williamsburg and one on the Lower East Side. I’ve always said that the LES one has my heart, but they’re both amazing and the menus are almost identical, I believe.

They have this vegetarian egg roll with cabbage and scallion, freshly fried and served with spicy mustard and duck sauce. It’s one of my favorites.

Salamon: We also love an interactive feature — they give you a pair of antique scissors that you use to cut the egg roll. It’s really cute, and a lot of fun.

Herman: We also get the cold sesame noodles, the cucumbers, and peanuts. They have these dry-fried long beans which are really incredible. Then, we get General Tso’s chicken. We just get a huge order of a bunch of things.

Salamon: I think we were looking for new places to go, and I had been a long time ago. We went a few years ago and have just kept finding ourselves going back again and again over the last few years.

Without really thinking about it, we always have a great meal. The food is consistently good. It’s market driven and fresh, and we just love it when the waiter crouches down next to you and writes the menu on the paper.
 
Herman: There’s that interactive element.

Salamon: Exactly. I know they have a pork chop and the pressed chicken they’re known for, which are phenomenal. We always get whatever vegetable they have going. Recently, they had a citrus trifle that was insane. It was maybe one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time.

It feels like one of those timeless New York restaurants, it makes me think of something like Prune. It’s that iconic New York setting.

Salamon: This is located a block away from our house. We’ve also celebrated our birthdays and staff birthdays here, and they know us on a first-name basis. It’s not a fancy bar, but the drinks are consistently very good.

Herman: Picture a VA Hall that was dressed up for prom. That’s the vibe, in the best way possible. Pictures of young Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze on the walls … it’s a very strange aesthetic that, for some reason, just completely works. Plus, they really know their cocktails and their ingredients.

There are a lot of younger folks in there, some that maybe don’t have as much familiarity with different types of amaro. They [really know how to make] an intuitive drink that’s so approachable you know realize how complex it really is.

Salamon: We have a lot of love for our local bar. It’s on our way home, so sometimes I’ll be coming back from a shift and he’s at our place, and we can just meet up for a drink and catch up on the day.

Walk-ins only.

Salamon: This actually just opened, from our friends who own Fiasco!, the wine shop, which is about a block or two away from us. They have a very curated and special wine selection, and it’s the kind of place that you can just cozy up to the bar. We’re lucky enough that they know our names and it’s just simple.

Herman: And they have an amazing back patio. I think there will be a lot of weekend rosé days there.

Walk-ins only.