The Supply House – Upper East Side Favorite

After I moved to the Upper East Side, The Supply House became my favorite go-to restaurant and bar. The front of the building is a garage door that opens to let in a cool breeze so it was the perfect place to get a drink on a warm night. Not having been there in some time, as I like to try new places on the UES, my roommate and I decided to go back on a frigid NYC Saturday night.

I was expecting there to be somewhat of a crowd because of a big football game playing but I was slightly surprised to see how many Patriots and Ravens fans were there. After giving our names to the hostess, my roomie and I got a drink at the bar and were able to once again soak in the details of The Supply House that we loved at first sight.

The garage door, that I mentioned earlier, was now closed for the season but there are large windows in it that allow customers to look out or a passerby on 2nd Ave to look in. The Supply House is wall to wall exposed brick-let me move in now-with a very industrial feel. Wood beams, iron light fixtures and candlelight create a very warm and comfortable atmosphere. The front of The Supply House has a bar with some seating, including booths, but the back is where most of the customers are seated. There is a long table with communal bench seating as well as more booths and communal tables, where my friend and I were seated.

We were about finished with our drinks from the bar when our server came over to take our orders. As it was one of the coldest nights of the year, we decided on two hot spiked apple ciders with the choice of Jameson or Captain Morgan-both of us choose the Captain. I ordered the Black & Blue Burger (with Steak Sauce, Frizzled Onions sans Blue Cheese on an English Muffin) while my friend ordered the Baja Fish Tacos that are beer battered with Pica de Gallo, Black Bean Salsa and Tequila-Lime Aioli. We also ordered “hand-sliced and gently prepared” Sweet Potato Fries to share.

The service was very fast for the amount of people that were there. Everybody was pretty much watching the game at all corners of the joint. Large-screen TV’s surround The Supply House so you would never be in a position where you couldn’t see the game. This NY Giants fan, however, was far more interested in the food and drinks this evening than the actual game.

So What did we Eat at The Supply House?

The Baja Tacos did not disappoint. Even though they are beer battered, the tacos are still light, fresh, and are dripping with delicious slaw. Two tacos are enough for the perfect meal. The salsa is great by itself or to add on top of the tacos. The aioli is “the cherry on top!”

The Black & Blue Burger was by far one of the best burgers I’ve had in some time. Who else loves a burger on an English Muffin? A normal bun makes me too full most of the time and leaves me unable to finish. The meat was perfectly cooked and the steak sauce gave an awesome kick to the frizzled onions. And yes, I was able to finish the whole thing.

The sweet potatoes were good. Definitely not the best I’ve ever had but no regrets ordering them. They needed a little more salt and/or flavoring to really win us over.

The hot spiked apple ciders were exactly that- hot and spiked! They really warmed us up and kept us cozy. Next time, I wouldn’t order one with a meal as both were very hearty and filling but I would definitely come back and order one at the bar.

As for the service, we did have to wait about a half hour for our table but we were able to enjoy the front of the bar while doing so. Our waiter was very nice and accommodating but we did wait some time to pay (understandable, however, due to the crowd that was there). The friendly owners, bartenders, and wait staff always have smiles on their faces and they have always been a complete pleasure.

We look forward to our next visit- likely soon as we only live three blocks away! Next time, we will save enough room for the Reese’s Brownie Chip Sundae.