Longman & Eagle

Worth the price. Get the Manhattan and pretty much anything on the menu. Perfect for a classy date.  Had about a two hour wait when we showed up at 7:30pm on a Saturday night, but wasn't a problem.  A few other bars right around the corner were a little less packed.  Grab a drink there while you wait for your table at L&E.  Oh, and service is impeccable.

What can I say, I am a big fan of gastropubs.  Longman fits into that category with a leaning towards a gourmet restaurant foodwise.  They do not take reservations and are always extremely busy.  They have an extensive beer list and an exceptionally lengthy whiskey list.  It is a very laid back and unassuming ambiance.  I can tell that the owner's attempt to engender and encourage a laid back but very friendly and courteous feeling is well executed with the servers.  They also have a passion for the food and drink served at the restaurant.  This place is one of my favorite gastropubs.  And, I have been to many.  

My two favorite dishes are the hamburger in which the meat is very flavorful and beefy tasting (many burgers are not surprisingly) not being overpowered by the bun or any condiments; and, the pork shank with crispy skin on the outside and moist and succulent meat on the inside.

This is one of my favorite places to hang out at the bar as well because the bartenders and staff are fun and know their stuff.  Great ambiance as well.

Made my second visit to Longman yesterday, and I think this meal was very good.

I'm not sure, because my friends & I decided to brave the brunch-time wait...we arrived at 12, got seated around 1:40 and actually ate food at 2 PM.  This was my first food of the day; I was so starved that I'm really not sure now if the food was amazing, or amazing because I was about to chew on a friend's arm!!

It's tight inside this space, but it was never too loud; I had the 1-2 Punsch and the Morricone's Mela on the cocktails menu.  The Punsch was great; I like a good bitter drink now and then, but the Mela was actually too bitter for me, so you really have to love your bitters to enjoy this drink.  Strangely, I didn't love my mimosa...maybe I'm too much of a Cook's-and-Tropicana guy, but I wasn't a fan of the mimosa.  We also did a whisky tasting...as others have mentioned, no matter what you think about the space, service, or food, the drinks list at Longman is as good as it gets.

The biscuits-and-gravy was fantastic; biscuit was near perfection, not too much gravy, just enough sausage.  Tried some of the bacon but Father's Hams does me better here at home.  Others at my table got the crepinette, the duck hash and the PBR breakfast...it seemed like everyone was happy, but again, for about six minutes, no one spoke because everyone was starved after the long wait.

Also, the house-made doughnut with the bourbon glaze was money; it won't replace the doughnuts I get at Glazed & Infused or Do-Rite, but still very strong.  Bacon bits make everything better!