Double Crown

Featuring post-colonial cuisine for a 21st-century New York, it's tough to evoke the British Raj and former empire on the Bowery diagonally across from Whole Foods. Traffic tends to be snarled on this stretch of the Bowery, so don't even think about eating al fresco unless you want the authentic charm that dining outdoors in Bombay or Calcutta offers. (To wit, we were only approached by one beggar during our hour-long outdoors meal here.) New properties take time to adjust their sensors, so it was entirely on our own initiative that we balanced two small saucers under the fourth leg of our table. (Note to staff: Ensure rickety wooden outdoor furniture is actually able to rest upright on your uneven sidewalk.)

As for the menu, think Chinatown Brasserie meets Little India via Singapore. A steamed duck bun with hoisin sauce and scallion was rather dreary, a glutinous mass with some decent meat. A Pork Rillette with pickled Asian pear had some nice flavors, but the portion and plating looked a tad weary. The tiny portion of Crispy Drunken Quail with cinnamon tamarind sauce, carrot, and chili caused a colleague to remark, "I felt like I was eating a hummingbird." The Soused Sea Bream with caviar, smoked vinegar dressing, sesame seeds was more intriguing. But the wild honking from the Bowery traffic forced us to depart prior to procuring entrees, given that our continued ability to hear is required on the job.