The National

On Saturday, we were looking for a place to eat after running some errands in Soho. Ken had to run to Freeman’s to get a haircut and we ended up getting a quick bite to eat at The National while we waited for his barber. The National serves brunch until 4 and didn’t seem packed so we decided to give it a try:

The restaurant has retro fans, a wall of mirrors, and a vintage motorcycle decorating the dining room with a wait staff looking like they walked out of an American Apparel ad. They were also a little aloof, possibly because they only had an hour until they closed to switch out for dinner service. I asked how much meat was in the lobster BLT sandwich (at $24, they should know) but the waitress had absolutely no idea and glared at me for even asking. In my defense, some places weigh out the lobster before placing it on the roll (Mary’s Fish camp is a perfect example). I went with the lobster BLT anyway because I was actually planning to visit Pearl Oyster Bar for a lobster roll later in the day and figured I could give this place a try instead:

The lobster BLT comes with arugula, tomato, bacon, and red onion with a side of French fries. The lobster chunks were definitely large and buttery but there were too many other flavors from the tomato, peppery arugula, and salty bacon. I wasn’t a huge fan and kind of felt like I should’ve gone with my initial plan of visiting Pearl Oyster Bar. The fries, on the other hand, did beat Pearl’s; they were exactly like McDonald’s fries. We ran out of ketchup and had a hard time getting a refill because the waitress ignored us until Ken waved her down.

Ken ordered the fish tacos:

The tacos were made with fried cod and definitely the most flavorless tacos I’ve ever had. We doused them with Tabasco, which made it slightly better, but overall, neither of us were very impressed. I don’t think either of us would return to the restaurant; Freeman’s is right around the corner and even though I’m not a huge fan of that restaurant, it’s definitely better than what we experienced at The National.