The Upper East Side's current foodie gem is clearly Blue Collar, Chef Danny Serfer's MiMo enclave of lunch box-clad walls and just plain good food: homemade pasta, pork chops, shrimp and grits, and pork and beans for brunch.
"It's a lot of the stuff I grew up eating, and it makes me feel like I'm back at home eating something like my mom cooked," Serfer explained. "I think a lot of people will feel that way as well."
Clearly, they do. Serfer told Chat Chow TV that his "Corben" sandwich, named for the locally-bred director of "Cocaine Cowboys," is a frequent request despite its absence from the official menu. Made of twin fresh brisket sandwiches on Portuguese muffins with Dijon, latkes with cinnamon applesauce and a side of au jus, the "Corben" has become a legend through mentions on Twitter alone.
"We'll go through two whole briskets, which is about 36 pounds, in like an hour," Serfer said.
But the sandwich is just one example of Blue Collar's cult following. The chef told Chat Chow that the most unexpected thing he's seen since opening the joint in January is how many patrons have become devoted regulars.
"It's like the most overwhelming thing," he said. "We're probably like 60-70 percent regulars. We have this one guy, no joke, he comes in six times a week. Sometimes twice a day."
Does he have a frequent diner card?
"No, but we gave him a hat."
Watch above to hear Serfer talk about how he fancies up comfort food, the dangers of vegetable bottlenecks, and where he eats when he's not in his kitchen.
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