THE WAYLAND

700 East 9th Street

New York, NY 10009

(212) 777-7022

With out respective girlfriends off having girl time Captain and I decided to do what guys who don't care about sports do. We found a place to drink and eat sandwiches. That is to say, we went to The Wayland, an Alphabet City spot on Avenue C that had been on my go-to list for over a year.

There's a chunk of Alphabet City that has become home to a cocktail frenzy. It's almost as though every cocktail bar in the city has decided to open up there. God forbid they open up closer to a subway stop so yours truly can imbibe with ease. Instead, I literally am forced to have a home bar that's competitive in scope with some restaurants. Thanks a lot, bars. The last time I went out, I ordered a sazerac. They couldn't make me one. So when I saw that The Wayland had one front and center of their menu, I jumped on it. Cocktails is the focus of The Wayland, though they also have a small, and based on the couple of things we tried, very good food menu.

The layout is a simple one: a big horseshoe shaped bar on the right, seating for twelve on the left. Conceivably, you could bring a bunch of people here for a large get-together if you wanted to and were able to snag the one supertable, but odds are that by the time you arrive, it will have been taken by three small groups vying for dining space. Captain and I sat by the window for better people watching and camera angles.  

The menu is rather small, which in retrospect should have been expected, but somehow I figured that it would have been at least slightly larger. Perhaps that's a byproduct of The Wayland's drink-centricity. Snacks are emphasized. While enjoying a drink made with hibiscus-infused gin or lemongrass syrup or apple pie moonshine, you can munch on oysters, Brussels sprouts, hot nuts,  and oysters. Captain and I ordered sandwiches. I got the Pernil Romero, a pulled pork shoulder marinated in orange and then roasted with garlic and rosemary, served with a garlic mayonnaise on a baguette. It was divine. De-fucking-vine. Captain had a hankering for the Pulled Chicken Sandwich: apple, tomato, fennel, and chili-braised chicken with spicy pickles and a cilantro aioli on country bread. I didn't steal a bite, but he made one of those finger-kissy motions when I asked how it was, which I took to be a positive.

The vibe at the Wayland is super chill without being slobbish.  Old wood and vintage iron accents are the theme. If you've ever been to Ninth Ward, then you'll know what I mean. The bar is large, as is the open floor space. As we sat bullshitting, the place filled up. By the time we left (this particular Monday) I thought that a handful of tall tables where people could sit or even simply place a drink while they stood, would be appreciated by a few people. 

The Wayland is surprisingly inexpensive. Our sandwiches were $10 and nothing on the menu cost more than $12. The drinks are $7 until 7pm (then $12) and beers average $6. I don't know that I'd come here for a real dinner, but as a place to hang out and drink and snack, yeah, I'd be back.