Bamn!

So it’s 4 in the morning, you’re done partying, you’re hungry, and you want something quick. Should you find yourself a 24 hour McDonalds and get the same garbage that you can get anywhere? Do you find an all night bodega and get food that you have no idea where it’s come from or where it’s been? Well, if you are in The Village you have a brand new choice in that late night stuff the stomach style of eating..

Bamn!, the first Automat to be open in NYC since the ’80s.

Last night we here at 78west had a chance to rub elbows with the likes of CNN and The New York Times at the grand opening party of Bamn. We had a chance to try out the menu, chat with the creators, the chef, and the design team, and we’re here to report on it.

“So why pink?” we inquired to the co-creator of the establishment David Leong

His response? “Pink is the new black”

Well then, we’ll just have to take his word on it, but by the looks of things, Pink was a wonderful choice. Not only is it the new black, but it’s a color that is much brighter than anything else on the block. The pink glow that comes out of Bamn is sure to get just about any passerby curious as to what it is. Hopefully this will translate into them actually coming inside and trying a few things out.

Walking into Bamn the first thing you’ll notice is the wall of food. Keeping with automat tradition Bamn! serves up it’s dishes in what amounts to a large vending machine. Each portion of food is behind glass and kept warm for the people who want it.

“They can go up to over 200 degrees depending on the item.” the executive chef and food creator Kevin Reilly let us know “Right now they are at 140″

No worries about cold food here. Just put your money in the slot next to what you want, pull down the glass, grab your food, and be on your way.

So how did they come up with the ideas for the food? Where did this chef come from?

“I answered an ad on Craigslist. It said ‘Does anyone have a good croquet recipe?’ and I wrote back ‘I do’” With that a year long process began with Chef Reilly, having full control over the menu, set out to make easy to eat, good tasting, and unique foods for everyone to enjoy.

So let’s take a look at that food, shall we? Behind the glass you’ll find some unique items some and traditional American foods, some good enough to want seconds, some stinkers. So with out further adieu, the reason to come to any restaurant, the food.

We’ll start with the items that were on the so-so to not so good list. Hey, we are honest.

The chicken nuggets. I’d say these would be worth passing by. The chef told us that some of the items were not made fresh but shipped in frozen. We assume this was one of those items. They were heavy and tasted just like what you would find in the frozen section of your supermarket.

The grilled cheese sandwich and the hot dog in a croissant.

Now while these were not bad, they were just not anything special. For the hot dog you might as well get a dirty water dog from a vendor, unless you want one in a croissant for some reason, and the grilled cheese, well, it’s a grilled cheese. Nothing really bad about it. Maybe it’s just beyond my level of comprehension. I’ve never bought a grilled cheese sandwich on the go before so perhaps I just don’t know how to handle it. Get it if you are in the mood.

On the left we have the mozzarella sticks. Everyone knows what they are and they taste just like they should. On the right we have the chicken wings. These were surprisingly good. Be warned, they pack a bit of a spice kick to them. They were an item that can really hit the spot.

Finishing up our “regular” food section we have little pizza dumplings. Don’t let the name fool you, they are pretty much just the same pizza bites that you can buy in your local store and heat up in the oven or microwave.

Okay, that’s the boring stuff. Let’s move on to things a tad more exciting. We’ll start slow as to not blow your mind too much.

The pork bun. A long time favorite of dim sum fans everywhere, the pork bun has made it’s way to a pink filled automat. It’s heavy, it’s filled with pork goodness, and might do wonders late at night when in the mood for something quick and filling. Aren’t PatBoyX’s arms sexy?

Next we have the Japanese Dounuts.

“What are they made of?”

“It’s a trade secret but it’s basically flour and sugar and…” — sorry chef, my ears shut down as I stuffed one of these into my mouth. They are very light, not like a Dunkin’ brand doughnut. They are almost flakey and eaten warm with the sugar on top is like a big pile of happiness in your mouth.

Moving away from Asia we find ourselves in The Netherlands with these mac and cheese filled croquet. Being that the automat is popular there it’s only fitting that we get a bit of their food, or at least a bit of the concepts of their food. Biting into the croquet you’ll find yourself eating what amounts to a portable-no-utensils-required helping of mac and cheese. The flavor of the cheese goes very nicely with the crunchy outside. This is an item worth checking out.

Next we have a burger combo..

and the chicken version..

Both are flavored with teriyaki and both taste great. They go down quite smoothly, if one can say such a thing about a burger. I prefer the chicken as it’s a lighter meat but both are good. You might be paying more than the McDonalds down the road (and then up another road), but you are getting a much better product.

….

Oh wait, sorry, those are not on the menu.

Here is a very unique item. The hot peanut butter and jelly epanada. Breaking it open you find Welch’s grape jelly and a bit of peanut butter..

If you look closely in that picture you can see the paper that I am using right now to help me write this. Look at us go, being all official and bringing a pad and pen with us! Anyway, the PB&J is another fun food to have at Bamn! It’s cute and it’s warm. Give this one a shot too.

Much like Pommes Frites does up the street, Bamn is offering up Belgian style fries with 25+ sauces to try from.

“She’s not too happy about this,” said the chef about the woman who runs Pommes Frites “she’s been here a few times to check us out.” I wonder if competition in the fry world will be a good thing.

We tried about 6 of the sauces. Our favorites, besides the standard frites sauce, was the wasabi mustard, which had a nice kick to it, and the truffle sauce, which was quite different than most other things I have tried on fries. Does it actually taste like a truffle? No idea, ask the chef.

For dessert they will be having flavored shaved ice (was not available for the press event) and soft serve ice cream. We tried a sample of the green tea flavor (it also comes in vanilla), and were very pleased with it. Not much more to say about it other than that. It was good, try some.

And now for the final item. The item that everyone will be trying at least once. It’s the thing that you will be telling your friends about when they ask about Bamn! It’s the item that the CNN woman was trying to eat, although I never saw her take more than a single bite, and it’s the one that everyone was talking about..

Spam Musubi.

Yeah, that’s right. Spam is being featured on the menu of a real restaurant. Sure, it might be the favorite food of some of you out there, and yes, I know there are whole places dedicated to it, but for those of us in NYC used to seeing Kobe beef burgers costing over $100, Spam is not something one finds, anywhere.

There it is folks. The Spam Musubi. It’s a brick of white rice with a slice of spam on top of it that has been cooked in some kind of magical sauce, all wrapped up neatly in seaweed. Not only did it look amazing but it tasted just as good. Disclaimer: I did a presentation on Spam in High School so I am a bit biased to it’s beauty. It’s something that, if you come to Bamn!, you or at least one person in your party is going to need to try. It’s the one item that when you bring up Bamn! to others will get their interest at least a bit piqued.

So there you have it, folks.

The internet’s first run down of everything on the menu, sans breakfast.

Bamn! is a great little place and the owners were a bunch of nice guys.

For bringing something new to the area, revitalizing an old concept, and offering up a unique menu..

We give Bamn!the allmighty 5 Cheese Grail.