Exactly What To Order For Dinner At: American Bar

American Bar is one of those spots whose menu just makes you feel relieved. Finally - Chicken Fingers and Grand Osetra Caviar together in high-low harmony!

A reservation at the Greenwich Village hot spot is the perfect excuse to dress cute (mind you we're talking casual downtown cute, not ready to hit the club cute) and indulge in some society sightseeing (yes that's one thousand percent the nap dress girl Nell Diamond you follow on Instagram in the corner).

To begin, we'd recommend organizing a lively group of friends to fill a table for at least four, six at the most.  The more the merrier, but also, the more the more appetizers to share, you feel me?

Martinis are basically the unofficial drink of this cool kid establishment (they're $10 on Sundays and Monday nights for those in the know!), so best to start off with a Martini Growler for the table. You know, so everyone's properly hydrated. It serves five, but we all have that one friend who's always a drink ahead anyway, so the math works out perfectly. 

From there, you'll want to put in an order of Grilled Calamari, Pigs In A Blanket, Whipped Ricotta, and if you're not planning on getting a salad for a main, the Peanut Chicken Salad. It's the best salad in New York and that's not just a title I'd give away. 

If you are going to get the salad as a main (which is also a lovely way to structure your meal), grab an order of Onion Strings instead. Delightfully horrible for you, but oh so delicious.

Mind you, this will inevitably be far too much food for four people to eat who are all still expecting a second course, but each of these dishes are pretty necessary. I suppose if you really don't want to be wasteful slash want to save your daily dairy quota for dessert (it would be borderline insane of you not to get dessert), you could do without the Whipped Ricotta.

By this point in the evening, you've probably all moved on to enjoying a second round of your individual cocktails of choice. If you're a one-and-done kind of drinker, transition over to the Guiltless Lemonade. If that last sentence made you laugh, try their Cosmo 2020 next. It's vodka, pomegranate, tarragon and lemon.

For your main course (assuming you did in fact split the Peanut Chicken Salad as an appetizer), it's got to be the Chicken Paillard or the Cheeseburger. 

If you're out on a first date that you can tell is most definitely not going to go well and you're just looking to make the most of it food-wise because you certainly won't be enjoying the conversation, then you can order the Spicy Lobster Pasta. Otherwise, when in good company, that dish really should not necessary.

Once your table has been cleared, and maybe a third round of drinks has arrived, everyone's going to pretend that they couldn't possibly even think about the idea of looking at a dessert menu, let alone actually ordering something. And hey, you might even find yourself moved to agree with them. But let me just tell you, you're all lying and making a horrible mistake.

Now is the time to dig down deep within yourself and find the strength to make an executive decision to get one Tower Bar Sundae for everyone to split. 

Your waiter will provide you with a card and a little golf pencil to check off which ice creams, toppings and sauces you'd like. Obviously, ice cream is one of the most profoundly personal experiences in life and thus it would be rude of me to attempt to guide you down a certain path. 

Just know that here, unlike when tearing through your closet for an outfit, there is no wrong choice.

Best of luck figuring out how you'll split the check!

[Photos via American Bar]