The Progress Introduces No-Reservations, Under-$10 Bar Menu

The Progress hasn't proved to be as much of a reservations white whale as booked-solid big sister State Bird Provisions, but it's still a challenging booking by anyone else's standards (the next available two-top on OpenTable isn't until March 30). But those looking to try the offerings at the hot newcomer from Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski without a two-week wait should take note: The Progress recently introduced a bar menu, all 20 seats of which are available exclusively for walk-ins. The best part: all of them are $5 or $10, allowing diners to mix and match small dishes in a manner similar to State Bird.

Like the menu at State Bird, The Progress' bar menu is divided into "provisions" and "commandables." The former category, at $5 each, are the same dishes the restaurant offers as welcome snacks in the dining room, like grilled lap cheong sausage and Malaysian beef jerky with crushed peanuts. The $10 commandables, meanwhile, are scaled-down versions of nearly every dish on The Progress' regular menu (normally $65/person for six dishes shared between the table), allowing diners to sample popular options like the cauliflower and pig fries, pecorino roti with truffle buttermilk, and kiwi with ricotta and almonds without committing to the entire menu. (For those who do feel like committing, though, the full menu is also available at the bar.) Bonus: unlike State Bird, The Progress has a full liquor license, so those snacks can be accompanied by a cocktail.

Here's the full bar menu:

The Progress Bar Menu, March 11