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Showing posts from May, 2013

New Brew Friday- Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly

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Let's stick with another local beer for this week- the Oak Aged Unearthly from Southern Tier.  If you remember I loved this brewery when I  reviewed  it last year. It's an Imperial IPA, similar to the  Double Trouble  in style and strength.  The aroma that hit me upon opening the bottle was bananas and citrus.   The flavor was also of banana but with a round sweet end of caramel, vanilla and oak.  There were great hops but I found the beer to be surprisingly creamy and smooth...a very enjoyable Imperial IPA.  Cheers! Southern Tier Brewery

Indie Spirits Expo

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My very last event of the Cocktail Classic was their independent spirits expo highlighting small batch, artisinal distillers from around the world.  The walk around tasting was held at the Penn Club this year and the gorgeous setting made for quite the cap off to the fabulous five day event.  There were so many wonderful people and products...here's a few of my favorites. The amazing drinks from Machu Pisco.  I love the sweet, spicy flavor of Pisco and this particular blend was very smooth.   The incredibly interesting Novo Fogo, a type of Cachaca that's been aged in tiny oak barrels for over two years before bottling.  The flavor ends up as a mix of oak and vanilla...a great spin on regular Cachaca. Always one of my favorites, Tia Maria, was served with pressed espresso, port wine and a flurry of chocolate on top... ...and a new favorite of the expo Keep It Simple Syrup.  My family loves Mojito's but who wants to spend all that time mashing the leav

Gramercy Tavern- Craft Beer Dinner

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Everyone knows the main dining room at Gramercy Tavern offers a fabulous tasting menu every night, but did you know the Tavern also offers a tasting menu with totally different items and at a much lesser cost.  Mr T and I were intrigued by the most recent one titled A Celebration of Craft Beer. We began with a Roasted Oyster amuse bouche from the chef. This was phenomenal.  I loved how roasting gave the oyster a warm smokiness that was surprisingly perfect with the brine...even Mr. T enjoyed this and he is not an oyster fan.  Onto our first course Shrimp & Mussels in a Carrot, Coconut and Quinoa Broth. The combination of  flavors in this dish were lovely.  It had a thicker broth than one would imagine, much earthier from the quinoa but then the coconut gave it an Asian spin and really lightened it up.  The pairing with a crisp Peekskill Simple Sour was spot on too.  Second course Smoked Sweetbreads with Grilled Asparagus and Toasted Hazelnuts. I like swe

Creme Brulee Cookie!

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Thank goodness Sugar and Plumm opened in the West Village. This crackly cinnamon sugar cookie has creamy center of vanilla and custard.... ...this is just what this Tuesday needs.   Sugar and Plumm

It's Memorial Day Weekend- Get Outside!

Okay so it looks a little rainy but it's not like someone is going to cancel Memorial Day Weekend right? This isn't Googa Mooga for goodness sake! (slightly bitter still) Seriously this weekend is all about being outside and drinking some cold frosty beverages.   So here's a little list of some good outdoor options: MeatPacking District Brass Monkey-  This space gets a little crazy at night but during the day the rooftop bar is a pretty chill spot to grab some drinks and even have brunch with some friends.  Extra bonus you can walk the Highline before/after and get in a little weekend exercise. Brass Monkey West Village White Horse Tavern- This place is a NYC institution and I absolutely love it.  Nothing says summer to me more than sitting on their sidewalk drinking a nice Hefeweizen and doing a little people watching. White Horse Tavern Chelsea The Frying Pan- If your long weekend includes drinking buckets of Corona, doing shots of Patron and partying with your

Queens Taste 2013

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It was a celebration for all things Queens at Citifield last week.  The annual Taste event was held inside the ballpark Cesar's Club and was filled to the brim with all the wonderful and diverse food that makes up the borough of Queens.  I began with an old favorite of mine Mama's of Corona (Leo's Latticini) who put on an incredible spread of their hefty Italian sandwiches and delectable biscotti.   They also had fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and olive oil that was absolutely heavenly.  I could have spent the whole night eating at Mama's but there was so much more to try out- like Shepard's pie from Irish Circle Tavern out in the Rockaways. Filet Mignon with bacon, mushroom and Bearnaise from Christos Steakhouse in Astoria. A trio of Italian food from Sac's Place including a vibrant Red Pepper Ravioli and creamy Proscuitto Alfredo shells. Brooklyn Brewery was on hand promoting their line of canned beer... ...which happened to be

Maison du Chocolat

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It's the middle of the week and a serious chocolate craving hits.  Usually there are two options when this occurs- run to the corner bodega and pick up a Lindt truffle or hop on a train to one of my favorite places Maison du Chocolat. There are a lot of chocolate shops in the city but Maison is special...you'll notice by simply walking inside.  The Parisenne shop feels more like fine art gallery than a sweets destination. The chocolates sit on display behind a glass case and the well dressed salesperson will patiently wait as you gaze at the gorgeous truffles and macarons.  I try something new each time but two of my personal favorites are the Liselotte and Caracas.  The first is filled with crushed praline and Gianduja, the second an intense and robust ganache.  They both have incredibly smooth creamy texture where the quality and finesse of the ingredients shine through.  So when your feeling a bit fancy for some sweets this is a perfect destination.

Manhattan Cocktail Classic- Day Three

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No you're not seeing things...I had to miss day two of the Classic but that's okay because Day three is always my favorite- Brooklyn Day!!  There are always delicious doughnuts from Dough in the morning. The fluffy Toasted Coconut with creamy vanilla glaze is the things dreams are made of...obviously a morning cocktail is the only thing that makes sense at the Classic. The Scarlet Letter with Sorel Hibiscus, prosecco and bitters was the perfect fizzy start to the day.  Sorel was the official sponsor for the day with Jack from Brooklyn shaking up the drinks.  There were some lovely warm weather choices like the Summer Madness with Sorel, Ginger Beer and honey lemon oil... ...as well as the Ronin with smoky mezcal, Sorel, sake and grapefruit juice. Then it was time for lunch with Lobster Rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound! I love how the toasted buttery bun holds in all the creamy lobster goodness. These little sandwiches are amazing.  I did

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

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Saturday was Day One of the Industry Invitational and the rainy weather couldn't put a damper on the festivities in the Andaz Hotel.  The day began with a wonderful breakfast spread. Creamy orange bitter yogurt with fresh berries and bitter honey glazed ham. Of course we need a cocktail to accompany breakfast:)  Some Light Guard punch made with Cognac, Sherry, Sauternes, champagne and bitters. There was a lot of bitters to be had Saturday because Angostura was the official bar of the Classic that day! Bitter is the most complex taste sensory we have as humans with 25 different taste sensors.  The smell and taste of bitters always intensify the flavor of cocktails which is why I love using a dash here and there in a drink.  And they were mixing up some seriously wonderful drinks like the bubbly Secret Garden made with raspberry preserves and gin... ...and the smoky, smooth Broadside made with Navy Gin and Tea Syrup. Later in the day the T

1000th Post!

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I just realized this day was coming  last week and it just about floored me.  I never thought I would write so much when I first began.  I started this blog after reading countless others and felt the need to give back.  As a transplant to NYC I remember how daunting this city can be at first and the many blogs that helped me along the way.  Now I truly consider NYC my home and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I thought I would share a few things I love to do the most in this city to celebrate... I love strolling past Gramercy Tavern early morning and looking into the calm, empty restaurant.  I usually close my eyes and picture the people who will be dining there later in the day.  I imagine the first timers and feel excited and a bit jealous for the experience they're about to have.  I almost wish I could have a first time experience there all over again.  I love walking home from work each day.  When I first moved to the city I had a mission to walk Broadway f