NYC Tastes

I've been battling a terrible cold the past few days and in serious need of some comfort food.  Of course nothing says "comfort" more than a thick, creamy bowl of tomato soup and a melty Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Beechers Handmade Cheese is only four blocks from my apartment and a total lifesaver in this situation of illness. Their tomato soup is super chunky with shreds of melted Parmesan cheese inside and loaded with crunchy croutons.  Of course I always ask for my croutons on the side in favor of dipping my sandwich directly into the bowl instead.  It's not exactly proper dining etiquette but honestly when you have a bad cold who really cares.   Beechers Handmade Cheese 900 Broadway at 20th Street New York, NY 10003

I tend to keep pretty standard work lunch options but I've recently thrown in a delicious new item to the list- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad from Beecher's Cheese. They shred the kale and sprouts, fold in crunchy almonds, tart cranberries and their creamy Flagship cheese, then toss in a zesty lemon vinaigrette   The result is simply wonderful.  It's got a fantastic nutty flavor and the lemon dressing balances out the bitter greens and leaves me feeling satisfied and refreshed.  Beechers Handmade Cheese

Nom nom, nom nom nom...nom nom nom...NOM.  That's pretty much all Mr. T heard from me last night as I was busy devouring these awesome cookies I picked up at Beechers. They have two base offerings- oatmeal and sugar cookie.  This is actually a picture of the sugar because well...I destroyed that oatmeal :)  Both have delicious chunks of bitter dark chocolate and a flurry of sea salt on top.  Look at those crystals... The edges were crisp and buttery, the middle soft and chewy.  The sugar cookie was good but the oatmeal was out of this world.   Who knew a cheese shop was making some of the best cookies in the neighborhood! Beecher's Cheese

I was so excited to see Beecher Cheese had finally opened up on Broadway. It seemed like they had been getting it ready forever but the new cheese space is finally up and running. Besides selling various cheeses they also opened up a really cool restaurant called The Cellar. I was shocked when I saw the space. It was so dark, cozy and sexy. This is a perfect date place for sure and what’s even better is that it was Happy Hour when I arrived! I ordered the special infused cocktail for the day ($7.00) which was a Vodka Basil Strawberry. Wow- when I first took a sip my sinuses pretty much cleared right out. It was almost like eating some really spicy horseradish. I think they may have soaked the basil a tad too long making the taste somewhat overpowering. However they certainly put a ton of vodka inside as well and after a few sips I got used to the taste (as is the case with most strong cocktails). I wouldn’t order it again but it actually became manageable for the meal. To begi...