NYC Tastes

The city's newest winter wonderland has popped up on the rooftop of Eataly. The massive Birreria space has been decked out in wreath's of spruce, strings of white lights and hanging antlers to celebrate the season of winter in the Italian Alps. A gorgeous tree is the spotlight of the restaurant with cozy Adirondack chairs scattered around so guests can sip on drinks while watching the tree lights shine over the Manhattan skyline. Birreria still has it's regular menu of beer and wine but now they've added an entirely new cocktail list.  It's split into "hot" with delicious drinks like the Bombardino; a twist on the classic eggnog with Brandy, Zabalione and whipped cream and "cold" like the Diamondback  with Orchard Hill "Ten66" Pommeau, Dolin Genepy, WhistlePig Rye and garnished with a cherry.  There's also new menu additions including three preparations of the nutty Swiss cheese Raclette. The cheese round is heated up ove...

NYC beer week came to a conclusion Sunday with a finale at Birreria.  They had a special line up of bottled beer to celebrate and two gravity casks. I've had the Dogfish Head 75 Minute multiple times before but never on cask.  It was so much lighter than in the bottle but still with that wonderful hoppy nose and sweet maple flavor. I paired my delicious beer with their crunchy Kale Salad made with grapefruit, pomegranate seeds and anchovy dressing. It was a beautiful day on the roof and a great way to end the fabulous week of beer in NYC. NYC Beer Week Birreria

And Mr. T and I got off to an early start last night with a trip down to One Mile House for a special keg of Hill Farmstead Everett. Hill Farmstead is a small brewery up in Vermont that consistently churns out wonderful, elegant beers that are almost impossible to find here in NYC due to their small production and high demand.  The Everett was a real treat....malty flavors of chocolate, coffee and vanilla dominated this incredibly smooth Porter, just perfect for sipping on a cold blustery day. One Mile House is hosting a special Local Beer event tonight where some great NY breweries will be taking over the taps. You can stop in and try a flight of some great locals like Captain Lawrence, Barrier and Kelso to name a few. But don't stop there...the city is filled with a ton of beer events this week at some of my favorite bar and restaurants in the city like Gramercy Tavern, Mugs Ale House and Birreria.  You can check out all th...

It's really starting to feel like the holidays.  There are so many tourists jammed inside Eataly right now it's almost impossible to breathe...except for Birreria.  Mr. T and I stopped in last Friday and found an open spot at the bar and quite a pleasant assortment of locals and tourists alike enjoying a gorgeous evening. We were planning to just have a drink but it was so delightful we stayed on for dinner. Mr. T had the special fish that day Striped Bass with Blood Orange.  We actually had a similar crudo with bass and blood orange last year at La Scuola downstairs...cooked or raw those two are a match made in heaven. I was craving a big piece of meat so the Bistecca was perfect.  I love how chock full of flavor skirt steak can be when done properly.  The addition of an aged balsamic and shallots just sealed the deal. All of this and a lovely glass of Barolo to finish...  Birreria

On a gorgeous summer day there is nothing better than sitting outside, soaking in the rays with a cold beer.  The rooftop of Eataly has the perfect venue for doing just that.  We stopped in last Sunday and started with a Dogfish Head Namaste. I've had this is in a bottle before but I have to say it's so much better on draft.  The crisp, herbal undertones were great for the hot summer day we were experiencing.  Onto food I ordered the Bistecca con Salsa Verde- Doley Ranch skirt steak with watercress and pickles maitakes. Mr. T ordered the Pollo Con Pesto di Olive- Pennsylvania chicken thigh with a Tuscan bread and tomato salad. Both dishes were excellent- I loved the salsa verde on the steak and Mr. T couldn't get enough of the crispy skin of the chicken.    Add in the fabulous view outside and I'd say we had a pretty perfect little Sunday lunch. Birreria

 Victory did some crazy over the summer. They took their Storm King Stout and put it inside some bourbon barrels from Jim Beam and Heaven Hill Distilleries. The result is what they’ve called Dark Intrigue and I was lucky enough to try a bottle of this at Birreria this past weekend. This beer is exactly what you would expect a bourbon aged beer to taste like. It’s strong up front with a boozy smell of bourbon and a little chocolate. However the beer itself is really malty and thick. It ended a little strong but I think with time it will age to be quite smooth on the finish. This is the second time Vicory has made this beer but they say this is going to be the last batch- get it while you can. This is one delicious Imperial Stout. Another beer we tried out was a collaboration between Ommegnag and Liefman the Seduction. This brew had big notes of chocolate with a hint of cherry on the end that I found quite pleasant. The beer seemed a little bit more carbonated than most d...

It seems like I've been waiting forever for the opening of Eataly's rooftop restaurant but last night it finally happened. Mr T and I were walking around Eataly and noticed a security guard standing at the entrance. I asked him what was going on and he said "20 minutes till opening". WTF! I was in line waiting immediately. Soon we were up in the elevator and walking onto the open patio was amazing! I absolutely loved the beautiful wooden staircase painted with various phrase's from Dante’s Divine Comedy. We knew we wanted to eat dinner but I felt like checking out the bar scene so instead of sitting at one of the red tables in the middle we grabbed a few seats at the bar. I started out with one of their cask brews an Eataly Pale Ale. This had nice golden hues and standard hops- a very tasty Pale Ale. For the more adventurous beer drinker I would suggest the Gina- a Thyme Pale Ale which brought a spicy kick to the front and tasted extremely refreshing on th...