NYC Tastes

The last 48 hours has been pretty darn terrible.  An emotional roller coaster of excitement, hope, fear, anger and shock that ultimately made me want to crawl into bed and never come out from underneath my warm fluffy blanket.  But I know that won't solve anything and deep down I know I need to face the world and whatever crazy, challenging things that may come along with it.  But in order to prep for everything that lies ahead I need indulge in some serious comfort food first. Nothing says comfort to me quite like a warm Grilled Cheese sandwich loaded with four different types of melted goodness and a thick creamy bowl of tomato soup on the side.  A piping hot plate of Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing for a spicy kick to get the energy flowing again... ...and of course beer "the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."  Maybe not exactly the best time to quote Homer Simpson but he actually makes me feel somewhat comforted too.  We ...

Let's keep celebrating NYC Beer Week with a little bit of brunch and beer....two things always in fashion at The Blind Tiger.  Most people don't realize this but early Sunday afternoon is one of the best times to visit the Tiger. The epically large crowds have yet to arrive, sunlight streams in on the tables up front and it's the only time you can get an order of Chef Tommy's special Beer Battered Pancakes He switches them up a bit each week with ingredients like citrus and cinnamon but you can always expect three extra fluffy pancakes with a side of sweet Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. The Spanish Breakfast is also a menu staple; eggs, chorizo and manchego with a spicy saffron aioli served omelet style or on Ciabatta.  It's delicious on it's own but we always like to add a little extra meat because it's just not brunch without bacon. And of course order a beer!  With over 30 draft beers on constant rotation there's always somethin...

November is always a big month for beer drinking.  Between Thanksgiving, the heart of football season and just the fact that it's dark at 5:00; these are all good reasons to settle into a nice frothy beverage.  Plus it's the month three of my favorite places have incredible events going on: Blind Tiger- VSK Tomorrow is Blind Tigers annual Very Special Keg where they ransack the cellar for some incredibly rare and tasty treats.  I've been coming to this bar for over 12 years now and can tell you that this is one hell of an event.  The list this year includes Cantillon Iris, Founders KBS, Hill Farmstead Anna and Firestone Walker Parabola just to name a few.   Plus there's always a surprise or two waiting in the wings.  Just beware if your not a big fan of crowds then you may want to sit this one out and come say hello to the wonderful Tiger family another day.   One Mile House- 3rd Anniversary It's hard for me to believe that One ...

I love visiting breweries.  We've been known to travel a ridiculous amount of miles just to get a taste at one of our favorites. Now I'm happy to say there's a great one right in our own backyard- Other Half Brewing. Just off the F train in Carroll Gardens, this 4,000 square foot operation is easy to miss.  The brick exterior is covered in graffiti and the small communal table inside the tasting room and lack of AC means you'll most likely be standing and sweating a bit; but these are just minor inconveniences (it is a brewery after all).  The reason you should be going  is for the beer which is simply spectacular.    IPA's dominate most of the list...the Hop Showers and All Green Everything are both outstanding but my favorite would have to be the Green Diamonds; a double IPA with a bitter mango, orange bite.  Flights are available for $5 and the staff is more than happy to talk beer as you sample your way through the list. You can also fi...

Not just crazy...absolutely nuts!  There are so many good beer events going on this week I just had to highlight a few. Today is VSK (Very Special Keg) at the Blind Tiger where they pull out some incredibly rare, super-limited beers and put them all on tap for one delicious day.  This year includes Captain Lawrence Rooso e Marrone, Evil Twin Diccicos Biscotti Break and Founders KBS just to name a few.  The whole list can be found  here  on their blog.  I usually spend my NYE here every year so this is a great way to kick off the the approaching holiday season. Blind Tiger If your staring at the Founders KBS I just mentioned and cursing your boss for keeping you at work today- Fear Not!  Tomorrow you have another chance to taste it in all its glory at the Barcade Brooklyn Founder's Event.  KBS will be on tap starting at 6:00 pm followed by another incredible line up including their brand new wheat wine the Sweet Repute and a 2012 Backwoods Ba...

Blind Tiger tapped this Evil Twin Berliner Weissbier for their VSK (Very Special Keg) on Monday.  I've been lucky enough to have it in bottle at Torst before so I jumped at the chance to try it on draft. " This beer is zippy and tart with huge blueberry aromas up front and a gorgeous strawberry hue...much more personality than Bieber himself has going that's for sure.  It's a perfect for enjoying on a warm summer day and something even non-beer drinkers may enjoy.  Cheers! Evil Twin Blind Tiger Ale House

The Tiger changed almost its entire menu last year and I’m still trying to make my way through the offerings.   Last visit began with some creamy deviled eggs… Followed up by huge pieces of sausage encased in a flaky pastry. These were some of the most satisfying pigs in a blanket I’ve ever had. And last but not least their Pilsner Brined Chicken Wings. If you notice we went for a naked wing with the hot sauce on the side. It’s a nice option if you like to control the amount of heat and mess.   The amazing beers, delicious food and friendly staff keep this place at the top of my list.   Blind Tiger continues to rock my bar world. Blind Tiger Ale House

Is there anything better than whiling away a Saturday drinking delicious beers next to a warm fire? It’s probably one of our favorite things to do. Blind Tiger is our go to spot for this and last Saturday before diving into the brews we ordered their BLT sandwich. I’m not a huge sandwich person honestly but the slow roasted slab bacon and herb mayo on this thing was so delicious! Plus it was on sourdough, my personal favorite bread. I washed that down with a robust Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout. What a perfect little Saturday treat. Blind Tiger Ale House

Blind Tiger recently launched a brand new food menu and changed around their set up a bit. We stopped by the other day and sat at one of the new tables right near the open window. Of course you need to have a beer at the Tiger so we began with a new one from Captain Lawrence the St. Vincent. This Dubbel was downright tasty. The malty sweet flavors were all very balanced making this a smooth easy to drink beer. The Captain has done it again! Then we moved over to check out their new food menus. As you can see they added quite a bit. It was nice a variety of sandwiches, salads and bar snacks. We decided to split the Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sandwich with laughing lotus kimchi, Carolina BBQ sauce on rosemary focaccia. This thing was pretty massive and I really enjoyed the taste but it was a little overwhelming. My nose would smell the rosemary then my mouth would taste the spicy Kimchi and things would get muddled. The pork and sauce was good enough on its own ...

Ahhh…Sitting next to the fireplace, sipping a frothy dark beer and enjoying a warm melty sandwich. Does life get any better than this? Not really- it’s another day at the Blind Tiger. After several amazing winter beers we decided it was time for some meat. The Bloody Beast is a roast beef sandwich with cheddar cheese, red onions and horseradish sauce sandwiched inside a toasty roll and grilled. The sweet red onions really played off the heat of the horseradish and the bloody mary sauce on the side gave it an extra spicy kick. This sandwich is the perfect compliment to a tasty brew on a chilly winter’s day. Can the Tiger ever do me wrong? I don't think so. See you on New Years Eve my Tiger! The Blind Tiger

Mr. T and I spent a lazy Saturday relaxing at one of our favorite bars in the city- the Blind Tiger. I love the Tiger- they constantly rotate their taps and always have something on hand that I’ve never even heard of before. This week they had a bunch of drafts from the Kuhnhenn Brewery out of Michigan so we both tried a few. Oh my goodness this may be my new favorite beer- this is their Crème Brulee Java Stout. My first whiff of this beer was amazing. It smelled exactly like an espresso and Baileys at the end of a fancy meal. Then I tasted it and was blown away. It was like having a wonderful dessert in a glass. Strong espresso and chocolate flavors with a lingering vanilla and caramel end. Although this would be a little too sweet to drink a lot of I enjoyed every last sip in my glass. After trying out a few more beers Mr. T and I decided to get some food and ordered a plate of their hot wings. Now these wings were no joke. They were actually a decent size and the ...

After our wonderful brunch at Perilla Sunday we walked around the block to our favorite beer bar- The Blind Tiger. As usual they had a bunch of beers we’ve never tried before- the first of which was Brooklyn Brewery’s newest release the Cookie Jar Porter. This beer is insanely dark in color, almost black and pours with no head at all. The smell was strong like toffee and cider.  At first I tasted a mix of Kaluha and coffee but then it mellowed out on the end and was almost chewy with a hint of raisins and chocolate. Once again Brooklyn Brewery has created something completely original and very tasty. I don’t think I could drink more than one of these beers since it’s quite sweet but I’d love to pair it with some Snicker Doodles or Oatmeal Cookies for dessert.  Another stand out beer we enjoyed that afternoon was a bottle of Sophie from Goose Island. Goose Island has long been one of my favorite breweries and this beer was delightful. It poured a light gold with a p...

I have probably mentioned Blind Tiger about a million times on this blog so far because it is my favorite place for beer in the city. Last weekend we stopped by to have a couple of beers and did something there we had never done before- order food. We had both gotten up surprising early Saturday morning and it had been hours now since breakfast. We didn’t want a full meal to ruin our dinner so we decided to split a Grilled Cheese sandwich. Mr. T decided to add on Bacon onto the sandwich at the last minute for an additional $1.00. Our sandwich came out looking and smelling wonderful! The thick crunchy bread had been slathered in butter and grilled to a perfect golden brown. The cheese inside was perfectly melted and the pickle on the side was everything a good pickle should be. But the bacon… What to say except too much bacon! That $1.00 extra bought us about a half pound of bacon! And not just regular bacon, but Canadian bacon as well. There was so much salty meat stu...

We stopped into Blind Tiger Ale House again last Saturday. This is beginning to be a weekend tradition. It’s hard not to stop in when we know they rotate their list so frequently it almost always means trying out a new beer.   This day was no different. We looked at the board and saw Brooklyn Brewery’s new offering the Manhattan Project. This ale was designed by Brooklyn Brewery to taste like an old rye Manhattan cocktail. They aged the beer in 100 proof Rye barrels and then infused it with the flavors of red vermouth and bitters. Appearance- this beer poured almost black with a red hue on the bottom and no head whatsoever.   Smell- this smelled exactly like a super bready Manhattan with a strong whiskey and cherry scent. Taste- I was surprised the whiskey flavor of this beer was so smooth. The smell kind of scared me but the actual flavor was quite mellow with a slightly sweet cherry aftertaste. As the beer settled the cherry hue got stronger and the beer becam...

Blind Tiger had a ton of Sly Fox beers on tap last weekend and a couple really stood out. One in particular was the Sly Fox Incubus. This is a Belgain style Tripel that poured with a fair amount of head and a bready sweet aroma. Since this beer weighs in at 10.3% alcohol, I couldn’t believe how drinkable it was! It had a very sweet taste, almost like honey that was rounded out by a slight spicy kick on the finish. A very nice beer I would get again. Unfortunately the other two Sly Fox beers I had were not very good at all. The Oktoberfest had a strong skunky taste to it and the Sly Fox Grisette was just plain weird. It poured slightly darker than a glass of pineapple juice and had almost no beer flavor. Everyone at the table tried it and not one person thought it tasted good. It is possible however,. that all the strong beers before trying this might have damaged our palettes a little. Maybe I’ll give it another shot. They did have one surprise- a new spin on an old classic- DogFish He...