NYC Tastes

It's New Brew Friday and today we're coming from the wonderful Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia for this extra special bottle Cantillon 20 Ans d'Amite. 20 Ans d'Amite was created by Jean Van Roy of Cantillon to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of Monk's Cafe and the 20 years he has been friends with the owner Tom Peters.  This beautiful lambic is a blend of Cantillon Nath and Lou Pepe Framboise with Nath being the majority at 70%.  It's light and fruity with delicate flavors of rhubarb, vanilla, raspberry and funk with a refreshing finish.   This was a delightful bottle to both drink and to purchase, as the label is just perfect for the occasion.  This bottle is only available for on-site consumption at Monks Cafe in Philadelphia. We were lucky enough to drink it both on draft and in the bottle at the Monks/ Sierrea Nevada Camp Fire Relief charity event last Saturday.  An incredible beverage for an incredible cause.  Cheers!  Monks Ca...

After lambick-O-droom we hopped back on the train to Brussels and headed back to Cantillon brewery for one last time.  There we met up with a few more New York friends (we NYers like our lambic) and actually had about 3 hours to relax and share the entire list of bottles together. I was more than happy to have that Carignan and 2007 Cantillon Gueuze again... ...not to mention the gorgeous Cabernet franc driven Saint Lamnivus and possibly my favorite Cantillon in the world Lou Pepe Kriek.   We picked up some more bottles to go and stopped at our place to drop them off, pausing for a moment in our small but gorgeous courtyard for a glass of Tilquin Mure. Then it was back to Nuetnigenough for dinner and this rich, hearty steak doused in a thick Cuvee Renee sauce.  I was so sick earlier in the week I could barely look at Mr. T as he devoured this dish so it was incredibly satisfying to enjoy myself in all its glory. Nuetnigenough...

After our tea we trekked across Brussels to Cantillon.  I won't get into the details about this amazing brewery again but here's a little recap from the last trip . When the doors opened that familiar funky barnyard smell greeted us as we wedged into a small seat by the heater with a bottle of Cantillon Carignan; a lambic brewed with Carignan grapes. This was simply lovely; a bright ruby body with the subtle aroma of fruit and oak and a soft, juicy grape flavor that was tart but tannic like a red wine. We were quietly enjoying this beautiful lambic when we heard our names being called and turned to see some old beer friends from NYC enjoying their own bottles!  We ended up grabbing a table together and started to work our way through the bottle list in the short hour that was left.  Of course we didn't get too far but we all planned to return later in the week to finish what we had begun. We bought some beer to take with us on the way home- two huge magn...

Time to kick off the three day weekend with one of my favorite beers of all time Cantillon Kriek from Cantillon Brewery in Brussels. Cantillon produces their Kriek by filling barrels of one and half year old lambic with a ton of tart Morello cherries, about 2 lbs per gallon; then allowing them to ferment first in the barrel and then in the bottle.  The result is a gorgeous deep ruby red beer with a big fluffy head, soft funky aromas of cherry pie, cherry juice, hay and oak with flavors of tart sour cherry, funk, lots of bubbly carbonation and a crisp dry finish.  Cantillon bottles pop up once in a great while around the city but it's best to stock up if you ever find yourself in Belgium as Mr. T and I did  last year.  Cheers to the long weekend! Cantillon Brewery Rue Gheude 56 1070 Anderlecht Belgiu

Our last morning in Brussels we woke up early so we could fit in one more brewery...a quick but fascinating visit to Cantillon. Cantillon is a family brewery, much like Drie Fonteinen, that has been producing Kriek, Lambic, Faro and Gueuze since 1900. (Edit: You'll notice Cantillon spells it Gueuze and Drie Fonteinen Gueze- they mean the same thing just different variations on the spelling)  While Drie Fonteinen has brought in new equipment over the years, Cantillon has remained the same.  In fact most of the copper kettles and barrels are over 100 years old.   When we walked in the front door at 9:00 AM (opening time) I was immediately struck by that strong barnyard aroma I get every time we open a Cantillon gueuze.  The walls, floor, tables...everything exuded that classic Cantillon smell I've come to know so well.  We got a brief overview of the brewery from a staff member and then we were off to do a self-guided tour.   The Bar...

After my incredible trip to Standard Baking Co. I went  back to the hotel and got Mr. T so we could grab an early lunch.  I had heard horror stories about the long wait at Eventide Oyster Co. so I wanted to make sure we beat the lunch rush.  Our pre-noon arrival ended up being perfect as we were seated immediately in two seats by the window.  It was a little too early for me to think about oysters so we started with a bowl of homemade chips instead. These reminded me a little of  Cape Cod potato chips with a thicker chip that gave way to an amazing crunch.  They were a perfect side to what was coming up next...why some lobster rolls of course! Eventide serves lobster rolls that are just about the size of your hand so it's easy to pick up and nosh on. Instead of the standard split top roll they use a steamed Chinese bun and top with mayo and herbs.  This was an incredible roll...the lobster meat was super fresh and seasoned just right wh...

We did a mini beer crawl through Brooklyn last week and one of our final stops of the day was Mugs Ale House.  This place has been around forever and I love how it seems completely unchanged by time.  The beer list here is amazing.   Want to try out a Cantillion- they had three different ones on the menu when we were there. The Rose de Grambinus was absolutely gorgeous with a strong sour lambic taste and lots of dry funk. The Cantillion was an easy decision, my second beer choice was much more difficult...the draft list was filled with so many amazing beers.   So we stayed for a while and tried a bunch of different ones and ordered some food.  The Radeburger Salad was chock full of figs, Roquefort cheese and walnuts.  I was surprised to see the big old fried onion rings on top but who says no to onion rings ? The mac and cheese was pretty standard but lacked flavor.  The soft pretzel was a much better addition to the table....warm...