NYC Tastes

The birthday weekend continued on Saturday with a trip to Captain Lawrence for their sour beer festival.  I hadn't been to the new brewery since it moved and the space was amazing. So much room!  And what a well run festival; no lines, good food and tons of great breweries all pouring delicious sour beers. We stayed there all afternoon then hopped back on MetroNorth to the Nomad Bar for a casual dinner.  We got a table on the 2nd floor overlooking the dining room below which was fantastic for people watching. We began with the Bay Scallops marinated with yuzu and pistachio...two of my all time favorite flavors together in one delicious bite. Then it was onto their incredible Dry Aged Beef Burger with cheddar cheese, onion and a special house sauce.  This thing is one huge sloppy mess of a meal that I wouldn't pass up any day. And of course what's a birthday burger without a side of...

This weekend I'm staying close to home and cracking open a seasonal release from Westchester County brewer Captain Lawrence- The Rosso E Marrone. This is another sour ale, a Flanders Oud Bruin, that's been fermented with grapes and aged for about a year in oak barrels.  The beer pours a dark brownish, red with little to no head and a strong funky smell of cherry and yeast.  The taste is very similar to the smell with lots of sour cherry and dry grape.  This is a solid offering from Captain Lawrence, one that may actually be my favorite from the Brewery thus far.  If you've never been hop on MetroNorth and take a tour of the brewery some weekend.  It's a great way to escape from the city for day. Captain Lawrence Brewing

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...

Okay maybe I can be a total beer geek sometimes but honestly look at the lacing on this glass-  it's a work of art! This is part of the Captain Lawrence collaboration specifically with DeCicco Markets. They have a couple out but this is their wheat ale which has that fabulous lacy foam head and dry lemon tones. The strong citrus up front will make a wonderful and refreshing beer for the warm months ahead. 

This month has had so much going on in the realm of food events. I missed out on NYC Craft Beer week this year which kind of stinks so I'm going to try to make up for that by hitting some awesome events this week. Of course the big guy in town is the New York Food & Wine Festival! I've attended the Meatpacking Uncorked and the Grand Tasting the first two years but this year I have no tickets yet! I'm kind of bummed but maybe last minute I'll bite the bullet and buy some. I can't skip a year can I? It's one of my favorites! NYC Food and Wine Festival Website The amount and variety of events is really unbelieveable so get out there and see some food and wine! For beer lovers Spring Lounge is hosting their own "I Love New York" beer week and you really can't beat the list. Sunday- Ommegang Tuesday- Captain Lawrence Thursday- Brooklyn Brewery Saturday- Southampton Brewery Seriously. These are some of my favorite breweries. Mo...