NYC Tastes

If your perfect weekend involves drinking copious amounts of beer, eating delicious hot dogs and hanging with some fantastic people then I got you covered.  Head down to One Mile House tomorrow for Chef Rob's annual Dog Days of Summer event!  There will be an incredible line up of beers from Queens favorite Singlecut Beersmiths including their hazy, hoppy IPA Does Anyone Remember Laughter and their tart fruity Kim Raspberry Berliner Weisse... ...along with an incredible menu of specialty hot dogs created by Chef Rob like the classic NYC Bagel Dog topped with cream cheese, everything seasoning and scallions, the decadent Haute Dog with foie gras, fig jam and truffle mayo and the spicy the Perros Elotes with corn salsa, Oaxaca, chili powder and lime. Delicious dogs, incredible local beer and a great outdoor patio in back to catch some of this wonderful summer sunshine.  Saturday plans secured! One Mile House 10 Delancey Street New York, NY 10002

It's that time of year again- the annual NYC Beer Week returns for another 8 day celebration of New York City beer.  The Opening Bash Invitational kicks off tomorrow night at the Brooklyn Expo Center with 25 local breweries and 25 brewery friends from across the country joining together for a fantastic night of food and drink. Tickets are only $55.00 and can still be purchased on their website .   Can't make it to the Opening Bash- no worries! There are fantastic events all week long. Here are some of my top picks: Monday February 27th Grimm at Saint Gambrinus -   Head to Brooklyn for a total tap takeover of Grimm Artisanal Ales.  This brewery is absolutely crushing the NYC beer scene and on tap are delicious sours like Skyspace and Blackberry Orange Pop along with citrus IPA's Lambo Door and Lumen.  Have a few drinks at the bar and then take home some local bottles from the beer store in back. Tuesday February 28th All NY Beer Event at One Mile Hous...

Today marks the kickoff for the 8th annual NYC Beer Week!  It's absolutely amazing to think of all that's happened over these last eight years.  When this began there were only a handful of NYC breweries like Kelso, Brooklyn Brewery and Sixpoint.  Now the city is absolutely booming with local beers from the likes of Finback, Other Half, Threes and Third Rail; and the list just keeps getting bigger each day.  There are so many incredible events scheduled. Here's a few of my picks for the week: Saturday February 20th A Taste of Hill Farmstead at  Fool's Gold - S o the very first event I'm really excited about just happens to be with beers from our neighbor to the northeast.  Although these may not be local, the beer community is all about supporting each other so that's okay in my book.  Fools Gold will have 15 taps dedicated to this amazing Vermont brewery including rarities like Madness & Solitude, Ephraim and Shirley Mae. Barrier/Other Half/...

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...

As I look back on the past year I'm shocked by how much delicious food was involved.  I didn't come even close to hitting all the restaurants on my 2013 Wish List.  I made it to only two out of fourteen...yet I still consider this year an incredible success of food and drink moments for both old favorites and brand new places.  To the list! Best Wings-  Pork Slope/Talde This is a complete tie between Dale Talde's two Brooklyn restaurants.  Both are fried in rice flour for an ultra crisp exterior; the first coated in garlic, butter, Sriracha, Franks Red Hot and honey while the second combines crunchy peanuts, sweet chili and hot sauce.  I can't choose between the two and with both restaurants being just blocks apart there really isn't a need to:) Best Foie Gras-  Marc Forgione There aren't enough words to adequately describe how silky and luxurious the Foie Gras is at Marc Forgione.  This may have been the best thing I've eaten all ye...

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...

This place has quickly become one of my favorite bars in the city.  Located right next door to Bowery Ballroom, One Mile House is an absolute gem on this stretch of Delancey.  The first thing you'll notice walking inside is that this is a serious beer bar.  With a constantly rotating draft list of 30 beers I find something new and delicious each visit.  Last weekend we enjoyed the brand new Founders Doom and the Widmer Brothers Alchemy Ale. The Alchemy was a tasty, easy drinking pale ale while the the Doom was a crazy bourbon barrel aged Imperial IPA .  Don't worry if you're not sure what beer to order.  One Mile House offers flights, so you can try out a few different varieties and discover what pleases your palate.  Carry your flight to the patio out back and enjoy some brews while basking in the sun.     I highly suggest ordering some bar food as well.  I love a saucy bar pizza and t...

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...