NYC Tastes

I finally walked outside without my winter coat on today. The bright sun and warm breeze made me feel revitalized, ready to take on whatever the world had in store for me...and doughnuts. Because Spring means two fantastic seasonal flavors from Doughnut Plant.  The first a fluffy yeast doughnut with crushed roasted almonds on top and the second a glazed Meyer Lemon with just enough smooth citrus cream to make your mouth pucker just a bit.  Mmmm... Doughnut Plant

It's time to toast the weekend again and it's with one incredibly delicious beer released to NYC just this week- Founders KBS. This Imperial Stout pours a deep, dark brown with a light but creamy head that sticks to the side of the glass and creates incredible lacing.  I've had older batches of KBS before and it's always been smooth but with strong bourbon notes both in taste and smell.  This 2013 batch was the first opportunity I had to try it fresh and the layering of flavors was absolutely incredible.  Coffee was the most prominent up front with creamy notes of vanilla and a smooth lingering taste of dark chocolate on the end.   While the bourbon was clearly present all the flavors seemed to share center stage in this incredible beer.  Although most places sold out within hours this week there are rumors of another small batch coming this weekend so it doesn't hurt to call around.  This is one beer worth seeking out. Founders KBS ...

I was up in Buffalo last weekend and met some friends for dinner at Mother's.  This is one of those restaurants people always assume I've been to.  It has a strong loyal following so I was excited to finally check it out.   From the outside I felt I was entering a tattoo parlor instead of a fine dining establishment. Inside it's quite a different scene with a gorgeous iron gate, stone walls, candlelit tables and a lively bar scene. We were handed the menu for the night and began with a bottle of Sancerre. Although the appetizers sounded wonderful I stuck with their light and refreshing house salad to begin. Thank goodness I went light because my entree was much larger than I'm used to- Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Black Fettuccine spinach and red peppers. The scallops had a nice crispy sear on top and the pasta was cooked perfect with a gorgeous saffron cream sauce enveloping the spinach and peppers.  I loved t...

The Flatiron District is getting a ton of new restaurants lately, the newest of which is Barn Joo. Located in the bottom of the Hotel Verite, Barn Joo bills itself as a "Korean Gastropub".  I was really excited to check this place out and I'll start with the positives...the decor is quirky and fun.  As you walk inside, the dining room and walkway are separated by thick hanging ropes and you can peek through to see an enormous moon on the top of the main ceiling.  The menu is small with a list of tapas, rolls and three different varieties of chicken.  I decided to check out their "Fly the Coop" soy garlic wings. They arrived looking plump and juicy with that distinct golden outside.  The first wing was amazing...more garlic than soy in flavor with an incredibly crunch on the outside and packed with meat.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with the frying of this wing.  Unfortunately my second ...

There's a fantastic little food shop you may not have heard of before.   It's called Malt and Mold and it's nestled way down on East Broadway where Chinatown meets the Lower East Side.  The shop may be tiny but it's packed with some incredible stuff.  Like a hundred kinds of different beer... Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Bear Republic Racer Five and Stone Double Bastard are just a few of the bottles you'll find.  Plus about eight different beers on draft to go in a growler.  Kevin (the wonderful owner) does free tastings on Saturday, the next of which will be Slyfox Brewery on April 6th.  But don't stop at the beer, pick up everything for your next get together here. He's got fantastic local products like Mast Brothers Chocolate from Brooklyn and Roni-Sue's addictive Beer Caramel Nuggets from her Essex Street Store..and if you need a cheese platter he has both Jasper Hill and Cowgirl C...

I was done with the sports bar scene last week...I just wanted to sip a great beer and watch basketball without having to high five anyone every five minutes.  Mr. T and I decided to ditch the friends and head to Ginger Man. We walked inside and there was a spot right in front of the only television and the Sour in Rye from The Bruery on tap.  If you like sour beers this is the one to get right now and enjoying it fresh on tap was the best. For snacks a hot Parmesan pretzel with beer cheese and pesto... talk about perfect! The Ginger Man

When Tap Room 307 opened in my neighborhood I was incredibly excited.  Here's a bar, one block away from my apartment, that is supposed to serve great beer, delicious food and have lots of TVs for sports watching.   Unfortunately it completely disappointed me.  The service was terrible, the food was bad and although the tap list was good the servers had no clue how to pour a beer properly.  We decided to boycott it for a year and see if they could get their act together... this is what we've found.  They make a pretty delicious flat bread pizza. Tap Room has a wood burning oven in the back where you can actually sit and watch your pizza being made.  It arrives piping hot with a thin, crispy crust, lots of gooey cheese and fresh basil.  I think their pizzas may actually be the best thing on their menu although the Chicken Wings are another good choice.   They're absolutely enormous ...