NYC Tastes

Checking out beer is always on the agenda when we travel and Nashville was no different. Unfortunately the breweries didn't open until 4:00 so we started out at craft beer bar Hops + Crafts for some World Cup action. This place has 36 taps, most of which are populated with local beers.  I decided to dive right in with the Nashville flight featuring Black Abby, Calfkiller and Czann's Brewing. We chatted with the bartender for a bit about the growing Tennessee beer scene.  It turns out Hops + Crafts made Draft Magazine's 100 Best Bar list last year along with some of our favorite NYC spots like Torst and Top Hops.  If I was living in Nashville this place would definitely become my go-to bar.  When the match ended we headed over to Peg Leg Porker on the recommendation of the bartender. We started with a half order of BBQ ribs layered with a smoky dry rub that was excellent... ...and followed up with some ultra creamy Pimento Cheese (Mr. T's favorite pimen...

Friday morning we woke up early to tour around the city a bit before making our first food stop of the day at Arnold's.  This classic meat-and-three place is so popular there was already a line of about 20 people waiting in front when the doors opened at 10:30 AM. What exactly is a meat-and-three?  This was actually my first experience but it's easy.  Walk up to the counter and choose your "meat" (protein) then pick three sides and add on whatever else you would want.  The line runs as conveyor belt of sorts with the desserts first (priorities in the right place). I went for Roast Beef (their most popular item) with fried green tomatoes, macaroni & cheese, salad, cornbread and a Banana Bread Pudding. I've done a LOT of big lunches in my day but this may be the most food I've ever had just for myself...and it was all incredible!  The Roast Beef was so tender and juicy with lots of rich au jus it completely knocked my socks off, as did the cre...

We just came back from a quick but wonderful trip to Nashville, Tennessee.  This was Mr. T's first  visit to the South so I tried to ease him into the scene night one (aka avoiding the honky tonk's) with a relaxing dinner at Husk. Located just steps from downtown Nashville, Husk is situated inside a gorgeous Victorian house that oozes with old Southern charm.   This actually served as a home for Mayor Richard Houston Dudley in the late 1800's and the hilltop views of the city are stunning.  The restaurant has a small but well appointed drink menu with a focus on local craft beer like this Classic Saison from Blackberry Farm.  Actually everything on the Husk menu is local.  It changes daily based on seasonal ingredients and they live by the motto "If it doesn't come from the South, it's not coming through the door". You could certainly feel the southern love in these Parker House rolls made with bourbon smoked salt and a side of ho...

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...

It's no secret that Chocolat Moderne is my favorite chocolate shop's in city...now they've teamed up with Solbeso to introduce a new spirit into NYC made entirely of fresh cacao! You probably already know that chocolate is derived directly from the seeds of the cacao...but have you ever thought about what happens to all that fruit around the seeds? Look at these huge pieces of cacao fruit... It takes 20-25 of those just to get one kilo of cacao and the rest is usually tossed away.  New World Spirits decided it was time to use that fruit and began distilling the juice from the Cacao to create the first premium white spirit, made entirely from 100% cacao fruit- Solbeso. Of course it only seems right to pair Solbeso which chocolate, so Chocolat Moderne had a little party for the release to see which chocolate paired best with the new liquor.  We went from dark to light and then back to dark again (at least I did)  including two of my favorites of all time...

I was invited to dinner last month by the wonderful Tabelog folks over at Chef Dave Pasternack's (Esca) newest restaurant Barchetta. Barchetta translates to"little boat" in Italian; a proper name for a restaurant focused on flavors of the Mediterranean seaside.   The meal began with a small bowl of Castelvetrano olives, one of my absolute favorites. They have thick, meaty flesh with a delicious buttery flavor and such a bright green color they almost seem like they're glowing. Pumpkin Swordfish Crudo followed dressed with olive oil and crushed pistachio.  There was a wonderful sweet nutty taste but I was terribly disappointed with the slicing of the fish. Chef Pasternack is known for impeccable seafood so receiving three insanely small jagged pieces, two of which were barely a full bite, was a total letdown and quite frankly a rip off for the price point. Calamari with Squid Ink was much healthier in ...

People recognize the start of summer in different ways...some by their first trip to the beach, others by that initial 90 degree day, for me it's when Gramercy Tavern brings back a fresh strawberry dessert to their menu...this time the Strawberry Coup. Plump, fresh strawberries atop of tangy yuzu custard, tart strawberry sorbet, graham cracker crumbles, fresh basil and a dollop of creme cheese.   Paired with the fruity Lolita lambic from Goose Island and I would say summer has officially arrived! Gramercy Tavern