NYC Tastes

One of the best trips in my life was three years ago when Mr. T, myself and six other friends headed to Denmark for the Copenhagen Beer Celebration .  We crushed Vanilla Bean Dark Lords at Mikkeller and Friends, dined at the world's best restaurant Noma and spent twelve incredible hours drinking some of the best beer in the world at the CBC festival.  We talk about going back to Copenhagen every year but a trip that big is a huge undertaking.  So when the Copenhagen Beer Celebration announced they were bringing the festival to Boston this fall tickets were purchased immediately and we all traveled there for the weekend. We rolled in on Thursday night and headed to dinner at the trendy supper club Yvonne's.  I feel in love with this place immediately.  Gorgeous chandeliers dripped diamonds from the ceiling,  guests clinked glasses at the long mahogany bar (hand carved by French woodworkers in 1886) and oh the glorious cocktails. Let's just say w...

Our last day in Boston was spent at the Seaport World Trade Center for Session II of Extreme Beer Fest.  It was our first time at this festival and while it didn't quite reach the greatness of  Copenhagen Beer Celebration  or the insanity of  Hunahpu Day ; it was a fun, well run event with lots of great beers and great people.  The session ended right around 4:00 so we hopped in a cab and went straight to Jm Curleys, hoping to find a burger that would actually satisfy our craving from the day before. We both ordered the 5 oz Griddled Burger dressed with grilled onions, cheddar cheese, pop's Russian dressing and pickles.  There's nothing fancy going on here just simple goodness; an insanely juicy patty with big beefy flavor, great toppings and a soft toasted bun perfect for keeping everything together.  We absolutely demolished these. The Mac & Cheese was also delicious; cooked in a cast iron skillet giving the edges a crisp bubbly...

Friday afternoon Mr. T and I headed to the Townsman for lunch.  Their burger had made it onto quite a few "Best Burger" lists and the sprawling windows of the brasserie seemed like the perfect place to watch the continuing snow storm. We split a few appetizers to begin, a tasty Little Gem Wedge with country ham, blue cheese, tomato and vinegar... ...and a rich velvety Squash Soup studded with toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds.  We had high hopes for the burger after such a great start but unfortunately we found it to be just strange. The bun was hard.  It was listed on the menu as a potato roll but it had absolutely no fluffy texture and no subtle sweetness. The meat looked to be cooked a perfect medium rare yet it lacked any juiciness, any real flavor.  The only thing I tasted was the strange pepper-jack cheese schmeared on top and the odd coating of paprika and star anise on the fries.  It was a disjointed medley of...

As I trekked my way through the snowstorm towards Trillium I realized the brewery didn't open for 15 more minutes.  Just enough time to stop into nearby Flour Bakery to warm up with a coffee. Of course caffeine was just an excuse to check out the baked goods at Flour like Sour Cream Coffee Cake with brown sugar cinnamon swirl, fluffy Brioche filled with pastry cream, Mint Chocolate Oreo Cookies.  Everything looked incredible but it was the famous Sticky Buns that stole my heart. Chef Joanne Chang beat Bobby Flay in a throw-down challenge with these buns and it's easy to see why. The dough was sweet and buttery studded with cinnamon sugar, honey and toasted pecans then covered with a thick dark caramel sauce on top and even more nuts.  It was ridiculously big, insanely sticky and quite frankly delicious.  A big winner in every way. Flour Bakery 12 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210

My first stop in Boston Friday morning was a treacherous 20 minute walk from our hotel to Trillium Brewery. Huge flakes of thick heavy snow were falling at an alarming rate. By the time I crossed the Fort Point Channel my face was streaming with tears from the wind and I was covered in fresh white powder.  I looked like a walking snowman.  All this to pick up 12 bottles of Trillium's flagship beer Congress Street.  This American IPA pours a hazy orange with a thick frothy white head that clings to the glass creating a beautiful lacing.  Big tropical fruits dominate the aroma; orange, pineapple, peach and mango with an incredible balance of fruit and pine flavors.  Super juicy up front with a clean bitter finish and a crazy bubbly yet creamy mouthfeel.  I'm a huge  fan of Galaxy hops and this beer is pretty close to perfection.  I would gladly walk through another blizzard to have these bottles in my fridge.  Cheers!  Trillium Bre...

It's so wonderful to find a restaurant while traveling that just feels like a place to call home. In Copenhagen it was Manfred's and Vin, London J. Sheekey, Philadelphia the sadly departed Matyson and now Row 34 in Boston.  As soon as I saw their mantra I knew I was in love "If we could eat oysters and drink beer for every meal period, we probably would."  Well of course! Let's talk about these oysters; so plump and fresh with a gorgeous vinaigrette.  I must have sucked down at least two dozen of these beauties while we were visiting. And oysters are just a tiny part of their incredible raw bar, there's also Scallop Crudo with black sesame and chili oil... An entire section of Smoked & Cured Fish including this incredible smoked Uni Toast... ...and one insanely delicious Lobster Roll chock full of meat served warm with butter.  We loved this place so much we had dinner and drinks Thursday night around 9:00 and w...