NYC Tastes

It's officially rosé & rooftop season and the hottest new spot for both happens to be right across the street at The Broken Shaker NYC. This happening bar on top of the new Freehand Hotel boasts splashy pink drinks and lots of outdoor seating for just about any sized group. The west side of the restaurant has a row of two tops over looking Lexington Avenue. While the north side has room for larger groups with bright wicker chairs and kitschy wooden tables bringing a festive, tropical feeling to the space. The menu has a list of classic cocktails from the original bar in Miami along with a few new drinks made just for NYC, like the Everything Bagel Gin Fizz and the Curry in a Hurry, an homage to the fast casual Indian restaurant just up the street. The tropical, jungle like decor continues inside with a colorful DJ booth up front... ...and wooden walls matched with shiny tiled stools that evoke images of a very strange cruise ship. I dove into the Bad Attitu...

The kickoff for Mr. T's big birthday weekend began Friday night at Mother of Pearl.  This hopping little tiki bar in the East Village is entirely vegan and the drinks go way beyond the realm of old wooden tiki cups. How about the bourbon and passion fruit Shark Eye served inside a shark glass dressed with maraschino "blood"?  Or the tremendous Sugar Cane Magik; a delicious blend of coconut cream, pineapple, lime and almond topped off with a bottle of Ron Zacapa Solera rum.  It's a crazy tropical paradise right on Avenue A.  This place gets insanely packed on the weekends but they accept reservations for large parties which I highly recommend.  Mother of Pearl 95 Avenue A at 6th Street New York, NY 10010

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

People are always asking me to recommend the "perfect" NYC spot.  Something comfortable but classy, a place with great food and drink that Mom and Dad would enjoy but also a place for friends without those crazy Manhattan prices.  When I get this request I almost always send people to the same place- Walkers in Tribeca.   This isn't a place that's going to blow your socks off.  No this is a a neighborhood bar that's sophisticated yet comfortable with a variety of food always done well.  Regulars occupy most of the bar stools; a mix of young professionals, older couples and solo drinkers just stopping in for a pint and a chat.  The tables are usually filled with families.  Parents have some quiet time to talk while the kids draw on paper tablecloths with the free crayons. The menu includes everything from saucy Buffalo Wings with blue cheese and celery to Pan Roasted Salmon with roasted potatoes and asparagus.  I highly suggest che...

The morning before my friends hopped back on a plane home we needed some serious brunch.  I wanted to show them a little bit of Williamsburg so  I decided upon Two Door Tavern for three reasons: Reason #1-  The menu is straightforward.  There's eggs & bacon, pancakes, omelets, things most normal people want to eat in the morning.  You'd be surprised how many places in this city have a Soft Shell Crab sandwich on the brunch menu but look at you crazy when there's an inquiry of French Toast.  Reason #2- A free drink with each entree- HELL YES. Coffee was supposed to come along with our free drink but our waitress decided to take a looooooong break before bringing those.  Not exactly the best idea when dealing with a crowd of tired, hungover patrons but luckily this is where my final reason comes into play. Reason #3-  It's only three blocks from Skinny Dennis and their amazing Willy's Fr...

After a lovely brunch at The Reynard we made our way over to The Gorbals and directly to the rooftop bar.  The sprawling patio space houses an array of picnic tables, benches and cabanas perfect for just about any size party. We started with a round of cocktails; classic Negroni Prima and twisted tiki style Pineapple Darby made with rum, pineapple, lime and almond milk...    ...then moved onto their signature Jet Pilot Slushies filled with rum, cachaca, grapefruit cinnamon and mint.   The slushies were incredibly refreshing for the hot humid day we were having but something about the mix of ingredients tasted a bit odd.  I'd stick with the shaken cocktails like the cucumber, coconut Poolside Swing instead. Oh to see those bright blue skies again... The Gorbals 98 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11249

I just came back from a fabulous weekend in Vermont filled with everything one could want from the Northeast Kingdom; a rustic cabin in the woods with a cozy fireplace, days filled with fantastic food and nights filled with starry sky's...and of course lots of incredible beer from local breweries like Lawson's Finest Liquids. The Hopzilla is a Double IPA brewed with Summit, Amarillo, Centennial and Cascadian hops. The aroma is quite soft with notes of melon, kiwi, grapefruit and pine but then the flavor comes in...BAM! There's absolutely nothing soft going on here. This is a big, boozy beer with tons of piney hop bitterness up front and a long creamy malt finish completely worthy of the monster name Hopzilla.  Even better was finding it on tap at my favorite bar Prohibition Pig- Cheers! Lawson's Finest Liquids Warren, VT 05674

I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite bar in the city.  Where else can you get delicious drinks like this amazing Mai Thai made with lots of crushed ice and fresh mint leaves for only $9.00 a pop during happy hour and $11.00 all other times? That place is Boilermaker a retro style bar located at the nexus of the universe (1st & 1st for those not into Seinfeld).   They have tons of incredible cocktails from the classic Tom Collins to refreshing Pimm's Cup and Mr. T's favorite Negroni.  Not to mention a pretty delicious burger topped with fig aoili and some solid french fries and onion rings. The only thing I would skip would be the wings which come with far too much breading for my liking. Boilermaker also has a couple of cocktails on tap like the crazy Cracker Jack a buttered popcorn infused spiced rum and coke.  Where else can you get something like that! Boilermaker 13 1st Avenue @1st Street New Y...

 I've been on a mission to rediscover some of my old favorites in the city and the Flatiron Lounge was the perfect place to start.  This bar was pretty much flawless when it opened way back in 2003 and it hasn't lost a step.  From the sexy curved banquettes to the low playing jazz...it's just a fantastic place to hang out and have a delicious cocktail or two from the always fabulous Julie Reiner. The Beijing Peach is a gorgeous blend of Jasmine vodka, peach puree and lime.  It's a touch fruity and tropical...something to whisk away all the worries in life and make everything seem just wonderful. Plus it's only $9 during their happy hour from 5- 7...it doesn't much better than that. Flatiron Lounge 37 West 19th Street between 5th & 6th New York, NY 10011

One of my favorite local breweries isn't even in NYC but across the Hudson River.  Kane Brewing is located on the coast of New Jersey and has been cranking out spectacular beer for three years now. Last night was their anniversary celebration at Barcade complete with 12 taps of Kane goodness.  I honestly planned to drink everything so I started with a few shorter pours. Highlights included the double IPA Overhead which is always one of my favorites... crisp and dry with lots of pine and citrus; Vanilla A Night to End All Dawns a massive stout loaded with flavors of chocolate cream, bourbon and Madagascar vanilla beans and the Sunday Brunch, a frothy imperial porter with flavors of cinnamon, maple syrup, chocolate and coffee.  It was almost like eating a big delicious plate of Cinnamon French Toast.  The event was crowded but not overbearing.  There may even be some great stuff left on tap today so get over to Jersey City and celebrate- Cheers! ...

Mr. T and I stopped in for brunch last week at the brand new Brazen Fox. This two story bar/restaurant sits right off of Union Square and is the perfect spot to begin an East Village crawl.  The bar has over 20 beers on draft with a few standouts like Founders Red Rye and Captain Lawrence Winter. Mr. T began with a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale while I enjoyed the complimentary mimosa which comes with every entree. The menu has some interesting options like a Sesame Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich made with fig preserves and OMG I stopped by tavern on Jane to request a table in the middle for tomorrow and they double booked! Whole restaurant has been reserved for a private party tomorrow! I'm scouring the west village for another spot. a Fritatta with red peppers and feta. I wasn't super hungry so we ended up splitting an order of the Pork Belly Grits. The grits were smothered in cheddar cheese with hunks of fried potato and egg layered on top....