While the rest of my trip up to Queens was fine for a group post, I felt that my trip to SingleCut Beersmiths deserved its own review. A small brewery located in the Astoria neighborhood, my cousin and her boyfriend recommended we go there knowing that I love trying new beers. Serving both their beers and a limited menu of food in their tap room, this is a fun little spot to hang out with a drink and a snack, though probably not a good option for a full meal.
I ordered a beer flight (5, 5oz beers) and a steak and mushroom pie, since I was a bit hungry and figured after two beers at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden I could use a bit of food. The steak and mushroom pie was pretty good, reminiscent of the meat pies I ate constantly the summer of 2007 when I was studying in Oxford and frequented the pasty shop on Cornmarket St. The meat was flavorful and tender, the mushrooms cooked just right, and the gravy savory, while the crust was flaky.
I asked the bartender to pick whatever she wanted for my beer flight, since I did not know their menu at all, and she did pretty well. Virtually all of their beers are named for people, who I suspect either work there or are connected to the employees. They also spell lager lagrrr...pirates? I went light to dark, taking brief notes, as follows. Descriptions from their menu are in italics.
"Ian" Olympic White Lagrrr!: A wheat lagrrr! made with hundreds of freshly juiced and zested oranges, coriander and szechuan pepercorn. The wittier witbier! 14IBU, 5.4% ABV. Very little nose, with a light look and feel, a major coriander flavor, but lacking the szechuan flavor I was looking for. All in all, refreshingly mild.
"Kim" Hibiscus Sour Lagrrr!: Refreshingly tart and citrusy. Made with hibiscus flowers and black currants. 5IBU, 4.1% ABV. Wow! What a great beer. Huuuuuuge nose, sweet and sour smelling. It both tasted and smelled a bit like Warheads candies, as my cousin pointed out (I could not quite place the flavor, but as soon as she said it I knew she was right), with a great tart, slightly fruity beer that was not nearly as sweet as it smelled. The black currant came through well, as did the citrus. The best beer I had there, and really the best beer I had other than the Troegs Hop Knife. Despite its very low ABV, I do not think this is quite a session beer, if only because of the very intense flavor.
"Billy" Half Stack IPA: This juggernaut of an IPA has a stone fruit, citrus and dank hop profile that is insanely drinkable. 88IBU, 6.6% ABV. Very little nose, but what there was smelled entirely of hops. The hops carried over into the flavor, with a good citrus note. The aftertaste is actually very pleasant, a rarity, and despite its high IBU number, it was very drinkable.
"Dean" PNW Mahogany Ale: A crisp, spicy and dry malt back bone featuring Pacific North West hops. This mahogany colored ale has a notably resiny, piney and citrus hoppiness that will put hair on even a lumberjacks chest! 73IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt flavor, definitely sweet. I honestly did not write much about this, because I just could not quite decide how I felt. I do not recommend it unless you like super malty beers, but I would not necessarily say do not drink it either.
"John Michael" Dark Lyric Lagrrr!: He's back, in black, and better than ever. With it's (sic) deep dark hue, an abundant hope presence and surprisingly smooth quaffability this beer in black is what we mean when we say, "Lagrrr!" (usually followed by an echoing sinister laughter). 50IBU, 6.0% ABV. Huge malt nose, but less malty flavor than the "Dean." The booze is heavily present in the taste, surprising for a 6% beer. My cousin had the coffee version, and it was much better.
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Friday, September 5, 2014
Queens Trip (Queens, New York City, NY)
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*****
In my quest to attend a game at each Major League Baseball stadium, I took a quick trip up to New York City for a Mets game, staying with my cousin in Queens. This was just a Friday to Sunday trip, but I managed to get to a few different places, including one old favorite restaurant in Flushing, and a couple great beer joints in Astoria.
Friday night, we headed to the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, a Czech style beer hall with a huge outdoor courtyard. Their beer list is not incredible, but both times I have been there I had no trouble finding good beer options. The food is primarily Czech, or at least Czech inspired, which is similar to German. There really is not a great deal to say about the Beer Garden, other than that both times I have been there I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, as everyone is friendly, the outdoor area is great if it is not too cold, and the inside has a handful of televisions showing various sports games, including association football. It is one of those places I wish existed right in my backyard, though my wallet appreciates that is does not.
Saturday before the game, we grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant in New York, Joe's Shanghai in Flushing. Known for their soup dumplings, Joe's has locations in Chinatown and Midtown in Manhattan, and in Flushing's Chinatown, with menus featuring both Americanized and authentic food. Following a shared order of the shrimp and pork soup dumplings, I had the Crispy Whole Sea Bass. The dumplings have a spoonful of broth in them, so when you bite into one you get a little bit of hot soup along with the wrapper and the filling. I have occasional cravings of these, but I should be okay for a little while now.
The order of the Crispy Whole Sea Bass is a bit of a tradition for me, going back to the first time I ever ate at Joe's Shanghai as a young teenager; very slightly spicy, thoroughly crispy on the exterior and light and flaky on the inside, this fish is incredible. The sauce, which is where the spice comes from primarily, has a little bit of a sweetness to it, and goes well with the fish, on rice, or anything else really. Everyone else at the table had a bit and absolutely loved the sauce, even if they did not necessarily try the fish. The bass itself is very lightly battered and deep fried, so you get the delicious flavor of the fish and that classic fried flavor that really just makes everything better. This is among my favorite restaurants, period, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
After the Mets game, my cousin, her boyfriend, and I adjourned to Mosaic Cafe & Lounge. This place has an incredible beer list, comfortable chairs and a great atmosphere, along with knowledgeable, friendly bartenders. Their menu also includes several delicious looking items, though I was still pretty stuffed from the dumplings and fish. For beer, I went with the bartender's suggestions; one was a new item on tap for them, Hop Knife from Troegs Brewery. A fresh hopped IPA, it is among the best beers I have ever had. Incredibly drinkable (it comes in at a more than manageable 6.2%, but really feels like 5%; to quote the bartender, it is "completely sessionable") yet complex, the hops are very subtle, but flavorful, with a background note of lemony citrus and wheat. The beer had very little nose, surprisingly, but the aroma that was present was of hops and mild fruit. I look forward to having this beer again, though I suspect it is best on draught, rather than in a bottle, so I will be a little wary if I find it in bottles. All in all, this is actually one of my favorite beers now for the combination of flavor, drinkability, and the fact that it is out of the ordinary for me. Highly, highly recommended.
The second beer I had that evening was from Bell's Brewery, a fairly new-to-me brewer, but one that has impressed me significantly and that has received raves elsewhere (they have a 96 rating overall on BeerAdvocate). The beer I had was called The Oracle, and according to the bartender it should not have been available; someone shipped a few cases accidentally to their supplier, despite it not being released in New York State, and I am pretty pleased it happened. This beer is probably the most hop-forward beer I have ever had; from the first sniff I was blown backward by the aroma of the hops, and the first sip was legitimately intense. While I had to hold back on the Hop Knife so I did not devour it in just a few minutes, I had no choice but to nurse The Oracle. Every little bit of the alcohol (and there is a lot, at 10% ABV) is in each sip, and so are the hops, the malted notes, and some spicy flavors that I could not identify. I think I drank this beer (and it was just a 12oz) over the course of nearly an hour, so it is really the opposite of Hop Knife. It also was not as good; while I was very glad to have tried it, and I actually did enjoy it overall, I would probably not go for it again unless it was to pair with an incredibly powerful--and spicy--meal, as it is absolutely not the sort of beer that suits itself well to sitting around drinking.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Guest Chef Dinner, The Gill Tavern (Gill, MA)
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*****
The Gill Tavern is a very good restaurant in its own right, a solid mix of modern upscale and simple pub-like fare. Founded by the owner of The People's Pint, a Greenfield brewpub that has good food, great beer, and (at least the last time I went there, which has now been a few years) absolutely horrific service that prevented me from enjoying the good food and beer, The Gill Tavern has been successful since the beginning, and since it really is unique in Franklin County, I suspect they will continue to be for a long time.
This review, however, is not about the restaurant's ordinary operations, but rather about a Guest Chef event they now hold yearly. Julian Proujansky, an old schoolmate of mine, and Heather Bortnem, have come to The Gill Tavern for the last three years to display their talents. Both are highly successful in New York City: Julian is the Chef de Cuisine at Omar's La Ranita, which has received significant acclaim, and formerly worked at the famed Eleven Madison Park, recipient of three Michelin stars; Heather is head baker at Commerce Restaurant, famous in its own right, and a truly impressive title for someone so young.
This year's dinner was an interesting look into the current state of haute cuisine, with a combination of primarily simple ingredients and sophisticated concepts, it was all in all a very successful meal. Five courses were served, consisting of canapes, a salad, an appetizer, entree, and finally dessert. My only complaint had nothing to do with the food, which was that we were seated family style, and since I am not a huge fan of strangers, that was less than entirely comfortable for me.
The canapes were spectacular, four small bites that offered different textures, flavors and visuals: chick pea "fritters;" roast carrots with za'atar; black rice crisps with English peas; and deviled quail egg. The fritters were small logs of mashed chickpeas lightly fried and topped with a mild sauce; it tasted like a mild falafel, which works for me since I absolutely love falafel. My only criticism was that the exterior was not very crisp, so there was not a ton of textural contrast, but that is kind of nitpicky. The black rice crisps with English peas were my favorite, with a chip-like vessel of the rice holding the peas and a sauce. I wish I had been taking notes, because I would love to describe the flavors that this presented, but honestly there was so much going on in that one bite that I am struggling to really remember individual aspects. Suffice it to say I would eat an entire meal of just that preparation. Nearly as successful were the deviled quail eggs, topped with truffle; not featured on the menu that was e-mailed out to those with reservations, this was a great little surprise, an absurdly good, fancy version of one of my favorite party snacks from childhood. Quail eggs are super flavorful to begin with, and adding in the truffle flavor really did bring it to a whole new level; if only quail eggs were not so tiny! Lastly, the roast carrots were good, with a slight Middle Eastern flare to them from the za'atar. This was a fine couple of bites, maybe a little different from how I have seen carrots prepared before in a restaurant, and quite tasty, but there was nothing insanely creative about it.
The salad was my least favorite dish of the night, though I think that was simply because of my own personal tastes and not anything to do with the quality. There was, quite simply, just too much sweet involved for me; the candied pistachios were delicious, as were the pomegranate balls (made with pomegranate juice and agar agar; cool preparation that threw us all for a bit of a loop), and even the crisps of goat cheese, but all had a sweetness to them, as did the dressing, which added up to just a lot of sweetness. For people who are not as bothered by that, it was probably great, but for me, I could have done with more tang and salt and less sweet.
The appetizer course was probably my favorite, a rabbit torchon with pickled ramps, fava beans, and what we decided must be shaved asparagus. The torchon was deceptively brilliant, with huge rabbit flavor (not too gamy, but you knew you were eating rabbit), perfectly acidic and crisp ramps that were picked and pickled by Julian's mother up in Leyden, and a nice crunch from the asparagus, though they did not add a ton of flavor. There were also rye crackers, which I did not love, though with the combination of everything on one, they were pretty tasty. I wish ramps could be farmed properly, because they are incredibly delicious, and these were perfectly pickled.
The entree course was almost a deconstructed ravioli, with "stained glass pasta" topping braised lamb, almonds, chickpeas and a soft cheese that tasted like a whipped Boursin to me (my step-dad disagreed and we never did remember to ask what it actually was) in a sauce that was primarily jus with a little red wine. The pasta was delicate, delicious, and beautiful, the lamb essentially pulled, the chickpeas actually tasty (despite my love of falafel, I hate whole chickpeas), and the cheese beyond delicious. The only failure in this to me was the addition of the almonds, which seemed a little superfluous, and were not necessary for texture since the chickpeas were still rather crisp. Again, I'm being nitpicky, because they were not a negative for me, simply unnecessary in my opinion. The lamb was truly delicious, and reminded me again how much I wish mutton were popular in the USA, since I love that flavor and, as long as it is cooked long enough to eliminate the toughness, it is simply a stronger lamb.
Dessert was perfect for me, a strawberry (not blackberry like the pre-sent menu; that would have been sad if I had remembered, since I love blackberries more than almost anything else) mousse on a shortbread like crust. I was worried about how sweet it was going to be, but it was just perfect, mildly sweet, full of strawberry flavor. It was delicate looking, but had good body to the mousse; not quite the ethereal lightness that I think most people associate with a proper mousse, but that is good in my opinion, as I like the food I am eating to have some texture.
I was worried that by going to this dinner I would end up surrounded by old elementary school classmates, and I was only half wrong, but the food was so good that even if I had been 100% right it would have been worth it. The food was original, delicious, at least partially locally sourced (always a positive), and it was nice to see someone from my past doing so very well, and clearly having fun. I hope to have the chance to go again next year, and I am so glad I finally made it to one of these.
*****
The Gill Tavern is a very good restaurant in its own right, a solid mix of modern upscale and simple pub-like fare. Founded by the owner of The People's Pint, a Greenfield brewpub that has good food, great beer, and (at least the last time I went there, which has now been a few years) absolutely horrific service that prevented me from enjoying the good food and beer, The Gill Tavern has been successful since the beginning, and since it really is unique in Franklin County, I suspect they will continue to be for a long time.
This review, however, is not about the restaurant's ordinary operations, but rather about a Guest Chef event they now hold yearly. Julian Proujansky, an old schoolmate of mine, and Heather Bortnem, have come to The Gill Tavern for the last three years to display their talents. Both are highly successful in New York City: Julian is the Chef de Cuisine at Omar's La Ranita, which has received significant acclaim, and formerly worked at the famed Eleven Madison Park, recipient of three Michelin stars; Heather is head baker at Commerce Restaurant, famous in its own right, and a truly impressive title for someone so young.
This year's dinner was an interesting look into the current state of haute cuisine, with a combination of primarily simple ingredients and sophisticated concepts, it was all in all a very successful meal. Five courses were served, consisting of canapes, a salad, an appetizer, entree, and finally dessert. My only complaint had nothing to do with the food, which was that we were seated family style, and since I am not a huge fan of strangers, that was less than entirely comfortable for me.
The canapes were spectacular, four small bites that offered different textures, flavors and visuals: chick pea "fritters;" roast carrots with za'atar; black rice crisps with English peas; and deviled quail egg. The fritters were small logs of mashed chickpeas lightly fried and topped with a mild sauce; it tasted like a mild falafel, which works for me since I absolutely love falafel. My only criticism was that the exterior was not very crisp, so there was not a ton of textural contrast, but that is kind of nitpicky. The black rice crisps with English peas were my favorite, with a chip-like vessel of the rice holding the peas and a sauce. I wish I had been taking notes, because I would love to describe the flavors that this presented, but honestly there was so much going on in that one bite that I am struggling to really remember individual aspects. Suffice it to say I would eat an entire meal of just that preparation. Nearly as successful were the deviled quail eggs, topped with truffle; not featured on the menu that was e-mailed out to those with reservations, this was a great little surprise, an absurdly good, fancy version of one of my favorite party snacks from childhood. Quail eggs are super flavorful to begin with, and adding in the truffle flavor really did bring it to a whole new level; if only quail eggs were not so tiny! Lastly, the roast carrots were good, with a slight Middle Eastern flare to them from the za'atar. This was a fine couple of bites, maybe a little different from how I have seen carrots prepared before in a restaurant, and quite tasty, but there was nothing insanely creative about it.
The salad was my least favorite dish of the night, though I think that was simply because of my own personal tastes and not anything to do with the quality. There was, quite simply, just too much sweet involved for me; the candied pistachios were delicious, as were the pomegranate balls (made with pomegranate juice and agar agar; cool preparation that threw us all for a bit of a loop), and even the crisps of goat cheese, but all had a sweetness to them, as did the dressing, which added up to just a lot of sweetness. For people who are not as bothered by that, it was probably great, but for me, I could have done with more tang and salt and less sweet.
The appetizer course was probably my favorite, a rabbit torchon with pickled ramps, fava beans, and what we decided must be shaved asparagus. The torchon was deceptively brilliant, with huge rabbit flavor (not too gamy, but you knew you were eating rabbit), perfectly acidic and crisp ramps that were picked and pickled by Julian's mother up in Leyden, and a nice crunch from the asparagus, though they did not add a ton of flavor. There were also rye crackers, which I did not love, though with the combination of everything on one, they were pretty tasty. I wish ramps could be farmed properly, because they are incredibly delicious, and these were perfectly pickled.
The entree course was almost a deconstructed ravioli, with "stained glass pasta" topping braised lamb, almonds, chickpeas and a soft cheese that tasted like a whipped Boursin to me (my step-dad disagreed and we never did remember to ask what it actually was) in a sauce that was primarily jus with a little red wine. The pasta was delicate, delicious, and beautiful, the lamb essentially pulled, the chickpeas actually tasty (despite my love of falafel, I hate whole chickpeas), and the cheese beyond delicious. The only failure in this to me was the addition of the almonds, which seemed a little superfluous, and were not necessary for texture since the chickpeas were still rather crisp. Again, I'm being nitpicky, because they were not a negative for me, simply unnecessary in my opinion. The lamb was truly delicious, and reminded me again how much I wish mutton were popular in the USA, since I love that flavor and, as long as it is cooked long enough to eliminate the toughness, it is simply a stronger lamb.
Dessert was perfect for me, a strawberry (not blackberry like the pre-sent menu; that would have been sad if I had remembered, since I love blackberries more than almost anything else) mousse on a shortbread like crust. I was worried about how sweet it was going to be, but it was just perfect, mildly sweet, full of strawberry flavor. It was delicate looking, but had good body to the mousse; not quite the ethereal lightness that I think most people associate with a proper mousse, but that is good in my opinion, as I like the food I am eating to have some texture.
I was worried that by going to this dinner I would end up surrounded by old elementary school classmates, and I was only half wrong, but the food was so good that even if I had been 100% right it would have been worth it. The food was original, delicious, at least partially locally sourced (always a positive), and it was nice to see someone from my past doing so very well, and clearly having fun. I hope to have the chance to go again next year, and I am so glad I finally made it to one of these.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Prune (New York City, NY)
I first heard about Prune via a post on Keith Law's blog The Dish about Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir Blood, Bones & Butter, which he raved about. His description, and several quotes from the book, made me want to immediately drive down to New York City and go to Prune. Hamilton's philosophy is simple: good, unpretentious, fresh food, and this ethos won Hamilton a James Beard Award in 2001 and 2011, as well as multiple additional nominations as Best Chef in New York City. While getting a reservation for dinner can supposedly be difficult, brunch--served on weekends from 11:00am to 3:00pm--is first come, first served. Luckily, less than two weeks after reading Keith's post, I was on my way to NYC to see a friend, and she very nicely agreed to accompany me to brunch.
We arrived a little before noon, and were told it would be an hour wait, so we decided to wander around the area a bit, returning after about 35 or 40 minutes, only to find that they had already called for us. However, we were put right back on the list, and within the next few minutes were being seated at the bar. The restaurant is tiny, with tables for maybe three dozen people, packed in pretty tightly, plus another ten or so at the small bar, which has bright magenta stools that goes with the rather eclectic look of the whole place. The menu doesn't look like anything special, with mostly old favorites like the Monte Cristo sandwich, steak and eggs, and even huevos rancheros. There are also some more creative and non-traditional options, such as spicy stewed chickpeas, egg "en cocotte," coddled egg with chicken, and even spaghetti a la carbonara and a sausage and oysters dish. The drink menu includes a number of traditional and non-traditional brunch drinks, such as a variety of Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and the bizarre Chicago Matchbox, which includes homemade lemon vodka (I presume that means they take regular vodka and add the lemon flavor in house, rather than actually distilling the vodka), pickled Brussel's sprouts, baby white turnips, caperberries, green beans, and radishes, and is served with a chaser of my personal guilty pleasure beer, Red Stripe. It sounded interesting, but not quite interesting enough to get one.
I went simple, with the Classic Eggs Benedict, my all time favorite breakfast dish, which was served with "potatoes rosti," which was really just a giant potato latke, albeit a very good one. My friend
ordered the Soft Scrambled Eggs, served "on the wet side" according to the menu, with fresh chopped parsley, bacon, potatoes rosti, and a toasted, buttered English muffin. Since she is gluten intolerant, I was the happy recipient of her English muffin. We also both ordered Mimosas, because...well, does that really need an explanation?
My Eggs Benedict was perfect; the Canadian bacon was not chewy, a common problem with it, and the eggs were perfectly cooked, spilling the runny yolk all over as soon as I cut into it, giving me something to dip the potatoes and my extra English muffin in, which was exactly what I was hoping for. The hollandaise was light, but very tasty, and definitely homemade. The potatoes rosti were crisp on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside, and delicious, though if I had to make a complaint it would be that they were a little under-seasoned; Julie added salt and pepper, but I just used the egg yolk to add flavor. With a bit more salt, however, it would have been just about perfect, reminding me of eating latkes during Hanukkah as a child. Julie was also very happy with her food, saying that though the eggs were cooked rather less than she was used to, she really enjoyed them. The Mimosas were the perfect accompaniment, with good, though slightly pulpy (I hate pulp) orange juice and actually decent champagne.
At just under $47 for our meals, drinks, and a good tip (the bartender was fantastic) this was an exceptionally reasonable meal, especially by New York City standards. The service was great, the restaurant beautiful, and the food was superb; I cannot recommend it enough. It is also very vegetarian friendly if that's your thing.
******
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We arrived a little before noon, and were told it would be an hour wait, so we decided to wander around the area a bit, returning after about 35 or 40 minutes, only to find that they had already called for us. However, we were put right back on the list, and within the next few minutes were being seated at the bar. The restaurant is tiny, with tables for maybe three dozen people, packed in pretty tightly, plus another ten or so at the small bar, which has bright magenta stools that goes with the rather eclectic look of the whole place. The menu doesn't look like anything special, with mostly old favorites like the Monte Cristo sandwich, steak and eggs, and even huevos rancheros. There are also some more creative and non-traditional options, such as spicy stewed chickpeas, egg "en cocotte," coddled egg with chicken, and even spaghetti a la carbonara and a sausage and oysters dish. The drink menu includes a number of traditional and non-traditional brunch drinks, such as a variety of Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and the bizarre Chicago Matchbox, which includes homemade lemon vodka (I presume that means they take regular vodka and add the lemon flavor in house, rather than actually distilling the vodka), pickled Brussel's sprouts, baby white turnips, caperberries, green beans, and radishes, and is served with a chaser of my personal guilty pleasure beer, Red Stripe. It sounded interesting, but not quite interesting enough to get one.
I went simple, with the Classic Eggs Benedict, my all time favorite breakfast dish, which was served with "potatoes rosti," which was really just a giant potato latke, albeit a very good one. My friend
 |
| Eggs Benedict, Potatoes Rosti, and Mimosa, with pickled veggies in the background |
My Eggs Benedict was perfect; the Canadian bacon was not chewy, a common problem with it, and the eggs were perfectly cooked, spilling the runny yolk all over as soon as I cut into it, giving me something to dip the potatoes and my extra English muffin in, which was exactly what I was hoping for. The hollandaise was light, but very tasty, and definitely homemade. The potatoes rosti were crisp on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside, and delicious, though if I had to make a complaint it would be that they were a little under-seasoned; Julie added salt and pepper, but I just used the egg yolk to add flavor. With a bit more salt, however, it would have been just about perfect, reminding me of eating latkes during Hanukkah as a child. Julie was also very happy with her food, saying that though the eggs were cooked rather less than she was used to, she really enjoyed them. The Mimosas were the perfect accompaniment, with good, though slightly pulpy (I hate pulp) orange juice and actually decent champagne.
At just under $47 for our meals, drinks, and a good tip (the bartender was fantastic) this was an exceptionally reasonable meal, especially by New York City standards. The service was great, the restaurant beautiful, and the food was superb; I cannot recommend it enough. It is also very vegetarian friendly if that's your thing.
******
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