A Restaurant with a Pedigree: The Beagle

1 Jun

NYC’s East Village is rapidly becoming one of the most gourmet hoods in the entire city; the cat’s out of the bag on that one.  So it’s no surprise that the latest top dog to enter nipping at the heels of this trend is The Beagle, the E.Ville’s latest cocktail bar slash eatery (and not the other way around, Fabio).  Taking over the former Orologio space on Avenue A (btwn 10th/11th Sts), the self-described “academic” cocktail program and excellent eats may just make The Beagle a contender for the title of Best in Show.

While The Beagle’s concept favors equal billing for cocktails and food, I tend to think that the former stole the show; the cocktail list reads like a study in the classics, with modern twists.  The London Buck ($12) is adorned with a slab of candied ginger and features a dry gin, ginger, lime juice and seltzer – deliciously crafted with surprisingly delicate flavors that go down easily with the help of your metal mixologist straw.  The complete liquor offerings are a comprehensive list that my Scotch-aficionado man-friends dubbed the Who’s Who of the Scotch world.  Though, if you’re a barley and hops fan, you’ll only find 4 beers to mention – but they are thoughtful additions to the liquid imbibement line-up.

One of the more interesting menu offerings are the pairing boards ($17), which, true to their name, team a tasting of food with a modestly sized cocktail.  Of these duos, we ordered the Burrata and Gin (the former a creamy white cheese doused with pepper, much to my delight) and the Pressed Pig Head and Rum (Pig Head = not nearly as offensive to me when served in pastry square form, also, the “pickled things” were a hit).  The happiest accident was the unplanned order of Lamb Neck and Rye which had the table foodgasming – the anchovy relish was quite a remarkable condiment. The Dates served with Prosciutto weren’t bad, but were unremarkable.  My table faves were the Fresh Baby Corn ($6) skewered and topped with a lime/mayo/cilantro concoction – perfect for sharing, such a fun dish – and The Shrimp ($10) with Vermouth, Mirepoix and Crème Fraiche, very well executed.

Though The Beagle’s menu is carnivorously driven, I managed to find several delicious veggie/pesky options.  As for reviewing the meat dishes, I got by with a little help from my friends (overall consensus: Tasty, with a capital T).  So round up your dogs dawgs, and take yourselves out for a walk – over to The Beagle, of course.

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Liquid Assets: Cold Pressed Juices @ Liquiteria

25 May

While I tend to play pretty hard on the weekends, being at my best for work on Monday is always a priority.  I’ve found that nothing gets my natural performance enhancement on like starting my week off with a juice cleanse.  I know “juicing” might sound scary or weird to some of you, but it’s actually quite easy, leaves you feeling great all week and won’t lead to a congressional hearing (though folks may question how you’re hitting all those metaphoric homeruns in the work place).  My favorite spot to get the best cold pressed juices in NYC?  Well that’d be the East Village’s Liquiteria (2nd Ave @ 11th St).

The menu features an assortment of healthy breakfast/lunch choices, but I head straight to the Liquid Rx section for my weekly juice cleanses.  My go-to drink after a hard hitting weekend is the Royal Flush, a blend of pineapple, pear, ginger, aloe and a Liver Kidney Lymph Detox supplement.  The drinks are freshly squeezed at $5.45 for 14 oz and $5.95 for 20 oz OR you can snag bottles of the cold pressed versions for $8.50 a piece (this method of extracting the juice is supposedly the most nutritionally effective).  With names like Immune Rocket Booster, Skin Trip and Liquid Lozenge, you’ll have no trouble picking a juice if you’re looking to get specific health benefits.  Customize your juice by opting to add one of the many supplements as well.  I usually get 4 drinks to have throughout the day when I do my Monday cleanse.

Non-E. Villagers and folks Nationwide listen up: they’ll deliver ANYWHERE in the US.  So go ahead and get your juice on at Liquiteria.  I promise this venture won’t lead to fist pumping BUT you may be lusted at for your gorilla juice head body, you sexy thang.  Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist, so if you have serious questions about juicing, do your research.  All I can say is that 1 day a week of drinking the fan-effing-tastic juices from Liquiteria is what works for me; you do you.

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Outside the Box, Inside an NYC Beer Garden: Bierhaus

20 May

Great as Manhattan is, the space constraints are rough, which makes finding an awesome beer garden quite difficult.  Your options are limited; while I’m not above brown-paper-bagging in the park, unfortunately, public intoxication is frowned upon illegal.   Venturing to outer boroughs might yield great spots, but it’s a real commitment, plus with the weather we’ve been having lately, who knows when outdoor venues will be a safe bet?!  My solution?  Think outside the box and head to Bierhaus (3rd Ave @ 45th St), an unconventional Midtown spot with all-weather-friendly appeal and beer garden feel.

Recently, a friend and I were looking for a late afternoon hang in Midtown East. We both like to try new places, especially where there are good odds of meeting new people; Bierhaus was a great call.  It’s crowded with a mix of after-work types and casual peeps passing through (not to mention the odd group of folks wearing authentic German getups, no joke).   Communal picnic tables are perfect for chatting it up with neighbors and add to the friendly vibe.  With a sunroof ceiling there’s also the added benefit of bright natural light (a major preventative in acting on beer-goggle impulses – not that I would EVER do that…)

All the beers served are Hofbräu, so if you’re looking for something that tastes like a Blue Moon, Stella, etc, just ask a bartender or St. Pauly Girl your waitress and they’ll hook you up.  Staying with the theme, you can expect German music both over the PA system and live, feat. the Polka Brothers.  The soft dough pretzel is pretty awesome; get a large ($9) and try both mustards – the spicy is sinus-clearing!  While there’s no replacing an authentic, outdoor beer garden, sometimes it’s just not feasible – so why miss out on the experience?  Bierhaus is a legit alternative that’s so convenient you can roll up with your bros and lederHOSen.

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Eargasm: Let’s Hear it for the Boys

17 May

While I am an equal opportunity music listener, I’ve noticed that most of the tracks I’m digging on recently have male vocalists. I’m going to try not to over-analyze what the implications of this might be and just go with a truth I hold to be self-evident; these are some solid songs. So, let’s hear it for the boys…

Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks – I’ve been running my mouth off about this band to just about anyone who will listen. The live show didn’t disappoint either; the leader singer has created a genre of stage performance I’d dub “Awkwardtastic”. Oh, and if you’re not incredibly disturbed by the lyrics, you clearly haven’t listened carefully enough. LISTEN!

Grouplove – Colors – Annoyingly catchy; irresistibly listenable; obsession worthy. These are the stages I went through before reaching the final phase; acceptance. I accept that, yes, this is a great jam. And as for the lead singer, he is too is a “man; man, man, man”.

Dawes – When My Time Comes – The simplicity of this song is pure stripped-down delight to my ears. Give me a chorus with a soulful male vocalist; layer that with some affecting harmonies and I’m sold. Every time I hear this song I effectively lose 20 minutes to Google, searching for new band-related articles and videos. Yeah, I need to work on that…

The Airborne Toxic Event – Changing – This one gets my body moving; great track for apartment rock-out sessions and confident street strutting alike (you know I’m well researched in both). I may have discovered this song during an episode of Gossip Girl, but I’m all about the edgy vocals of this gentleman – nothing girly about em.

Cold War Kids – Bulldozer – Double-take track of the week. You know, when you’re listening to new music on your ipod and you need to check what the track is because it catches your attention. Yup, that was this one. I love homeboy’s unique vibrato and the hopelessly romantic sentiment behind his words.

Though the men have done the majority of the heavy lifting in this Eargasm post, I’d like to point out that behind these emo-men, there’s likely a woman playing muse. So that’s our contribution here, ladies; well done. Hope you’ve enjoyed listening, folks.

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Get There: Hester Street Fair

10 May

When I told my girls I was rallying them for a street fair last Saturday, I couldn’t help but notice a slight resistance.  Not that I blame them; the days of generic falafel and shawarma booths beside kettle corn and funnel cake stations are numbered.  But street fairs have come a long way, baby, and there’s a new kid on the block.  No, I’m not talking NKOTBSB; this year Hester Street Fair has got the right stuff (oh oh OOH oh).

My perfect little Saturday started after a nice walk down Essex; we met up at the fair’s entrance on the corner of Hester and Essex – can’t miss it.  There’s a lot of action in there, so pace yourself, take a lap and scope out the goods before your decide on your first eats.  After doing a once over, we decided to get on board with Luke’s Lobster (OMFG – it was my first time with Luke…)  The combo of ½ Shrimp/Lobster/Crab rolls ($19) was AMAZING – a great savory kick-off to the eating festivities.

After sating our initial cravings, we took some time to peruse the other vendors. Vintage jewelry and eclectic clothiers were a-plenty along with some other interesting additions like the Casa Helecho Terrariums (I’m going to go back and further investigate these – get my geek on). The live music added to the festive atmosphere as we sampled pretzel rods smothered in Herbin’ Spoonful’s Habanero Caramel (mmm) and grabbed small delights from the Macaron Parlour (the Red Velvet was decadent and the Caramel Fleur de Sel, a perfect savory/sweet combo – $2 each).

One of the most popular vendors of the day was the Shaved Ice Shop – your “sundae” consists of finely shaved ice, drizzled with condensed milk and topped with your choice of fruits, nuts, granola, and some more surprising delights (red beans, anyone?) PLUS a scoop of sorbet or ice cream. At $5 a pop, it won’t hurt the wallet and on a hot day, it’s the perfect treat to take to the small lawn area just beyond the vendors – a small sheet to sit on isn’t a bad call either.

The Fair will be open for business from 10am-6pm on Saturdays through October 30th – you’ve got more than enough time to check it out, but don’t miss it.  Next time your Saturday leaves you jones’ing for some open air, great music and gourmet treats, get yourself to the Hester Street Fair – it’s a force to be reckoned with.  I’m putting all other clichéd street-closing-fests on notice.

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