Marlow & Sons

 

Good food should be simple and straightforward with natural flavors heightened by a little seasoning.  This was why we've been eager to check out Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  Beyond the small retail space (selling coffee and pastries) is the intimate, wood-paneled bar

So with an aperitif in hand (Aperol Spritzer, a cocktail of aperol, muscadet, and soda), we enjoyed a quick bite in this casual spot.

 

Oh, oysters...When they're perfectly shucked, with ample seawater and plump meat left intact, they are divine.  We enjoyed two types of oysters (at $2.75 ea): Old Salt's from Virginia and Fisher Islands from New York.

 

Spicy Sopressata ($9.50):  Crispy bread, newly sliced meats, and provolone cheese is all we need to make us happy!

Marlow & Sons is a great laid-back spot with an ever-changing menu.  The next time we head out to this area, we'll definitely come back and also check out its sister restaurant next door, Diner (where dinner menus are often decided half an hour before dinner starts).

 

Marlow & Sons is located at 81 Broadway (at Berry St) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

End of NY Craft Beer Week with Utopias - Record breaking beer

New York Craft Beer Week came to an end yesterday at new beer garden Studio Square in Long Island City, Queens.

Festivities included plenty of beer tastings, cooking with beer, and the opportunity to try Samuel Adams Utopias - the Guinness Book of World Records holder for strongest beer in the world (27% ABV!).

We start off slow with (left to right):  Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Project, Avery Czar Imperial Stout, and Sly Fox Instigator Doppelbock.  The Sly Fox Instigator Doppelbock (7.5% ABV) did not have much on the nose.  It was sweet, almost sugary, because of the caramel malt.

The next beer was the brand new Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Project (8.5% ABV).  This was sweet (not overly sugary like the Sly Fox) and smooth (coming from the malt).  This beer was inspired by the Manhattan cocktail - aged in rye barrels and a wash infused with a variety of herbs commonly found in vermouth.  All that was missing was the cherry! 

The Avery Czar Imperial Stout (11.03% ABV) was almost jet black in color with substantial lacing due to its high alcohol content.  The stout had hints of milk chocolate with a faint coffee bitterness. We would have preferred more bitterness to balance the sweetness but overall it was a good imperial stout.

The main event (i.e. the reason why we trekked out to Queens) was the $3 tastings of the 2007 Samuel Adams Utopias - a rare treat.

The Sam Adams reps poured the tastes of this $100+ (wholesale price!) bottle to celebrate the end of NY Craft Beer Week. We could smell the rich beer from several feet away as it was being poured.

Now the moment to taste the beer!  The nose on the Utopias was like a vintage Port - sweet richness (caramel, oak, and chocolate) balanced by the high alcohol. More liqueur than beer, the Utopias was filled with so much complexity and personality.

Isn't it beautiful?  The color is burnt amber, almost opaque.  The port beer was very rich and viscous - it's an unbelievable experience.

Overall, the Utopias was fantastic!  We really enjoyed the balance of the beer, the full body sweetness and very long finish.  All we were missing was a smoking jacket, cigar, and roaring fireplace!

Two more beers for the road (left to right):  One of our favorite beers, Allagash Black (7.5% ABV) and Keegan Ales Joe Mama Milk Stout (8% ABV).

Here were all of the ingredients for the Brew and Bean Chili - all that was missing was the beer!  (The chef eventually used Samuel Adams Octoberfest but she said that any lager would work.)

The Studio Square beer garden space was large and modern.

We loved the outdoor fire-pit!

Another fun week of beer tastings comes to an end...We're looking forward to next year's event!

The Gage vs The Art Institute of Chicago

Though we both have a love for food, we have other interests that differ from each other. So there are a few times when we do not agree on the best way to spend an afternoon in a new city.

While we were in Chicago, one of us wanted to spend some time at The Gage Restaurant and Tavern, an Irish bar/restaurant, while the other wanted to go across the street to The Art Institute of Chicago, a renowned art museum conveniently open late this summer until Labor Day (with free admission too!) on Thursdays and Fridays.

Our solution? Split up for a couple of hours and choose our own adventure. Here are our side by side photo tours, begging the question, "Which experience would you choose?"

Left: Bloody Mary with Guinness ($10): This was surprisingly good - The Guinness made the Bloody Mary lighter and very easy to drink. You could easily drink 5.
Right: American Gothic by Grant Wood
Left: Scotch Egg with mustard ($8) was pretty good (can't go wrong with a hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep-fried), but at $8 was a bit pricey...
and Poutine with Elk Ragout ($8) was unfortunately not like the authentic Montreal poutine (it needed better cheese curds).
Right: Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (as seen in the movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off!)
and The Triptych Window from the Avery Coonley Playhouse by Frank Lloyd Wright
Left: Founders Dirty Bastard ($7): Despite a great selection of beverages (including a Scotch tasting menu), whenever Founders beer is available, that's what we'll be drinking.
Right: Woman Descending the Staircase by Gerhard Richter

His and Her drinks:
Left: Another Founders Dirty Bastard
Right: Forbidden Fruit ($12): This was a bright, crisp, and summery drink made with citrus vodka, pomegranate liqueur, prosecco, and fresh grapefruit.

And to end our adventures, we both walked around to enjoy the Windy City at night (all of these photos were taken at Millenium Park).

The Gage is located at 24 S. Michigan Ave in Chicago, IL.
The Art Institute of Chicago is located at 111 S. Michigan Ave

Sazerac Bar - Stepping back in Time in New Orleans, LA

It was the end of our New Orleans trip and we decided to complete the trip by having a night cap at the historic Sazerac Bar.

The Sazerac Bar is named for the oldest cocktail in America. The Sazerac is considered the official cocktail of New Orleans and is made with 1 cube of sugar, 1 1/2 ounces of Sazerac Rye Whiskey, 1/4 ounce of Herbsaint, 3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters and a lemon peel. Some versions include absinthe in it.

Not being whiskey fans, we decided on different drinks, sat back on the couches, and took in the restored wall murals and oak bar.


The French Quarter ($12): Pear vodka, pear nectar, pear brandy, fresh lemon juice, sugar, and house-made jalapeno syrup. Though the pear flavor was light, the jalapeno added a nice spiciness to the drink.

Southern Gentleman ($12): Blackberries and mint muddled with fresh lemon juice, pure cane syrup, and Maker's Mark whiskey. Our friend chose this drink and it was fairly potent.

Sazerac Bar is located in the Roosevelt Hotel at 123 Baronne St in New Orleans, LA.

Pat O'Briens - Birthplace of the Hurricane (New Orleans, LA)

For our first trip to New Orleans, we had to explore the French Quarter at night. We decided to head towards Pat O'Briens, the birthplace of the Hurricane drink.

The Hurricane (26 oz $10, including souvenir glass)
* 4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Rum or a good Dark Rum
* 4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Mix
* Fill with crushed ice
* Garnish with an orange and cherry

Tasting like fruit punch (with a kick), this drink originated during WWII when liquor (e.g. whiskey) was in such low supply that bars had to purchase as much as 50 cases of rum to be able to buy one case of liquor. Named after the hurricane lamp (which looks like the glass) and made because of the abundance of rum, the Hurricane was born.






With a restaurant, piano bar, sports bar, and outdoor patio, Pat O'Briens is a large space with a neat history.

Pat O'Briens is located at 718 St Peter (French Quarter) in New Orleans, LA.

Fun free things to do in NYC This Weekend

This weekend in New York City we are looking forward to these free events - especially two that are focused on free wine! Cheers!

Friday (today!): Enjoy a warm summer's night at the White Party. From 6-8 pm, wine producer Georges DuBoeuf will be hosting a party at High Bar, a beautiful rooftop bar on the west side. Wear all-white and score a free glass of its Macon-Villages, a 2007 burgundy blanc. High Bar is located at 251 W 48th St (btwn Broadway and Eighth Ave).

Saturday: Work up an appetite by taking advantage of the first Summer Streets Saturday this weekend. For all Saturdays in August, Park Ave (and connecting streets from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge) will be shut down to motorized traffic from 7AM to 1PM. Free music, free skate/bikes rentals, and multiple rest stops along the way. Click here for the route map.

Saturday: Free wine tasting of rieslings, zweigelts, blaufränkisch, and grüner veltliners (oh my!). From 2-5pm, Union Square Wines will have various wine producers on hand to uncork these wines for you to sample. Union Square Wines is located at 140 Fourth Avenue (at 13th Street).

Great beer at Varga Bar

We had a fantastic evening at Varga Bar in Philadelphia, with both Founders' Double Trouble and Russian River Brewing's Damnation on tap. The Double Trouble (above left) was amazingly piney, citrusy, hoppy, bitter, with a great bitter finish and not much of a burn (how do they do that at 9.4%?). The Damnation (above right, 7.75% ABV) was overall quite dry (burnt rubber quality?), medium body style, with some spice and herbs, banana, grapefruit/orange peel and a pleasant smooth finish. A very balanced beer.

It was beer heaven since the Founders and Russian River beers are not available for us in NY. The food is okay, but stop by for the beers.

BBQ Pulled Pork ($10): A good, messy sandwich with cheddar cheese, broccoli rabe and bistro fries to go with the variety of beers.

North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin ($6, 9%): One of our personal favorites, and surprisingly the first time we've had Rasputin on tap. Still and will always be a winner.

Old Rasputin (left) and the last of the Founders Backwoods Bastard (right, one of our favorite beers by one of the best breweries in the U.S.). The Backwoods is not for newbies; it's a big beer that has been oak barrel aged. It was a great way to finish our trip to Varga Bar!

On tap that day were selections from Oskar Blues (we also had the Gordon on tap), Victory, Rogue, Lagunitas, Bell's and Dogfish Head. Don't forget your growler!

Varga Bar is located at 941 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, PA.

South Philadelphia Tap Room

The South Philly Tap Room was recommended by a bunch of locals, so we stopped by since we heard they might have Founders beers on tap. There were a handful of locals sipping some great microbrews mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Overall, the bar has a decent selection of rotating drafts and cask beer.

Founders Dumbo Head Wheat Ale ($5, 6%): This was the only Founders beer available so we tried a pint. We love Founders, however, we don't usually care for wheat beers. This was one of the better wheat beers we've had, most are too sweet and not very good. It was light, carbonated, with orange peel, a little hoppiness and sweetness but is a relatively drier style wheat. This is not the best beer or our favourite style but it still beats most popular wheat beers.

We also had a pint of the Duck Rabbit Milk Stout ($5, 5.7%), brewed in Farmville, NC. We liked the roast coffee with some sweetness and bitterness. A little thin for our liking, but worth a try.

The South Philadelphia Tap Room is located at 1509 Mifflin Street near S. Broad Street in Philadelphia.

The Pub on Passyunk East - Philadelphia, PA

Next stop on our Philly tour...finding some great beers we haven't seen in NYC! We had heard that the Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.) had some great craft beer selections on tap and in bottle. The pub even has rare beers from Russian River and Hitachino.

The list of beers and drink specials looked amazing, we found ourselves eyeing all the orders of spicy Bloody Mary's.

Brunch Burger ($8): We had their loaded burger with an over-easy egg, bacon and cheddar, garlic mayo garnish and crispy fries. A great way to start an afternoon of beer drinking.

The food selection is quite broad. We also could not believe that the menu carried many vegan and vegetarian items (including a seitan cheesesteak!).

Russian River Brewing's Pliny the Elder ($7.50): We had to stop at this bar to have one of the best beers made in the U.S. (possibly the world?), Pliny the Elder. This has to be one of the boldest yet balanced beers we have ever had. Just having this beer is worth the trip since it's not widely available.

The citrus spruce nose is fantastic. The full-bodied beer has light carbonation, some grapefruit, pine with a (very) long-lasting pleasant bitter finish without any alcoholic burn (even at 8%). Definitely one of the best beers we've ever had, we hope Russian River beers will be available in NY some day.

A wide mix on tap of East and West Coast beers from Left Coast, Avery, New Holland, Duck Rabbit and Sly Fox.

New Holland Dragon's Milk ($6 bottle): An strong American ale poured dark cola brown into a tulip glass. This 8.5% ABV beer had rich and sweet chocolate malt, vanilla (from the bourbon barrel aging), some hops, with a bitter coffee finish. A really good beer that was not overwhelming because of the oak aging. This could definitely replace most after-dinner drinks.

Another Pliny before we go....we could not pass this up.

The Pub on Passyunk East is located at 1501 E. Passyunk Street in Philadelphia, PA.

Wasatch Brew Pub - Park City, UT

The other Utah brewery we stopped at was Wasatch Brew Pub. The large restaurant (with outdoor patio) and bar is found on Main Street in Park City, UT. Wasatch, led by its founder Greg Schirf, was a pioneer amongst Utah breweries and brew pubs. After years of competition, Wasatch partnered with Squatters to increase their combined market share and to showcase Utah beers to the world.




Left to right (all are 4% ABV):
1. Summer: This was a bready, dry, and light session beer. It was not really bitter. It was supposed to be Kolsch style.
2. Full Suspension Pale Ale: This was the hoppiest of the Wasatch beers we tried. It had a pale orange color, more taste, but still a light finish.
3. Polygamy Porter: This was the best amongst the 3 beers we tasted. It was slightly thinner style not heavy, with a trace of smoke, and a burnt and bitter coffee flavor.

Squatters IPA ($4.95, 6% ABV): This was citrusy, light pine nose, subtle IPA hoppiness but not over the top. We really liked this one, because it was a full IPA but still almost session style.

Wasatch Brew Pub is located at 205 S Main Street.