Thursday is the new Friday

Thursday was one of those great nights of food, drink and perfect company. And I had all my fun within a 5 block radius. After work Ann took me to Al di La for a glass of wine - I can't wait to go back there to eat. It's one of those neighborhood places - everyone knew Ann and the staff is super friendly. Of course, she is the poster child for Al di La after appearing in the picture accompanying the NY Times review last year. They don't take reservations and are very small, but their new wine bar helps prevent the people back up during dinner. While sipping our marvelous whites Ann pointed out some of her favorites on the dinner menu - more to come on this fine place of Northern Italian food. Then we walked over to her house so I could get the low-down on house and poodle sitting, and the pots, pans and utensils I'll be needing for my upcoming Italian Spring Dinner Party! I have to say, the setting will be perfect for feasting and friends.

I then ran over a couple blocks to Rose Water on Union St, to meet Alix and Livy for another Brooklyn restaurant week pick. It was not easy to get a normal reservation time for dinner, but Alix had managed to do so. Rose Water focuses on American Nouveau - seasonal, local, organic and satiating taste buds. We started with a WONDERFUL white German wine, of which I've forgotten the name (anyone want to sponsor my wine education?) and absolutely superior bread, a little saltiness on the crust and dipped in olive oil and a fantastic white bean spread - the most nuanced of flavors.

For the prix fixe, there was an impressive array to choose from - I started with a chick pea stew, which included a giant, flavorful cheese-stuffed falafel. Golden roasted chicken for my entree, with sweetly sauteed mushrooms - I was already getting too full to finish, but we then ordered dessert, sharing all three: a chocolate peanut butter cake, apple fritter, and a vanilla cheesecake...ohhhh, myyyy.


Then hopped down the block to Union Hall to meet Erin and Nick for a drink. Union Hall is enormous. Despite it's size, it's always packed. Of course, there are many diversions, including a music venue on the lower level and bocce court on the upper level. That's right - the twenty-somethings of Brooklyn evidently know their Bocce. It's a great place to hang out with your pals, with several areas of comfy seating and even a pseudo library and fireplace. A patio is on the side for those much anticipated summer days.

Ah, Thursday night. I think that explains why on Friday night I fell asleep to a movie rental...

Al di La
284 5th Ave (and Union St.)
Park Slope, Brooklyn

http://www.aldilatrattoria.com/

Rose Water
787 Union St (between 5th and 6th Aves)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-783-3800

Union Hall
702 Union St (and 5th Ave)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-638-4300
http://unionhallny.com/

Assenzio - Tanti auguri a te!

I have an unfair affinity for Italian food. It cannot be helped. On Saturday we went to Assenzio, a Sardinian charmer in the East Village. I'm sorry that I forgot my camera for the whole of this food weekend, so I will test my descriptive writing skills.

I would camp out at Assenzio for a long time. Pitch a tent and eat the antipasti all day. Tables are all crammed together in a cozily lit room with light sea foam green walls and (probably) creaky wooden floors. Italian phrases scripted on the walls, with little candles lighting your way. You must go here. We were a good-sized party celebrating two birthdays, and we were lucky to get a table in a little alcove.

Our jubilantly tall Italian waiter taught us the Happy Birthday song in Italian and came to check on us many times. He was cheery, brought us good wine, and we had great fun.

The sun-dried tomato and olive oil spread on bread made me deliriously happy. I must try to replicate this. We shared lightly battered calamari and zuchinni with a tomato sauce for antipasti, along with a melted hunk of mozzarella between grilled slices of juicy portobello. For primi, I had a perfectly al dente fusilli with tuna, capers, and olives. Although I thought all together it would be very salty, it was in fact truly balanced. Dulci? We shared three among us: a pear tart, fried bananas crusted in cinnamon and sugar, and a chocolatey chocolate tort, all with gelato on the side for good scooping.

We walked over to Avenue C and in true birthday fashion, tried to go dancing. Maybe it was too much pasta, so we finally settled at Yum Schneider, a wonderful German bar. With a disco ball and stuffed animals perched in paper mache trees, it's certainly peculiar. But very nice and with a wide range of German beers and food. If only my pasta has not expanded, I would have sampled more...

Buon compleanno, Ryan and Brad!

Assenzio
205 E 4th St (between Avenues A and B)
East Village, New York
212-677-9466


Yum Schneider
229 E 7th St and Avenue C
East Village, New York
212-598-1098
www.yumschneider.com

Max Caffe

Happy hour is best spent at Max Caffe. There is simply no contest. It's the winner, with only two possible hours during the week to celebrate - Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:00 - 6:00. This signifies that all wines are 1/2 price!

Max also wins the ambiance contest - comfy, vintage-style chairs and couches, grouped around scratched and worn coffee tables (read: a good trip to the thrift store). A scuffy wood floor, giant mirrors and big art on warm red and brick walls. Mellow bossa nova pipes through the spacious room. Lights lower as six o'clock nears.



Friday evening James and I had a (ahem) business meeting, starting there shortly after 5:00. I had the sweet Nero D'Avola and shared my favorite Antipasto di Verdure, a plate of - clearly - heaven-sent grilled crisp and buttery zuchinni, asparagus, yellow peppers, and carrots, paired with fresh, soft and salty mozzarella and crusty italian bread. See what I mean by no contest? Happy hour is normally spent getting increasingly sloshed and hungry at the same time. Oh, not here. Buzz comes slowly, in style and comfort.

Max is a coffee house, cafe and wine bar. Thus, it is suitable for all hours of the day. Also, it is two blocks from work, so I have tried all the various hours, sampling their excellent cappucino, panini, wine, and antipasti. But hmm...have not yet consumed dessert there...

You will leave feeling...discerning: After just one glass at Max, my friends have come up with brilliant observations - once Katie mused that, "Strangeness supercedes structure." Mull over that - it can be applied to almost any situation. Emilia and I have dissected our boy situations over countless glasses of the Montepulciano, always emerging with absolute clairvoyance. Or feeling...better.

Max Caffe
1262 Amsterdam Ave (at 122nd St)
Morningside Heights, New York
212-531-1210
http://maxsoha.com/caffe_home.html

Oscars Night, 2007!

Michelle and Christian are very into this. Thanks to them, I've seen more Oscars movie nominees than I ever have. Leading up to the event, they had online spreadsheets for us to keep track of movies watched and rated. We had voting ballots and there were prizes! The decorations were superb.

As it flurried outside, we piled together with out of town Yorksters Angie, Katy and Mike, in Michelle and Christian's cozy Park Slope apartment on their huge and comfy couch. And enjoyed great food and wine, of course. M and C are dependable and serious with the wine - nice reds from various regions that they had picked up at neighborhood wine store Big Nose, Full Body. I had two from Spain and Australia, one a bit spicier than the other and both going nicely with the range of cheeses, meats, crackers, spreads and fruit.

In the spirit of Best Picture nominee Babel, I had made a well-received cous cous with chickpeas, almonds, dates, curry and cilantro. And for dessert, our hosts made the diner breakfast Olive ordered in Little Miss Sunshine - Waffles a la Mode-y. Mmm. Scoops of vanilla ice cream on warm, toasted waffles - especially the cinnamon mini waffles - is just goooood. We thought of all sorts of possible toppings, but the fundamentals were perfect.

And after watching the special past-Oscar winner montages, my movie list has grown ever longer.

Big Nose, Full Body
382 7th Avenue (between 11th and 12th Sts)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-369-4030
www.bignosefullbody.com

Cous Cous Salad with Dates and Almonds
www.epicurious.com

The Smith Street Pub Crawl

The idea was born with Erin. It was sheer brilliance: Smith Street - one evening, many pubs. Erin and I thought we might have a handful of friends coming along for the crawl, but crowd estimates came in around thirty! From a range of friend circles of the in and out of towners - great for mingling and good clean fun. Well...

The line up was as follows:

Brooklyn Social Club - Ladies were very lucky to get in. This bar used to be an Italian men-only club. Very chill with nice red tin ceilings. I will go back for their specialty drinks on a non-crawl night.

335 Smith Street (between Carroll and President Sts)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-858-7758

Zombie Hut - Again with the ceilings - this one was bamboo. A giant fish tank, a fireplace and board games are among the other amenities. They have a range of fun and potent drinks, including a tropical fruit one you can drink with giant straws from a flaming volcano. Very clever. Played good tunes!

216 Smith Street (between Douglass and DeGraw)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-875-3433

Angry Wade's - A Bar. Slightly dingy and with free popcorn. Decor: nicely tacky modern poster art. The table in front of the fireplace is prime.

222 Smith Street (at Butler St.)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-488-7253

Camp - Five Stars! S'mores!! S'mores!! And martinis with s'mores! The bartender lights your marshmallows on fire! Smells like a camp fire inside! Log cabin interior with fireplace, kayak, and huge, wall-sized photo of the woods in springtime. I will go back here when it's not so crowded and indulge in everything sweet and gooey. DJ playing danceable music (but no caberet license).

179 Smith Street (between Warren and Wyckoff Sts)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-852-8086

Vegas - Do not be fooled by the name. Very un-Vegas - i.e. no running lights, marquees, gambling or showgirls. Roomy with nice red-velvet couch areas, pool table and a first rate juke. Although, it did not have my favorite Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duet. Sigh.

135 Smith Streets (between Dean and Bergen Sts)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-875-8308

Boat - On the list, but we never made it because it was packed. No sign, orange door. Neighborhood bar. Kind of cramped, long and narrow, with a small loungeable area in back. Great juke box. It's just...likeable.

175 Smith Street (between Warren and Wyckoff Sts)
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-254-0607

It's obvious that the Smith St. Pub Crawl is already a Brooklyn classic. We've already had several requests for a similar event along 5th avenue. Duly noted! Thanks Erin, for your fantastic choices!



(Our sense of Accomplishment)

Superfine and the Brooklyn Winter Hoedown

String Bands + Food and Drink = a good weekend. The 3rd Annual Brooklyn Winter Hoedown was held this year at Superfine. If ever New York has you feeling claustrophobic in tiny bars and restaurants, might I recommend this spacious, likely former warehouse in DUMBO. It's a bit hard to pin down the theme: huge and colorful abstract art, long strands of blue bulbs and giant paper lanterns hang from the ceiling. With its hewn wood floors and barn high ceilings, Eric thought maybe the theme was "Whaling Town." It could be true - we spotted quite a few whaling types there for the shows and food on Saturday.

I spent both Saturday night and Sunday evening this weekend among the yeehaws and cowboy boots, soaking in the bluegrass and string bands with some snacking on the side. Sunday I had a superfine burger with jack and all the fixings, and delightful little shoestring fries, along with the day's special brown ale. I also had one divine bite of Nick's Ginger Creme Brulee. Genius.

Superfine boasts about its seasonal menu, local ingredients and grass-fed beef. That makes me feel mighty fine. And it must be true because the menu is written on a dry-erase board that changes and travels from table to table. What a great reason to go back for the Bluegrass Brunch held every Sunday!


By 8PM on Sunday, full and happy with a table full of fun friends and my favorite Brooklyn string band playing, I declared that I shall learn to play the banjo. You never know what the food effect may be.

Superfine
126 Front St (at Pearl St)
DUMBO, Brooklyn
New York
718-243-9005

The M Shanghai String Band
www.mshanghaistringband.com

Salam Café

Nathan is one of the best people to go out to eat with. He will make with you the same eyes closed, half smile expression of "Oh, THIS is good," when eating something notable. We went to Salam Café, a Northern African-Middle Eastern restaurant in the West Village. All the tables are made of lovely mosaic, and the ambiance is laid-back and cozy - lots of curtains, mirrors, colorful lights and wall hangings.

Our waiter kindly left me the menu after ordering so I could take the perfect picture of the copper relief bearing "Salam," or "peace" in Syrian, he told us. Oh, peace it was. We started with the slightly tangy homos (hummos) and toasty pita. Nathan declared it was the best he'd ever had. For dinner, he had the Moroccan cous cous with shrimp, and I had the vegetable Ouzi, a phyllo "pastry" filled with rice and raisins, zucchini, eggplant, carrots and spinach. When I asked the waiter how to pronounce the name of the dish, he said, "It's easy. "Oozey." Ouzi is easy and delightful - the flavors were incredibly subtle, all melded together, and I wish I would have asked which spices were working the magic. Cinnamon, tumeric, cumin, ginger, pepper, paprika, anis seed, parsley, coriander, saffron and mint are the basis for Moroccan cooking [Wikipedia].

Out came the dessert special - a vanilla mousse-like almond and pistachio layer cake, with a plop of cinnamon ice cream and two little dark truffles. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Afterword, we walked down the cold and windy 6th Avenue to the V Bar, one of my favorite places in the city. It's a small wine, beer and coffee bar that is the ultimate comfortable, casual hangout. Muted globes of light hang from the ceiling, the side wall is lined with books about theater and philosophy, and couples and friends gather around a long, high table with with tall bar stools. I normally go on a Sunday evening, when it's not empty, but not too full either. This Friday it was packed and it was a challenge for Nathan and I to have our typical philosophical and theoretical discussions - but we still managed to have a good talk about what "home" is. For the sake of the food effect, home is simply good food and good friends. Nathan stuck with his fave Belgium, Lindeman's Framboise, while I tried two reds - a peppery Cannonau and a more sweet Rioja. Mmm, good night, New York.


Salam Café
104 W. 13th St. (between Sixth and Seventh Aves)
West Village, New York
New York
212-741-0277

V Bar
225 Sullivan St. (between W 3rd and Bleeker)
West Village, New York
New York
212-253-5740
http://vbar.net

Barcade

Twenty-five cent arcade games and happy hour beer. Is this the food effect? Oh, yes. Edwina, one of Erin's friends, planned this after-work outing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When you get off the train at Lorimer, the neighborhood looks very un-neighborhood, as though you were dropped off in a random bridge, highway and warehouse land. Although, I did see an large organic market along the way. This is the juxtaposed character of Williamsburg - you can actually watch it in transition from post-industrial to quarterlife crisis hipster-crunchy. Walk tentatively down Union and enter Barcade - a huge, open space lined with arcade games of the 1980's. That night I stuck with Frogger, Donkey Kong, and a promising-sounding "Moon Patrol".

We ordered two giant pizzas from an un-known place, that were plainly and cheesily good. I know the sauce was lightly infused with fresh basil. The box is pictured in case anyone can identify the place - it claims:


Someone there takes great pride in their beer selection, because strewn on the bar are papers with approximately thirty brews listed and described. Those I tried (in order of preference):

Brooklyn Smoked Weissbock: Brewed by the Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. German-style Weissbock has a strong wheat and and banana aroma with flavors of smoked malt, toffee and baked bread. (It really did taste like all of those delightful things)

Climax ESB: Brewed by Climax Brewing in Roselle Park, New Jersey. American style ESB is amber in color with light hop aroma and flavors of sweet orange, toasted malts and biscuits.

Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre: Brewed by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware. Deep mahogany ale brewed with beet sugar, green raisins and Belgian yeast. (I am attracted to anything with beets!)

The bartender was very nice and good-humored and let me sample whenever I looked daunted and baffled by the menu.

Environmental bonus: the establishment claims it is powered by wind!

Barcade
388 Union Ave (between Ainslie and Powers Sts.)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
New York
718-302-6464
www.barcadebrooklyn.com