Tag Archives: bar

Le Paddock – Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Rather than further whining about how horrible my neighborhood is/used to be, in terms of restaurant offerings, I think I’d rather talk about the good things. Le Paddock is the newest offering to Windsor Terrace featuring rustic french cuisine and really amazing pizza. The owners, Sylvie Bertrand and Gregory Tetaud worked together at Robin Des Bois in Carroll Gardens. I fell in love with the food here on the first visit having sampled the Coq au Vin and The Forrestiere Pizza

Le Paddock
1235 PROSPECT AVENUE @ Reeve
Brooklyn, NY 11218
718-435-0921

Tuna & Pizza

Tuna Steak with wasabi mashed potatoes, asparagus, grapefruit vinaigrette

Forrestiere: wild mushrooms, fromage blanc, pancetta and truffle oil

The owners, Sylvie Bertrand and Gregory Tetaud

Napoleon House – New Orleans, Louisana

As I said in the previous post, New Orleans invented the cocktail. The Napoleon House perfected it. The must tries here are Pimm’s Cup, Dark & Stormy and Sazerac. Love all three. The food here is decent, although, I’ve had a better muffaletta. Still though, this is a great place to chill on a sunny and warm afternoon with a ice cold drink and a book. This place is so old and beautiful. Loaded with character. I found myself gravitating to this place anytime I was thirsty.

There seems to be a million ways to make a Pimm’s cup. I like the way Napoleon House does it:

1.) 1 shot of Pimm’s No. 1 into a high ball glass over ice.
2.) Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
3.) Top with Soda
4.) Garnish with a half cucumber slice.
5.) Enjoy!

edit: I think its important to note that the cocktail was not really invented in New Orleans. In fact, I don’t think that that debate has been settled yet. However, NOLA has made several cocktails famous, and have been called “The Birthplace of the Cocktail” by many.

The Napoleon House - New Orleans, Louisiana

Bar & Dining Area

Dining Area

Bar

Bust of Napoleon Bonaparte – this building was given to Napoleon as an option to escape exile from France in the early 1800′s. He of course, didn’t take it.

Muffaletta & Pimm’s Cup

Shrimp Remoulade served in Half Avocados

Bear Restaurant: Long Island City, Queens

Last week I headed to Long Island City – a place I rarely frequent, but should more often. Located close to the Astoria border, Bear is American and European cuisine meticulously styled into beautiful pieces of modern art by Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky. Her brother Alex has just as much ingenuity behind the bar, pairing the drinks to go with the food as well as providing some amazing spring cocktails. They share with us a recipe for The Mermaid which goes quite well with the Oyster Pond (pictured to the right).

Bear NYC
12-14 31st Ave
Long Island City, NY 11106
917-396-4939

Bear Restaurant - Long Island City, Queens

Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky putting the finishing touches on the Oyster Pond

Oyster Pond – Shucked oyster, clam, scallop crudo, roe, infused with fresh citrus and herbs. Served with a cod liver crostini, gin-cucumber shooter

Lobster and Prawns – Poached in tarragon butter, served with purple Russian potato, spring peas, rice cloud

Slow Roasted Long Island Duck with Apples – Roasted whole then pulled off the bone, plated with stewed apples and a potato confit,
red currants, and carrot puree

Scallops – Large sea scallops seared and then stewed in a creamy coconut-sesame sauce served over spring potatoes and asparagus (pictured drink is The Mermaid – recipe below)

Demon Cocktail – vodka – gin – whiskey – dry vermouth – soy sauce – milk – coffee – caramelized burning brown sugar -

The Mermaid

To get that fresh cucumber and sage flavor, blend a large green cucumber with water and fresh sage. It will result in a delicious green juice. This juice should be stored in the refrigerator for at least an hour so that it becomes cold. You also want to chill your martini glass for at least an hour.

Drink preparation:

1) Put ice into shaker

2) Pour 1 oz of gin (preferably Hendrick’s) into shaker

3) Pour 1 oz of seltzer water

4) Pour 1 ½ oz of cucumber-sage juice

5) Shake well

6) Strain into chilled martini glass

7) Garnish with fresh organic pea shoots.

8) Serve.

Indomania – Miami, Florida

Indomania has been a rock star Indonesian restaurant in Miami since 2007 and has a pretty amazing menu and offers an Indonesian Rijsttafels (dutch word for “rice table” – a traditional family style meal) as well as a standard indonesian menu. We dined here as a group on our last visit to Miami, just a few short blocks from our hotel. Amazing meal and the owners served us our food – they were super cool!

Indomania Restaurant
131 26th Street
(off Collins Ave.)
Miami Beach, Fl. 33140
tel. 305-535 6332
www.indomaniarestaurant.com

Sateh Ayam, Ayam Opor, Smoor Djawa, Babi Ketjap, Nasi Putih, Nasi Kuning, Telor Besegnek, Smabal G Buncis, Sayur Lodeh, Atjar Ketimoen, Rudjak Manis, Krupuk Udang, Serungdeng

Dessert

DuMont Burger: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

In NYC, there is a “Best of” everything. Pizza, Bahn Mi, fries, shakes and a best burger. Of course its all up for debate but somewhere near the top of that list is DuMont Burger. For lunch they have a very casual garden area which is great in the summer to enjoy a relaxing beer and have a tasty burger. Their burger is up there on the list and I highly recommend it

DuMont Burger
314 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Cool Cucumber and Melon Soup

DuMont Burger with Gruyere Cheese and Salad (I’ve found that Salad looks prettier next to a burger than fries!)

DuMont Burger with Gruyere Cheese

Fort Defiance: Red Hook, Brooklyn, NYC

George Washington used to hang out here. In the sense that this whole area was the site of a historic battle during the Revolutionary War. It was the first battle that Washington’s army had engaged in before retreating into manhattan and then New Jersey. We’d only declared our independence a month prior. Now the area is filled with bars, restaurants, The Ballfields and the Mercado the wonderful Fairway where I do about 40% of my grocery shopping and this fine establishment, Fort Defiance. Enough about history, on to the pictures. Oh, BTW, they are open for Breakfast/Brunch during the week…big bonus!

Deviled Eggs

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Homemade Slaw

Muffaletta – soppresata, coppa, and mortadella with Emmenthal and provolone cheese and olive salad on muffaletta bread

A small Bar crawl in NYC & a late night burger (at a bar!)

A few weeks back, I went on a light binge and tried out a few new places…new to me anyway. Warren 77 is a great hockey joint with great food and your standard beers on tap. The Standard Beer Garden is packed to the rafters with amazing, albeit small, beer list and is a great place to go if you just want to blend in. Corner Bistro still holds strong with an epic burger.

The Standard Beer Garden

Pretzels at The Standard Beer Garden

The Standard Hotel

Beer Menu at The Standard Beer Garden

Ayinger Weiss (Wheat Beer) & Köstritzer Dunkel (Black Beer)

The tastiest onion rings ever at Warren 77

The iconic Bistro Burger at Corner Bistro

The bar at The Corner Bistro

The Corner Bistro
331 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10014-1901
(212) 242-9502

The Standard Beer Garden
848 Washington St
New York, NY 10014

Warren 77
77 Warren Street
New York, NY 10007-1014
(212) 227-8994

Birthday Extravaganza – 3 Nabes, 3 Venues

A few weeks ago I celebrated my Birthday with my twin and my girlfriend. We hit up three different places in 3 different neighborhoods. First we went for drinks at Zum Schneider Restaurant & Biergarten in the East Village (or more appropriate, Alphabet City) and had a little appetizer which filled us up rather quickly. The dinner plan was to go to Pio Pio which is all the way on the west side and up passed 42nd street. So we decided to make a stop for Cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in the Lower East side first. After getting a dozen to go and eating one in celebration of our birthday (we even had one in honor of our little brother, born 7 years later on the same day, who chose not to be with us that day (thanks quinn!!) ) After that we took our time heading up to Hells Kitchen for Pio Pio, a very nice Peruvian meal (our waiter insisted it wasn’t that great, but we were pretty thrilled).

Here’s the meal:

Zum Schneider
Pretzels and Beer from Zum Schnieder

Zum Schneider
The interior of the Biergarden

Zum Schneider
Reiberdatschi – Potato Pancakes with applesauce and salad

Zum Schneider
Schupfnudeln Im Sauerkraut

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery
The ominous cupcake counter

The Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in the Lower East side is pretty amazing and blows the whole idea of Magnolia out of the water.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery
The Cupcakes!!!

Pio Pio
Cusquena – its not so good.

Pio Pio
The Lower interior of Pio Pio in Hells Kitchen

Pio Pio
Papa Rellena – deep fried mashed potato stuffed with meat sauce served with salsa criolla

Pio Pio
Chicken Pio – a whole chicken marinated in a special and unique peruvian sauce

Pio Pio
Yuca Frita

Pio Pio
Maduros

Pio Pio
Ensalada De Avocado

Pio Pio
Papa Rellena – deep fried mashed potato stuffed with meat sauce served with salsa criolla

Pio Pio
The Bar of Pio Pio

Pio Pio
The main meal is Chicken Pio and is served family style with a bunch of sides – beans, rice, papa rellenas, yucca frita, maduros and salad. Its pretty amazing. Also served with the meal is this really amazing green sauce (a combination of a chilean herb and mayonnaise)

Lunch at Faustina: Cooper Square Hotel, NY, NY

A few weeks ago while on a shoot, we had the pleasure of dining at Faustina in the Cooper Square Hotel. The food tastes just as amazing as it looks. I wish the portions were larger as I could eat like a pig at this very modern and classy Italian restaurant. As a side note, I just love when they pour soup table side. Here is a sampling of what we had.