Exploring the extreme West and extreme East of the city and Brooklyn this week!
CHELSEA
Gallow Green
For those of you who have been to Sleep No More they recently opened a rooftop restaurant and bar that is SUPER cool. It looks like a secret garden hidden on a rooftop overlooking the stars. VERY romantic and yet still fun for large groups especially if you order a punchbowl! I feel like you could throw your wedding here and not buy a single decoration. One of the secrets of the place is there are actually six bathrooms you just have to go to the other side of the bathroom area to find the other three. Also if you ask nicely they will give you really warm, comfy blankets since it can get a little chilly.
They have live music that fits right in with the 1920s theme and even actors wandering around the restaurant to speak to you, never dropping character. I've been there twice in the last two weeks and I LOVE it. I've eaten almost everything on the menu but my top favorites are the "Blonde in Peril" cocktail, the grilled corn crostini, pulled brisket toast, the cheese platter, and the scotch quail eggs. Oh and the Claret Cup punch - that's a must.
Photo Credit: TimeOut New York
EAST VILLAGE
Coopers
I think I mentioned Coopers the other day as a great bar to hang out and drink while watching sports. I think I also mentioned that the food looked questionable. I lied. I had the pancakes for brunch the other day and both they and the potato fries that come with them are outstanding. Soft and melty...mmm.
For those of you who follow the blog you know how much I loved Empellon Taqueria in the West Village so I had to check out the sister restaurant in the East. We tried both the Tamal Colado with Chicken, Achiote and Epazote and the Wheat Tamal with Shredded Pork, Chorizo and Red Chile. The Tamal Colado was spicy and good but the shredded pork one was amazing. The pork was mouthwatering...
Next up was the Squid with Black Mole, Potatoes and Sour Orange Mayonnaise. I don't order squid all that often because it's not a favorite but for squid this was REALLY good. The mole sauce really added to the meat and the mayonnaise was more decoration then part of the dish so it didn't overwhelm anything. The potatoes were oval and were cooked just enough to have a tiny bit of crunch to them.
Lastly, the Pork Belly with Popcorn Pozole was delicious and came with piping hot tortillas and hot sauce. Beware the hot sauce as it is no joke though!
Overall it was a very nice experience and our waitress was sweet and very well informed. She provided great recommendations on both cocktails (which were excellent) and the food (she recommended the squid). I think it's a little too bunched in terms of seating to be a perfect date spot because you feel a little exposed but would make a great place for anything from family dinner to group birthday. I would strong recommend even if I don't necessarily need to come back.
After dinner at Empellon Cocina up the street, my friend said that he had heard of this cool underground-esk tequila bar that doesn't have a sign. We wandered down 6th street on the lookout and came upon Mayahuel. He had not idea if it was the same underground tequila bar but hey WHO CARES? It had the most extensive drink menu I've ever seen and one of the coolest interiors. I LOVE this place. I will come back here nine million times so I can try each of the delicious nine million drinks. WINNER.
Photo Credit: Mayahuel Facebook
I believe the original wine bar is located in TriBeCa but they now have a location in the East Village. It's small, dark and expensive (kind of reminds me of Anfora in the West Village). I liked it a lot - had port and wine. Very good for a date although maybe a little small for a group. I shall return.
Photo Credit: Kelly B from Yelp.com
Yerba Buena
I've heard SUCH good things about this place. My close friend comes here so often that they have a custom named drink called the Josefina that she helped to create. When I ordered it and said my friend had recommended it the bartender knew exactly who I was talking about! That was kind of awesome. And so was the drink. We spent about two hours here trying a bunch of different cocktails - all of which were really tasty....and really alcoholic. Beware those with empty stomaches! I will 100% be back here to eat too. The food looks incredible. Oh and they played Gustavo Lima so additional points for that.
Photo Credit: Yerba Buena Website
LOWER EAST SIDE
Grey Lady
So this place had a bit of a line when we rolled up around 12pm but who can blame them after seeing the massive amount of fun you have on the dance floor here. The front room was packed with people so we escaped to the back bar which was pleasantly clear of people. Granted we had about 20 people with us so we made our own party but still. The 80s music was absolutely epic and we danced the night away. We liked it so much we are coming back for the next birthday (I'm serious it's already on the books)!
Photo Credit: Grey Lady Facebook
Uncle Charlies LES
Before Grey Lady we started out here (the original plan was to go to Hotel Chantelle across the street). This place feels really divey to me (the picture here seems classier than I remember...) however I still loved it. The line for the bathroom is long, the beer is crappy and cheap and the dance floor is filled with slightly creepy people but for some reason it felt strangely homey. I can't explain it at all! I should've felt the opposite! Will probably have to come back to rectify this weird feeling.
Photo Credit: Uncle Charlie Website
NOHO
The Smile
First off, thanks to this restaurant, I have now decided that Bond St. is my favorite street in New York. It has the craziest looking buildings! I was already in a good mood walking to this restaurant and then as soon as I walk in the look and feel of the place matched it's street home perfectly. Unfortunately the service was pretty terrible... the waitress brought one drink at a time until we suggested she use a tray and then another waiter up-ended my espresso all over my section of the table (lucky I'm a fast mover or my sizzling legs would have been crying for a lawsuit).
The biscuits here helped my mood as did the steak and eggs and the peaches with ricotta cheese. I have never ordered steak and eggs for breakfast/brunch because I've always thought that sounds gross, like something you would order at Denny's. Turns out this place does it perfectly. YUM. And the peaches and ricotta were also delicious although very sweet and a large portion so I recommend sharing. If I was in the area I would come back here just because of the ambiance and the good food but probably wouldn't go out of my way.
WILLIAMSBURG
Brooklyn Star
I've sworn to myself for months now that I would start checking out Brooklyn and I can finally say I dedicated a full weekend to it! First stop was Brooklyn Star for some DELICIOUS southern food. We started it off with fried pig tails (yup just what you thought I said) which really looked and tasted like porky buffalo wings. I was glad I tried them although not good enough for me to order again. A little too tough.
Next up was the Fried Green Tomatoes with Duck Confit, Frisee, Radish, Pickled Mustard Seeds and Smoked Molasses Vinaigrette which was the best dish of the meal. God it was good. It was crunchy and meaty and tomato-y and oh yeah, good.
We finished it off with the Molasses Brined Pork Chop with Braised Collards and Smoked Onion Rings. It was super soft and not chewy at all due to being brined and the onion rings were crunchy yet sweet.
Also as the resident NYC biscuit snob I must say I have found a tie with Zoe's biscuits. These were DAMN good. The cornbread in a skillet was also melty and incredible although we got it with bacon and jalapenos added which I didn't like as much. I think I'd prefer plain.
Overall this place was delicious and had the best sides of any restaurant I've been too so far. It kind of reminded me of a Brooklyn version of the Redhead. The service was impeccable as were the spicy margaritas. It's fairly large and wasn't a long wait even at primetime on a Saturday so it could make a good date spot or large birthday party.
Lovin' Cup
After Brooklyn Star, we headed to Lovin' Cup which had been recommended by someone as a good lowkey hangout (we weren't in the mood to party). The house draft was actually really good (a blonde of some sort). It was super easy to get a table, not too loud so that you could chat easily amongst your group and our waitress was very friendly and attentive. And we were there during prime Saturday night hours! I would totally come back here although not until I've checked out some other places.
Surf Bar
We wandered here for a hot second after Lovin' Cup and it was okay. I wouldn't need to go back - the margarita I had wasn't particularly memorable...
Two Door
The last of the Williamsburg haunts I hit this weekend. This place has a great vibe (I even got artsy with Camera+ because the atmosphere was so cool). The food was also delicious.
ini beef and chicken sausages in puff pastry crescent rolls with brown mustard and spicy ketchup. I am a huge fan of PNAB anyway but these were SO tasty. All six were gone in about six seconds.
crisp onion straws & sweet slaw on brioche buttons. These were also really good and so were the sweet potato fries that came with. I feel like sliders tend to be too bready so I actually ate the second one without the bun which just amped up the flavor that much more. Would definitely come back here.
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