Sweet Blog O'Mine

Category: Food and Drink

  • American as Apple Pie

    I baked apple pie this weekend for a small dinner party Sunday night and ended up with a large portion of pie left over, which I didn't really want to have lingering around the house. Monday night I decided that I would deliver slices of pie to friends who work at bars/restaurants nearby, so I set out with four slices neatly packaged, and headed off, texting people along the way to make sure they were working.

    I was somewhat foiled — at least two potential pie recipients weren't working that night. After my first delivery, I was sent on a mission to deliver a special beer to a mutual friend — along with a slice of pie. When I arrived with the goods, I ended up chatting at length to a pair of women visiting from New Zealand. They had just arrived in NYC — their first trip to the US — and were looking for suggestions of where to go in the neighborhood. The bartender and I both shared our lists (mine is here), but since they were staying in an apartment nearby, I gave them my last two slices of apple pie — a true taste of the USA.

    The sole remaining slice was my dinner last night.  I highly recommend running around delivering treats to your friends at work — everybody wins.

  • Booze You Can Use: Have a Brooklyn

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    Photo credit: The Hooch Life

    Here in NYC, autumn is creeping in. Every time I think it's here for good, we get some random 80 degree day, but it's definitely on its way. Fall makes me crave stews, roasty meats and veggies, melty cheese and strong, boozy drinks. As many of you know, I do plan (eventually) to relocate to Brooklyn, and not just because of its delicious namesake cocktail. In the meantime, I'll settle for visits and a drink or two.

    Brooklyn
    2 ounces rye whiskey
    1 ounce dry vermouth
    1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
    1/4 ounce Amer Picon (this may be hard to acquire; you can substitute bitters of your choosing)

    Stir over ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist or brandied cherry if you'd like.

  • Best Things I Ate and Drank This Year (or at least six of them)

    Once again, I was a contributor for Time Out New York's 100 Best Dishes and Drinks in New York City.  The stunner on the cover — the chicken dish at the NoMad that I now refer to as the FUCKING CHICKEN — was definitely one of the top hits, but I didn't write about that one, even though it was on the list. I wrote about these:

    I had many more favorites, but they may have to wait until next year. The new list has already started.

  • Ode to a Buttered Roll

    Buttered_roll
    Sometimes, there is no breakfast more perfect than a simple buttered roll from a street cart or deli. A thin layer of salted butter on a fresh kaiser roll (I prefer mine unseeded) is always familiar and comforting, and in NYC, readily available.  Zero nutritional value whatsoever, but sometimes it just hits the spot.

  • Booze You Can Use: Dipsology


    Logo
    Dipsology, a new website designed to help guide you through the NYC cocktail scene, is throwing their launch party on September 26th from 7-10pm at Real Proof Labs, 169 Mercer Street.  Bartenders from Lantern's Keep, The Beagle & Raines Law Room will be providing the cocktails, which will be accompanied by cheese  from Beecher's, alcohol infused paninis by Salume and boozy cupcakes by Prohibition Bakery.

    Tickets are $65, available online,  and you'll get a discount if you use the discount code sweetblogomine.  See you there!

  • Booze You Can Use: Have Some Whisk(e)y

    Seriously, with the ridiculous week I've had, this is about all I can handle. I'll return to cocktail recipes next week. I'm contemplating busting into the Yamazaki 12 that hangs out in my office for emergencies (it was a gift from a colleague for helping out with some pro bono clients), but too much work to do right now.

    Pour a healthy slug of your favorite bourbon, rye, scotch, or whisk(e)y of your choice into a rocks glass. Add ice or a drop of water if you prefer. Drink heartily.

  • A Lesson in Goal-Setting

    I set three goals for myself this past weekend, as you may recall. I am proud to report that I achieved them all. Sort of. In lieu of purging the clothes in my dresser, I purged the clothes and shoes in my closet. Will tackle the dresser next. I've learned that in some cases, it's important to set realistic and manageable goals. Bottom line — sometimes achieving even the most modest goals feels great. Especially if there's lobster involved.

  • These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. Ruined.

    This weekend I have seen ads for the following: Stoli Salted Caramel Vodka and Domino's Chicken & Bacon Carbonara Pizza. I love both salted caramel and carbonaro, but I assure you that I will never ingest either of the aforementioned products.

  • Booze You Can Use: Have a Dark & Stormy

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    I've written about the Dark & Stormy (or rather the Dark 'n' Stormy) before, but they keep popping up in my life. At the beach there was an ample stash of Barritt's Ginger Beer, which led us to make Dark & Stormies with dark rum and a squeeze of lime. I also had a few Dark & Stormy slushies at Mother's Ruin over the weekend. In my book, I prefer a super-spicy ginger beer, like Fever-Tree (it literally made me sneeze the first time I tried it) and the traditional Goslings Black Seal rum.

     

    Dark & Stormy
    2 ounces of Goslings Black Seal Rum
    3-5 ounces of your preferred ginger beer
    Pour the rum into a collins glass filled with ice. Add ginger beer to fill. Garnish with a lime wedge and a straw and let your guests stir their own.

  • Radio Silence*

    Sorry for the quiet around here these days. I really don't have much of an excuse for not writing. Since I returned from Fire Island I've just been relaxing outside of work, for the most part, and plan to continue that trend over the weekend. My three main goals for the weekend are: 1) clean off my desk; 2) weed through the clothes in my dresser and purge as much as possible; and 3) eat lobster. I think I can achieve that.

    *Thank you, Thomas Dolby