A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly establishments across the country.
In New York City, August struck for real last Saturday. With the last bastion of summer upon us and only a few more weeks of heat before the weather starts to cool off, all the remaining weekends are "getaway day" musts!
For America's largest city, getting away often means heading to the shores of Long Island. In the waterfront village of Patchogue, patrons at Bobbique can grab great barbecue and great beer all in one spot ... and hear live blues music on the side. Brews, blues and barbecues: If those things don't say summer, what does?
Still, according to manager Jessica Higgins, "Business booms all year round. We have such a diverse selection of beers; we attract a lot of locals." And local patrons like local beers. "We try to stock at least one Blue Point on draft, which is extremely local," Higgins says, referring to the Long Island brewery located less than a mile from their door. "We keep some Brooklyns on too, but we also like to showcase a lot of beers you can't get anywhere else."
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
If you consider lobster out of your financial reach normally, you'll be surprised and delighted to find that the financial crisis has hit shellfish. According to this article in the New York Times, lobster is as much as $4 less expensive than this time last year at markets in New York City.
Apparently, while less-well-funded fish have had problems, lobster fisheries have become quite successful and sustainable over the years, meaning that there's just as much if not more product available. People aren't willing to pay what they used to for lobster right now, and they don't have to.
Perhaps this is your chance to dive into this elite culinary world for the first time! Start here to figure out what to do with lobster (from killing to grilling), and enjoy your luxurious dinner!
At New York City's Roasting Plant Coffee Company (81 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand streets, and 75 Greenwich Ave. at Seventh Ave., 212-775-7755), they have to-die-for hot chocolate. The recipe is shockingly simple, and you can make it at home!
The secret? Gelato.
Go buy a pint of your favorite chocolate gelato (dark chocolate is recommeneded), put a scoop in a mug, and let it melt. Add steamed milk to taste. Top it with marshmallows or whipped cream and chocolate chips (right). Done! Classy, frothy hot chocolate with a divine, rich flavor.
If you want pre-melted gelato at your beck and call (pour steamed milk on frozen gelato and you get "lukewarm chocolate"), keep some in your fridge in a sealable tupperware container, and use it within two days.
Well, what do you suppose popped up at the liquor store next to the Recession Red?
Recession White!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's $3.99, it has a plastic cork, and it's totally decent. It's a mild, dry California chardonnay; gentle oak without too much vanilla (why do all the chardonnays I'm tasting lately have so much vanilla?). I would recommend pairing Recession White with bold, stinky cheeses or, you know, ramen noodles if you're in this for the price tag.
Between Recession Red and Recession White, I'd say the red is the better value. I'd pay more for that wine -- but I don't have to. This chardonnay is definitely acceptable, though, and mild enough to please a crowd. So bring it to a dinner party. I did on Monday and was met with smiles all around.
I've had a number of inquiries about where in New York I've found this delightful duo of Recession wines for $3.99 so I'm gonna go ahead and say it: Adel Wines & Liquors on Columbus Avenue between 105th and 106th Street.
Cafeteria is a restaurant in New York's fabulous Chelsea area. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Cafeteria caters not only to its trendy local neighborhood, but to the nearby Meatpacking District where people party till all hours, and to the rest of the night owls (and jet-lagged) in the city.
P-Diddy is reportedly a fan, and celebrity spottings are not uncommon. Most importantly, the food is great. Sometimes you need meatloaf (pictured) at 6am. And that can be hard to find.
According to manager Lori Kistner, the two must-try items on the menu are the Meatloaf and Mac and Cheese. They offer three Mac and Cheese varieties: Original, Gouda & Bacon, and Truffle Oil. And don't miss the desserts. Deep fried Oreos? Breakfast of champions!
See all three, as well as some other delicious-looking items and an interior shot in the gallery below. Cafeteria is located at 119 Seventh Avenue on the corner of 17th Street in Manhattan.
No, it's not the latest genetic modification by KFC (thank God, right?). It's a display by British conceptual artist Banksy at his project The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill in New York City's Greenwich Village.
As Joe DiStefano reported a few weeks ago, the display, which just closed on Halloween, featured chicken nuggets like the above, as well as "living" fish sticks, and sausages wriggling toward water. The idea was to challenge our perception of the foods we eat. According to io9.com, children thought the creations in the cages were real and tapped on the glass.
Everyone knows that every night, somewhere, people are drinking for free. Various bars have promotions from liquor companies, nights when they want to pack the house, and special events that result in totally free drinks, and often free food, as well!
Whether you're visiting or a resident, visit My Open Bar for free drinks in:
New York City
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Chicago
Honolulu
Miami
My Open Bar lets you know what time, what's free, and where it is. All you have to do is show up! They even have mobile and RSS feeds.
Special thanks to my friend Brandon A. for the tip.
"Who doesn't love Wii?" says the manager I spoke with at Wildwood BBQ, a restaurant on Park Avenue at 18th Street in Manhattan.
Every Tuesday night since August, Wildwood BBQ, a classy new ribs joint off Union Square, has hosted Wii Boxing with cheap beer and big prizes. There's a pre-tournament warm up at 8:00pm, when anyone can play, then signup for the tournament begins at 8:30. Sixteen guests can play for a chance to win $100 gift certificates good at any of BR Guest's restaurants.
Sign up at the 50-foot bar for a chance to play, and starting at 9:30 pick up a $12 pitcher of Cold Ass beer (pardon my English; that's really what it's called).
Rumor has it that some undisclosed celebrities may be stepping into the ring one of these weeks! Get there if you can.
So, as a followup to my story on unsnobbycoffee.com, the new campaign by McDonald's, I hit a McDonald's on New York's Upper West Side to try out some unsnobby coffee. I intended to write this there, but unfortunately, the free McWifi was a McMyth.
If you've never been to a NYC McDonald's, well, it's an experience. The low prices really throw off the normal-person-to-crazy-person ratio. There was one man in a security guard uniform (not a McDonald's employee) camped out by the soda machine, drinking various sodas one inch at a time, and then refilling. Well, that's one way to kill your lunch break.
If you live in New York and have walked by Rockefeller Center today, you were probably taken aback. Oh no wait, if you're a New Yorker, you're never taken aback.
You think you've seen everything? Well, Ocean Spray, for the third year, has constructed a sizable pit at Rockefeller Center and filled it with a cranberry bog. They call it "The Big Apple Bog." The bog will be moving next to L.A.'s Kodak theater, and then to Boston. The purpose? Education, and the celebration of the cranberry harvest!
The people wading around in there are real cranberry farmers, and are there to answer questions. There's also cranberry farm equipment placed around the square. Have a look in the gallery!
Gallery: Cranberry Bog by Ocean Spray at Rockefeller Center
That's the message on the cover of Empanada Joe's new brochure. Empanada Joe's has two (and soon to be three) locations in New York City, and brings a traditional Mexican favorite to mainstream culture.
How mainstream? Well, you can get a Mediterranean Caprese empanada stuffed wth mozzerella, tomatoes, and basil. If that's any indication.
We've mentioned it a couple of times before, in our review of GQ's Best Hamburgers and our Ten Best Burgers in NYC, but it's time to take a proper look. It's the Soup Nazi of burger joints, it's a best kept secret in New York City: it's The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien.
Located at 118 West 57th Street, Le Parker Meridien is one of those hotels that epitomizes New York class. It's where you can get a $1,000 omelette, where guests on Regis and Kelly are kept, and it's a $499.00 minimum if you want to sleep there tonight.
Upon entrance, one is immediately struck by the spacious marble lobby, accentuated with giant mirrors. One corner appears to be under construction. Like, there's this large, velvety tarp hiding something. A curious person might try to peer down the little hallway which appears to lead to an employee's only area next to the big tarp. That curious person would see this neon sign.
The New York Times seems to think so. Indeed, many grocery stores in urban areas are closing up shop, and all that's left is a big open lot and a smattering of mom and pop convenience stores left in their wake. But despite the name, convenience stores aren't always, well, that convenient, especially when you're in need of fresh fruit and veggies, low-fat snacks and fresh poultry or seafood.
A study by New York's Department of City Planning estimated that over 750,000 New Yorkers live five blocks or more from a supermarket. And when that's the case, most people opt to drive or cab it to the store, especially if they have lots of shopping to do or little ones in tow. And at the end of a long work day, many people just don't have the energy - or the time - to stroll down to the grocery. (The study also found that there is enough need for 100 additional supermarkets across the city).
So what's a hungry person to do? Most people simply go without fresh produce and other things that are carried by larger supermarkets. Others are currently shopping at a store, but worry about it closing, because the only other option is miles away.
What about you? Did you or someone you know ever have trouble getting to a decent grocery store, especially if you live in a populated urban area?
If you're a bargoer, you know the feeling. At 1:30 every morning, the bartender bellows, "LAST CALL!" and a collective groan erupts from the hangers-on, as they order their last round. The lights go up, and everyone stumbles out.
In New York, it's different. Most bars don't close until 4 a.m., dragging the ruckus and partying late into the night. Turns out, not everyone is a fan of the late-night revelry.
Brad Linder, journalist and writer for sister site Green Daily, recently reported on this issue for NPR. He spoke to one woman who lives in the NOHO district and is a member of a community board that's trying to get liquor-licensed establishments to close at 2 instead of 4.
Community boards like hers now have so much pull that many bars and restaurants must ask permission before staying open 'til 4, like teenagers asking to extend their curfew.
I'm sure we'd all rather not experience loud arguments and car alarms at 4 a.m. But at some point, isn't the noise and general hubbub part and parcel of living in a trendy NYC neighborhood? If you don't like the scene, shouldn't you just...move somewhere else?
How an embarrassing encounter with Moroccan turmeric and neroli oil rekindled one man's love of baking, especially if it's this Glazed Orange Flower Madeline Cake.
Despite salmonella freak-outs, some bars still serve cocktails with raw eggs
For many Chatham fishermen, cod are just out of reach
Frank Bruni shares his experiences with a frustrating new NYC online restaurant reservation system (and then writes about it again, and again)
Want your own vineyard? This company will help you find it
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
At New York City's 
Well, what do you suppose popped up at the liquor store next to the 
Tired of not being in the know?
So, as a followup to 
"Eat Beautiful. Feel Beautiful."
We've mentioned it a couple of times before, in our review of 
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
