Go To Goto - Bar Goto, That Is

Ahhh, July. Summer vacation. I always looked forward to July with great joy; it meant school was coming to a close (I kinda didn't like school), and that the next two months would be all about enjoying summer vacation with my friends. Of course, now that I'm older and allegedly wiser, there are many months I like much more than July and August - you know, it's not the heat, it's the humidity. Whatever. All I know is that I haven't posted in over a month - I guess I was reliving those great old summer vacation days. And then, all of a sudden, it hit me - I'd been to a half-dozen or so new places, or at least places we hadn't been before, and hadn't muttered a word. Time to get back to school. work. okay - blogging.

Let's start with drinking. A few nights ago, Significant Eater and I, along with a couple of friends, were some of the first (post f&f) customers at Kenta Goto's brand new Bar Goto, in the Eldridge Street heights (okay, upper Eldridge - you know, the block between Houston and Stanton streets). Kenta and his hired hands have transformed a space that was formerly a restaurant, into a serene, lovely drinking spot. With some tasty bar food as well. Have a look at the interior, in a shot provided by Bar Goto...

Bar Goto (provided by Bar Goto)

I originally met Kenta when he working at NYC's Pegu Club (he was the first bartender to ever make me a Jasmine), where his zen-like approach to bartending, and his perfect rapport with customers, assured him of always having an audience. Now, like many others who mastered their trade behind Pegu's stick, he's an owner himself.

I don't want to say that we drank a lot. But, we drank a lot. Why? Well, because there was so much to try...

Bar Goto's Cocktail Menu

One of the things I like about Kenta's drinks are that they are not as "spiritous" as many cocktails can be. Of course, there are those who think the only reason to drink a cocktail is for the ethanol, and that's what makes the world go 'round. But take the Sakura Martini, which is a sake-based Martini, enhanced slightly by the funk of Maraschino liqueur. A great drink, smooth as silk, garnished with a dried Japanese cherry blossom...

Sakura Martini

You can have more than one of these - and still be walking. As I mentioned, there's food; Japanese snacky stuff, to help soak up some of the booze. We tried the excellent house-cured pickles with yuzu pepper paste, and 2 of the 5 varieties of okonomi yaki on offer; I particularly liked the Fisherman's, filled with rock shrimp, squid, and octopus, while Significant Eater and friends enjoyed the Herbivore even more. I'm far from an expert on Japanese food, and even less of an okonomi yaki one, but these seemed to be a great match for the cocktails on offer.

As the night's final drink, I figured I'd try something totally out of my wheelhouse - the Improved Shochu Cocktail, a blend of barley shochu, aged gin, and hop liqueur; in other words, it's a shochu cocktail that's been improved! Quite tasty, if I recall correctly...

Improved Shochu Cocktail

What if you're not a fan of these mostly clear-spirited drinks? What if you like bourbon? Rye? Scotch? Well, have no fear - the bartenders here will mix you anything you desire, and mix it well. Or you can have a Kanpai! - a shot and a beer. Because as Kenta and other great bartenders learned a long time ago, the customer gets what the customer wants. I'm already planning our return trip; there are more cocktails to try, more food to sample. And the graciousness of one on New York City's newest hosts to make sure your evening is a great one.

Bar Goto - 245 Eldridge Street, NYC
(212) 475-4411

P.S. - I have a feeling we were comped a drink or two, but who the hell remembers?

The Ship NYC

The Ship New York is a brand new cocktail bar (lounge, place, joint?) that has just opened at 158 Lafayette Street, so I'd say it's slightly off the beaten path - at this point, although there are hotels and stuff quite nearby.  Its owners and partners have great backgrounds; one is a partner at Little Branch, and two boast stints at places as near and dear as Milk & Honey, PDT, Freeman's, The National, and on and on.  From the outside, it's kind of foreboding...

But once inside, it's quite dramatic, boasting high, high ceilings, cool architectural details, great booths, and a fine bar.  It makes you feel like you're in the hull of a...well, really great ship...

The man in charge of the bar, Cervantes Ramirez, is a well-known cocktailian about town.  He was there at the beginning of PDT, so nothing more needs to be said, other than he's a truly nice guy who knows his spirits.

Before enjoying my first cocktail, Cervantes gave us a tour of the space and the underground tunnels and passageways that led to who-knows-where? I mean, there's also an entrance to the building on Grand Street, and back in the days of prohibition, this part of town was rumored to have lots of stuff going on under its streets.

Once back at the bar, I ordered a Martini (yeah, gin) with both an olive and a twist, or as it's called on the menu, an Oliver Twist.  It was just what was needed on this first real hot, humid and sticky day of summer...

Perfectly executed, and followed by a nice, light Americano. The menu is loaded with classics but don't forget - the knowledge behind the stick is vast, and they'll make you anything you want to drink. I particularly like that they have a drink called a Bartender's Choice, and while certainly not the first place to offer such a concoction, they state plainly and simply on the menu that if you don't like it you can send it back and there'll be no hard feelings. Hospitality with a capital H.

There's also a food menu, with bites that look like they'll go perfectly with cocktails.  Since we had dinner plans, we didn't indulge, but that's just one more reason for a return trip.

The Ship New York
158 Lafayette Street, New York

The Bees Have It; Bar Primi and Bacchanal, That Is

Restaurants open at a pretty fast clip here in NYC.  As summer approaches, it sure seems like a new one opens every day.  And though I'm not usually one to run to a restaurant that's only been open for a day or two, over the past few weeks we've tried a number of brand-new places.

There was, you'll recall, Bâtard.  Then, over the past week, Bar Primi, Bacchanal and a new ice cream parlor, Morgenstern's. Where to start?

Well, let's start with Andrew Carmellini and Sal Lamboglia's Bar Primi.  I met a friend; we sat at the bar. Had a laugh when I went to move one of the bar stools, which looked heavy and meaty, and turned out to weigh about 4 ounces.  Picked it up with my pinky. And it, like most bar stools these days, was about as comfortable as it was heavy.  But fuggetaboutthat, because we really liked what we ate. One starter, stuffed meatballs, was delicious.  Big, tasty balls, stuffed with a bit of cheese, topped with a fantastic red sauce.  3 to an order - $12, and worth it. Another starter was the baked clams and these I didn't like half as much.  4 to an order - $12...take a pass.

Then on to the pastas - something AC has always gotten right. These were no different; as a matter of fact, they were great. My bucatini with lamb "Amatriciana" was nice and funky from the lamb, with a nice hit (like a good Amatriciana has) of heat. The pasta was cooked perfectly.  Friend's spinach cavatelli was also a winner, served with a white veal sugo and topped with Piave cheese, a full-bodied cow's milk from the Veneto. Good stuff.  The pastas (for now) are all under $20.  Cocktails were OK; there are at least 15 Italians wines on offer by the glass.

On Friday night, Significant Eater and I walked the other way on Bowery, to the corner of Kenmare St., and checked out brand-new Bacchanal in The Sohotel.   Chef Scott Bryan also comes with quite a pedigree.  Cocktail king Naren Young heads up the bar, and the cocktails are, as to be expected, great.  As are the people behind the bar - and I'll give a shout out to both Erica and Vanessa, who took great care of us. But once again, I'll point out that the bar stools are mostly meant for the young 'uns, who will undoubtedly be flocking here as the Bowery morphs into the new Meat Packing district.

While our starter of codfish fritters were just right, we weren't knocked out by the sweetbreads. Described as "crisp sweetbreads" on the menu, I think I was expecting something more along the lines of Chang's seminal popcorn sweetbreads, from back in the day at Momo.  We moved on to a pasta and a risotto dish, both of which, to be frank, left us wanting more. The swiss chard and ricotta agnolotti were kind of one note, and the poppy seeds in the sauce were just, to my mind, weird.  The hen of the wood risotto was served quite soupy, the way a seafood risotto should be served; I guess I expect a mushroom risotto to be a bit "tighter." It's a work-in-progress, obviously, and with a chef this good, I expect it will only get better.

For dessert, we headed up the block to #2 Rivington Street, where Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream parlor just opened. Significant Eater went inside to order, while I watched the parade go by on the street.  Place was jammed; the ice-cream was good. But I'll probably still head to Il Laboratorio del Gelato, which has always been my favorite for frozen treats on the lower east side.

A Noble Experiment at Experimental Cocktail Club

The other night, a friend and I paid our first visit to the recently opened Experimental Cocktail Club, a branch of the cocktail lounge that first took Paris by storm in 2007 (and was followed with an ECC in London).

ECC is in the old Kush space. Kush was a lounge that I was never fortunate enough to set foot in - or, looking at it another way, fortunate enough to never set foot in. What's interesting is that the Paris ECC was modeled after the new wave of cocktail lounges that were opening here during the first decade of the '00s, and now NYC's ECC looks like the type of lounge you might expect to find in Paris. If you think this is confusing, it's not - our ECC is absolutely gorgeous inside, designed by the wife of one of the owners; lots of French flea market finds, and I wish my living room looked as nice as this. My pictures do not do it justice...

The back bar is quite nice...

And the glassware is really pretty, at least for now (because y'all know what happens when the stems start breaking)...

Pictured above was my first cocktail, called Black Heart,  a Joseph Akhavan creation at La Conserverie in Paris, and it's made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cynar, Luxardo Maraschino, a touch of French Roast Coffee, Bitterman's Boston Bittahs, a Laphroaig rinse and orange oils. A real winner, balanced as can be. My drinking companion started with the L'Américain: artichoke infused NP Sweet Vermouth, toasted walnut infused Campari, thyme water, orange oils - all of which is carbonated and bottled and served like this...

That'll be perfect for when the kids pour in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and can't hold a glass. The drink is damn good, though it probably can use, and probably will get (see below), some heavier carbonation.

I followed up with a classic Manhattan, and it was nice to be asked by my bartender Aaron whether I wanted a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio; I'm a classicist, so my 2:1 Rittenhouse Manhattan, with a twist, was just how I like it. My buddy moved on to a drink called The Artist: Drouin Calvados, verjus, pear and apple cider shrub, Peychaud's, Didier Meuzard Ratafia, Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe and Billecart-Salmon Champagne to top it all off - wowser.

Many of the drinks are creations of bar manager Nicolas de Soto, a Frenchman who now lives most of the time just off of Avenue B. Some of you may have seen him behind the stick occasionally at Dram - I know I had. Nicolas' drinks are pretty complex, with lots of infusions, but as I said above, balanced and delicious. He'll be working the bar here some nights, and overseeing the show all the time - a true gentleman who is as nice as can be.

Okay, okay - we did have a third round; after all, we were checking the place out. By this point, the place was filling up, and Xavier was working our end of one of two bars. He's a 7-year alumnus of Daniel, and quite the pro. So, the appropriately named The Last One: Cardinal Mendoza Brandy, Bonal Gentiane, Cocchi Barolo Chinato and Akanono carrot Shochu. Simple, and practically an aperitif, no? And the Curious Prescription, a tequila/mezcal lover's dream: Pueblo Viejo Reposado, Pukhart Pear Eau-de-Vie, La Cigarerra Manzanilla Sherry, housemade salted mezcal caramel syrup, lime juice and Bittermen's Habanero bitters.

In order to continue establishing a relationship with the bartender(s), something everyone should do, I had to return on another night, especially since a friend and I were practically around the corner at a gallery opening.

I might've found a new favorite cocktail, as the Noblesse Oblige was the first drink I tried on this second visit. Cognac based, with both Pedro Ximenez and Del Maguey as sidekicks, it's another one of Nicolas' fine, fine cocktails. It'll probably stay on the menu, though he did say that he finds people here shying away from Cognac cocktails, which I think is a big mistake; cognac cocktails rock, in my opinion.

My friend started off with the Black Heart and immediately pronounced it his "new favorite drink." He also tried the L'Américain, the drink served in the bottle and pictured above; they've got the carbonation level up to where it should be now, making the drink that much tastier.

I wanted to start experimenting a little, though the bartenders are not heading off-menu much at this point, trying to learn the complex cocktails on the menu; however Aaron was kind enough to mix me up a perfect Vieux Carré.

Food will be coming soon from what I hear; bar snacks will be supplied by The Fat Radish, another one of my neighborhood faves.

I expected, and have heard from Nicolas, that ECC has already been  packed on the weekends...and will continue to be so. Doesn't matter to me, though - we rarely go out for drinks on Friday or Saturday nights - and if we do, it'll be earlier than the throngs. Though since I've yet to explore with Significant Eater, I have a feeling we might end up here later this week.

And finally, here's a tip to all the Cosmo drinkers out there - if you want cranberry juice in your drinks, go soon. From what I've heard, it won't be available for long and if it stays on the menu, you may be paying a pretty premium for it. Instead, have a real cocktail made by people that know what they're doing.  You'll thank me, and them, for it.  

By the way, there was a complimentary drink or two along the way. YMMV.

Experimental Cocktail Club

191 Chrystie Street, NYC

Cocktail Hour - A Snack and a Fitty - Fitty

Sometimes, trying to decide what you want to serve with the night’s first cocktail can be a little daunting. Of course you can be a heathen and serve nothing, which is basically what “bars” in the US do.  Even at those fancy schmancy cocktail places, it’s your ($14) drink and nothing else. Oh, I’m not counting the dive bars and the special mix of pretzels, peanuts and cheddar goldfish that sit up in a salad bowl on the bar during happy hour, absorbing god-knows-what varieties of bacteria and viruses, just waiting to be inhaled along with your $2 PBRs. I mean, it’s food, but…I’m not eating it.

With Significant Eater home for a 4-day weekend, that first cocktail and first cocktail snack become even more important.  Sure, I could put out a bowl of nuts or olives, and we’d both be somewhat happy.  It’s often what you get in Europe when you go out for an apéritif, and it makes your drink just that much more appetizing and grown-up.  Civilized even.

So today, as we were strolling by a farm stand or two under the FDR Drive, we spotted these and I knew they’d make the perfect snack…

Little peppers are (were?) all the rage, since every place in the world that serves tapas has them on their menu. Usually they’re serving pimientos de padrón and the fun with padróns is that 1 in 10 of those little peppers are alleged to be super hot.  You eat them and, as they say, you takes your chances.

Note that these aren’t padróns, however; they’re shisitos and while they don’t come with a 10% chance of burning your tongue, they’re still damn good with the right drink.  So first, I heated up a cast-iron skillet till it was blazing hot…

Then threw the peppers in and blistered them all over…

And what about that all-important cocktail? I thought that a Fitty-Fitty, a drink we first sampled at Pegu Club many moons ago, might go well with the peppers. It gets its name from the fact that it’s half gin and half dry vermouth, with a few dashes of orange bitters. A Martini for those who don’t really like Martinis.  It’s herbal, vegetal and even a bit fruity, so I pulled out the ingredients for it... 

And before you know it, cocktail hour...

Fitty - Fitty (A Pegu Club variation)

1.5 oz. Good Gin (the Death's Door was quite nice, actually)

1.5 oz. Good Dry Vermouth

Few Dashes Orange Bitters 

Twist (and an olive if you so desire...and Sig Eater desires)

Stirred on ice until icy cold and served up, heathens.

Preparing For A Hurricane (Irene) After An Earthquake (?)

I feel bad. Bad for the earthquake that was epicentered in god-knows-where Virginia this past week. Up here on the 15^th floor in lower Manhattan, things were shaking pretty good.  And after my cat and I were done looking at each other for a good 10 seconds and thinking what the heck is going on, I realized it was a friggin’ earthquake.  That comes from 18 years of living in California, and experiencing my share of earthquakes – trust me - there isn’t anything that feels quite like a big earthquake.

So why do I feel bad?  Well, as anyone who lives on the east coast, or anyone that has CNN knows, Hurricane Irene is heading our way. Therefore, everyone has already forgotten about the damn quake. And  hurricanes get named; earthquakes don’t.  They’re just called, for instance, the Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Or the Loma Prieta quake; you remember that one - it stopped a World Series game in progress - back in 1989. That was also the biggest one I’d ever been in, and it was quite a shaker. 

Now all we’ve been hearing, at least since the god-knows-where Virginia quake came and went, is Irene. Irene this and Irene that. How we need to be prepared. How we need to have potable water. How we need to have a “Go Kit.” Okay, already, I get it.

We have our water (do hurricanes make you thirsty?). Our bathtub is filled to the brim.  Enough batteries to drive a small car. Check. Candles – you bet. It’s like all Hanukkah all the time around here. The Festival of Lights –  no kidding.  Ice – geez - any bruises we might get will be iced down very quickly. Significant Eater and I have enough canned goods to survive a major shutdown of the whole city.  Canned beans. Canned pork. Canned pork and beans. Although as anyone who lives here can tell you, there is always a bodega open somewhere close by; nothing stops those guys. 

Oh -  there’s one other thing I always have enough of. Booze. But just to be on the safe side, and because I was in DC this week and happened to stop by one of the greatest liquor stores in the world, Ace Beverages, I picked up some new stuff…

There's the Bulleit (95) Rye, next to a nice bottle of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, a sweet vermouth first produced in 1891, along with a few items I always have on hand - Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s bitters, real Maraschino cherries and some other assorted odds and ends.  The Bulleit Rye is a fairly new product, released in March of this year, and has been reviewed all over the web.  At 90 proof and 95% rye, what could be bad?   The vermouth, also released this year for the 120th anniversary of the company's founding, may well give everyone’s favorite vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula, a run for the money.

And last night, getting very ready for the next natural disaster, I mixed up a couple of classic Manhattans for Sig Eater and me...

After a few of these, there's only one thing to say...Bring it, Irene.

Get Happy

After a great birthday weekend with Significant Eater, I was feeling a little down. So what better way to chase the blues away other than to head out and meet a friend for a drink. As it happens, that night at Death & Co. was like old times. Plenty of familiar faces on the civilian side of the bar, and Brian Miller, one of the original bartenders, behind the stick.

Of course, Death & Co. is one of the groundbreaking cocktail lounges we have here in NYC. Opening well after the exclusive Milk & Honey and the more egalitarian Pegu Club, Death & Co. wasn't the first of the cool cocktail lounges; but for me, as well as for many others, it simply became our favorite. I don't know if it was the punch bowls; I don't know if it was the heavy wooden door. Maybe it was the location - a mere 15 minute walk from my apartment. Maybe it was the crowd. Actually, when you get right down to it, it was probably the drinks.

So Mr. Miller started me off with his Cure For Pain cocktail, a rather strong concoction - and delicious too. If my memory serves me right, it included .5 Stagg, 1.5 Rittenhouse, White Creme de Cacao, Campari, Antica, tawny port, Ango and creole bitters. Good - you bet. Great even.

I then moved on to another boozy (yeah, Brian knows what I like) one - his Jane Russell Cocktail. Rye based, with Benedictine, Antica, Grand Marnier and mole bitters to help soften the blow, it was about all I needed. I certainly didn't need to continue on to this final drink, shared with my friend, but the ice is so nice, isn't it? Almost made me forget that little bit of sadness I felt after a super weekend.

Look Who's Behind the Stick

"Behind the stick." That's a term I have to tell you: I basically had no idea what it meant. Well, until a number of years ago that is. Isn't that when other clever terms, such as "mixologist" and "cocktalian" came into being? Whenever. Whatever.

However. This past Monday night, for the first time in a long time, two excellent mixologist cocktailians were behind the stick. Yeah, yeah - there were 2 bartenders behind the bar; I get it. Glad we got that out of the way.

You see, these two gents, whom I first met way back in the mid-2000's at a place called Pegu Club, were working a shift together for the first time in, well, a long time. At a place called Fatty Johnson's, which appears to be hosting guest bartenders on a fairly regular basis. By the way, Fatty Johnson's is a pop-up restaurant - and yes, pop-up restaurant is another new and clever term, isn't it?

So, when I arrived at 6, the duo was kinda just starting to work...

Then things started heating up a bit, as can be seen from the multiple brown drinks ready to be stirred...

I started with an old favorite, since that's what these special nights are all about. So a Oaxaca Old-Fashioned was on the bill, as was a Cornwall Negroni, Monongahela Mule and a Martinez variation, called a Martica and a few others whose names escape me at the present time.

Yes it was fun seeing old co-workers back together again, if only for a night. And both Brian Miller and Phil Ward were kind enough to allow me to take a quick picture of them both. Thanks, guys...

I Vote...for The Gibson and the Old Pal

We finally got to try out The Gibson last night, and we weren't disappointed. I'd been wanting to go since we first started our excellent DC adventure, but you know, sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan. However, it was worth the wait.

Friendly and knowledgeable bartenders are always a plus, and the new fall menu had just been released. Wanting something a bit bitter (who, me?), I opened with a Rabbit Hole, comprised of Ramazotti, Campari, Creme de Cassis (Clear Creek, iirc), lemon juice and a flamed orange peel for garnish. Eminently likable, especially if you like your drinks a bit less "boozy."

Significant Eater began her evening with a Kentucky Racer (ahhh, those Albuquerque gals), a nice Manhattanish spin made with Old Overholt, Punt e Mes, Kubler Absinthe, Allspice Dram and Peychaud's to finish. Here's a picture, and remember, it's in a bar and it's a brand new camera...

After round one, we moved into heavier booziness, as I drank a well-made Old Pal, and Sig Eater went with a perfect Manhattan. The Old Pal, another Manhattan-style cocktail but much more bitter, is one of my favorite drinks. If I could recall the 5th drink, which we "shared," I'd tell you it was as good as the first 4.

They also have started serving some light food from a kitchen upstairs - in just the past week or so. We didn't eat, though the menu looked good, and after we ended up with lousy burgers at the Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan, I wish we had partaken. Oh well, we liked The Gibson enough that we're sure to return. Especially when the bartenders are as great as this one...

As for the Old Pal, there appear to be a few different ideas on how to make this cocktail. In The Savoy Cocktail Book, a classic if ever there was one, Harry Craddock called for equal parts of Canadian whisky, French vermouth and Campari. Harry, of course, is the man credited with saying, when asked what the best way to drink a cocktail was, "Quickly, while it's laughing at you." So he's got that going for him. Some other weird website had the vermouth as sweet; that's wrong and that's more likely a Boulevardier cocktail. Or call it a 1794 - a drink I first had at Rye in San Francisco. Confusing, isn't it? Well, no one said cocktails were an exact science, and as long as it tastes good to you, who's complaining?

The Gibson
2009 14th St. NW
Washington, DC
(202) 232-2156

Old Pal
1.5 oz. rye
3/4 oz. Campari
3/4 oz. dry vermouth

Stir with ice. Stir more. Stir again. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Almost Open

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's bloggers who find a need to breathlessly post about the brand newest, most hottest places that the rest of we mere mortals haven't even figured out have opened. That's the game of the blog to many, I suppose. But not me. However, I did want to let you know about two just opened spots in the neighborhood that I got to peek into last night.

Last week, I received a breathless email from Thrillist...one of the major perpetrators of what I mention above, though I'm sure they don't consider themselves a blog (for one thing, they make money). That email stated, in part:

For a father-son team kicking barstaraunt ass, check out L'Oubli... In addition to standards, cocktail specials'll also rotate in threes (one original, one modern, one classic), with opening night exhibiting the absinthe & champagne Death in the Afternoon (classic), the modern Grand Marnier Smash (titular liquor w/ lemon & sugar), and an original blend of corn whiskey/mezcal/Averna topped w/ white pepper & root beer they call the Movie Theatre Classic, a potent mix helpful for anyone attempting to watch classics like Dersu Uzala.

Now, I'm both a fan of cheeky emails and Dersu Uzala, so off I went. L'Oubli isn't fully opened yet - no food and a limited cocktail menu. Good looking space at the northernmost end of Suffolk Street. Unfortunately, the Movie Theatre Classic wasn't on the cocktail board - but a Black Manhattan was...consisting of bourbon, sweet vermouth, Averna and bitters. Brave soul that I am, I ordered one. I like Manhattans. I drink my fair share of them. Mostly rye based, because I like the spiciness that rye whiskey brings to the party. So maybe that's why this drink didn't knock my socks off. Or maybe it was the Averna. Or maybe...oh, who knows? Ben, the tender/owner, is a helluva nice guy. We talked bourbon and rye and he plans on bringing lots of brown booze to Suffolk St. I'm sure the place will be packed - it has that vibe. I only hope/wish they:

A. will use jiggers
B. make my cocktail colder
C. never make 2 drinks in the same mixing glass

That's all. And I'm looking forward to trying the food.

After a cocktail, a bite was needed. I'd heard from The Lo-Down that a new ramen joint had opened on Ludlow, and the next thing you know, there I was. Was the fact that there was only 1 customer inside intimidating? Was the fact that the 1 customer was actually one of the employees or an owner intimidating? No way.

Ramen Kuidouraku has opened in the old Chickie Pig's space, which used to house a Jewish burial society (no kidding), and was there ever a lousier name for a restaurant? Actually, this is the second branch of Ramen Kuidouraku, the first one being at 141 1st Avenue, which used to be Ramen Setagaya...and this whole ramen thing is getting too confusing for me. The Ludlow St. version appears as if it will also have a sushi bar; the aforementioned employee/owner was actually working on the cold case after finishing his dinner. It's BYOB for now, with $1 & $2 corkage fees on beer (a first!) depending on bottle size, and $5 for wine - bring a Methuselah and see what they say. I ordered sho-yu tsukemen, cold noodles with a soy based dipping sauce, and they were okay, if a little lukewarm. My oshinko was pedestrian, nothing I couldn't cut up at home after purchasing the pickles at Sunrise. It'll probably last longer than Chickies, but why?

I think tonight, when Significant Eater gets back to New York, I'll make Manhattans. Maybe have some dinner waiting. And the latest hot spot? Let's just leave that to some other blogger.

The Algonquin Cocktail

Looking for something a bit different to drink last night, I came across the Algonquin Cocktail in one of my favorite cocktail books - Dr. Cocktail's (aka Ted Haigh) Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails. Back in the 1930s, New York City's Algonquin Hotel hosted any number of "renowned literati of the time," where the group became known as the Round Table, though according to the good Dr., they probably didn't drink the eponymous cocktail...it evidently came into being a good number of years later.

Now, being a slightly obsessed person (shhhh), and just because I like to, I pulled out a number of cocktail books, to check and see what they might tout as "the" recipes. Both Gary Regan and David Wondrich had essentially the same ingredients in the same proportions, but then Dale DeGroff, in his masterpiece The Craft of the Cocktail, had something totally different - and rather weird sounding, containing rum, blackberry brandy, Benedictine and fresh lime juice. Though Mr. DeGroff does write that he served it with great success, for many years at the Rainbow Room, that version didn't sound like the one I wanted to drink, so we went with the majority - democracy rules, after all (well, except in the U.S. Senate, but that's another story).

Back to the Algonquin - a nice, dry, easy drinking cocktail, with a ratio of 2 parts rye, 1 part dry vermouth and 1 part pineapple juice. Shaken or stirred, and you can't go wrong...

July 4th Cocktails - The 1920

Last week, I happened by White Star, a fairly new cocktailian (and absinthe-centric) lounge that's right across the street from our apartment - at 21 Essex - and that's Essex Street just after the trees in the photo, looking west from our kitchen window.

Asking the tender for a "Manhattan-like" cocktail, he (Kelvin) was kind enough to stir me up a 1920 cocktail - and it made my night. I'd never had one before, and since K. was nice enough to share the formula with me, I got to make one at home to celebrate the 4th.

Actually, I liked it so much that I immediately had to share it with friends of mine. Jude and Jeff, whom I've posted about before, really enjoy their cocktails. I shot an email off to them, and they tried it and liked it so much, that Jude blogged about it too! As she writ:


The “1920” is a hook up between a Manhattan and a Sazerac and the recipe goes like this: 2 parts rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, absinthe rinse in the glass and a dash or so of orange bitters, stirred, never shaken.

And that's what it is. The absinthe rinse is what separates that 1920 from a Manhattan. Here are a couple of tips to make an excellent cocktail:

1) It's always good to keep your cocktail and mixing glasses in the freezer. It's really good.

2) To "rinse" is just to pour a teaspoon or so of spirit into the frozen cocktail glass (in this case, absinthe), swirl it around and pour what's left into the sink. It leaves just a hint of spirit in the glass, and is a great technique. Do this right before pouring your cocktail.

3) Lots of cracked ice in that mixing glass. Stir the shit out of it.

4) Enjoy rather quickly - (as you should all cocktails.) No matter where you are, it's a damn good drink.