Countdown to Beantown, Part 2: Farewell Drinks/Dinners
A couple of posts ago
I wrote about the Boston move and the search for an apartment. The lease is signed, deposit check has been sent, so everything is a go.
With a trip to London planned for the end of this coming week, and the move happening only a couple of days after I get back, I've started having my farewell dinners and drinks to say goodbye to my friends in New York.
Thursday was a very nice evening out with my current supervisor and his wife. We went to
Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, a place that I've wanted to try for a while. Smith & Wollensky is exactly what you would imagine a steakhouse would be like. Men and meat. Appetizers like 'Tomato and Onion', which is literally a stack of slices of tomato alternating with slices of raw onion, and main courses like this:
would leave most people digesting their meal for days. Definitely worth skipping lunch next time!
Last night was drinks with friends from New York and the surrounding area. I asked around to some people 'in the know' for advice on the bar, and Anastacia came up with
Nightingale Lounge in the East Village. A good choice - no cover, good cocktails, DJ, chilled out atmosphere. Christina and Uli came in from Long Island (with, as Christina put it, a small asian posse), Shoshana and Len made it in from New Jersey, and a lot of the Manhattan crowd showed up in spite of the rain.
I'm sure there are some pictures out there... will put some up when I get my hands on them!
Labels: Boston, drink, East Village, food, moving
Drink of the month
I don't usually take requests for posts, but Mary Beth's idea of posting a 'drink of the month' (actually, the idea was 'beer of the month' or 'wine of the month', but I figured 'drink' gave me a little more lattitude) was so good I thought I should do it.
Who? see
previous post.
What? Pimm's Rangoon.
Where? East Village.
When? In the UK they have a series of
Pimm's advertisements that say 'It's Pimm's O'clock', meaning that any time is a good time for Pimm's. While this is probably true, a Pimm's Rangoon (or any Pimm's drink, really) is best enjoyed on a warm summer day. Then again, if it's winter, you could turn up the heat in your apartment and it would be just as refreshing.
Why? Because sometimes you want a cocktail that tastes good (i.e., not like alcohol), isn't pink, and doesn't come in one of those wimpy little martini glasses.
How? With caution. This drink really does go down easy, and if you want to get up before three O'clock the day after Pimms O'clock, you might want to take it easy.
Labels: drink, East Village, New York
Hot dogs and secret bars
When I was younger, I swam with a kid whose family owned a small chain of hot dog shops in Chicago, called
Fluky's. So, when I heard of a bar that you entered into through a secret door in
Crif Dogs, a hot dog shop in the East Village, I was totally up for it... especially if I could grab a dog on the way in.
Turns out, the bar SERVES the hot dogs from the shop next door! I'm sure my description won't do justice to just how crazy it is to walk through a phone booth (just opposite the table top Ms. Pacman) in a hot dog shop, into a swish cocktail lounge, so I'll just say that if you visit soon I'll take you there.
Labels: drink, East Village, food
My weekend
Christina and Uli were in the city on Saturday, which gave me a chance to try a couple of new places.
Otafuku236 E. 9th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-353-8503
Otafuku is Japanese for
moon-faced or homely woman. I have no idea what that has to do with this little takeaway place, where you can get one of two types of food -
Takoyaki or
Okonomiyaki. The Takoyaki come in three varieties, Plain, Cheese, or Octopus, and the Okonomiyaki are topped with your choice of Corn, Squid (Ika), Beef (Gyu), Shrimp (Ebi), or Pork (Buta). I went for the Takoyaki, and was told by the guy behind the counter to try Octopus (his favorite). Christina and Uli went for the cheese. For $5 I got 6 pieces, topped with some kind of dipping sauce, mayonnaise, and dried fish flakes. Other than being super hot (temperature, not spicy), they were delicious, and a perfect grab-and-go snack for a walk around the village.
OtafukuMé Bar17 W. 32nd St., 14th floor
New York, NY 10001
212-290-2460
My lab-mate Jo told me about this bar after her boyfriend Oli did an online search for rooftop bars in New York.
Various sites describe this place as a 'hidden gem' or a 'wonderful find', so my expectations were really high. Perhaps too high. Yes, it's hidden (it's actually the bar at the La Quinta hotel in Koreatown). Yes, there is a roof terrace. Yes, you can see the Empire State Building. But calling this place 'no frills' would be an understatement. Our drinks (we settled on gin and tonics after asking for a mojito and being told they don't have mint) were served in plastic cups. Not big plastic cups, but those little clear ones you get at the water cooler at your doctors office. The 'view' of the Empire State Building (see below) is no different than the view from the street, i.e., if you look up, you see it. I'm not saying I'll never go back - this place is fine as a post Korean bbq spot (there aren't many bar options in K-town) - but I can't imagine it as a place I would think of for an evening out. I like the idea of a bar with a view, and am looking forward to trying some other
bars with views of the New York skyline.
View from Mé BarLabels: drink, East Village, food, New York
