Tag Archives: bars

Amsterdam, Dutch, Fusion, Other, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye, Spanish, Steakhouse Reviews

The Food of Amsterdam

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My wife and I took a trip to Amsterdam, and, while there, we are a ton of really delicious shit. Here’s a quick rundown of the food.

Cafes and bars offer a great way to sit down, relax and hydrate. They also have some great snacks.

Arendsnest had this huge slab of cured pork belly:

Cafe Belgique had some insane olives. HUGE!

The Louis Bar ham and cheese tosti was super low budget.

Such an awesome bar, by the way. The building has been there since the early 1600s..

Wester Cafe won the bar snacks competition. Bitterballen, fried sausages, and fried cheese wrapped in egg roll wrappers.

But we also liked the fried seafood and cocktails at Pompa.

The bars in general were really awesome and old. This one (In t’ Aepjen) was ape themed for some reason:

One of the most impressive bars we went to was actually at our hotel, the De L’Europe hotel. There was a speakeasy in the back called Chapter 1896, and it had, basically, a museum of Macallan selections.

The hotel had great breakfast included, and with a nice view too.

The Heineken Experience gave me a new appreciation for the brand.

Other bars we enjoyed:

Dutch Courage and Wynand Fockink for genever.

Cafe t’ Smalle

The Old Sailor

Kikkie

Kaap Tein

Cafe Staalmeesters

Of course we got steak along the way. Sagardi was one of the best European steakhouses I’ve ever been to. This is a Basque/Spanish style steakhouse, serving vaca vieja (old dairy cow). I generally don’t love this stuff, but here, it was amazing. A 9/10 for the steak (rib eye), and I think the total score would be somewhere around 90 as well.

Amsterdam is known for its pancakes. We went to Upstairs Pancakes, a small 4-table spot that’s up a very steep set of stairs. We loved the bacon, brie and honey pancake. Maybe the best bite of the trip!

I think the best sweet items we had were the stroopwafel at Hans Egstorf (overpriced tourist trap, and I prefer the plain instead of the ones with toppings), and the apple pie at Winkel (absolutely insane – so fucking good).

We enjoyed some find dining experiences while we were there, too. First, the very long but very delicious meal at Kaagman & Kortekaas.

Next, the wonderful meal at De Silveren Spiegel:

Hard to choose a favorite between the two.

We also had some Indonesian food, as the Indonesian people have a long and interconnected history with the Dutch through the spice trade and colonialism/immigration. We had a great lunch at Sampurna.

Our worst meal in terms of both service and food was at t’ Westerhuys. It sucks when you get a double whammy like that.

Too much of a tourist trap, perhaps, but at least we got to try some more Dutch food (meatball stamppot, ossenwurst – like a beef carpaccio or tartare). The dessert was the best part of the meal (tompouce – tart crust with strawberry icing on top and custard in between – kind of like a pop tart or toaster strudel).

It’s housed in a beautiful old church building annex though.

We sampled a shitload of cheeses, both in the countryside at a cheesemaking facility, and in the town at shops.

We had some great french fries at the Keukenhof tulip gardens.

Here are some flower pics:

On our last night, we had a seafood feast at The Seafood Bar.

An amazing trip, and I feel like we barely scratched the surface. There were still a lot of places that we didn’t get to try on our itinerary (food halls, bars, etc). I think we need a return trip!

Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Da Li

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My wife and I have walked by this tapas bar that turns clubby at night a hundred times, and we have always wanted to go in. This time, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Their $10 martini during happy hour was perfect.

We also tried some of their tapas menu, which was also discounted (basically two-for-one).

We will definitely be back to try more!

DA LI
37 Market St.
New York, NY 10002

East Village, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Hairy Lemon

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

My wife and I went on a little food and bar crawl this past weekend, and The Hairy Lemon was our first stop for a bite. We tried two flavors of wings: spicy orange and ginger sauce, and mango habanero. We liked the mango habanero better, but neither were particularly as spicy as we had hoped.

We also tried their tots. These were nice, but just needed a hint of salt. A nice dipping sauce came with them.

I’d definitely go back to try the burger, and to hang for some UFC fights. It’s a big sports bar with tons of TVs, a pool table, a giant Connect Four game, etc.

THE HAIRY LEMON
28 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009

Burgers, Midtown West, Press Reviews, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Haswell Green’s

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having gone to Haswell Green’s several times for cocktails over the years, I finally made it over there to try the food. I have to say: the burger matches the quality of the cocktails: AWESOME!

It’s a double smash patty burger on a potato bun with pickles, cheese and special sauce. Very simple, but really well executed. Go give it a shot. I actually think this might be my favorite burger in that part of town. Better than Black Tap, all the steakhouses nearby, and any other bar or fast food joint slinging burgers for theater patrons.

The boneless wings pork+veal meatballs are decent as well.

But make sure you try some of their cocktails. Really nicely crafted.

HASWELL’S GREEN
240 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019

American, Burgers, Filet Mignon, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Restaurant Reviews

Beetlehouse

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A friend of mine’s cousin is the chef here at Beetlehouse, a Tim Burton themed bar/restaurant in the East Village, that delivers quality in both the food/drink and atmosphere/decor departments.

You’ll feel like you stepped onto a movie set when you walk in.

The bar is incredible. I really hope NYC starts allowing people to actually sit at them again soon.

They mix up some really nice cocktails, many of which come to the table bubbling and smoking like magic potions!

This place is definitely for the Burton fans. They even have hired actors walking around the dining room and performing, giving you a show along with your meal.

They currently have a $50 price fix menu, where you get an app, an entree and dessert. We started with the pork belly and the Fanta sesame wings. Wild flavor! They even have root beer and Pop Rocks flavored wings.

Between those two, we preferred the pork belly. It was just so tender and flavorful. It even comes plated up on a bed of tasty grits, like a composed entree!

For entrees, we had the filet mignon and the burger.

Both were cooked perfectly, as you can see below:

Between these two, we preferred the burger. I generally don’t love egg on a burger, but I went with the way it was presented on the menu and it really worked! Delicious. The fries were perfect by the way. Highly recommended.

Dessert was the same for both of us – a pudding of sorts, with crumbled chocolate cake, whipped cream, and Nerds candy. I fucking loved it, and ate both mine and my wife’s.

This place is a blast. The menu is basically bar food that has a fun twist, so don’t expect something like Per Se. We felt that both the wings and the filet could have benefitted from a hit of salt, but otherwise all good. I’d definitely go back for the pork belly and the burger. They also have some topped french fry appetizer items that I want to try, now that I know the fries are absolutely perfect.

BEETLEHOUSE
308 E 6th St
New York, NY 10003

Jerky, Product Reviews

Aufschnitt Meats

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These Aufschnitt meat bars are really good.

I tried a few flavors at a trade show and was hooked. This pineapple one is killer. If you see these, pick some up! You won’t be disappointed.

New Orleans, Other, Restaurant Reviews

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar

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I love this spot. It barely has electric, as it is one of the oldest structures in the country, built in the 1700’s and used as a blacksmith shop before it became a piano bar.

I love old shit, especially old timey bars and restaurants. Hence Tux-Con. Drop into this place for a drink, or even just to walk through and take a look around, if you’re ever in New Orleans.

LAFITTE’S BLACKSMITH SHOP BAR
941 Bourbon St
New Orleans, LA 70116

Burgers, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews, Upper West Side

Gebhard’s Beer Culture

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Gebhard’s is a beer connoisseur’s dream bar. Their bottle menu is five or six pages long, printed in tiny 8-point font (perhaps even smaller), and organized by style. Their tap selection is pretty stellar as well. When I was there, I tried a flight of four different brews from Brooklyn. A pilsner, a saison, a sour fruit beer and a stout (pictured below from front to back, or right to left).

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All were pretty great, but the stars of this joint, for me, were these White Castle style sliders.

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They’re made with Schweid & Sons ground beef, topped with cheese, steamed minced onions, and a dijon-based sauce that will knock your socks off. These little things were awesome, so it’s no surprise that renowned and respected burger expert Rev Ciancio (formerly of Burger Conquest) is promoting these things. It’s safe to say that these are my favorite sliders.

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I highly recommend getting up there to try them out for yourselves. The tots were perfectly crisp as well, and, if sliders aren’t your thing, then you can go with the full sized burger.

GEBHARD’S BEER CULTURE
228 W 72nd St
New York, NY 10023

Commentary

Key West

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I just posted a shitload of reviews for various restaurants we tried in Key West, but this page is more about the bars and other fun stuff you can find there.

Hog’s Breath: This is a great dive bar with live music and their own proprietary brew. Located in “old town” it truly has a pirate, old timey feel. A definite must-see place if you’re in Key West.

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Sloppy Joe’s: this is where we watched the ball drop on NYE.

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Captain Tony’s: a very old structure that’s been the home of Sloppy Joe’s in the past.

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Margaritaville: the original location of Jimmy Buffett’s lost shaker of salt, where you will find yourself “wasting away again” with a nice frozen margarita…

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Chocolate dipped Key Lime Pie on a stick: Try one – excellent! Some are not as good as others, but this “Kermit” one is fantastic.

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Willy T’s: This place has money all over the walls for some strange reason, and great live music.

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Rick’s: A great upstairs bar that’s set up like a mini village or boardwalk of various watering holes. Tons of fun.

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Irish Kevin’s: A good Irish bar with live music. Our friend Kevin, who is Irish, was legit in this place.

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Conch Shack: Why not? There are many good seafood shacks in town. We didn’t get a chance to try this one, otherwise I would have written a full review of it.

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Unnamed Daiquiri Shack Places: Drink while walking. Do it – they make fresh shit at a lot of these places, and have some local beers as well. Take a look at this bottle of Key West Sunset Ale that I didn’t try for some stupid reason:

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The Walgreens Theater: An old theater on Duval Street was converted into a Walgreens. Pretty neat.

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Tropic Cinema: There’s an actual movie theater on Eaton Street with a statue of Marilyn Monroe blowing her skirt up. Worth a stroll-by.

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Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: A fun diversion from alcohol for an hour.

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Southernmost Point: Here, you are 90 miles from Cuba. Take a pic with all the tourists who wait on line to get a shot.

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The Smallest Bar in Key West: Very small. Drink a pull and move along down Duval Street.

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Key West Cemetery: Go during the day, unless you plan to break in and raise the dead at night. I jogged through on a morning run, and then snapped a few photos at night as we walked by.

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Chickens and Roosters: These guys are everywhere in Key West, running all over the place unfettered and unchecked. I guess you can call them “free range.”

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Leather Master: Bring out the gimp!

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Butterfly House: This is a great place to bring a broad. It’s a greenhouse filled with butterflies, birds and even a flamingo or two (which I suppose are also birds).

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Garden of Eden: On the top floor of The Bull bar on Duval, there’s a weird nudist colony of sorts. Go ahead up if you like seeing weird flapjack titties and flaccid dongs.

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Art Galleries: Like Lahaina in Hawaii, Duval Street in Key West is full of cool art studios, photo galleries and stores. We liked some of the octopus sculptures and steampunk skulls.

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Tree Stump Octopus: I can not remember exactly where this is, but it MAY be Catherine Street.

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Product Reviews

Epic Meat Bars

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My wife’s uncle told me about these snack bars near the checkout at Whole Foods, so I picked up one of each flavor that I could find: turkey with almond and cherry; lamb with currant and mint; uncured bacon and pork; beef with habanero and cherry; and bison with bacon and cranberry.

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I first tried the uncured bacon and pork bar. It was similar to a spam type thing. It had a smoked pork flavor, but it was a bit salty and I wasn’t overwhelmed with joy.

Next was the Beef with habanero and cherry. This description had promise. I was expecting some heat from the habanero but it was a bit flat. Also, unfortunately, the texture of this bar was a bit grainy. I suppose if I had approached it with the expectation of a soft, moist beef jerky, then I might have been happier with it.

The lamb bar was really good. It wasn’t gamey or heavy. It was light, had a good flavor and was satisfying.

Then I tried the turkey bar. This was nice and smoky. It has a slight grainy texture, but it was very enjoyable. The smoke, combined with the sweetness and vibrant cranberry, made for a dynamic flavor combination.

Last was the bison. The bacon was subtle, and a very nice addition to the bar. The sweetness of the cranberry again made for a juicy flavor pop. This bar wasn’t grainy at all, so I think i tended up being my favorite.

One thing I did notice with these bars (all but the turkey) is that every so often you get a bite of rubbery cartilage bits that are unsavory. I guess it is to be expected with a sausage-like product.