Bartender....hit me again
Upper West Side
Empire (Hotel Rooftop) State of Mind
Drinks, Hotel Bar, Outdoors, Rooftop BarCommentDo Not Use This Bakery's Name in (Le)VAIN!
Bakery, DessertsCommentEmack is NOT Whack
DessertsCommentMeeting the Pickle Maker
Dinner, Drinks, New American, OutdoorsCommentHappy Hour in the Deep Blue Sea
Drinks, Happy Hour, Oysters, Outdoors, SeafoodCommentMermaid Inn for the Win!
I love a good happy hour deal. Frank and I wanted to catch up and he suggested the Mermaid Inn (http://www.themermaidnyc.com/uws/). I had been to the East Village location once and loved the selection of snacks and cocktails. It is lovely to find a location that serves up fancy cocktails at happy hour pricing and not just basic drinks (vodka soda or rum and coke).
The happy hour is from 5-7pm daily. Cocktails are $7, Wine by the Glass is $6, and Beer is $5.
I started with the Gone with the Gin, made with gin, grapefruit liqueur, thyme and lemon. It was refreshing and light and FAR TOO easy to drink! I highly recommend it!
Oysters are $1 each during happy hour - a great deal! We got a dozen to split. The two sauces served with them (cocktail and mignonette) offered a nice enhancement to the natural briny ocean flavor.
The Mini Mermaid Fish Taco is made with blackened tilapia, avocado, and smoked jalapeno. At $3 each, they were a bit pricey given the size! They flavor was wonderful though and the fish was super fresh.
We got an order of calamari ($7) which was served with a very unusual dipping sauce. Frank thought it may have had tamarind in it. I'm so used to marinara sauce that is was a change for sure!
For my second cocktail, I ordered the Kentucky Green, made with bourbon, apricot and green tea syrup. I loved how the green tea syrup brought out the flavor of the bourbon. An awesome combo!
Frank ordered one grilled shrimp & avocado slider for $7. It seemed a bit overpriced for the small size. Frank did say the flavor was quite tasty.
The Yelp! Check-in deal is awesome - you get 1 free side even without purchasing an entrée! What a deal at happy hour! Naturally, we got the most expensive side: smoked gouda mac & cheese. It was rich and delicious...and FREE!
When we were finished, we were surprised with a complimentary chocolate mousse! It was the perfect size and the perfect flavor to end our meal with!!
Mermaid Inn gives you a Fortune Teller Miracle Fish when they present the check. It is a nice touch. Love it!
The happy hour here is wonderful! I encourage you to check it out at either the UWS or East Village location! Also, there is outdoor seating but it was too hot!
Cheers,
Liz
A Trip to the Orient
Hotel Bar, Desserts, Drinks, Tea, Lounge, New AmericanCommentCocktail & Tea Time!
I wanted to surprise Amber with something special so I made reservations for afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (http://www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork/). The tea is daily at starts at 2:30pm. We got there a bit early (2:00pm) to make sure we could secure a window seat. Most of the seating has a good view, but when you're spending $$$ you want to make sure it is the best!
While we waited for tea time to start, we (naturally) ordered a cocktail. One immediately caught my eye: the Summer Solstice. It is a heavenly mix of vodka, blood orange juice, mango puree and Solerno liqueur (blood orange). This cocktail was magical and at $19 (!!) I was hoping it would be. I knew at a place like this you're paying for the view and it was worth it.
Once we finished our cocktails, we moved on to tea! I ordered the Thunderbolt Darjeeling tea. It was a delicious black tea. Check out the scones, finger sandwiches and desserts! Nom! I highly recommend this spot for a special event - a mom in town, good friend or to impress a lady!
Until next time!
Liz