Wine Happy Hour!

A Lovely Spot Near NYU

I am always in search of a Happy Hour spot and I read about 8th Street Wine Cellar (http://8thstwinecellar.com/) near Stern that has a solid offering. The spot offers half-off bottles everyday. Although the selection is small it is tasteful. Naturally, since I was with Melissa, we went with the Montepulciano that was featured on special. We love a good red - pure heaven in a glass.

I haven't met a Montepulciano I haven't liked

As we drank our wine, we were enticed to order the cheese tray. I can't recall what the daily selections were but they were yummy. It was a bit disappointing that the slices of cheese were VERY TINY. We were given an ample supply of slices of bread, which was nice, but that isn't the high ticket item. The cheese is and we wanted more!

The bread to cheese ratio is all wrong

If you check out this spot, go for the Happy Hour (half priced bottles of wine until 7pm Mon - Fri) but hold off on the food. Just not a good value.

Cheers,

Liz

A Nice Wine Bar with TEENY TINY Seats

Pierre Loti, Where the Seats are Not a Loti

The excitement and panic of a second date! Where to go? What to do? To my complete shock, my date suggested that we meet for an actual meal...dinner! I cannot even remember the last time I went on a date with someone and had food. This is likely because many of the men I have met never make it to the second date, either by my or their decision. It is hard to find two people that are mutually attracted to each other.

Before we met for dinner, I suggested drinks. As the forward thinking woman that I am, I planned to make a move to pick up the tab for this portion of the date. I was successful at doing this because I am a swift ninja when it comes to paying the bill. I also wanted to demonstrate that I didn't need to be wined and dined. I like him and by paying for something, I feel it shows you're also into the other person.

Anyway, I digress. I suggested Pierre Loti's Midtown East location (http://www.pierrelotiwinebar.com/midtown/index.html). For our first date, we were going to go to the Union Square location but we ended up changing the location and time. I was clearly still determined to go here with this person. I did not realize, however, that this location has super tiny tables and small chairs. If you have some junk in the trunk (like me), the barstools can be a bit of a challenge. At least I could work on my core muscles as I attempted to balance myself.

We ordered two glasses of wine each. I cannot remember which ones I got. I recall that they were very good and red. So, there you go. My wine knowledge as defined by color. The spot gives out random Asian crackers to nibble on (think wasabi peanuts and puffed sesame sticks), yet it is described as "Turkish" on Yelp!, so who the hell knows.

Anyway, I like the selection at this place (there are three locations in NYC). I would recommend Union Square as the set-up (and seating) is better.

Cheers,

Liz

So This is Ladies Night

Sotto 13 for a Delicious Meal!

Last Friday, Elspeth, a lovely lady from my block at Stern, organized an unlimited (I love the sound of that!) wine meal at Sotto 13 (http://sotto13.com/). This spot is known for its boozy brunch, which I still need to check out!

For our dinner, we had a great selection of different tapas and pizzas. We had calamari, arancini balls, meatballs, shrimp scampi and two different pizzas (cheese and sausage). We also had a great selection of wines: different reds, whites and roses.

I was too engaged in conversation with the other ladies in my block and sampling the different wines to document each part of the meal. Trust me, it was yummy. I will need to go back for the brunch. I snapped a photo of the group of ladies.

The Beautiful Ladies of Block 3

The vibe of the spot is nice. It is in a great neighborhood and right next to Flex Mussels, a favorite place of mine. If you'd like a glass of wine and some tapas, stop by Sotto 13. I hope you're also having a great night and preparing for Christmas! :)

Cheers,

Liz

 

Since You've Been Von

Happy Hour with a New Friend :)

This past Friday, I got drinks with Ashley, someone I was introduced to by Justin, an MBA 1 at Stern. I should note they are a very cute couple! I really liked her when I met her and only saw her randomly at school events. I wanted to see her on purpose. So I sent her a Facebook message and asked her out on a "friend" date. It sounds silly, but it is hard to meet new girl friends sometimes! I was glad she wanted to meet me for drinks. We picked Friday the 13th - it would be Spooky Drinks! She suggested a spot that had a solid Happy Hour, Von (http://www.vonbar.com/). The Happy Hour is from Monday - Friday, 5pm to 7pm and Saturday - Sunday, 3pm to 5pm. I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc that was $6 and quite nice. After this drink, I ordered a glass of the mulled wine. It was delicious!
The

Mulled Wine

Do you see the hot steam coming off that wine? It was so comforting on a chilly December evening. I had a wonderful time with Ashley and I look forward to getting together with her (on purpose!) again. Also, Ashley has an amazing website: The Fiscal Femme. You should check it out: http://thefiscalfemme.com/

Cheers,

Liz

 

Whining About Finals Over Wine

Happy Hour For The Win

Melissa and I were walking in Chelsea after our nail appointment the other day and we were in desperate need of an adult beverage. As we were walking, we caught a sign for a Happy Hour at a cute little Italian Spot: Pastai (http://www.pastainyc.com/). I'm always down for an affordable glass of wine.

I've been dabbling more in red wines. I'm going to Napa again with a school group and I want to start developing a taste/appreciate for red wines. We each ordered a glass of a lovely Montepulciano. The wine is very jammy and easier to drink than many red wines I've had before.

Lovely Red

The spot has its own personalized wine glasses - really classy. I want to come back for food - the kitchen was opening up when we were there and the fresh pastas looked delicious.

Cheers,

Liz

 

A Cause for Celebration!

Visiting NYC's Hottest New Restaurant, Piora

My close friend, Liv, and I had two huge reasons for celebration: after a year of recruiting, interviewing, and interning, we have job offers. It feels great! I tend to celebrate momentous occasions with food and drink. Allison, the fabulous entrepreneur behind Brenne Whisky (http://drinkbrenne.com/), recommend this spot: Piora (http://www.pioranyc.com/). In addition to carrying her incredibly whisky, the restaurant is currently ranked #1 on Eater Manhattan's Heatmap for Where to Eat in Manhattan. Given these two pieces of information, I made a reservation!

As we reviewed the menu, we ordered cocktails. I ordered Fall Leaves (Plymouth Gin, Calvados, Apple, Maple Syrup, Tea and Lemon). It was yummy! It reminded me of fall, a blend of apple cider flavors and maple! Liv ordered the Wear and Tear, a play on an Old Fashioned, made with Old Overhold Rye, Aperol, Chartreuse Jeune, Cinzano  and Angostura. 

Fall Leaves

Wear and Tear

Once we got our cocktails, the chef presented us with an amuse-bouche. It was crisp, light and tasty. A nice way to prepare the palate for what was to come!

Amuse-Bouche

We had to order the Monkey Bread!! It is served hot, warm, sweet and salty with two awesome spreads: Lardo (aka pork fat) and Seaweed Butter. Each spread was awesome in its own right and I'm not sure which I preferred.

Monkey Bread - Lardo (left) and Seaweed Butter (right)

For our entrees, we started with a split order of Bucatini. The pasta is black because it is made with black garlic and a little squid ink is added. There is also crab and mushrooms on top - simply divine. Since we split the pasta, our server was gracious enough to separate into two bowls. It can be awkward to split pasta!

Bucatini

For the entrees, we split the Duck (a perfectly prepared breast) and the Halibut (with mushrooms and brown butter)

Duck...Duck...

...Halibut!

With our dinner, I ordered a glass of white and Liv ordered a glass of red wine.

A pair of happy glasses

You know we totally got dessert! Liv ordered a glass of Port, but I wanted to try the ice cream (chocolate, salted caramel and vanilla). Liv is such a good friend that she offered to try it too!

3 Scoops of Awesome

The owner, Simon, came by our table and we chatted about our mutual friend (Allison, mentioned above). I should say that I know her more, since she is a celebrity of sorts - we got a complimentary dessert! It was lovely.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Before we left, I had to snap a photo of the back-bar. I saw Allison's bottle of Brenne! I am so proud of her! I realize the photo is bad. It was tricky taking a photo without completely infiltrating someone's personal space.

Brenne, right next to Blue Label - so impressed!

You must try Piora!

Liz

 

Stopping by the Rooftop of the McKittrick Hotel

Gallow Green - AMAZING!

To celebrate the end of our incredible internships, my good friend Olivia and I went to an awesome spot: Gallow Green (http://mckittrickhotel.com/gallowgreen/) at the McKittrick Hotel. We had visited the hotel last year to see the interactive Macbeth performance of "Sleep No More" - this was certainly a different experience!

The venue is gorgeous. I highly recommend visiting it for drinks (the live music is fantastic) and/or dinner (the food is also lovely). I am a huge fan of large format cocktails, so we started with a bowl of boozy popsicle punch. It was made with Ketel One vodka and absolutely splendid! There were two fresh fruit popsicles inside - one pineapple and one watermelon - and a large square ice cube. The shape of the cube allowed it to melt slowly (chilling without too much diluting). As they continued to melt, they added to the taste and profile of the punch.

Once we finished the punch, we moved on to more cocktails! I ordered a glass of rose Champagne. It was served in a couple glass - how lovely! 

I strongly believe that glassware can influence the taste of a cocktail. My Grandma always said this and it has stuck!

After we finished up at Gallow Green, we went to The Heath (one floor below the rooftop). It was AWESOME. Great live music and dancing. I ordered a twist on a vodka lemonade, it was tasty. The credit card machine wasn't working though, so it was a bit annoying with cash/ATM fees.

You must check out this spot! A real "wow" location in the city.

Cheers,

Liz