Clearing the Table

The past 5 1/2 years have been a roller coaster to say the least. I've been through 4 apartments, 5 restaurants, numerous little odd jobs, 2 relationships (if you can even call them that) and countless reflections over what the next step would be. I'd always thought, in my own stubborn way, that I had figured everything out and was ready to do things and make my life decisions at the naive age of 17. How wrong I actually was ...

I moved into Manhattan on Dec 4, 2007. 2 days after I graduated High School. I had dreams of performing on Broadway, touring the country, and making a name for myself in the theater world. Out of survival, I started working in a restaurant. I had always loved hospitality and even used to turn my living room into a restaurant when I was younger, cook for my parents, put on a suit, and wait on them. Realizing that this was a great and fun job, I thought that the idea of working in a restaurant the rest of my life was much more appealing than a life on stage. I was able to sleep-in, take care of things during the day, work at night, walk with cash in my hand, get a paycheck with even more money, enjoy countless shift drinks, and stay out til 5AM and not feel bad because I just left work a couple hours before.

After a recent epiphany, I discovered that this passion of mine was only temporary. The lifestyle can work, yes. But for me, it had run it's course. I found myself becoming increasingly volatile with my mood, consistently tired, and feeling just complacent. I vowed early on in life to never become complacent with my life. I realized that this career had run it's course and was taking a toll on my body and well being. But what to do?

I got a new job, a few other prospects for potential future career moves, and put my two weeks notice in with a prayer in my heart that all will work out for the best. I decided to live my life to become the best possible example of myself and to never settle or become complacent.

The past 5 years in the industry have taught me so much about myself. Without going to college, I matured greatly between the ages of 18-21 by living out my stupid college years in real life. I learned what can happen just by putting a smile on someone's face and taking whatever was going on outside of that room in their life away because it didn't matter for even just a brief moment. I met amazing celebrity clientele that people coming to NY go out of their way to see, when those people just happened to sit at my table or at my bar. The regulars that came in never ceased to make me smile when they would come in to give me a piece of some recipe they were trying, sharing their engagements, just grabbing Sunday dinner, having date night, giving me some present because they saw it and thought I might like it, bringing me chocolates, or telling me that they missed me last weekend when I was no longer their brunch bartender. The coworkers I've had over the past few years have been some of the best people I've met, as much as they think I make fun of them because I hate them. The array of different people I've worked with has helped form me into the man that I am becoming and I am excited to share new parts of our lives with each other as we move on into various courses. I've had fantastic mentors as bosses, as well as people I know I never want to become. I've had great guests, and terrible humans. Fantastic tastes of wine and some that I thought should never be allowed near someone. And I'm sure that throughout my new journeys I'll have the same.

The next chapter of my journey holds way too many emotions for me. Excitement, anxiety, apprehension, etc. But the foundation that I've built for myself over the past 5 years in this industry will hold strong and hopefully keep this moving forward.

Thank you to everyone that I have met over the past 5 years and the restaurants I've worked in. You've taught me more than you could possibly know and have helped improve everything about my being. While this is the end of our employment together, it's not the end of our relationships and I'm excited to see everyone go through their next chapters.

In the end, what’s most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes for human experiences and human relationships.
-Danny Meyer

Negroni

We all know how I normally feel about gin. I usually can't stand it because it smells and tastes like Brian Dennehy. What I hate more than that is Campari which smells and tastes like Jimmy Kimmel's taint. But combined, with some sweet vermouth, it makes my taste buds dance.

So, the Negroni was invented by Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, Italy. He asked him to strengthen is favorite cocktail, the Americano, but using Campari instead of soda water. The bartender, Fosco Scarselli, then added an orange wedge as the garnish as opposed to a lemon wedge to signify that the drink was different. With the success of the cocktail, the Negroni family founded Negroni Distillerie and produced a ready-to-drink version known as Antico Negroni 1919.

It's traditionally drank as an aperitif to get the meal going and your taste buds working and digestion system going. It's also a perfect cocktail for sitting in a cafe in the summer and enjoying some appetizers. It can be served on the rocks or up in a martini glass and I feel it's best garnished with an orange twist as opposed to the wedge.

"The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance eachother."

-Orson Welles

Bols Genever

Every now and then, a new spirit is born that comes in and shakes up the bar scene. The one that I'm becoming more and more intrigued by is Genever. And more specifically, Bols Genever.

Genver is in a league of it's own when it comes to spirits. It's been protected as of 2008. Think of the French AOC with wine. Genever can only be made in Holland and a few nearby areas from high quality ingredients.

In the 1800's, the import of genever was 6x bigger than gin and most cocktails that are mixed with gin were originally mixed with genever.

Bols Genever is distilled from a whiskey-esque triple grain made from corn, wheat, and rye which the Dutch call "maltwine." It's then carefully mixed with juniper-berry distillate and brought to 42% alcohol which was carefully chosen so that it had the perfect aroma and mouthfeel. They've been distilling genever since 1664 at Bols and the recipe was finally perfected in 1820.

The taste of the genever is bold, complex, and powerful. By itself, it's honestly not very pleasant. It has the flavor of a malty gin and the mouthfeel of a malty whiskey. The best way to do it is to mix it with a gin cocktail. It adds a new depth of flavor. I personally like it in a Negroni or a Tom Collins.

There are only a few bars in NYC that carry it, but if you find it there or at the liquor store, DEFINITELY give it a try.

Three Philosophers

Until I started working at my current restaurant, I had a very pedestrian taste for beer. This place is starting to open my eyes up to a world where I can look at a fine beer like a fine wine. My most recent indulgence was from the Ommegang Brewery in New York: Three Philosophers.

Three Philosophers is an Abbey ale crafted in the style of the Belgian monks. In the Trappist style, the ales are classified from Single, Dubbel, Trippel, and Quadrupel. This beer is a Quadrupel meaning it has the highest alcohol content and the darkest hue. It's full bodied with a rich malty palate. What distinguishes this beer from the rest is that there is 2% cherry lambic which gives it a sweet cherry afternote on the finish.

Appearance: Deep dark cherry color with a gorgeous cotton-like head.

Smell: Ripe cherries, some chocolate, caramel, and clove.

Taste: Fruity hops, not bitter at all. malty at the start with a sweet finish. Cherry definitely lingers in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Coats your tongue and lingers. Creamy and definitely full bodied. Carbonation dances perfectly around your palate.

Drinkability: Very. Something to enjoy with sharp cheeses, dessert, or by itself on a cool evening.

The ABV is 9.8% so drink slowly so you don't get wasted too fast, although the body will definitely help you drink slowly. Definitely something to enjoy before the weather warms up too much. Don't feel like it's a great summer beer.

Bottoms up.

The Bourgeois Pig, East Village

Last night, I went on quite possibly the weirdest date I've ever been on. However, the setting for the date was a really great bar: The Bourgeois Pig.

The place is smaller. However, quiet and relaxed. For a Saturday night, it's nice to go somewhere that people with EZ Passes aren't basically inside of you. While the wine list is small, it's pretty solid. We got a Chablis for the table because we were getting a cheese plate and for me, nothing goes better with cheese than a bright acidic white wine.

The cheese plate was assorted with hard and soft cheeses as well as grapes, strawberries, brandied cherries, and some toasted crostinis. The menu also had an assortment of different cheese and chocolate fondues. Plus something I'm definitely going back for: Baked Brie in Phyllo dough.

Price point is not too shabby and it's a great date spot if the guy your with isn't a total weirdo. Some of the tables are a little tight and some ladies ass almost knocked over our wine, but other than that the space is great.

Anyone wanna take me here on a non-creeper date?

OTTO, Greenwich Village

Ah, Italian food. The most simple flavors come together to make the most delicious food. Casual dining that bring people together to be family. Possibly my favorite cuisine because of that. One of my favorite places to get this fantastic feeling is OTTO.

My old boss and friend, Lori Kistner, is the GM of this great restaurant that I've been frequenting for a while now. The prices are SO affordable and they put out a great product. She recently posted that they were offering two fresh pastas and I just couldn't resist. My choice was the Goat Cheese Agnolotti with Lemon Butter and Fennel Pollen.

I lived a little bit within the first bite. The lemon in the butter gave the dish the perfect amount of freshness to lighten up what seems like it might be a heavy dish since it's a cheesy pasta with a buttery sauce. The fennel pollen gives the perfect amount of spice to the dish as well.

My suggestion for dining here:

-Get a glass of wine. You get a quartino so it's about a glass and a half.

-Start the meal off with some small plates and a pizza to share for the table.

-Have pasta as your entree. Definitely inquire about the special pastas because they're usually out of control.

-Absolutely get dessert. The make all of their own gelati and sorbetti and they're all amazing. They also have an amazing selection of after dinner drinks and Amaro.

Do all of that, and your check per person will probably be no more than $50ish. Seriously. Stupid prices for a 3 course meal with drinks in NYC at a Batali/Bastianich restaurant.

A couple of things to know: There is a waitlist for bar seats. If you wanna eat at the bar, let the bartender know. Chef only accepts FULL orders and will also not allow joiners to eat. Amazing for the staff 'cause it's annoying, but need to know if you have a friend that might join later.

All things said, I've never had a bad time at this place. I had my birthday dinner there and everything was amazing. The service is always great and the food and drinks never cease to amaze me.

So forget being skinny and enjoy the carbs. Go there. I'll probably be at some table across the dining room, drunk and eating dark chocolate gelato.

Rye House, Flatiron

While waiting for some friends to get together for a night of drunken debauchery and birthday celebrating, I stopped by Rye House to visit a friend I used to work with that is now the Beverage Director. This bar is quite possibly my favorite place to grab a drink.

The bartenders are some of the most talented mixologists I've seen. Very cool, mellow, down to earth people that really know their shit. They're fast, precise, and don't make you feel like an asshole for not knowing some of the different spirits and drinks around the bar. The cocktail list, created by Wade McElroy, is really awesome. And I'm not just saying that 'cause I know the guy. He really finds a great way to craft his drinks around the seasons using new spirits and infused syrups.

Right now, he's previewing his Spring cocktail list. I tried the Morning Glory, which to me was similar to a take on a Sazerac. It had Rye, Brandy, Curacao, bitters, Absinthe, and an orange peel served on the rocks. The bar is a great place for winter cocktails but is proving promising for the spring.

They have a great selection for food as well. Great bar food, but definitely still good for a casual meal out. The bar, I will say, definitely outshines the restaurant. The decor is great, crowd is not douchey, and while the prices aren't cheap, it's no worse than what you find at any other great bar.

You won't have to ask me but one time to haul ass over here and get boozey. Anyone down for this Friday?