Ottmar & Employees Only

We jumped back on the subway and the next stop is the Staten Island Ferry. An hour round trip to get a view of the city. After this trip, we will have to make our way back to the same area as brunch and then part ways again.

The girls have tickets to see Joan Osborne and Susanna Vega at The City Winery. I made last minute plans to see Ottmar Leibert at the Highline Ballroom.

The view of the Statue of Liberty was awesome as well as the New York skyline!

Once we got back on the train, Jess told me where I needed to get off in order to make my concert. It was close to Bathtub Gin and once again Siri guided me to my destination. A very small venue and no room to move.

He was amazing but the crowd was a bit overbearing. If you moved from your spot too damn bad. So I stood my ground and waited until after the show to get some food and beverages.

My show ended at 8:15 and I sent Tish a text letting her know I was on my way to meet them at our last stop. Their show would be another hour or longer. So I made my way toward Employees Only and figured I would find something along to the way to eat and drink.

One steak house quit serving at 8:30…really?  So I was just 4 blocks from our meet up and I smelled that wonderful aroma, cigars.

Hudson Bar & Books was a happy accident  and I had time.

They had everything on the cocktail menu and cigar menu. The eats menu not so much. Very limited but was able to find a snack to munch while I burned one in NYC.

I ordered an Old Cuban and selected the Arturo Fuente Short Story to burn. Several cocktails later and the girls texted me they were leaving soon. Perfect timing and I left this nice nugget of a find.

Being as fat as I am, I took a nice stroll through the city of NYC. Then I rolled up on a small building with a “Psychic” sign in the window. Texted Tish and Jess, they said it would be 15 minutes until they arrived. Okay I can hang.

The crowd control, okay…the days of bouncer is long gone. He was a big ole boy and had an impressive presence. We chatted about things from days gone by. The ole ‘80s and how you dealt with the A-holes at that time period. Many stories were shared and some were quite funny. Within 10 minutes, Tish and Jess arrived. At this point of the night, we were going to be just standing at the bar enjoying craft cocktails.

Little did I know my new friend was about to hook us up with a good evening. He said: “Follow ME!” Okay the fat man was ready to see what could be an epic night.

“Sit them at a good table.” Okay, redneck is down with that!

Menu’s were dropped off and I new what I wanted for a drink. Employee’s Only signature drink…

Mata Hari!

Remy Martin 1738 Cognac shaken with Chai-infused Martini Rosso & Pomegranate Juice. Served straight up.

A wonderful blend of flavors and amazing presentation. And I was very impressed with their wine list. Although this joint is known for its craft cocktails, many of the folks around us were ordering bottles of wine.

I have to say, E.O. & P.D.T. are tied as my favorite speakeasy thus far. Although, the Booze & Boobs at Bathtub Gin was another highlight of my trip.

We head home tomorrow and I’m already planning another visit and tour of the other speakeasies on my list.

I made my last visit to Hot & Crusty for coffee and croissants. The lady who took my order really took control:

Me: “Coffee & Croissant”
Chick: “You take cream?”
Me: “No.”
Chick: “Oh, you take cream today!”

Obviously she mistaken me for a regular. So I got to enjoy coffee with cream. How the hell do people do that to perfectly good coffee.

After Tish had her coffee, we went for a walk at Riverside Park before we packed up the car. A young lady riding a bike looks and smiles and that’s when I stop and turned to Tish. Her expression confirmed what I thought…it was Amy Schumer.

So, I ended my first official trip to the Big Apple with my first celebrity sighting.

It was an amazing time and I can’t wait to return. Thank you Jess for your hospitality and we will see you soon with more speakeasies and watering holes to visit.

My First Time…

…to New York City! You have a Dirty Mind!

A few months ago, I visited NYC for the very first time. Oh, I’ve been on a bus trip a to see the Orioles vs. Yankees a few years ago but this was my first time being a tourist.

And tour I did!

Tish and I stayed with our friend Jess in Upper Manhattan for a few days. We drove up and our trip was to only take about 5 hours but… if you know us, we always stop somewhere to taste the local fare and beverages.

Using the Vinowine app, the closest vineyard to our route was Spring Gate Vineyard. After Siri took us on a 45 minute tour of the back roads of Pennsylvania, we pulled into the parking lot and we were more than ready to try wine.  And to our surprise, beer & cider too.

The Riesling, Vidal and Chardonnay was nice. Their Chambourcin was the highlight of their reds. Their biggest surprise was the brewery. The pale ale was extremely good and I could have sat there all day emptying pints. But Jess was waiting.

Once we got back on the road, our sights were set on the Big Apple!

Jess was texting wondering about our ETA, it was going to be late so all was good. I sent her a few links to some possible outings. One peaked her interest and she quickly responded:
“Sunday Brunch reservations have been made for 2:30.”
This will be entertaining to say the least.

As we rolled into Upper Manhattan, Jess was informing us to double park in the street outside of her apartment so we could unload the car. This was new to me – hell if we did this in Strasburg, Johnny Law would have us towed and in bracelets. After we carried all the crap to Jess’ place it was time to find a place to park. 30 minutes later, we found free parking for the duration of our visit.
We walked to get a late dinner at the French Roast located at the corner of Broadway and W85 St. I ordered the 8 oz. burger with bacon and Gruyere on a Brioche bun, washed it down with a Left Hand Nitro.

It was well past 2 a.m. and to my surprise the bars were still open so we had a night cap at Prohibition.  The Paulaner Hefeweizen was a good way to end my first night in NYC.

Tomorrow we will see what kind of mischief this country boy gets into.

Surprised

I like Surprises!!

Just like a little kid, I enjoy the thrill of opening gifts and taking unplanned outings. It makes this redneck a happy man!

As I continue my streak of new Virginia vineyards (18 months with at least 1 new vineyard/38 and counting) I have been surprised just a few times…this was one of them!

My list of vineyards open on Thursday evenings in Loudoun County has been exhausted and even when I work on Friday’s, those remaining on my list to visit close at 5:00. So I’m having to travel outside the Northern Virginia & Shenandoah Valley Region to visit the remaining lot. Recently, I contacted 2 vineyards to make sure they were going to be open and only one bothered to respond…Berry Hill Vineyard, in Flint Hill, Virginia.

After doing a few domestic chores, it was time for me to play and enjoy my day off with some vino!

My appointment was for 3:00, which left me with some time to kill. So I jumped in the car and took the scenic route through the mountains and arrived in the small community of Flint Hill. I delayed my lunch so I could visit Griffin Tavern for some vittles. The Victorian house has both a dining room and English pub. Being a fan of a nice a watering hole, I opted for a stool and bellied up to the bar.

The barmaid (Mary) brought me two menus and even before she handed them to me, I knew what I fancied for my meal…Fish & Chips.

She said: “they are really good!”, and I had high hopes the chef wouldn’t disappoint. A large piece of battered fish and a generous portion of seasoned chips was placed before me. The chips had a season of what appears to be paprika and the fish was flaky – again a happy redneck. I washed it all down with a few Boddington’s.

I talked with a local gentleman about the Virginia wine trail. We traded wine stories and we discussed the possibility of meeting up at one of the nearby vineyards for a glass once spring arrives. Wine does bring people together!

Now it’s time for some wine! I headed down Rt. 522 N. and made the necessary turns and made my way to Berry Hill Vineyard. With just a few acres of grapes (Cab. Franc & Petit Verdot) most of the grapes are sold to a local vineyard and just enough are kept to make about 65 cases of each. I arrived a few minutes early, David the owner/winemaker greeted me and took me to his small tasting room. He gives me a little background of the vineyards and explains his passion for wine. It’s time to taste! Two reds were on the list ’11 Cab Franc & ’11 Petit Verdot, the latter being my favorite varietal. David gives me a nice pour of the ’11 Cab Franc. Nice legs,cranberry on the nose with surprisingly low tannins. He was sold out of the ’10 Cab Franc, but he opened an ’09 Cab Franc for me to do a vertical tasting. Both very similar with the ’09 having a little more body with a little more tannins because of the blending of Petit Verdot (I believe 11%).

Then came my favorite… the ’11 Petit Verdot. From start to finish this wine was very smooth. It does have the peppery bite to it like a Shiraz and a little more tannins than the Cab Franc. I could have sat there that afternoon and enjoy the rest of the bottle. David then asked me to bring my glass and follow him to the barrel room. He let me taste his ’12 Petit Verdot straight from the barrel. It had only been in American oak for 4 months and I was surprised at how good in just that short period of time in the barrels.

I have to say, the wine at Berry Hill Vineyard was better than I had hoped. I will set up appointments and take Tish and a few friends in the coming months. I would advise you to make an appointment and see what very well could be Virginia’s best kept secret!

Fun Times!

The past two weekends have been quite entertaining and I can honestly say I’m going to need a weekend to rest very soon! Every spring, it seems Tish and I are always over-scheduling our free time and not kicking back and relaxing. Of course, I’m a firm believer that we will get all the rest we need when we are dead. So, suck it up and keep going full force Tater!

Shamrock Fest took place two weekends ago at RFK Stadium grounds in D.C., and even with rain all day it didn’t dampen our spirits (Dampen! Get it? Rain!) or discourage us from bailing early from the event. Trying to find a booth that served beer was a mess. And after we were able to locate the area, we needed to have tickets in order to savor the frothy goodness. Now where the hell are the damn tickets located? Yeah, we walked around a while before we asked one of the young ones where they got their beer. After locating and purchasing a few tickets and trading them for a Guinness, we set out to take up space near the Miller Lite stage and listen to Gavin Degraw.

“Wait a minute, who the hell is that on stage?”

The band didn’t look like Gavin nor did it sound like him. As we talked with a couple who were there primarily to see Gavin — like we were — the singer of the band announced, “We’re sorry Gavin couldn’t be here.” The comments of “Well That SUCKS!” could be heard from quite a few people. Even though I bought tickets just because of Gavin, we did stick around to hear Dropkick Murphy perform and learned that the VIP package includes all drinks. So for $180 I could have had a bottomless cup of beer. Sounds like a good deal, but after seeing some of the kids sprawled out on the stadium grounds I think I’ll pass on that option. (But maybe we’ll review it next year when this event rolls back into D.C.)

So we hit the Porta Potties before jumping on the Metro to head to our hotel room. As we boarded, I mentioned we could hop off at Eastern Market and go somewhere for a few adult beverages. Didn’t have to twist Tish’s arm too much. Two and a half blocks from the Metro station is the Ugly Mug, a cool little pub with a lot of activity. It was still early (9:30) and we wanted some more beer. They have a nice selection that includes choices of pitchers and beer towers. If you’re not familiar with the tower, it is a tall, round vessel that they bring to your table. It holds 2.5 pitchers of beer with a tap at the base to draw you a cold one. We opted for a pitcher of Anchor Steam and decided on two orders of pretzel sticks and beer cheese wiz.

Now relax, this wasn’t the old-school aerosol cheese wiz we grew up on, this was The Ugly Mug’s creation and it was quite tasty. Three 6-inch long pretzel sticks, that resemble a bread stick — fluffy, baked perfectly with a hint of butter. This was a great snack to help with the beer consumption. A group of six sat down at the next table and we agreed that they were crazier than a bag of squirrels! After four beer towers and multiple shots, this bunch was primed for the night. We rolled out at 2:30 a.m. after a pitcher and a couple more pints.

The Ugly Mug is a great place to go and have one hell of a good time. Respectable food, great beverages and a friendly staff. We’ll be returning soon!

This past weekend was a subdued outing … Glen Manor Vineyard barrel tasting. There’s a romance to getting to taste straight from the barrel, to see how the wine is evolving. Of course, since we were able to taste two vintages (’10 and ’11) we have to remember that 2011 wasn’t a good year for most vintners in the state of Virginia.

It was looking like another banner year until the month of September rolled around and the dreaded hurricane season made its presence known. Having only two days with ideal conditions, harvesting was a challenge for most. Some pulled grapes early, some late, and with the latter came rot and mildew.

But I have to say that both of Glen Manor’s vintages are going to be very good wines. The only difference will be the tannin levels. 2010 was fruit forward with heavy tannins and ’11 had a smoother low-tannin taste. I’m looking forward to see how they pour next year when they are bottled.

They have some new wines that will be released in upcoming weeks, and when they are ready I’ll be waiting for the first pour. If you’re wondering about Virginia’s Governor’s Cup winner, Glen Manor’s ’09 Hodder Hill, sorry folks the barrel is empty and there’s none to be found on site.

My advice is to get out of the house and drive up Browntown Road to visit Glen Manor. Friendly staff and incredible views as well as damn good wine!