Get Good Beer at Good Beer NYC

It's a shame that Good Beer NYC had to open three months after I moved off the East 9th Street block. Located on East 9th Street between 1st & A in the East Village, Good Beer sells, well, good beer. Lined against the walls from front to back is the biggest selection of chilled American Craft and Imported beers I have seen in NYC (if there is a better place, please tell me). My favorite thing is their $8 beer flights, which you can select four out of the 12 beers on tap. If you don't know much about beer except that you like it, the guys at the counter can help you choose which ones to try. 

There's seating in the back for about 10 people and when the place gets crowded people just stand around the front and drink. It looks like eventually there will be a nice garden in the back with tables and benches, which I can't wait for. For updates on what's on tap, check out Good Beer NYC's Facebook Page. Below was my beer flight, I had the Captain Lawrence Winter Rye, Sly Fox Seamus Red Ale, River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout and the last one I can't remember, but I did enjoy all of it. Good Beer has a really casual and chill atmosphere--a perfect place for an afternoon beer drinking spot.

Please Don't Tell Sindoni, It's A Surprise

There's a first time for everything like being the dumbass to ruin a surprise birthday party.  I accidently "replied all" to an email chain that the birthday girl was on disclosing the surprise birthday location ("I can make it for cocktails at PDT... should I dress in my best 20s attire?"), so we had to cover it up by piling on a million emails, and it worked!  Sindoni the birthday girl didn't. even. know.

We surprised her at East Village speakeasy PDT (Please Don't Tell).  The name is quite ironic actually.  It's really not that big of a secret since PDT has been on the Food Network and is located in the hottest hot dog place in NYC Crif Dogs.  Anyways, SURPRISE SINDONI!  PDT was pretty awesome with its $14 cocktails like Kansai Kick (12 yr malt whiskey, orgeat and a bunch of other high brow stuff), kim chee bacon-wrapped hot dogs and TATER TOTS & WAFFLE FRIES.  Pretty classy speakeasy.

Happy Birthday Sindoni and I'm sorry that I almost ruined your surprise birthday but surprisingly didn't.

Girl's Night gang + Jason

Chihuahua Dog for Sindoni (you can only order from Crif Dogs if you know what you want)

I Will Miss (Your Foods) East Village

As I count down the days until I can no longer call East 9th street home, I get sadder and sadder about the foods I will miss.  A good quarter of my salary has gone to supporting the restaurants, shops and bars in this neighborhood with no regrets.  Here are my favorite East Village eating spots:
Pomme Frites - large french fries w/ the free especial sauce (mayo, ketchup, chopped onions)
Artichoke - best after 2am
16 Handles - mangotango & eurotart flavors with mango, mochi and rainbow sprinkle toppings
Boka Bonchon - watermelon soju and soy garlic fried chicken
Pho 32 - #3 small pho
Spice - lettuce wraps and lemongrass seafood combo
Plump Dumpling - wonton noodles in curry soup
This Little Piggy - something else
The Immigrant - assorted bruschetta and wine
Led Zeppole - zeppoles with powdered sugar and maple syrup
Crif Dogs - chihuahua dog and tater tots
S'mac - garden lite nosh
Flea Market Cafe - french toast brunch
Esperanto - eggs benedict brunch
Prof Thom's -  harpoon and nachos, best NYC Boston Bar
Saint's Alps - mango sorpie bubble drink
Zen Sushi - sushi mania with salad
Xi'an Famous Foods - A1, B2, D4-S spicy
Lychee - $1 Chang Beer, drunken noodle
Itzocan - goat cheese ravioli, roasted stuffed chicken breast 

The Immigrant In East Village

Hidden on 9th street close to the 1st avenue corner is a strangely pleasant beer and wine bar named The Immigrant.  Walking home one evening (same route for the past 8 months), I spotted a well-dressed couple having beer in the dimly lit, exposed brick, rich wood interior of the bar.  Before that moment, I have NEVER seen the bar and had to do a double-take to make sure I was seeing right.  It was like Hogsmead from Harry Potter, a make-believe bar in a make-believe place.

Opened about three months ago by Jason (who actually used to live in the building above the bar), The Immigrant is exactly what East Village needs--a quiet, musky, East London-reminiscent, The Smiths-playing relaxing spot to grab a pint or glass anytime after 5 until 4 a.m.  The Immigrant is extremely understated inside and out.  You probably would miss it on the street if it wasn't for the giant glass window, and the inside fits about 30 people comfortably.  In the back are intimate candle-lit booths and the front is a high bar with stools.  Feels rich minus the snootiness.

I don't drink much wine, but the red I ordered was delicious ($9/glass).  There are two beers on tap, Rare Vos and a Six Point ($6).  Jason plans to change the taps seasonally and kindly let us try his next considerations Brooklyn Summer and some Belgian beer which I preferred more.  Bottles include Schneider Weisse, Three Philosophers, Amstel Light, Guiness and Harp.  Its a tight selection but everything on it is AWESOME.  My most memorable part about The Immigrant is the modest selection of finger foods like dried fruit, assorted bruschetta and anchovies and toast which goes perfectly with the wine and beer. 

Jason now lives in Williamsburg and told us he misses the East Village.  Now with his gem of a bar, there is more to love about this neighborhood.  I have been to The Immigrant three times in the last month and that is a lot to say about any NYC bar.

The Immigrant
341 East 9th Street

The Weather Is My Friend

I will not be a victim of the weather but a friend of weather. Yes, although the midwest snow storm has turned me into a standby blogging storm, I will rejoice in the snow's beauty and remember last weekend's happy snow shenanigans.

East Village's Plump Dumpling Has A New Home

Starting tomorrow you can enjoy your favorite meat dumplings or curry noodles at Plump Dumpling's new location on the corner of 11th St and 2nd Ave, literally 20 feet from its original location. The new location is bigger with more seating area (no more rubbing elbows with your neighbor) and is opened later until 1 a.m.!!! The new spot should be a hit, even more than the old one already is.

NYC Picture Post: Move-In, Roof Deck, Teri Burgers

I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy settling into my NYC residence! Gabs, Ted, Sean, my bro and I spent a long Tuesday unloading a packed Penske truck on the Upper East Side and East Village. The morning at Gabs and Ted's on the UES went smoothly, until we picked up a 160 lbs fridge in Murray Hill for my place...
Surprisingly, we (by 'we' I don't mean 'me', I mean Sean, Ted and my brother) got the fridge up five flights of stairs VERY SLOWLY; however, getting the box spring up was a whole other story.
Apparently a full size box spring doesn't fit up our staircase so our options were: 1) saw the box spring in half 2) carry the box spring up from the fire escape.

We had no saw or wire cutters, so up the fire escape it is! I don't think anyone has stepped on the fire escape in a 100 years. My brother and Ted carried a full box spring up the side of our building, only to find out it doesn't fit through the opening at the very top. Aaarrrggghh. 3 1/2 hours wasted. We decided to throw the box spring off the fire escape and trash the box spring.
Sunset from my roof deck--soooo nice.
Spiral staircase sealed the deal.
I threw Zack a bbq on his last night in the city with homemade Teri Burger patties and all.Empire's red, white and blue for labor day from our roof. Happy long weekend!
Finally I can relax.