Archive of ‘Cities’ category

NYC Again

J and I returned to New York City again, to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch…again…We couldn’t help it! They announced that Michael C Hall was going to be staring, I couldn’t miss that. And then, of course, they announce that the original Hedwig, John Cameron Mitchell himself will be returning to the role, so yep, we’re heading back again in March.

But that’s ok, I got to try a few more Bloodies. This was another quick overnight trip, and this time we drove so we didn’t have all that much time in the city, and not wanting to drive anywhere, we stayed in the general midtown area. I didn’t research any places to go ahead of time, and once we got there and I did some Googling, most places that turned up were brunch places, or not within walking distance.

The first Bloody Mary was courtesy of The Carnegie Club – a cigar bar. Blech! One has to make sacrifices for their others.

carnegie

Pass. $12 in a Tom Collins glass. Garished with 2 olives and a lemon. It was plain tomato juice with some hot sauce. It had no flavor at all, but it did have a lot of vodka. The photo does look like it has some kind of seasoning in it, like pepper, but it really had zero flavor, so it might as well not been in there at all. No thanks.

After The Carnegie Club I was starving, so Google-ing “late night eats in NYC” brought us to Empanada Mama. Holy moly! A whole menu full of empanadas stuffed with all sorts of deliciousness. And they happened to have a Bloody Mary on the menu. I honestly didn’t want it, a margarita sounded much nicer but J made me.

empanadamama

$7 served in a rocks glass. Garnished with just a lime. There was visible pepper and spice, in a house made mix. It was very tasty, though a bit chewy due to all that spice. It didn’t mix well, the spice kept sinking to the bottom and I had to stir it up each time before I drank any. It had a citrus bite to it and a good spice level, and I didn’t even ask for it spicy (I forgot and the server didn’t ask). It’s hard to pin point a specific reason why it was so tasty, but it was good. Though I still think a margarita would have been delicious 🙂

We also stopped into an Irish Pub across the street from the Belasco Theatre right after we left Hedwig, and figuring they wouldn’t have had a Bloody Mary, I ordered a Guinness. J then asked where we could get a good Bloody, and the bartender said they had one. And not just a crap one like you’d guess, but a house made mix. Color me disappointed in my Guinness, but I didn’t want to have another drink there. The bartender let us taste the mix, which had a lot of potential (although straight mix in a glass was like drinking Ragu haha). Perhaps in March we’ll have to stop in and try it (and figure out what the name of the place was).

Trattoria Aroma

Visited Trattoria Aroma for the first time a few weeks ago for a late dinner. I’ve heard a lot about it, as it gets mentioned in “Best of” lists for having a good brunch in Buffalo and thus a good Bloody Mary. I wasn’t intending to have one, and didn’t have one with dinner but waited until after at the bar (with a bogo coupon!) It was mid week, since my work schedule is what it is, so I wasn’t sure they’d actually have a mix ready, but the bartender was happy to make one.

aroma

It was your standard bloody in a pint glass with 2 olives, lemon and lime garnish. I tried to watch her make it, but she was at the far end of the bar. I caught her using boxed tomato juice, and Frank’s hot sauce, along with pepper but then she added stuff I couldn’t see. It had a good spice level and liquidity, but it was disappointingly average for a place that is consistently voted as having the best brunch in Buffalo.

But I will give them a pass, because not long after, I read yet another review of Trattoria Aroma’s brunch where they mention their outstanding Bloody Mary – in fact a whole Bloody Mary menu! So it appears that their mid week Bloody is fairly standard, made with the ingredients on hand, but their brunch Bloody is great.

Alas due to working nights I may never find out. Now may be my only chance as I have weekends off for the next 3 months. I just need to find a buddy to wake up and go with me!

St Louis Days 3 and 4

The last day and a half of my stay in St Louis had to bring us to the other Rooster location, as I had to have the Bloody Fairy. When I saw this listed on their website, there was no choice. If I had no other drink on this vacation, it had to be this one. I can’t say I was looking forward to it, or that I thought it was going to be delicious. But there was no way I could pass it up.

A Bloody Mary made with absinthe.

I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

I have a bit of history with absinthe. I am attracted to the history of the drink and the myth that surrounds it. I invested in a bottle while it was still illegal, and I struggled to find a way to successfully drink it, as it is rather difficult to choke down. The traditional way, with water and a sugar cube (do not light it on fire you noobs!), is still quite wretched. I’ve had an absinthe frappe in New Orleans. I had it in a layered shooter style drink with sambuca and baileys in Kiev, called a Hiroshima (I really ordered it for the name haha), and I’ve drank it straight. It’s just difficult to drink. I really couldn’t imagine what it could possibly taste like mixed with a tomato base. But I knew I couldn’t pass it up, because when would I ever see an absinthe Bloody Mary again?

So we made it to Rooster downtown right before it closed so I could order the Bloody Fairy. The bartender questioned my choice, asked if I liked licorice flavor and I assured her I knew what absinthe was. She said she was making sure because the Bloody Fairy was the most often sent back drink on the menu.

bloodyfairy

The small size was $5, with a salt and chili powder rim. This time I got the 2 olive and peperoncini garnish with a lemon stuck in there that was missing from the day before. This drink definitely wins the award for Most Unusual Bloody Mary in the world. There is such a strong taste of absinthe it drowns out almost all of the tomato taste from their 17 ingredient house mix. It was not at all spicy, as it seems their house mix is not spiced (they offer a Bloody ‘ell spicy Bloody that I didn’t have the opportunity to try), and I’m not sure adding spice to the flavor of absinthe would be a good idea. It was just so bizarre! So much herbal licorice flavor! Strangely it wasn’t bad though. I really didn’t think those flavors would mix well, but it turns out it might be the only tolerable way to drink absinthe. It definitely has been the best absinthe cocktail I’ve had.

The bartender was surprised I drank it all, she can’t even stand the smell of absinthe when she’s mixing them!

Later on that day we swang by Barrister’s, also on the Best Of list I found before I traveled. Also known for their Make Your Own bar during brunch, we had to settle for a bartender made drink since it was Wednesday.

barristers

Served in a pint glass with a salt and chili rim and 2 olives, a lemon and lime garnish, they use a house made mix which was very thick and chewy. There was visible pepper and not at all vinegary. The spice lingered quite a bit and clearly was not from a generic hot sauce like Frank’s. It tasted good, but was just so thick and chewy it was like drinking spicy pasta sauce. I couldn’t quite get past it, it was just far too thick for me. As the ice melted and it got less chewy it was more enjoyable. But I couldn’t order one from there again knowing how thick they are.

My last Bloody Mary in St Louis was nicely prepared for me by my aunt’s personal trainer Kelly. She mentioned my quest to him while working out, and he claimed he made the best one in St Louis and invited us over to give his a try.

kellys

(My aunt with Kelly….I mean Kelly’s dog)

Kelly starts with a large jug of Mr and Mrs T’s bold and spicy mix, removes a bit and adds in some of Mr and Mrs T’s horseradish mix, and mixes in some creamy horseradish and even more raw horseradish from a jar. He shakes that up, adds in bacon bits and svedka vodka and voila. Garnished with peperoncini and blue cheese stuffed olives (I passed on the olives), the Bloody had a good taste and spice level from the horseradish. It had a good liquidity and wasn’t chewy at all, and after the last one, that was a welcome change. He said he made them strong and he wasn’t lying, we needed lunch after that! Thanks Kelly!

St Louis Day 2

Day 2 brought us to the other restaurant from the Best of St Louis list that I really wanted to go to, Rooster. Rooster is a breakfast restaurant often voted “best breakfast in Missouri” as well as “best crepes, bloody marys and brunch in St Louis”. They were part of the Best Bloodys in St Louis list, and their menu offers 11 different kinds of Bloodys. I narrowed down the list to 3 or 4, and then down to just 2 that I felt like I just HAD to try. They make their own mix featuring 17 different ingredients, it has to be good, right?

So my aunt and I headed out to their new location on South Grand because it had longer hours than their downtown location, only to find out that their menu is different, and they didn’t have the one Bloody Mary I really had to have – the Bloody Fairy. And the bartender didn’t even realize the 2 locations had different menus. What?? Ok, fine, I settled for my 2nd choice, the Bloody Samurai.

roostersamurai

Made with wasabi, soy sauce and sake instead of vodka, the small size was $5 and garnished with wasabi peas! The photos from the Best Of article showed the drink also garnished with olives and peperoncini, clearly they were missing in mine. Perhaps a difference in location as well. My initial thought was that it was delicious, but then I thought it was a little weird. I think it was the sake, as in general I’m not a huge fan. The mix seemed to have a good taste, a nice spice level and good flavor from the wasabi (which I love). In the end, though, I thought it was pretty good. I had to get used to the difference in taste from the sake is all.

roosterlunch

My food was pretty delicious too – a southwest scramble with eggs, black beans, spinach, cheese, onion and salsa.

My aunt and uncle recently moved to St Louis, which was the reason for visiting, but I planned it around a Buffalo Sabres game, which was on Day 2. So before heading out to the game we stopped into The Scottish Arms. My aunt knew they had a nice Sunday brunch with a make your own Bloody Mary bar, but being a Tuesday, they of course didn’t offer this. They did have their mix made though, however I was not ready for another one yet, but my aunt was, so she ordered their Smoky Bloody Mary.

scottisharms

I did taste it, and it did indeed have a very smoky taste. Very Very smoky. And pickle-y. And very smoky. Did I say smoky? Served in a pint glass with 2 olives and a lime garnish for $7. It was smoky. Haha.

The Buffalo Sabres lost. Badly. Of course, because they are terrible this year. And that’s ok. One game closer to McDavid!

St Louis Day 1

I have returned from St Louis, unscathed. The trip was a bit touch and go for a moment, as the verdict in the Michael Brown case was initially going to come in the day I was traveling to the city, and some…trouble…was expected, but the verdict was postponed so, game on!

I was going to post from the road, but it seems the tumblr android app does not allow for posting photos inline, so I decided to just save it all for when I returned.

So let’s go!

I had some free drink tickets for Southwest Airlines that had expired in December 2013 that I brought along with me, because I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask if I could use one. They’ll say no, and I’ll have my water and continue with my craps class homework, or they’ll say yes and I’ll have a dreadful Bloody Mary. At first the flight attendant said no, but on second thought, I guess because I did ask, she said yes, and took all 5 of my tickets in exchange for one Bloody Mary.

southwest

There we go! An airplane Bloody Mary. Made with Mr and Mrs T’s Bloody Mary mix and Finlandia vodka with a lime garnish – a bigger slice of lime than you get in most bars. It was pretty dreadful of course. You have to be pretty desperate to order one on an airplane, but I figured it had to be done for the sake of the website. It was pretty damn strong though and gave me quite the headache almost immediately.

My aunt and uncle picked me up at the airport, we caught some dinner, and in the evening headed to the first destination on my list of Bloody Mary bars I wanted to try while I was visiting. I had googled “best bloody mary in St Louis” and Sub Zero came up. Voted the best vodka bar in America, they have the largest selection of vodka in the country and boast a menu featuring all sorts of creative cocktails and several different kinds of Bloody Marys.

subzeromenu

They don’t make their own Bloody Mary mix, they use Zing Zang’s, but I had only just recently heard of this brand so I was interested to try it. They don’t seem to sell it around here, or at least not where I’ve looked. The best of list recommended their Pepper-infused Mary featuring their house made 4 pepper infused vodka.

subzeropeppers

subzero

$9 in a pint glass with a salted rim. Garnished with 3 olives and a lime wedge. The Bloody had a strong celery taste and was very salty, and very pickle-y. It had a good strong spice level with visible black pepper. It was a bit thick and needed some chewing. It was good, but I didn’t find it mind blowing. I think the Bakon Bloody might have been a better choice, but I stuck with the Pepper-infused since the article had recommended it. If you go here you won’t have gone wrong, but I think I expected more. And if you like vodka, this is the place for you. They have a club which keeps track of all the different types of vodkas you drink, and you earn points and prizes including a jacket when you’ve tried all the vodkas they offer.

Before the night was over we also stopped into their favorite neighborhood restaurant, the West End Grill and Pub, for a quick snack and one more Bloody Mary.

westend

This Bloody was quite the opposite of Sub Zero’s. Served in a pint glass with 2 olives and a salt rim, the flavor and spice came strictly from horseradish as opposed to peppers or hot sauce. It was very liquidy, but not too much so, and since I like horseradish I found it to be quite good. I found a couple limes hiding at the bottom as well.

And so ends day 1. Stay tuned!

Fallsview Casino

Jason and I have been taking Craps at work – learning how to deal Craps – so we went across the river to Fallsview Casino to play, because what’s the best way to learn? By losing your money! Or in our case, breaking even! Hooray! A few years ago I learned that there was this secret bar at Fallsview, down the hallway past the stores, up an unmarked elevator, down a hall…and voila, a bar with a fantastic view (during the day) of Niagara Falls. Jason didn’t know it was there either, so after we were finished playing we went up there and had a drink before heading back home. I think it’s called O3, but I’m not sure. It’s called R5. (Hey, I knew it was a letter and a number!)

fallsview

This is my first Bloody Mary served in a Hurricane Glass! For $6.50 (Canadian) I was surprised at how cheap it was. Drinks on the casino floor (not free in Canada, and also crappy) push $10, so I figured it would be the same at the fancy secret bar, but nope! Garnished with celery, lemon, 2 olives, a cherry tomato and peperoncini, I was impressed. Add the salted rim for a nice touch. Nice spice level, but it was probably straight tomato juice with added Worcestershire and Tabasco. Their menu did offer options on flavors, with different kinds of Tabasco, like Chipotle but the bartender didn’t ask my preference (perhaps because I just asked for super spicy). It was good, just fairly standard. They get points for the garnish though.

The bar has a giant cocktail menu, which is unfortunately not online, and they serve a small selection of appetizers. They have some extremely expensive cocktails that include precious stones for that special occasion, in case you’re looking 🙂

I am currently on my way to St Louis to visit my aunt, to watch the Sabres lose some more and to taste some Bloodys! I googled some “best Bloodys” for St Louis and found a few potential locations. We’ll see!

The Griffon Pub

Niagara Falls, NY is a bit of a tragic city. We have this amazing natural wonder of the world, but the area immediately around it is lacking in attractions other than the casino. Go a few miles away and we have an outlet mall and shopping district that finally, FINALLY, after years has more than just Applebees, to eat at. We now have The Griffon Pub. The building used to be this fairly crummy diner that I would eat at from time to time with LeighAnne when we lived near by, and The Griffon totally remodeled it into a comfy gastropub. Since they are more of a pub than a cocktail bar, they have an extensive beer list, they do have a full bar, so I asked for a Bloody Mary to see how they’d do.

griffon

Served in a pint glass for $6, this Bloody was garnished with 3 olives, a lemon and a lime. It was very spicy despite no visible pepper or horseradish, and no Frank’s Hot Sauce flavor either. It was more citrus-y than you normally get, and pretty decent. Given that The Griffon isn’t a cocktail bar, maybe they just have a really good pre-mix.

The Griffon’s menu is fantastic. We went back to back days because we were in the area, and have gone back at least one other time since. There are just so many things we want to order. This time I had the Chicken and Waffle sandwich – holy crap, it was delicious. I had another one at a different gastropub a week later, and it didn’t hold a candle to the one from The Griffon. The staff has been super friendly each visit, and they have always been busy (last visit we had to eat at the bar). Finally something good in the Falls!

Sticky Lips

Jason and I took a night trip out to Rochester, NY to catch some music at Sticky Lips BBQ and meet up with my old friend Eric who lived near by. Everyone talks about Dinosaur BBQ when they talk about BBQ and Rochester, and no one ever talks about Sticky Lips but this was our 2nd time eating at Sticky Lips (now at both locations), and they are fantastic, and I dare to say, better than Dino. I don’t know if Dino has a Bloody Mary or not, but Sticky Lips does.

stickylips

Made with Absolute Vodka, and served in a pint glass for $5, this Bloody had visible pepper and horseradish for spice. The spice level was nice, and was immediately evident but didn’t linger. It was garnished with lemon, lime and 3 olives and had a good standard taste. It was a tad liquidy but it wasn’t really an issue.

I can’t remember what we ate this time, but it was delicious and we were stuffed. We definitely would pick Sticky Lips over Dino for our dining pleasure when in Rochester, especially now that we finally have a Dino in Buffalo.

Smoke on the Water

Staycation brought us to the yummy bbq joint near by, Smoke on the Water, located in Tonawanda right on the Erie Canal. We met up with a few friends for drinks on the patio, and I had heard they offer a bacon Bloody Mary, so it went on to the “must try” list.

smokeotw

Served in a soda class for $7.50, it seemed like a pretty standard mix. I asked for it spicy, of course, and seemed mainly spiced from pepper. It looked like it had horseradish in it but I couldn’t taste it, and it didn’t have an overwhelming Frank’s Hot Sauce taste either, which was good. Garnished with lemon and lime wedge, with a strip of bacon, it was decent enough, but not mind blowing.

They’ve got a great menu, and smoke all their own meat. We didn’t eat there this time, but in the past, it’s been delicious.

Back to The Breakfast Club

May 2014 brought us back to the Adirondacks for Memorial Day, this time hoping for better weather than 2013. It was slightly better. We still got rained on but really only for a day and a half instead of 3, and the temperatures were better. No snow, and we didn’t have to venture into Lake Placid to buy pants and gloves.

But we did still have to venture in to go back to the Breakfast Club for a Bloody Mary again. I had to see if it lived up to the memory of “best ever”

tbcmenu

They had the same menu of Bloody Marys as last year and I ordered the Fire Mary with bacon vodka again – “house made recipe spiced up with red Tabasco, sriracha and green Tabasco”.

tbc1

Still served in the mason jar for $7, this time the bacon garnish was not served in a crisped up slice, but folded up and speared between olives. Not my ideal piece of bacon, as I prefer them to be super crispy well done but it’s still bacon. The Bloody was also garnished with celery, lemon and lime, the 2 olives and had a salt rim.

tbc2

It’s still the best Bloody ever. It has a smoky flavor, a great spice level from the tabasco and sriracha, and a nice liquidity. You’re not drinking ketchup, and it’s not tomato water. A+

We visited 2 other places this trip, which also had Bloody Marys so of course I had to try them.

Delta Blue was a New Orleans/Mardi Gras themed place on the main street through town.

deltablue

It was a pretty standard Bloody. Served in a pint glass for $8, it had an olive and lime garnish. Spiced with horseradish and pepper, it was a tad chewy from the spices, but it had a good liquidity and was drinkable.

A bit outside of town, we met up with some of Jason’s friends for an art opening at Pan Dolce. Bartender Ashley perfected her own Bloody Mary mix using Absolute Peppar and a touch of Mama Walker’s Maple Bacon Liquor.

pandolce

It was a good spicy mix and the maple liquor added a bit of sweetness which made it different than the usual. It had lemon garnish and a celery salt rim. And she posed for me!

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