What We Learned Eating at 10 NYC Restaurants in One Day at Grub Crawl 2014
Pimento-cheese fries. Lobster rolls. Overproof gin. No, we're not describing heaven. We're just naming some random items we consumed this past Saturday as we wandered through two of New York City's most exciting neighborhoods to eat and drink in right now—Greenpoint and the Lower East Side—on Bon Appétit's inaugural Grub Crawl of 2014. Here are some pointers we picked up along the way.
Alex Lao2/13Always go bold with patterns and accessories. Exemplar: Coco runner Miguel, seen here holding fennel and golden raisin scones.
Alex Lau3/13A baby grand piano can double as a crab-cracking surface. Or at least that was the case at the Manhattan Inn's Maryland-style crab boil.
Alex Lau4/13Lobster rolls pair beautifully with cider—Cidré Dupont de Normandie, to be exact. At The Diamond, owner Dave Pollack (and husband of our very own photo director, Alex Pollack) paired everything from oysters to meat pies with one of the bar's many brews.
Alex Lau5/13Glasserie sous chef Tim Meyers (right) could butcher a bunny with his eyes closed (we assume—he did it with his eyes open for our crawlers), but he's much more fond of preparing the herb salad that's served with the restaurant's famed whole rabbit dish. "It's just a big heap of herbs, no lettuce. It's gorgeous and fragrant, and it's made with different herbs all the time," he says.
Alex Lau6/13Rooftop farms are bigger than ever, and we learned about a new one in our own neighborhood: Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, which supplies the elegant Alameda with produce—including the herby garnishes in their cocktails.
Alex Lau7/13The fastest way to start a party? Invite Dani Luv, the legendary Borscht Belt comedian-slash-musician you'll find most nights at the Lower East Side institution Sammy's Roumanian. Luv hosted the kickoff to the LES Grub Crawl at Spitzer's Corner.
Alex Lau8/13It is, in fact, possible to eat at Mission Cantina (whose tacos are pictured), Pok Pok Phat Thai, Babycakes, The Pickle Guys, and Spitzer's Corner simultaneously.
Alex Lao9/13Colu Henry, ladies and gentlemen. Bon Appétit's Special Projects Director can sing.
Alex Lau10/13Got a surplus of strawberries? Throw them in a jar of gin, seal tightly, and wait three days. At least, that's how the very talented bartenders at Nitecap handle the situation. The bar served two cocktails with spirits from New York Distilling Company, whose co-founder Allen Katz was on site to give some background on the 114-proof Navy-strength gin. "Thank God we're not seeing you two-and-a-half hours from now," Katz said, wisely.
Alex Lao11/13A Grub Crawl doesn't necessarily mean a sequence of little bites. The chefs at Contra, Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske, knocked it out of the park, proving that it's possible (if maybe a bit crazy) to serve three-course meals (pictured, quail) to four groups of gregarious diners.
Alex Lao12/13Sometimes, simple is better. Two case studies from Huertas: (1) "Gildas" (pictured), skewers of white anchovies, guindilla peppers, and manzanilla olives; and (2) the Kalimotxo, a.k.a. red wine and Coke. "It seems like something a 14-year-old would drink," said the chef, Jonah Miller, but once you taste it, you realize: It works.
Alex Lau13/13When in doubt, end the night with Lumpia Shanghai (Filipino spring rolls with sweet-chili sauce), chile-infused-tequila and watermelon cocktails, and insanely delicious barbecue ribs from chef Leah Cohen at Pig & Khao.
