The Beer List

Someone asked me recently to name my five all-time favorite beers. It's pretty easy, actually, so here's the list:

Guinness Stout
Draught only. The classic dry stout, and when served fresh, properly poured, and not too cold, it can not be matched.
My favorite pint is at Kehoe's in Dublin.

Anchor Steam
World class beer and an amazingly successful hybrid of ale and lager styles. Refreshing, drinkable, and a perfect balance between hops and malt. I have been drinking this beer since college and have made the pilgrimmage to the historic brewery in San Francisco at least a half dozen times.

Anchor Liberty Ale
Bitter, hoppy, and assertive. For a long time, it was at the top of my list, and finding it on tap is always a thrill. Last I know, it is still being served at The Ginger Man and The Kinsale Tavern in New York.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale
A big bad barleywine, and not for wimps. Very dense, but with tremendous flavor, almost fruity. Strongly alcoholic, too. Annual vintage arrives every Spring.

Fuller's ESB
The best English strong ale. Beautiful caramel malt flavor but not too sweet. Quite good in bottles and superb on draught, where you can find it. In London, I always gravitate to the Fuller or Sam Smith pubs.

Honorable Mention: Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, Sierra Nevada Tornado Ale, Hop Devil IPA, North Coast Eye of the Hawk, Anchor Porter, Goose Island IPA, Samuel Smith Imperial Stout.

ARNAUD'S FRENCH 75 BAR in New Orleans

This may be the best cocktail bar in New Orleans. It may also be one of the best cocktail bars in America. Normally I'm in residence at The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street, but on my most recent trip to the Big Easy, I spent some time in Arnaud's French 75 Bar. It looks like it has been around forever, but in fact has only been open since 2008. Cigars are sold and patrons are welcome to smoke. Believe me, it's been a long time since I've seen bartenders whip out their lighters to fire up cigarettes for folks at the bar. But smoking aside, the place is absolutely gorgeous. Amber lighting, soft New Orleans jazz, no television. And some of best Creole food in town is available from Arnaud's next door.

Behind the bar is mixologist extraordinaire Chris Hannah, widely regarded as one of the best bartenders in New Orleans. On my first visit last Christmas, I walked in and he was elaborately preparing an authentic Tom and Jerry - whisking away at the cream in a huge copper bowl behind the bar. I was astounded with the care and preparation he put in to it. He's a soft-spoken guy - polite, professional, and a real master at making drinks. I was lucky to get to know him after a couple of visits, and discovered that he's not only a student of spirits and cocktail history, he's a great storyteller and conversationalist. (Full disclosure: he really opened up when I brought in a fresh chocolate praline from a private party catered by Chef Paul Prudhomme).

The bar's namesake drink is the classic French 75, a refreshing blend of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and champagne. The French 75 is frequently made with cognac instead of gin - afterall, it was named after the French 75mm field gun, a popular weapon of World War I. Chris serves it either way.

The cocktail list is thrilling, and topping my list is the Curari.

Here's the recipe:

2 oz. rye
3/4 oz. ruby port
3/4 oz. Amaro Cora
2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters #6

And here's Chris Hannah bringing the joy.

Cheers!

CASA MONO Delicioso!

Bright and sunny Saturday afternoon in New York City. Walked around the Union Square Greenmarket and then stopped in for lunch at Casa Mono on East 17th St and Irving Place. This tiny Spanish, or rather, Catalan, spot has always been a favorite of mine, and I'm happy to say it is just as good as ever.

I began with a glass with the house Cava ($9), which was delicious paired with bacalao croquetas. Delicious, salty, and served with orange aioli. Followed shortly by duck breast with roasted sunchokes and tomatoes and lamb chops with garbanzos and harissa. Casa Mono is also doing a very unusual take on patatas bravas. Traditionally fried and served with aioli, these patatas bravas were fingerling potatoes served in whole chunks, tossed in an amazingly rich tomato sauce that was spiked with smoky paprika and garnished with a handful of thinly cut scallions. Not at all what I was expecting, but very satisfying.

New at Casa Mono these days is a selection of plates from a "whole Hudson Valley pig:" Charcuterie with Sour Puss Pickles, Crispy Pork Belly with Greenmarket Apples, Pork Croquetas with Green Tomatoes and Spicy Alioli, and Chorizo with Fabada and Horseradish. Other can't-miss items on the menu I've had in the past: Pan Con Tomate, Skirt Steak with Onion Marmelaide, Scallops with Clementines.

The tables are cramped at Casa Mono - I received four or five solid thumps in back from waiters scurrying past- but there's ample space at the bar. Service is professional and efficient - I asked about the fantastic olive oil that was served with a basket of crusty bread, and our waiter explained how it was their own Spanish blend, infused with herbs.

The magnificent wine list of Casa Mono and Bar Jamon, next door, is quite simply the best selection of vino des Espana in New York. In a city where Spanish cuisine is notoriously inauthentic, Casa Mono is the real deal. Delicioso!

Burger Bash at LURE FISH BAR

My intrepid Burger Club met last night at a most unlikely spot for a great New York City hamburger: Lure Fish Bar on Mercer Street in SoHo. Little did we know that Lure's chef Josh Capon had recently won the People's Choice award at Rachael Ray's "Burger Bash" competition at Madison Square Garden last October, edging out quite a few big-name celebrity chefs. So when we discovered that this big, modern seafood restaurant had two different burgers on the menu and a specialty burger off-the-menu, we knew we were in for something good.

First, on the menu there is a Lure Style Burger - lettuce, tomato, American cheese, brioche bun. Then there is the off-the-menu surprise: the prize-winning Bash Burger ($14), a 6oz patty from Pat La Freida (premium blend), caramelized onion and bacon jam, shaved pickles, american cheese, and secret sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. Served with french fries and 2 big fat onion rings atop the burgers. This is a seriously tasty cheeseburger, loosely packed, perfectly seasoned, and bursting with flavor.

Now when the kitchen in a seafood restaurant gets an order of seven burgers from one table, they get excited. Shortly after our order was taken, Lure's Executive Chef Josh Capon came bounding out of the kitchen to announce they were out of burgers and buns. We groaned, and he laughed: "what's going on guys?" Capon is a loud, gregarious New Yorker, and he happily boasted about the whole Burger Bash deal. But he was up to the challenge: "I'm gonna kill this for you guys!" We were promptly served, and except for one hamburger that mistakenly came with cheese, he nailed it. He appeared at the table once more, soaking up the compliments, and before he left, pointed to my burger and exclaimed "look at that: perfect!" It was indeed.

Vino Italiano!

Here are two delicious Italian red wines that I've been drinking at home this winter and can heartily recommend:

Savuto Odoardi 2005
This is a full bodied, dry red wine from the Calabria region. It is delightfully complex, but also smooth and easy-drinking. Not overly fruity, there is a lovely and restrained plum flavor to this wine. Beautiful dark color as well. Savuto is a varietal and Odoardi is one of the most well-known and historic estates in Southern Italy. Tremendous value, around $15 retail, and you might be lucky to find it in selected Italian restaurants.

Ramitello Di Majo Norante 2005

From a large producer of some of Italy's greatest wine values, most notably the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese ($10). An unsual blend of 80% Prugnolo and 20% Aglianico, Ramitello is another well balanced, medium-bodied wine. Dry, spicy, and somewhat earthy, it's much better as it opens up and aerates. Around $15. From the tiny Molise region on the Adriatic coast.

Sunday Brunch at THE BLUE PIG TAVERN in Cape May, New Jersey

Located in the famous Congress Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, The Blue Pig Tavern serves one of the best versions of Eggs Benedict I've ever had. I'd had it several times in the past few years, and was delighted to see it on the Sunday brunch menu yesterday. The Congress Hall Signature Benedict ($11) is two perfectly poached eggs, served over crispy imported pancetta atop a cheddar and scallion biscuit. Topped with a white truffle hollandaise sauce. Absolutely delicious! It is served with homestyle potatoes, which are nice when they are served hot, but somehow that is a feat the kitchen has not yet mastered. There are other temptations at the Blue Pig Tavern, but trust me on this, the CH Signature Benedict is a five star dish.

Tap Room at COLICCHIO & SONS

Craftsteak, once part of the 10th Avenue restaurant row with Del Posto and the short-lived John Dory, is now Colicchio & Sons. I had always liked the space in the front room - high ceilings, huge windows, long bar - and with a few changes, that front lounge has become the Tap Room. Now there's a pizza oven where the raw bar once was, 12 new taps of artisanal beer, and the televisions are gone. It retains that American big box feel, and from the bar you can see the busy West Side Highway and the Hudson River in the distance.

The Tap Room menu is superb: very well-priced, starters, main courses, and two pizza specials(both vegetarian, oddly). I ordered a specialty drink from the cocktail menu, The Pitmaster's Punch, which was an interesting concoction of Old Overholt Rye whiskey, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and iced tea. It was light and frothy and delicious.

The selection of beer is impressive. About 25 varieties on tap, and another dozen in bottles. No big names, mostly small artisanal selections. Funny thing, though, nobody seemed to be drinking beer when I was there. The bar was busy making cocktails and serving wine, so I wonder if the Tap Room will actually draw the serious microbrew audience.

My main course, and only course that night, was the Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, Leeks, and Potatoes (pictured here). Served medium-rare to rare, it was stunning. $23. The restaurant has definitely moved away from Craftsteak's high-end steak concept with offferings of quail, baked rigatoni, roasted clams, bone marrow, and herb roasted poussin on the menu.

One other comment about the Tap Room. The music was playing in the restaurant was amazing. An eclectic mix of blues, New Orleans R&B, Americana - everything to BB King to Levon Helm to Professor Longhair to John Hiatt. The bartender told me the music was controlled by Tom Colicchio himself, straight off his personal iPod. He's got soul.