Afternoon beer at The Gate

Summer days at The Gate's patio. Great relaxed Brooklyn vibe. Reminds me of hanging out at the Dog and Duck in Austin.

I love summer, and it seems my camera really loves beer.

Las Ramblas

My friend Laura visited from Austin, and it gave us a chance to take her to one of our favorite tapas places in the Village: Las Ramblas.

I'd always heard that as soon as you move to NY, you discover that you have many friends, because everyone wants to come visit and crash on your couch. I don't know what this implies about me, because I've been here for a year and a half, and Laura is one of the few friends that has stayed at our place. It's been all family up till now.

Laura is part of the Austin crew, and it's always nice to show those people who have known me for years what life is like in the city. I mean, Laura knew me when I was a broke a$$ undergrad drinking tecates and staying up way too late for my own good. Not much has changed, except that now we go to pretty tapas bars in the Village.

Las Ramblas, in addition to being a lovely intimate yet lively space, has very authentic tasting tapas. And I mean that as the biggest compliment. As Laura is vegetarian, we ended up ordering mostly meat free fare, such as croquetas de queso, asparagus, olives, and the delicious tortilla espanola.

And finally, because of the festive occasion of having guest, we ordered a Porron. I haven't seen porrones anywhere else, but i trust them that it's a drink at least fringe related to Spanish cuisine. Basically, it's more about the decanter you use to pour the drink into your mouth. Nate like to call it a hipster beer bong, and I think the name is quite appropriate.

At previous outings, we had Porron with muscatel wine, but since it was summer we tried the clara beer. In Spain, the claras I've had were beer mixed with lemonade, which sounds weird but is actually incredibly refreshing. Here they mixed beer with lemonade and I believe white wine. It was good but the carbonation made it hard to swallow properly (that's what she said). We ended the night with many a spill on our shirts.

The Belgian Beer Bar

Spent a nice afternoon moment at the Belgian Beer Bar in the Village. Good courtyard, nice Hoegaarden, and fries with flavored mayonnaise.

Rachel's Taqueria

I think we have found a new happy hour spot. We went out to celebrate because I FINALLY have some architecture contract work. After sending out my resume to a kazillion places, I got an interview and they called me back and want me to work for them. It's not a full time position, but really, with the economy the way it is, I am incredibly excited about it.

I'd wanted to come here for HH for a while, since it's two blocks from our place, and they had recently remodeled the bar area. Finally made it, and I'm glad to say that the margaritas were strong yet sweet, and mostly, they were only $4 each at the bar. Can't beat that.

BKLYN Yard

It feels like the Gowanus area is becoming quite trendy. Just a couple of weeks ago I went there to watch the Lost Finale, and then last Saturday, Kevin invited me to go to BKLYN Yard along with some friends.

I have a soft spot for the Gowanus Canal. I know the general consensus is that it's polluted, and the area, currently full of warehouses and industrial activity, ripe for redevelopment. But I always feel like I am in a little piece of Holland whenever I walk by. The density lowers, the canal is lined with moss, and there's a certain quietness that is remarkable considering this area's proximity to busier parts of Brooklyn. From a very selfish standpoint, I want to Canal to remain as is. It feels like a safe haven, much like people see Prospect Park. I also realize that I like if because of the Netherlands connection, it's like a little piece of childhood right in front of me.

From what I'm gathering, BKLYN Yard is an open lot, along the water, that is undeveloped. This might be site related (flood zone, brownfield, etc), or simply that gentrification hasn't gotten to it yet. In any case, right next to the Carroll Bridge, this site opens up as if from nowhere, full of motley chairs and tables, and filled with people.

The event had Red Hook vendors selling food, along with a DJ keeping entertainment. The lines were ridiculous, and the only food choices fajitas and organic pizzas, so we saved our energy and only had PBRs. Curiously, the beer line was incredibly short. Apparently, similar events happen every summer weeend, so I am curious as to whether the crowd was the typical one, or if everyone was out because of Memorial Day weekend.

I'm glad Kevin called me up for this. He seems to be really good about knowing events going on through the city, specially the "cooler" variety. His friends got there much later than we did, so I fear that I might have been affecting his game for a bit there. Then again, it could also be his very peculiar sunglasses.


It seems that summer is finally here, though it thought its coming in spurts a few days at a time. It's pretty standard, I guess, I'm just glad that this weekend happened to coincide with the 80-degree weather.

230 Fifth Rooftop Garden

After a long and brutal winter, it's finally warming up. Sure, the trees bloomed a few weeks ago, and I haven't had to whip out the winter coat for a while, but it was only relatively warmer, it wasn't quite nice enough yet. Now skirt and tank top weather is starting up, and personally, it's my favorite time of year.

Last Wednesday, Sabrina suggested we go to the Rooftop Garden Bar at 230 Fifth. Seems there was some type of happy hour with a NY Wine Group. I remember seeing this rooftop last year, when Nate and I were atop the Empire State. We were looking at the city below us, in awe of it's sheer size and structural beauty, and we spotted a roof top nearby full of teeny tiny people who looked like were having a great summer evening. At the time, I dismissed it as a private location, a hotel or health club, and put it out of my mind. I really shouldn't have, because it turns out it's just a bar, open to all so long as you are well dressed.

The Wine Group turned out to be a bit of a letdown, as they had no specials or freebies. They had just reserved a gigantic area of the bar, and we were free to sit where we pleased. The thing is, no one checked our ID or confirmed that we were affiliated with the group, so I'm not sure if it made any difference that we went on that specific Wednesday as opposed to any other day.

Nate and I were the first from our friends to arrive, and since we were relatively early, we were able to get a table with reclining chairs. It was still daylight out, the sun was shining, we had white wine, and we just relaxed for a while. Good times. Also, because our friends hadn't arrived yet, we were free to geek out and look at the buildings.It's interesting, one gets used to the constant presence of tall structures in Manhattan - they are everywhere except Central Park. But here we were, on top of a 20-story building, and when we looked up, we could see the sky uninterrupted by buildings. I don't think I had realized just how used I've become to the sight of skyscrapers. The only buildings that were still visible were the true high rises. Like the ones in the picture above, which Nate and I have helpfully nicknamed "The Aldo Rossi Building", because it looks like it was designed by Aldo Rossi, and the "scary super skinny building" because it looks like a structural impossibility. I'm sure they have real names, but we like our nicknames better.

Eventually, Sabrina, Jen and Jae showed up, and we stayed on the roof garden until dark. Service was terrible at 230 Fifth, but I get the sense that with that view, they are not at risk of loosing customers anytime soon. The crowd wasn't my scene; too many Wall Street types in expensive suits, but we had a good time. It was pretty windy though, my hair was at serious risk of becoming a fro.

The most amazing sight from the rooftop: The Empire State Building. This is the best view I've had of it yet. Usually we see it from the ground, where you can't even see the spire. Or, to have a complete view, you have to get so far away that you lose all sense of detail. Here we could see it, all evening, up close, and watch the light change on its facade.

Lost Season Finale at the Bell House

For some time now, watching Lost has been this thing Nate and I do together, we usually see it online on Thursday, over a couple of beers, and then I geek out and go to the forums at TWOP and discuss all the logistical plot implications, specially the cause and effect of time travel (are they changing their own fate, or are they so intertwined in it that by actively choosing to interfere they inadvertently cause the very events they were trying to avoid? We will find out, I guess.) Point being that this was a private endeavor, not a social engagement.

But then it turns out that my new volleyball team has some fellow Losties. Enough, in fact, that we named our team "The Others" (they were the badasses, after all). And Kino suggested we go to a Lost Finale Watching Party in the Bell House, within walking distance of me.

This party went all out, Dharma cheese-puffs, Dharma Beer, leis for everyone, a Lost Cake. And for future reference, Dharma beer is stroooong.

We were delighted to see Previuosly on Lost, a local band whose mission is to recap previous Lost episodes through song. And they are a total musical powerhouse, the audience joined in a chorus of Waaaalt!!, and lyrics included gems such as Be my Constant, Sawyers snark, smoke monsters, and the like.

We then watched the two hour finalie on the big screen. It was distracting watching a show so intricate with so many people in standing room only, but the audience was engaged, and hooted and hollered at the exciting moments. My camera ran out of batteries early on the festivities, so I'm posting a link to Geekanerd Blog to capture more images of this awesome event.

Coffee Shop

After a three hour long shopping spree, where Nate got himself a new suit yet failed to find the corduroy jacket he'd been specifically searching, we found ourselves hungry and tired and on Union Square.

As often happens in this situation, we went to grab food at The Coffee Shop, my favorite diner-meets-Brazilian restaurant. It's strange how often I end up here, because it begins to feel like an after thought, that place where I eat often yet never set out to make it there. And in reality, I would plan on coming here, but because of it's great location right next to our subway stop, we end up here before I would have made the decision.

The place is great. It's dark, and festive, and tends to have a crowded and lively bar. And though the patrons are usually spilling out of the door, the wait for a table has never been more than a half hour, and usually only about fifteen minutes. It's all about making things seem crazier than they really are, I guess. And it works. The bar bisects the main dining area, creating two separate spaces - the front a mostly standing-room only bar, while the back is the "quieter" dining area. They manage to get the best of both worlds, as Hannah Montana would say. And the music tends to be modern, a little clubby, but not too loud that one can't have a conversation.

I don't care what they say about the uneven service, or whether there is a bias for pretty pretty people. I seem to be pretty enough to always get sat fast, and I've had no real complaints on the efficiency. So I don't know what all those people at Yelp were talking about. Maybe I just have "low" standards, but all I know is that Coffee Shop gives me diner prices with a festive trendy vibe. And ultimately, that means I give it two thumbs up.

I like to get the sausage quesadillas, cheeseburger with herb fries, or mac 'n cheese. I guess I'm more inclined to embrace the "diner" side of the menu, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If there is one thing my life could never have enough of, is mac 'n cheese.

One of these days, I keep telling myself, I will order one of the delicious sounding Brazilian plates. Maybe I'll order a ropa vieja with a caipirinha the day I finally go the Coffee Shop as my only destination. And when this happens, I'll also be sitting on their patio looking out out to the Union Square crowd.

Can't wait for summer.

Gonzales y Gonzales

Dear Gonzales y Gonzales,

Thank you for helping me have a great birthday "party", where I somehow convinced a bunch of friends that the best thing to do on a Saturday night was to have margaritas and go salsa dancing. The margarita part was an easy sell, it's the willingness to accept salsa dancing that amazed me more. Thanks G&G for giving me a good meeting place.

Not that you didn't try valiantly to mess it up several times, G&G. Good thing you came through in the end. When our table was about an hour late, you made it up by giving us a great location in the middle of the dance floor area. Despite having the cheesiest 90's and top 40 music when we first arrived, you fixed it with the solid Latin band for the rest of the evening. We'll need to talk about the loud dj music though, I wasn't a fan of that. And though your service was horrendously slow, it was okay because it gave us the perfect excuse to hoard our central location.

In all honesty, I dont know how the night would have been if our table wasn't so well located. Good real state is hard to come by, specially in a dance club. Sure, it was louder than the "dining" room and harder to talk, and our appetizers never arrived, but it was an anchor in the storm, an island where to lay our stuff, a home in the the wilderness of the dancing crowds.

I am not sure if I'd go back to G&G, the type of crowd wasn't fully my scene. But the dancing was awesome, the drinks good, and my birthday was fun. In the words of one of my friends, it was a Salsa Moshpit. And I'm pretty sure he meant it as a compliment.

A night in Greenwich Village

Saturdays are my favorite. I can wake up late, go to bed late, and not worry about having to be anywhere early in the morning the next day. This is partly why last night, Saturday, we ended up being out much later than originally intended. I don't know how it became a bar hopping evening. The originally plan had been to meet up with Nate's friend Leonel at a coffee shop, maybe go grab a beer or two, and try to avoid the St. Patrick's Day craziness. Next thing I know, we've gone to three separate bars, grabbed felafel, and ended up taking the subway back at 3:30 am. At least we didn't deal with St. Patty's crowds.

Greenwich Village Bistro. This was our meeting place with Nate's friend Leonel. We got there late on account of the Q running local, and I my having some trouble making it out of the house. The place is great; looks truly like a small bistro place, with expressionist paintings adorning the walls and cozy welcoming atmosphere. Highlight of the night: a jazz band was playing. It was fun, they were doing their thing, we were having beer (I ordered a Pilsner). A very chill vibe, but we didn't stay very long because within a half hour of our getting there, the band finished out their set and called it a night. It made me really bummed that we got there so late.

Peculier Pub. Of course we came here. Where else can you find an fun vibe, lots of beer, the feel of a college bar, yet still have plenty of room to hang out? I'm sure there are lots of bars that fit the description, but somehow I end up at Peculier's more often than I intend to. And what can I say, I really like the place. It feels like I am "out" while still being the type of establishment where everyone wears jeans. The lighting is dark, though bright enough to notice the bottle cap mosaics decorating the walls. It's this type of DIY decorative style that reminds me of college bars, and feels very welcoming.

We hung out at Peculiers for a while. Nate likes to order Delirium beer here, and I think this is a big factor in his initial endorsement of the bar. Myself, I ordered a Blue Moon and kept it predictable. The Delirium stuff goes straight to my light head, and no one wants that. Least of all me the next morning.

Pieces Bar. I am not exactly sure how we ended up here. Let me rephrase that. I know that Leonel suggested the Pieces, but I'm not sure why we decided we had to leave Peculier's or why we came here specifically, so many blocks away. I know we were trying to get away from the excess of NYU students, and whatever bar we went to needed to have some type of coat/bag check, since Leonel was hauling his laptop around. He suggested Pieces, and I'm glad he did, as it was a very fun experience.

For starters, to get to Pieces we had to go on Gay Street. No kidding, it's a one block street, more of an alley really, but street signs don't lie. Gay St. it is. Once we got there, it had all the gaudy awesomeness that a proper gay bar should have. Except that this wasn't the martini fabulous type of gay bar. More of a mixed drinks, pool table, t-shirts and Christmas lights scene. It made me think of Indian meets Chinese restaurant decorations, except doubly awesome. One guy, who I assume was pretty toasted, went up to me and said, "Has anyone ever told you you look like Famke Jessen?" In all honesty, no one has EVER told me that. Probably because it isn't true, but I believed him last night because I was having a pretty good hair day. People always get fooled by good hair.

My drink was good. I like my cocktails weak, and Pieces didn't disappoint with the excess of soda. Best way to make sure not drink too much is to order watered down cocktails. Works for me every time.

Buy the time we left Pieces, it was 3:30. I don't know how it got so late without our noticing. I think my internal party clock still expects bars to close around me at 2 am, like in Texas, so I'm not supposed to decide on my own to call it a night. I'll get the hang of it at some point.

Lincoln Park Bar and Grill

After another great volleyball game, where we kicked a$$ and won all three games, we had to go celebrate. And since it's Tuesday, and it's late, we went to Lincoln Park Grill, on 9th Avenue (b/w 56th and 57th st.)

This is a nice dependable pub that serves food. Slightly recessed, it has the dark feeling of an urban pub. Which coupled with a dependable beer selection, and a healthy crowd of young people, makes for a good bar. It's not spectacular, but its exactly the type of place you want to go relax and grab some beers with your friends after having a volleyball game. Also, and this is not a small issue, they have discounts for Big City Volleyball groups.

I ordered a Hoegaarden and miniburgers. Usually we order a couple of pitchers of Hoegaarden, but it seems people are still recovering from their weekends. Their loss.

The miniburgers are truly teeny teeny tiny. The minimum order is three, and that's a relatively small order. Each weeburger can come with cheese, and they are served in little tiny toddler sized buns. Truly adorable. Also good, because they are two bite burgers , so no more dealing with a huge burger that falls apart when you set it down to get fries. Maybe I've just been burned in the past by structurally unstable huge sandwiches, but I just dig this bite sized concept. Good pub fare. They come with a choice of French fries or waffle fries, which are also good bar snacks.

Overall, I like this place. If I lived in the neighborhood, I might even come to watch a game every once in a while. Whatever game, I'm not much for televised sports anyway.

Union Hall

Last Night, after having dinner at Aunt Suzie's, I went to grab couple of drinks with J. We had bunch of stuff to catch up on, and Union Hall is a good bar. It's always good to catch up with friends, we get so wrapped up in our schedules that time just flies by, and sometimes I just need a state of the union type outing.

One of the greatest things about living in New York is not having to worry about drunk driving. I know I sound like such a lush with that statement. But its just so nice to be able to move around without needing a car. Union Hall is within walking distance of my apartment. It is wonderful to be able to go to dinner, and then grab a drink at a "cool" bar, and then walk home. All without having to leave the neighborhood. Granted, drunken walking isn't pleasant either, but at least it doesn't harm other people.

Drunk walking was a non-issue last night. At least not when I went to Union Hall. I had a Purim party later on, so the beers were just for an hour or so. Then J and I parted ways, I went home, changed for the party, and we headed out. Still in Brooklyn, but a different neighborhood.

I ordered a glass of wine, and J had a mixed drink and we sat at the bar. I guess it was early, because it wasn't very crowded. I have been there late at night when the place is so hopping it's hard to even find space to stand.

The greatest thing about Union Hall are the bocce ball lanes. I'm learning that this isn't the only NYC bar with bocce ball, that in fact, it might even be hipster thing to do. No matter, I hadn't seen bocce lanes since I was a kid. I remember being at the Regatas, in Lima, and watching the old men in their guayaveras, drinking beer and playing bocce. I also remember thinking that it looked really boring, like bowling without the excitement of knocking down pins. I must say, hipster bocce is awesome. These guys, in their fabulous ironic outfits, drinking nice Belgian beers, and being so earnest about their game, they crack me up. And they have skills. To this day I haven't ventured to play because every time I go its really late, and the sign up list is pretty full. It's not a big deal to wait, but since I've never played bocce ball before I'd rather not do it to a full audience. I also hear they have a boccce league, which seriously? brilliant.

Dive Bar

Tonight was a volleyball night. And we won!!!! It was seriously one of the funnest games I've played in a very very long time. Intense, full of energy, everybody was on and having fun, and we were playing as some type of bizarro cohesive unit. The other team was pretty cool, they were fun to play against. Sometimes we have to play hyper-competitive douche bags who sap all the fun out of the affair.

So on to celebratory beers. We went to Dive Bar mostly because it's pretty much the only bar around 97th and Amsterdam, where our game was. I feel like we've tried going there before and it was always crowded, so we coudn't get a table for 8 people and left. But since today it's been freezing all day, there was no way I was going to freeze my ass to walk to the bars below 80th street. And what would you know, we managed to get a booth. I think it helped that there were only six of us today, so we could actually fit in their booths.

Great vibe, good beer. I ordered a Hoegaarden, so it's not like they could have messed it up too badly. I don't remember having Hoegaardens in Austin, I was more of a Live Oak Hefeweizen drinker. (Which, on a side note, I have to give a mad shout out to the Austin Live Oak Brewery for giving me many many memories to treasure forever. It's almost like they sponsored parts of my mid 20's, along with Trudy's Mexican Martinis). But since discovering it, it is fastly becoming my favorite beer - light, tasty, and doesn't give me hangovers.

There was music, but it wasn't too loud. I like a bar where I can have conversations with friends without having to shout accross the table, yet the music is prominent enough that we can break into a rendition of Tiny Dancer without looking like total lunatics. And mostly it just felt like a bar. Certainly not a dive bar by any stretch of the imagination; this place is very clean, had a food menu and lots of professional looking people milling around. I guess when I hear the words "dive bar" I expect some old timers, winding down from their union jobs, and drinking bud light or whatever is on tap while munching on peanuts. Then again, I don't know what type of divish customers you can find in the upper west side.

The food wasn't as good. I'll go back there for drinks, but not necessarily for their pub grub. My mac and cheese felt too cheesy, if that's possible. P got tacos, which looked underwhelming. Then again, I have turned into a total tex-mex snob. A got beef fajitas, and they were the oddest fajitas I've seen in a while. I commend Dive Bar for including both sour cream and guacamole, which is always good, and trying to make pico de gallo. But the actual beef was swimming in some really salty gravy (really? gravy with fajitas?) and just didn't seem right. T got a burger that looked delicious. If I end up there again at dinner time I'll definitely order that. And since the place is so close to one of our volleyball gyms, I have a feeling that I'll be back fairly soon. : )

Las Ramblas

When I spent a couple of summers in Spain, I came to really appreciate the afternoon Tapas culture. People have big lunches, but dinner is well after 9 pm, so that leaves the odd happy hour window as a good chance to grab a snack as hold over till supper time. I liked going to the bars/cafes with the family in the early evening, and getting a beer and a snack (tortilla española.. mmmm)

So on that vibe, I am one of those people who is really happy with how trendy tapas bars are getting. Seriously, what is better than little sample sized shared plates with friends over some good Sangria.

Las Ramblas in The Village.  The place is cute and tiny. So small and intimate, in fact, that I have been in awe before of how they fit so many customers so comfortably in there. That's the thing about an intimate scale, you design lighting correctly and it feels like a restaurant is bustling with life rather than being packed like sardines. We had to wait about a half hour for a table for five, during which time we went next door to Tio Pepe and had some Mojitos. I am not a mojito fan, but these were okay, not too minty.

Once at Las Ramblas we ordered White Wine Sangria, which is sweet and mixed and peach and some type of berry. Very good. I don't drink red wine, so it's nice when places take the same care for their white wine sangria as for the traditional red wine. Then we ordered Tortilla Espanola, bocadillos de jamon y queson, croquetas de jamon, chorizo de pato, alcachofa rellena and some grilled lamb dish. For my money, they make the tortilla espanola to perfection. I could eat it all day. I liked their ham, and thought everything was fried it didn't feel greasy. I was bummed we didn't order morcilla, patatas bravas or albondigas. But some embers of our group complained that the plates were too small and that they were hungry and we made the decision to take off possibly grab pizza somewhere else to address the hunger.

And that's the thing about tapas. I don't know if I would recommend going if you are really hungry. These are not Olive Garden Sized portions. These are small plates that give you a sampling of a variety of different Spanish appetizers. I was a bit disappointed that some people in our group were not embracing the system. It's about having some drinks and having great food. Not getting stuffed on cheese sauce. This is not about a big sit down dinner, it's about the Tapas culture. And in many ways, Las Ramblas is one of the most "authentic" places I've seen in the US. It's small, understated, about grabbing some good food and drinks and going on the next place. No fusion, no fuss, no muss, just about the Tapas.

It's also a problem that since you are ordering some many small plates, the cost can get away from you all of the sudden. It's like sushi, you keep ordering a little here and there, and next thing you know, you have run up a huge tab. We kept it reasonable, tried a bit of everything and decided to go drinking and keep the night going somewhere else. Reasonable, and it the spirit of the place.

Before leaving though, we tried the Porron with muscatel. A Porron, which I had never seen before I went to this bar a few months ago, is something resembling a hipster beer bong. It's a decater, filled with spanish wine, and then each person tips the porron so that a stream of wine flows from the spout into your mouth. Once the stream and it's water pressure has been established  you try to hold the pron as far from your own mouth as possible by extending your arm out. Hilarity ensues when normal mortals tend to spill wine on themselves. Good times.

After Las Ramblas we walked around the Village looking for a place that wasn't bursting at the seams with NYU students before settling at The Belgian Bar, where there was plenty of room on the courtyard to sit and hang out. Good thing it was such an unusually warm February night.