0 Best Burger Hunt - Part 6 (Cinema Cafe)

When you go to a restaurant, you're looking for something to eat, the words "Possibly the best burger you will ever have" pop out at you.  To that statement I say...Challenge Accepted!

2 A night in Chelsea...

Recently Kelly and I ventured into the Chelsea Market (our first time there), and instantly fell in love with the whole place.

First stop, Chelsea Market Baskets.  I went in looking to see if they had a bottle of wine we could pop open while we enjoyed a meal we just made at Cook and Go. However, I did not find wine, but a very nice collection of local brews.  I wound up picking up a bottle of Brooklyn Bamboozle Ale (which I have to crack open, and am saving for my 30th birthday next friday).  Carrying that around, I found a section of different types of mayo, and I instantly went for the Bacon Mayo (haven't had it yet, sorry).  Just a few shelves over, was a jar, of my now favorite pickles of all time, and ruined other pickles for me, McClure's Garlic Dill Pickles.  These pickles are mind blowing, garlicky, and SO DAMN DELICIOUS!

After the Market Baskets, we ventured off to see what else we could find in the Market as we pretty fell in love with the entire area right off the bat.  Perusing the MANY food choices, we found the food court, and no, it's not your average mall food court.  There were so many delectable treats from different food stands.  My first stop was The Filling Station, which holds bottles on bottles on bottles of Olive Oils (which I regret not buying any, because I love olive oil).  However, what caught my eye, was that they had a growler station setup, with five different craft brews.  Being a dedicated Singlecut fan, I went for a pint of the Bon TNT ale, seeing as I haven't had it before, I wanted a taste before I bought a growler. Unfortunately, when I went back, the keg had kicked (*insert sad face*).

After buying my pint, I found Kelly getting us some food at The Tuck Shop, which is an Australian food stand that specializes in meat pies and sausage rolls. We got the Mac n' Cheese pie and the Sausage Roll.  The Mac n' Cheese pie, is exactly what it was, baked Mac n' Cheese but inside a pie crust.  The macaroni was cooked perfectly, the cheeses mixed in really complemented one another, the breadcrumbs were perfectly baked on top...now all of this was INSIDE a small pie crust...heaven. My only suggestion to them, add bacon :). The sausage roll, looked more like a flauta to me, but it was yummy nonetheless.  There was pork, sage, and quite a few vegetables cooked into this little roll.

We walked around the rest of the Market and both said that we will be coming back here frequently to try all of the other spots they have there, and I will be getting bottles of Olive Oil as well (YES! I said BOTTLES).  If you have never been, like we haven't until this night, I HIGHLY suggest you go, it's loads of fun.  Also, if you're just looking for something different, make a picnic, come find a table, and enjoy yourselves.

Chelsea Market

75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

(212) 243-6005

Shops We Visited:

Chelsea Market Baskets (@CMBStore)

The Filling Station (@FillingNYC)

Tuck Shop (@TuckShopNYC)

0 Beer Sips - Sunday Singlecut Funday

For Sunday Funday a friend brought two growlers from Singlecut Beersmiths of Astoria. 

First up was the Mad Michael Flying V SourLagrrrr. Has a very sweet smell to it, with a light color. For taste, it is quite sour, but really it's pretty smooth as well. For a beer that is very lemony in flavor, I didn't hate it, as I usually do with other lemon tasting brews like a summer shandy. With a 5.5 ABV, it's more of an occasional drink, and probably better suited drinking in the summer and not the winter. Give it a 6 out of 10. 

Second up, the 19-33 QueensLagrrr. The original singlecut beer. The flagship brew to Singlecut is crisp, light, and very tasty. Really cant describe the taste to it, though you can definitely taste the wheat and grains that are in it. It's also quite hoppy so if you get it be prepared for that. I'm giving it a 7 out of 10.

2 Best Burger Hunt NYC - Part 1 (Bill's Bar & Burger)

So, I decided that after many discussions with a TON of different people, that everyone has an opinion on what they think the best burger is in NYC.  A lot of people say Five Guys, no shake shack, no 5 napkins...I'm not quite sure if anyone can come to an agreement on the burger situation in NYC.

0 Beer Sips: KCCO Black Lager

So, as I'm shopping for beer for Thanksgiving (because you can't have thanksgiving without some good brews on hand) I came across the KCCO Black Lager.  The distributor only had two of six bottles left, just sitting on the shelf, so I snagged them. This was fairly exciting to me being that I am huge fan of The Chive, a dedicated Chiver, and have been dying to try it. If you're not sure what The Chive is, stop reading this, go to thechive.com, and than come back to read to the rest of the post.

0 Little Love at Love Lane Kitchen

     

This past Columbus Day my fiancé and I had our engagement pictures out on the North Fork. After a few hours we got hungry, and wasn't a surprise we ended up here. Love Lane Kitchen might be my favorite cafe on all of Long Island. The area it is in is beautiful, the food is fantastic, and the service is just top notch. I have never left disappointed, and I have NEVER left feeling like I didn't just have a great meal. 

It's small, quaint, and comfy cafe located in Mattituck on Love Lane. It sits about 60 people and also has a nice bar area as well. The decor has a small-town, rustic feel to it. 

The menu has many options on it, and a chalkboard full of specials that is always changing. Their drink selection is also very appealing.

For drink selection, I went with my all-time favorite, of a Sixpoint Sweet Action. However, I also went with the the 21st amendment brew free or die IPA. It was my first time trying to 21st amendment IPA, and was pleasantly surprised. Nice taste, good head, not an IPA that's going to blow you away with hops, but there's just enough to know you're drinking a quality brew.

We kicked the night off with the Truffle Fries, which are French fries covered in Parmesan and garlic. We had also asked for the Mac N' Cheese, but they were out of it, and I won't lie, I was a little bummed as I wanted to try that. The fries did not disappoint though. Between the mixture of the Parmesan and garlic, it was perfectly seasoned. My only suggestion for future reference, offer more dipping sauces other than Ketchup. Now, the fries alone were amazing, but I could have went for a little garlic aioli, or maybe some buffalo ranch. 

(Note picture was taken after digging right in, we were hungry)

Now, with many options to choose from, I've only ordered one thing from Love Lane. That is, oh so delicious, lobster roll. Seriously, this thing is massive, and will positively blow your mind. It comes with huge chunks of lobster, flavored with a mayo type dressing that has a real nice flavor, all stuffed into a hoagie roll, which has a little garlic spread on it. The lobster is cooked perfectly, very moist and very tender. On the side, it comes served with a generous amount of Parmesan fries. I walk in each time saying I'll try something new, but, I always end up getting this dish. It's really that good.

Love lane will always be my go to lunch/dinner spot when I am in the area. It is highly recommended if you happen to be out in Mattituck drinking wine, apple/pumpkin picking, or just enjoying a nice day out east. 

0 Greek food & Beer. In Astoria. Perfection.

A few weeks ago my friend and his wife invited a group of our friends out to dinner and drinks in Astoria. She suggested MP Taverna. I immediately said yes, well a) it was my friends birthday, and b) Michael Pisaklis is a pure genius with the food that is cooked there.

Before I jump into telling you about the food or anything, I want you to get up, call some friends, and go here. Now. I'll wait. Seriously. You'll thank me. 

When you first walk in you're greeted by a modern decor, with a large bar to your left and a line of high-top tables to your right (which I believe sit up to 6). However, if you're looking for table sitting, they have an entire second floor just for you. The lighting is dim, but just enough for a very nice social experience, yet you can have a romantic night with your loved one.

When you get the menu there is A LOT of choices, but it's two sides, food on one side, wine/beer/cocktails on the other. Let's get into the beer selection first.

           

For a restaurant, I was extremely impressed with the craft beer selection they had there. I would come here just for a drink with friends because I liked it so much. Most restaurants don't delve into the smaller breweries, (which is a shame in my opinion) but MP Taverna stays true to it's roots and we kicked off the night with a SingleCut 19-33 Queens Lager.  I'm going to have more on SingleCut brewery towards the end of the post as we finished our night there. However, the Queens Lager a really light lemon finish to it, but not too overwhelming like a Summer Shandy(which in my opinion is terrible).  I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this brew, but it was refreshing, and straight up delicious. Later in the evening I had the chance to indulge in another New York beer from Southmpton Publick House, which was the Double White. This brew was a little bit more citrus in tasting, and tasted more along the lines of a ShockTop, but at 6.6% ABV, it was very tasty.

                                                

Now that I have you thirsty, lets make you hungry.  We started our meal with with two appetizers, the combination dips and pita bread, and the fried calamari.  The combination dips consisted of Yogurt, Chick Pea, and Eggplant.  I'd have to say the Yogurt was my favorite of the three, with the Chick Pea(aka hummus) and Eggplant were tied, as they were equally good.  You get a nice stack of pita bread, cut into triangles, which we went through very fast, and they were ok with giving us another little basket of it.  The Fried Calamari is exactly what it sounds like.  However the best part of this appetizer was the dips.  It wasn't just your ordinary sauce in a jar on the side.  It was a spicy tomato sauce, with red pepper flakes, and had a real nice kick to it. The other dip you got was a yogurt dip, which was the same dip that came with combo. I've never thought of dipping fried calamari in yogurt sauce before, but damn, it was real good. The yogurt dip is basically tzatziki sauce you would find a gyro, which makes sense being that this is a greek restaurant.

     

For main course, if you are a fan of meat, or just an overall awesome main dish...you're in for a treat. With so many options to choose from I went with the Mixed Grill.  It was a combination of Cypriot lamb sausage, Pork tenderloin, chicken, and Greek pork sausage. My mouth is watering thinking of this meal again, it was just so damn delicious. The meat was garnished with onions, peppers, and a cream sauce. To top it off, on the side, were a nice portion of smashed fries.  I'm going to say this now, the way the sausage was cooked, is by far the best I've ever had.  I'm not sure if it's the seasoning, the pan it's cooked in, the oil...whatever they do to make it this good, I tip my cap to you.  The pork tenderloin was very moist, very tender, and cooked to perfection as well.  My only negative comment, was the chicken was cooked a little too long, and that it wasn't as tender as I was hoping.  But, with the chicken being on the bottom of all of the other meats, it was my last hurdle, so not finishing it wasn't the end of the world, due to the fact I was crazy stuffed as it was.  I HIGHLY...no I STRONGLY, suggest you try this dish out when you go visit, you will not be disappointed in the least bit.

             

                

                              

Overall, for the two times I've been there so far, my experience at MP Taverna , has been nothing but satisfied.  Between the service, the food, the atmosphere, I couldn't ask for a better time at a restaurant. Honestly, I really commend Michael Psilakis, and his entire staff, you guys do a wonderful job, and I thank you for that.



SOOOOOO......this is about the time I finish my posts, but I'm squeezing one small little part into it.

After a great dinner, my friends suggested we go to SingleCut Brewery.  I was excited, as I have been wanting to get there since they opened to try out the brews they have.  Now, since I had the 19-33 at dinner, I was more amped up in getting there to see what other delectable beers they have.  It is a small brewery, but it packs a punch.  We walked in and there was live music playing, and it was actually pretty damn good (I only say that because when there's live music playing at places, the bands aren't all that good).  I digress, the brewery has a small bar, with chalkboard menu above it. There are a few long high-top tables that seat at least 12-14 people, and are mostly communal.  They also, have picnic benches setup on the sidewalk right outside as well.  The place has a nice homey feel to it, and most importantly, the beer is phenomenal. I tried about 4 different beers that night, and wound up taking home a 32oz growler of their double IPA as well a pint glass.  Another go to place if you're looking for a good time, and enjoy GOOD beer.

MP Taverna

31-29 Ditmars Boulevard

Astoria, NY 11105

(718) 777-2187

@MPsilakis

SingleCut Brewery

19-33 37th St. 

Astoria, NY 11105

(718) 606-0788

@SingleCutBeer