eat me drink me

Can I just tell you that I love coffee? Love, love, LOVE the stuff, and, because I drink it black, it totally makes my day when I stumble across a really good cup.  At RBC NYC in Tribeca, they have gone all out there. Enter, the Slayer. This variable pressure machine is the only one on the East Coast, and one of 20 in the entire WORLD. Wow. Handcrafted in Seattle, I can see why this beast is so special.  The three level system (which I am writing about for the New York Press right now, so more later), draws out a perfectly smooth, buttery shot of espresso.  I was buzzing so hard core after going there.  Of course, I also sampled a cup of drip Sumatra. Yum.  It’s no wonder the New York Times included it in their great coffee shop round up.  But there was a downfall, all that coffee and no bathroom.

Antipasti at Angelina Pizza Bar

Don’t let the name fool you—Angelina Pizza Bar offers more then just pizza. This family-friendly restaurant near West 105th Street not only has extensive Italian fare and a decent wine list but Chef Giancarlo Delanzo cooks his crazy creations in a brick oven with a rotating floor. As pies like the Bella Angelina (with zucchini flowers, smoked salmon and goat cheese, $18 or $24) or the Bianco Forte (with garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, spicy sausage and hot peppers, $16 or $22) circle the fire, Delanzo dishes up small bowls with various meats, cheese and vegetables. Within minutes, the pizzas have cooked and the chef has completed an antipasti plate ($6 to $14). A bright-eyed waiter picks it up and the process starts again. (READ THE REST AT THE WEST SIDE SPIRIT)

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*ehh ehh

*akek akek

Yes, I am coughing, which is not helping my horridly sore throat.  So tonight, thanks to my lovely roommate and her bottle of Johnny Walker Red Lable, am going to try and make myself better!

This photo holds the key…

A lot of honey, maybe 2 tablespoons worth

About a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Fill glass with boiling water, but leave two inches of room at the top

Stir well

Pour in a shot of whiskey and take your poor self to the couch to watch a movie!

That’s what being sick is all about.

Ok, I know this is one of those shots everyone has in the deep of a Saturday night.  Though it’s named because drinking a Kamikaze can be suicide, this is a fun shot — and now I can make it!  Nobody complained with I lined the bar with eight shot glasses and experimented on them.  The first one came out with way to much triple sec, so I cut down the second time.  By the third try my patrons agreed it was good.

The recipe for four shots:

3  parts vodka (any is good)

1 part triple sec

dash of Rose’s lime (or fresh if you feel up to it)

pour over ice and shake, then strain into glasses!

Bottoms up!

(no picture this time because I forgot my camera)

Yes, I said “Bitch” wine — and it’s damn good!

Last night I ducked into Eight Mile Creek, a little Australian restaurant in SoHo, to watch the debate. A cute place, classic looking with a full, posh bar, I felt comfortable there especially when I noticed one of the wine bottle labels appeared to say “Bitch” in black, flowery script.

“Hey,” I asked Andy the bartender, “Does that say Bitch?”

He smiled sheepishly and said it was a nice Grenache, and naturally, it came from Australia.

Sold!  I paid my $9 for a glass and indulged in the mild honey and raspberry-strawberry scent.  My first sip went down smoothly, as the wine was medium-sweet.  The rest of the glass went down quickly and I ordered another (was it the tastiness of the wine or the pain of watching McCain?).

The Bitch hails from 40- to 60-year-old vines grown in the Ebenezer sub-region of the Barossa, in South Australia.  Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell of Ringland Vintners make it.  I wasn’t able to find a place that carries it to buy, but Eight Mile Creek (240 Mulberry between Prince and Spring Streets) they certainly have it by the glass.

While I wasn’t particularly fond of the antics of the debate, Bitch made it all worth while.

 In lieu of Sarah Palin’s performance during Thursday’s debate, I thought I would make a shot that hit close to home–and by home, I mean Alaska.

The Alaska Pipeline is:

1/2 Canadian whiskey

1/2 Amaretto

Poured into a mixer with ice, shaken and strained into the shot glass(es).

Most of the people thought it was a little sweet, but I was serving them to a gaggle of Sunday afternoon bar flies.  It’s a good girly drink with a mild bite.

For something a little more manly, try portioning it 1/3 Amaretto to 2/3 whiskey.

Enjoy!

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	Click on image above for timeline of wine making in New York and below for photos of New York wine label

Many people are surprised to find that wine is made in New York. When I tell people about it their first reaction tends to be “where do they grow it?” and “is it any good?”

The wine business is a tricky one. According to the Federal Tax and Trade Bureau statistics, New York is the second in the amount of gallons produced. But it has the third largest acres of vineyards and runs number four in the amount of wineries.

Wine makers in New York are eager to show the rest of the country that while California is number one in all those categories, New York makes a fine bottle as well.

One-reason grapes grow so well here is due to the nutrients soaked in through the glaciers that once covered the land. New York State is made up of eight main wine growing regions, Long Island, The Hamptons, North Fork, Hudson River, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Lake Erie.

While many of the wineries in these areas don’t ship far, they sell most of their wine to restaurants upstate. Not many restaurants and wine shops specialize in New York wines in the City. Stain Bar, in Williamsburg, sells only New York wines. So does Bridge Vineyards, also in Williamsburg.

More and more, New York wines are making the scene.

Click on the image below to see a video of the vineyard in Queens and a New York wine tasting in Brooklyn