Against the Grain

The sidecar to the main Grape and Grain, Against the Grain is the most ideal place you could imagine to throw a dinner party for 10-15 people. Yes, you heard me right all you people who are constantly starting talk threads or asking me where to have a medium sized dinner...here it is. Do realize that this place is tiny so you really must take over the entire room if you've got a dozen folks in your group.

With a well selected beer and wine list, I moseyed up to the bar at the back where Bridget, the magical bartender, waited with a smile. Since I wasn't sure what I felt like with the dreary weather outside she poured a taste of the "Nugget Nectar" beer that definitely blew me away. Peach-scented but still nice and hoppy, it was a great recommendation. More people arrived and as we filled the table with twelve rambunctious folks Bridget happily told us she'd separate out all of our checks...what?! What incredible, unheard of kindness was this?!

The food's all tapas style so it's perfect for a large group. Just order what you want whenever you want...no real courses or appetizer, entree separation. I went with the chorizo panchos...gussied up versions of pigs in a blanket that my friend Bridget recommended (yes, we're now bff) along with the goat cheese pizza and the salami pizza -- all of which I shared with my friend thankyouverymuch I'm not that big of a pig! Everything was amazing - don't skip the chorizo in a blanket. The goat cheese pizza wasn't as good as the salami. The pizzas are square and thick crust as well so don't expect a Napoli style.

We hung out for hours enjoying each other's company...while we ate we were the only folks in the place but as we drank more and more the "privacy" of our party dissipated and we were running around the place like giddy preschoolers. Bridget was a godsend...delightful and helpful and more than accommodating...

Really couldn't have picked a better place to catch up with old friends and meet new ones!

I went here once for a birthday for Mog C. And Mog C. is really cool if you have ever read her reviews. Oh and she is also cool in person. I like this place, it is kind of comfortable and warm, like an old friend.

We had the large, rectangular center table, which was perfect for our group in the brick walled room. Wonderful beer and wine selection. But you should really have the beer as the selection is unusual and on tap. The food was of course small plates like you would expect at a place like this, however the dishes were all done well and you didn't have the feeling you were being robbed at dinner.

If you aren't a beer drinker, well, hello!, don't come here. All others should come and imbibe.

I came here with four girlfriends, three of which had recent birthdays. Lori N. and I had called in advance to tell ATG that we were bringing a cake, and they were great sports and quite helpful.

Besides helping us facilitate a wonderful birthday surprise, ATG had a great wine menu for really reasonable prices. I loved the cozy feel, as well. The space is definitely small, but for an intimate gathering, it's great. We truly had a wonderful time!

I used to really like this place. I hadn't been back in maybe a year-- their menu and wine/beer list has dramatically changed. But here's the low down:

In a nutshell:
The bartender was high on something past the capacity to do his job, knew nothing about wine, and was also a complete jerk.
We were almost willing to look past his attempts to rush us when he had an empty bar at 10pm, his really really rude responses to our questions, and his "knowledge" of wine

(When asked to describe a wine it sounded something like this: "Uhh.. medium body." "Uhh... I'd say....light to medium body". and "Didn't I already tell you about that one?")

BUT on top of it... the sample he brought us was really bad. Like the wine you'd bring to a shitty bbq. He was mocking and hostile and all we did was ask him to describe a wine or two. And even then he tried to up-sell us to a bottle.

Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. I down three pints of this delicious boozy ambrosia at this deliciously cute spot aways aways from the hustle and bustle of the LES on a Friday night.

My boozers-in-arms, Andrew D. and Deanna W., and later, Carly D. shared the atmosphere with me along with ridiculously good soft pretzels served with whole grain mustard and pickles. And of course, really good conversation.

This is what a great Friday night should always be like. Tispy and full of fun.

Finding a bar to throw a small, casual party in New York is a question I've struggled with throughout the years. My ideal reqs are: 1. avoiding reservation/rental fees while maintaining some control over a particular area of the place; 2. avoiding places that require guest lists or bottle svc; 3. chill music; 4. reasonably priced drinks and if possible snack food.

Years of unsuccessful experimentation with various places made me think that no such place matching all four criteria actually existed in new york. No surprise then that a place fittingly named Against the Grain proved me wrong. When I called, they made the reservation process as easy as possible, and promised to reserve an area for our party of around 15. The only req was that our party spend a minimum of $250 aka a little more than $15 pp.

The night of the party arrived and just as they had promised, we had a long table with seating for 12. The place itself is small so it felt like we had the place to ourselves, particularly since it wasn't that crowded for a saturday night. Music was hipster-y alt rock in the background but not loud enough so that we could actually keep conversations going without yelling.

Beer offerings were not the usual brands of green, brown and clear bottle colors but were instead a diverse selection of domestic and int'l drafts. Even better were the surprisingly affordable list of wines--where else can you find good reds for less than $30? To top all of the drinks off, Against the Grain delivered with a solid list of light bites that complemented the drinks perfectly: my favorites were the soft pretzels, white bean dip, and the chorizo in a poncho (basically chorizo in a blanket).

What I was most impressed with during the night was the service. Since guests were shuffling in and out at different times, I didn't want a situation where the guy who drank 10 beers would pay the same amount as the guy who drank a ginger ale. Our waitress without hesitation had no problem with doing separate checks, and she made sure that all our glasses were filled and all our questions were answered. I don't think anyone who wanted anything had to wait longer than a couple minutes.

Overall the party turned out better than we could've expected and I honestly don't think any other place could've done better with the requirements we had in mind.

Helpful and Nice Bartender: "Hi Handsome."

Me: "Hi yourself! Um, I'm meeting a friend next door, but I'm a little early, so thought I'd drop in and have a beer! So, umm...which one of those beers on draught do you like?"

Bartender: "Well, I really like Razzle-Frazzle Double-X Extra [this reviewer can't remember actual name of beer right now]...

..."What's that like?"

...Well it's like [various adjectives, including "hoppy"]

...That sounds great!! I'll have that!! [having no idea what "hoppy" means]


Note to myself: Hmmm. I don't know if I like hoppy beer...*

BUT, I do like the look/feel/smell of this fine establishment, with dark wood, low lights, interesting seating (communal table, but private seating, too), way over by Avenue C, far from the mobs on First and Second Avenues.

And serving beers with names like "Used Engine Oil," who wouldn't want to come back?

----------------
*It's bitter.

Love this gorgeous tiny spot next door to Grape and Grain; if your tastes run to beer and you want to have it and only it chalkboarded on the walls, enter here. It's about a third of the size of its sister spot so isn't great for groups, but is perfect for small conversations that are more comfy over a pint glass than a wine glass.

Against the Grain offers about six drafts and twice as many bottles of different sizes from 12-ounce to bombers, so it's a smallish but good enough list. (This is coming from someone spoiled on extensive tap lists everywhere you go in the PNW, so I'm a bit more accustomed to a deeper selection.) I won't complain about any Southern Tier on tap, especially when it's Choklat! The selection is import/East Coast heavy, but a couple of Midwest/West Coast bigger craft brewers like Avery are represented too.

Don't be in a hurry because they might be out of what you want or else have to run next door to find it (did I mention it's a small space?), but really, no one cares. It's a lovely space with everything you want and nothing you don't, if what you want is beer without a fuss and just enough room to catch up with a friend.

Since the start of September, my day job has been nonstop. Since the start of September, my nonprofit work has been nonstop. Typical days for times like these include extensive meetings, long hours, tired eyes, and deadlines after deadlines after deadlines. I don't mind it. I like it, in fact. I may not always show it, but I do.

On a very recent Wednesday night, I managed to squeeze in a date night after a nonprofit meeting that ended at around 9 pm. Fashion Week deadline + nonprofit overload + at most 5 hours sleep, I probably should have gone straight home. Instead, I was looking to unwind. The weather was cool, my mind was racing with a million To-Do's, when I finally step into the bar and felt immediately at ease. Sitting at the long communal table in the middle of this narrow but cozy-as-heck space, I couldn't help but relax. With a nice list of wines to choose from as well as a great beer list, we settled in with a glass of Gruner and a pint of Pilsner from PA.

We talked, laughed, took our time and our server couldn't have been more hospitable -- coming by to ask if we needed drink re-fills or water without hovering or being pushy. Total yay-ness.

NOTE: My 4-star rating is for what the space really is which is the bar adjoining Grape and Grain.
- Great beer selection
- Small cozy, intimate environment
- Non-pretentious (which let's be serious, there are some places out there even in the EV)
- And they offer food - yay.

That being said, I wasn't thrilled with what I ordered from next door (which unfortunately I can't recall what it was... sorry). If I were to factor in the food, I might drop a star but that's really not the point. I'd be willing to try out the actual restaurant next door another time but for now, I'll leave my thoughts at that.