christine "Beer-Battered and Buttered" h.'s Profile

Radnesses:
- Delicious cocktails. Last time I was there, I asked the bartender to make me something "tart, sweet, and fancy" and he promptly presented me with the best damn lime gin fizz I ever did have.
- Which brings me to - the bartenders. Courteous, handsome, and so fabulously suspender-ed!
- Atmosphere: like an aquarium - dim, definitely otherworldly.

Bummers:
- Crowd felt a little stiff, but what do I care? I'm drinking ma gin fizz in the corner and not giving a damn.
- Randomly closed! Don't go there on a weeknight and assume they're open. Call beforehand.

General vibe-age:  I dig it, brah

If I'm an expert on anything, it is, without doubt, late-night binge eating.

And I am proud to say that after almost 3 years in this neighborhood, I now have the whole cycle - from hunt, to purchase, to consumption - down to a speedy science. The secret: ZIAD'S.

Ziad's, an unassuming deli on Smith street between Bergen and Dean, is my favorite post-party pit stop for many reasons. Here are just a few off the top of my head:

1. They're open 24/7 (almost). I think they might be closed from 430am-530am on weekdays or something, but it's never posed a real problem. (At 4am, everyone should really be making an executive decision to either continue partying, or start eating.)

2. The owner dude (Ziad?? maybe??) of ambiguous Eastern Euro origin is kind of a badass! He's stocky and tough, definitely works out, definitely capable of fucking someone up if they were causing trouble (so things stay pretty peaceful in-store). And he's generally very nice. Once he did get really pissed at me for being drunk and eating my self-curated coleslaw and macaroni sandwich (???) at the cash register but that, I think we could all agree, was a considerable provocation. Also, he's usually there in the mornings and sometimes calls me "sweetheart" or "hon" so it's nice to start the day with that.

3. There's a cute 18-year-old cashier who looks like Drake. We are each other's "boos."

4. FINALLY : THE FOOD!

Ziad's has, by far, the best options for potato chips, packaged cookies (Berry Milanos! believe it!), soda, iced confections, and misc. 'fresh' foodstuffs (cold cuts; cheese; etc). (Their beer selection is as lacking as any other bodega in the BoCoCa area - but so be it.)

One highlight: their breakfast fare. Unlike most delis, they make a pretty decent, hearty breakfast sandwich for a reasonable price (usually less than $4). My favorite: toasted everything bagel with cheddar cheese, sausage, egg, tomato, hot sauce and ketchup - ask them to wrap the halves separately for optimum pre- and post-commute gnoshing. And their normal sandwiches are pretty legit as well (my picks - roast beef or meatball on a hero).

Another highlight: the deli chefs. Everyone I've ever ordered a sandwich from has been friendly, quick, and down with some serious sammy experimentation. My coleslaw & macaroni "creation" was probably not the best of ideas, but the deli bros served it up happily to me, without batting an eye. They even commended my ingenuity! I really respect and appreciate that. No one should shame you for the shitty food choices you're making at 3am. Except for maybe yourself. Nah, not even yourself! Eat more shit, live a little, who cares! [artery bursts]

And last but not least: THE JAMAICAN BEEF PATTY. These can be found at food carts all around the city; this I know. but the ones at Ziad's taste fresher than the others I've had. Maybe I'm biased, I can't be sure. All I know is that between the hours of 1 and 4am, there is nothing, literally nothing, that can satisfy my hunger the way a Ziad's beef patty with cheese (and hot sauce, obv) can.  It is God's gift to drunk Asian yelpers.

So there you have it! Hooray for Ziad's.

I used to hate Angry Wade's, for no particular reason. I had only gone in once or twice and had been immediately turned off by the loud music/tv, post-frat vibe, general dankness - that I would just turn around and leave.

Then two experiences completely changed my mind:

1 - coming here to watch the Green Bay Packers win their second to last game of the Super Bowl this year. If you didn't know, let me tell you that Angry Wade's is probably the most awesome Packers bar in NYC. That night most definitely proved it. The fans were rowdy but good-spirited, the bartenders easy-going - and even though the place was packed, everyone was respectful (except for a couple of drunk a-holes who couldn't tell their hand from kneecap).

2 - coming here on a quiet Monday night to watch a NCAA semifinal game. definitely different scene: quiet, mostly townies/locals like myself, low-key. It felt homey, in a way most bars in the cobble hill/ carroll garden area increasingly don't. A nice guy in the bar (a friend of the owner's, I'm assuming) was giving away tons of free, delicious greek food he had made for an event earlier that night. He let us take heaping platefuls of the stuff - like a neighbor would. Our bartender was also kind enough to pour some shots on the house after mistakenly giving us a cheese pizza instead of the pepperoni one we ordered. (shots over pepperonis any day)

the experience, in all, was awesomely relaxed, comfortable - the way a Monday night at a neighborhood sports bar should be.

With those two stellar experiences at Angry Wade's, my feelings have taken a 180. Angry Wade's is now my go to sports bar in the BoCoCa (barf) area.

Coolnesses:
- pool table (usually being played on)
- big screen

Bummers:
- sometimes too packed
- crowd can be fratty/tube-toppy

One of the most amazing experiences of my adult life was had at Candlelight Lounge, on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday night, dancing and singing with Lionel Batiste and the Treme Brass Band.

The night prior, I had gone with some NOLA natives to the Maple Leaf Bar to see The Rebirth Brass band, the group made famous by the HBO show, "Treme." While fun, the crowd was mostly college-aged, drunk, and obnoxious. Obviously I'm no expert, but there didn't seem to be much real New Orleans spirit in that room. It just felt like a good second line band playing at a rowdy college bar.

The next night, my last in New Orleans, I decided to check Candlelight, which I was told was legendary, and would serve up a more 'authentic NOLA' experience. I didn't really know what that meant, and probably still don't. What I do know is that my night @ Candlelight was filled with more love and spirit than I had experienced in a long time. The crowd was diverse - 18 yr olds to 98 yr olds, hipster transplants to NOLA legends. The band played for what had to have been 4 hrs, with breaks in between for eating, chatting and drinking with the audience.

Lionel Batiste (http://en.wikipedia.or...), who comes every Wed to play with the band and dance with the ladies, entertained the crowd the entire night - sashaying around, looking dapper, being awesome. I'll never forget the moment I shared with him, dancing hand in hand, he, for some reason, w/ a child's parasol, which he was twirling in the air so casually - like a cooler, subtler Fred Astaire.

If you have one night in NOLA - go here. If you have two nights, go here twice. I don't know if the other weekdays are as lively - but Wed is a sure bet. Dance with Lionel.

I went here for Valentine's Day two years ago. Not the most romantic place, per se, but memorable and actually quite beautiful (in that solemn, we're-all-going-to-die kind of way).

There isn't a whole lot to see - some Grant/war memorabilia, flags, other fun American relics - I wouldn't plan on spending more than an hour/hour and a half here.

What makes this worth the trip is the mausoleum itself. From the outside, it looks like a typical 19th century building- dome, columns, marble. But inside, it feels much grander, regal. You realize that this is a pretty big deal for just one dude.

The openness of the structure makes for great acoustics - and a welcome expectation of quietness among patrons within the tomb. The near silence lends the experience a distinct gravitas.

Standing opposite my then bf, diametrically across the large hole in the center of the building (beneath the dome), I could hear even the slightest of movements & breaths. Whispers traveled like shouts. It was fun. One of the better Valentine's Days I can remember.

(RIP General Grant.)

Everybody's got their afterwork go-to, and this was mine. For more than two years, at least once every couple of weeks, you could find me at Botanica: sippin on ginger yum-yums, trying to order bar snacks (there are none), and more often than not, shamelessly googly-eyeing w/ their rotating cast of ambiguously foreign bartenders, all for naught. (Sigh.)

Then I changed jobs and moved 42 blocks and 3 avenues away. I barely have a reason to be in Soho anymore - and yet. Every two weeks - again, I find myself at Botanica. Still sippin on those yum-yums. Still begging for onion rings. Still being stupid.

There is just something about this bar that I can't give up. it could be the drinks, which are great (esp. at happy hour!). It could be its backroom vibe, solid tunes, worn-in seating. It could definitely be its clientele - all, generally, attractive, Sedaris and/or Safran-Foer-esque, dark n' stormy.

Or it could just be that this was my spot - always a sure bet, and always will be. You love what you know, and I know Botanica.

Look, I get it. Rude service, long waits, "fun" chintzy interior - it's all part of the deal. "The charm," I'm told.

But seriously. When you make a reservation for a birthday party of 10, and are forced to wait in a cramped, un-air-conditioned bar for an hour before you're seated, and then treated with zero hospitality for the entirety of your meal - (which amounts to twice as much as you'd pay at Shanghai Cafe, Joe's Shanghai, or New Green Bo) - the charm doesn't feel so charming anymore. In fact it feels like a big, fat lie.

On top of that - the food isn't even that good. There are some gems (I'll agree that the House Special Chicken is quite tasty). But there are more duds then not: the xiao long bao came in thick, sticky wrappers that instantly fell apart. The egglant tofu dish was oily, gelatinous, and oversalted. In fact most dishes were oily, gelatinous and oversalted. Guess that's another one of their "things"?

In a city with as many dense, diverse Chinatowns as ours (Flushing and Sunset Park! Please go there if you haven't yet!) - why, why go to Congee Village? Before my last horrible experience, I might have said, "Because it's fun! Because of the atmosphere!" But after the nightmare I endured last weekend, I am pretty sure I will not be going back for more "charm" from this Congee Village. (That is, unless we're going to the 40 person karaoke room downstairs. That, I will make an exception for!)

I grew up in Southern California and spent five years in Northern - yet never thought of myself as a Mexican food snob. Everything was just cheap and good -  that became my baseline expectation. From San Diego, to Huntington Beach, to Santa Cruz, to Berkeley, to Sacramento - nothing struck me as particularly exceptional or terrible. Everything was just "good Mexican".

Then I moved to New York. (I'm sorry to play into this cliche, but let's just be honest.)

Is it really so much to ask for some reasonably priced, unfancy, authentic Mexican food in this city? Haughty Mexican-Cuban 'tequilerias' - sure. "Taco trucks" in the back of hipster bars - got it covered. Chevys? NO PROB. But seriously - what does a girl have to do around here to get a decent $6 burrito?! (And don't you dare say Chipotle!)

That's why I love and cherish Fast and Fresh Deli. Their burritos (carne enchilada is my favorite!) - full, delicious, sour creamed. Their tortas - all tasty (and a little greasy, sure) and filling. Their Mexican candies, chips, and sodas - yes, yes, yes! I feel lucky to have a place so close to my home ... that brings me truly Home. Yes I went there! Believe it!

There is something pleasantly familiar about Moonshine. Not really sure what.

Maybe it's the musty, buttery smell (the popcorn helps with that).

Or maybe its the old-timey cigarette vending machine that greets patrons as they enter, lending a refreshingly devil-may-care feel to the place.

Or, most likely, it's a combination of all these things, plus the board games, and darts, and pool tables, and comfortable back yard, and live music, and good (reasonably priced!) beers. It's an ideal, low-key dive bar, with a nice staff, and a vibe that I can only describe as quintessentially Red Hook. They're dog friendly too.

I'll definitely be coming through for BBQs this summer. Thanks, Yelp, for introducing me to such a gem...!

Most pharmacies make me really anxious. Not really sure why. I think it's all the options, king sized candybars, conflicting odors, weirdos of all ages and origin... But not Bigelow! Bigelow is unlike any other pharmacy you'll find in Manhattan. It's old-timey, but genuinely so. It's charming. But not useless like most "charming" stores. It reminds me of the little stationery shop I used to go to when I was small to buy fancy pens and stickers. It makes me feel at home.

Bigelow carries top-of-the-line beauty and health products, but they're pretty weva about it. NBD, not going to make you feel bad about not buying them, or not looking like the kind of person who'd buy them. The pharmacists in the back are friendly, patient, and know many visitors by name. It's a sweet experience going into Bigelow. It makes me smile to think about.

Oh! And their Bigelow brand products are great, too. I just bought their menthe lip balm - a perfect winter salve!