Dan "Bar Man" F.'s Profile

The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I went to a street fair on Columbia Street one day.  We had pretty much covered the whole street fair in less then half an hour but as we hooked up Union Street we spotted Ferdinando's Focacceria Restaurant and it looked like a real oldie but goodie.

And it really was an oldie, having been around since 1904.  This is everything that an old, family run, authentic Sicilian restaurant should be.  It doesn't look like much has changed since it opened.  White painted tin ceiling, a red, gray, and white mosaic floor, pictures of old Sicily on the wall, just perfect.  Nothing overly fancy, that's for sure.  But enough neat stuff on the walls and shelves to keep your eyes occupied.

The menu had a lot of interesting stuff on it and it was too bad that I wasn't hungry enough to try more.  The Trippa, tripe in tomato sauce with peas looked good and the Vastedda, a Sicilian style sandwich looked interesting.

Don't worry though, they also have a lot for the less adventurous eaters as well.  Everything from Penne alla Puttanesca, one of my favorites, to stuffed Calamari.  Damn, I am getting hungry just writing this.  You don't see Linguini con Seppia (cuttlefish in black sauce) on too many menus.

On our first visit we had the Pulpa all' Insalata, figuring that it would be just an appetizer. This was just excellent.  Plenty of octopus marinated in a mild vinaigrette with garlic and some other secret spices.  Just delicious.  

The Mysterious Chinese Woman kind of put me over my limit.  She ordered a rice ball.  These are a traditional Sicilian dish and one that you don't see on too many menus.  This one was outstanding.  It is called Arancina and it is filled with chopped meat, peas and a nice sauce.  It is also topped with plenty of cheese and has a tasty tomato sauce poured over the whole thing.  

Because it only cost $3.50 we didn't think it would be so big and kind of thought it would be like an appetizer.  Wrong.  After we shared the octopus salad and the rice ball we were too stuffed to order anything else.  It probably didn't help that we got a nice basket of delicious homemade bread as well.

On my second visit here I had the Vastedda which is a Sicilian style sandwich made with spleen, layered with ricotta and grated cheese, and baked.  It is served on a hamburger style bun, but they make their buns and all of their breads on the premises and it is delicious.  The bun, that is.  The rest of the sandwich, not so much.

Now don't get me wrong.  I am sure that if you like spleen you would consider it delicious.  It turned out I don't care for it that much and it still wasn't too bad.  I guess I expected the spleen to be more like, I don't know, a heart or something.  A bit crunchier maybe.  Spleen is more like chicken livers, both in texture and in taste.  And I am not a big fan of chicken livers, although I do like gizzards.

Nonetheless, I did eat the whole thing.  Like I said, it wasn't bad, actually okay. Just not my cup of tea.

I am glad I tried it, though, because now I can say that I have had a Vastedda and, if I ever see it on a menu again, I will know not to order it.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman fared much better with her order, sticking with the relatively commonplace Chicken Parmigiana.  It came with a generous helping of pasta and a couple of nicely crisped potato croquettes.

Unfortunately, it was kind of blah and the pasta tasted like it had been re-heated.  The croquettes were excellent though.

I would still recommend this place though, for the ambiance, friendly service, and interesting things on the menu.  Plus it is in an interesting neighborhood that is fun to walk around.

Every once in awhile Bar Man gets a craving for barbecued ribs. Luckily, one of his favorite haunts has some of the best you can get anywhere (unless you do your own).

The Waterfront Ale House is also known as Pete's even though the owner is Sam.  They even have Pete's on their awnings, but nobody seems to know why.

They always have an incredible beer selection here and this day I started off with a Gulden Draak.  No, this is not a beer brewed on Long Island, once famous for their ducks. Gulden Draak actually means Golden Dragon and this is a mighty fine Belgian Ale brewed by Van Steenberge.

It has a dark amber hue that sparkles when you hold it to the light. There isn't much of a head, but what little there is clings to the side of your glass almost like spun sugar. The beer is thick and sweet, almost like a Scottish Ale, and has a noticeably caramel taste to it. It is a triple and has a nice kick to it, 10.5% in fact. You can pick that up just by sniffing, but it is just as noticeable going down. This would be a great beer to drink while ice-fishing. It would also go well with a chocolate desert or a good cheese.

Legend has it that Prince Arn, a knight of the Round Table, drank this after he slew the golden dragon. I would guess he probably drank quite a bit before attempting it too.

I moved on to a Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, another strong (9%) beer from the ever reliable Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware. IPAs are all the trend now.  True to IPA tradition it is strong and hoppy. This was originally necessary to keep the beer from spoiling on long ocean voyages. However, there is a trend among some brewers towards making them both sweeter and heavier then they used to be. This falls into that category. Whereas I would normally think of drinking an IPA to quench my thirst on a hot day (hey, they were once sent to India for the troops) this would not do the trick. Very good though.

I was about to sit down for my ribs when the bartender suggested that I try a Harpoon Refsvindinge Private Stock Ale. A good call. Harpoon brewery in Vermont collaborated with Refsvindinge brewery in Denmark to produce this exceptional farmhouse ale in a limited edition, only 100 barrels (so you better try to get it quick).

A very pretty dark golden color with a nice creamy white head. It has a nicely fruity, think apricots, and spicy, think pepper, nose to it and is very smooth and crisp. Very easy to discern both the malt and hops in this one. At "only" 7.8% alcohol it was almost like a soft-drink at this point. But much better.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman (yes, she is still around) and I finally sat down to our ribs with a bottle of Brooklyn Brewery's Local 1.  The ribs were delicious, as usual. After splitting a reasonably priced rack we still had plenty to take home for lunch the next day.

Sam Barbieri, the manager of Pete's Waterfront Ale House, is an avid barbecuer and has several trophies to attest to his prowess, although I am not sure if he is directly responsible for the ribs they serve here (they also have a mighty fine chef).

As much as I like the ribs here, and generally go there to get them, I often am sidetracked by the awesome specials they have posted.  One day I went in and they had just made some headcheese.

For those of you who might not know, head cheese, also called souse and brawn, is a jellied loaf or sausage. Originally it was made entirely from the meaty parts of the head of a pig or calf, but now can include edible parts of the feet, tongue, and heart. The head is cleaned and simmered until the meat falls from the bones, and the liquid is a concentrated gelatinous broth. Strained, the meat is removed from the head, chopped, seasoned and returned to the broth and the whole mess is placed in a mold and chilled until set so it can be sliced. It really is quite delicious, especially with a hearty rye bread.

As I said, I go there for the ribs, but they always have ribs, and how could you pass up a special like Grilled Caribbean Pork Loin with a Ginger and Guava Glaze? As you might expect, it was absolutely delicious the night I had it. They also have some of the best coleslaw I have ever had. I think it has a touch of horseradish in it to give it a nice bite. And they serve you a decent sized portion too, not one of those little paper cups like you usually get.  Their sweet potato fries are another great side, and again, you get a most generous portion.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman, who also likes ribs, couldn't pass on the BBQ Duckling with a Cajun Bacon Pecan BBQ Sauce one night.  Believe me when I say she knows duck, and said this was one of the best she ever had.

In short, Waterfront Ale House is my favorite bar and restaurant.  As an added bonus I can walk to it.

Oh, they also have a popcorn machine and fresh free popcorn is always available.