Lara "Anti-Beer" R.'s Profile

They actually regularly serve breakfast during the week, focusing on their speciality - coffee and their changing varieties of donuts. This particular day they had a chocolate-hazelnut or a chocolate peanut butter donut with toasted coconut. I tried the chocolate peanut butter and it did not disappoint, paired with a price tag of only $1.50. My coffee was more than that! The donuts are more of the cake-y variety, not the dense chewy variety. More crumbly. I've since read they are made by adding mashed potatoes to the dough. Interesting if that is in fact the case - a flavor not clearly noted while eating. Thumbs up overall. All brunch entrees range between $10-$12. There was the Challah French Toast, served with banana and Nutella. In the end, I decided to go with the Potato Chip Frittata basically because for the life of me, I can't say I've ever seen this on a menu anywhere! The frittata was made with cheddar, scallion, and paprika, all topped off with fresh homemade potato chips. Oh. My. It was definitely unique. I'd recommend giving it a go if you're feeling adventurous.

We came to do their all-you-can-eat mussels. Our visit began on a bit of a rocky start, with us having to wait over 40 minutes despite having a reservation. They were apologetic once we were seated and they did send us complimentary crab dip once we were seated, a gesture which would have been much more effective if it had been offered at the bar during our wait. But mussels. Let's get to the mussels. You have your choice of two preparations - the traditional white wine or their beer/bacon option, and you can choose to change types from round to round. And I liked that as you opt for subsequent batches, you can either get a full or half order. Smart, since eventually, you max out. While the white wine might be the classic preparation, I was all about the bacon one (beer or no beer - you couldn't even taste it). The flavor was rich and added the little something that mussels need from tasting just ordinary. And the fries were thin, fresh, and crispy - just right for soaking up all of that wonderful bacon sauce.

Two words - watermelon mojitos. Yes. Do it. These were quite good and a perfect springtime addition. This Saturday night when we were there even had live music, which started around 7pm. It wasn't crazy loud but then again, it was set-up out front and we were tucked into one of the larger tables in the back corner of the restaurant. Oh, so yes. If you are wanting to book a spot in the UWS for a large party - this is definitely one to consider.

We started with the queso fundido with chorizo. So good. They only used small bits of the chorizo, so it wasn't overpowering - yet the chorizo was so good, so it was the perfect balance. It was served with fresh sliced bread, warm and slightly golden around the edges. We also had the plantain chips, which were great as well (but how can they compete with  cheese?!?) served with an avocado salsa and mojo dipping sauce. The mojo was super garlicky (which I loved, but you might not) and the avocado salsa to me felt like the poor man's guac - tasty yet they could have thrown in a bit more because we went through ours so quickly!

The paella is super generous when it comes to portion size - more than enough for two. They have so many differerent varieties from which you can choose. I went with one of their specials of the day- garlic herbed chicken breast paired with tiger shrimp and plantains. So much food! It even was served with rice of your choice (white or yellow - I had yellow) and beans (which I skipped) and a salad.

Next time? Tres leches cake, you shall be mine.

I didn't know much about this place at all when I went here for dinner last Friday night. In fact, I went in without even perusing the menu. What happened to me? I've gone astray. I digress...

Anyhow, we'd elected for an early dinner, and as I arrived I noticed the fair-sized dining area was a bit on the empty side. A little unnerving for me, as I instantly start to wonder... is this a bad sign? Is there something I should know? But I remembered this is one of my friend's favorite spots so should be just fine.

We started off with their tzatziki, which was creamy and nice portion size for two to share and put the fresh warm pita squares to use. We also got their grilled octopus. Flavorful and not overly chewy, with the exterior ever so slightly charred. Perfect. I'm always hesitant of grilled octopus or calamari since it's oftentimes not done (in my opinion) quite right. No reservations here. When people say it's the best appetizer on the menu, I believe they've got it right. Unreal.

For my main course, I went with the Bronzini, which is a whole fish charcoal, grilled and drizzled with homemade olive oil, lemon, infused with traditional herbs. It came with one side, and I went with the sauteed spinach/rice pilaf combo. Nice balance. Lots of fish, but it was light and flakey and not overwhelmingly heavy. Highly recommend.

To finish, they brought us a free dessert - a chocolate mousse. What's not to like about free dessert? The ambiance wasn't super fancy but nice enough. Good value.

I went to a Google Places event here the other day. I'll admit, I hadn't really been by this place before. Knew nothing about it, other than it was where I was headed this particular day. I was pleasantly surprised. There's a nice sized patio area in the back, perfect for nice weather. The selection of beers was quite extensive - I was surprised, even though beer's not my thing it was nice to see. I also liked that there were clearly regulars around the bar from the interaction they had with the bartender, yet this didn't make them ignore those of us who'd never been there before. Nice balance! And to boot, free popcorn. What's there not to love?

I went here with some friends last night for the first time. What a wonderful neighborhood spot. If I lived around the corner, I might be in trouble. Nice comfy set up. Super attentive wait staff. Highlight was definitely the bacon waffle. MMMMMMM. With Nutella and syrup, how could it be anything other than amazing?

Thinking about this place makes me smile. I went here on a first date and couldn't have picked a better spot. It was a bit crowded, but we managed to eventually score seats on one of the couches in front of the bar area. The set up is nice - stools up along the traditional bar area and then more comfy seating on several couches. There are tables in front of the couches so you can still eat even if you want to sit over there.

They have all sorts of great specials. Mondays they have 1/2 price bottles of wine all night. Their daily happy hour is 2 for 1 from 12-8pm, and it includes their list of upper end cocktails. So while it shows as $10-$12 on the menu, in the end it's not a bad deal.

I tried their Old Fashioned as well as their Manhattan. Both were quite good, but the Manhattan packed a lot of punch. Wowzahs. We also split their guacamole after watching another table eat theirs. The chips were fluffy and crispy. It did not disappoint. I'll definitely be back.

My friend snagged us a special online which was 2 of their AYCD brunch specials (includes drink and a brunch item) for $25 total rather than the usual full price of $50. I didn't know much about the restaurant but figured it was worth a try.

We went on their website before going and had the impression that they did not take reservations, so we planned to get there when they opened at 11:30. When we got there, they were very put off by our not having a reservation and we were bluntly told we would have to leave by 1pm. We understood the scheduling, but the communication style left a lot to be desired.

I ordered the chorizo sandwich, which was good. The chorizo was very flavorful, although It ended up being a tad heavy. Perhaps a lighter patty would do the trick and make it a more balanced dish. Their mimosa glasses were small (I felt like it was my water glass from growing up), but it didn't end up being a problem. Overall, the food was decent, but with the issues we encountered upon our arrival, I'm not sure I'll be rushing back.

To me, the Abbey is eveything a neighborhood bar needs to be. The bartenders are conversational (yet know the balance of when they need to curb the convo and help other patrons), the drinks are reasonably priced, the atmosphere isn't generic and stale (it's just the right amount of homey for me), and they have a dessert I just think about all of the time (peanut butter pie, what what?!?). I've heard the chili is good, though haven't tried yet. Though this is definitely not around the corner (so can never be my "go to" spot) , I give this one the thumbs up and am happy to be pulled this direction!

Last night for some reason, everyone and their mother was out - be it a bar or a restaurant. Insanity. I was trying to meet someone for a drink and my selection was a major bust. Thankfully he scored us a couple of seats at the bar here at Craft. I'd previously only been to Craftbar, and found Craft to be much more cozy and elegant.

The bar area was nice - not too loud, so it was a great spot to actually have a conversation. I started out by ordering the Firefly, which was  G'vine floraison gin, Lillet Blanc, absinthe, apricot brandy, and fresh lemon. I was sucked in after watching it's preparation before - involving melting a sugar cube (pretty typical preparation) and the burning and rolling of an orange peel into the concoction. It was quite a unique drink and I loved watching the passion with which the bartender made each drink. He was entralled at every point along the way.

My second drink was the Bee Sting, which was Maker's Mark, fresh ginger, cardamom-honey syrup, and Regan's orange bitters. I'm a big Maker's fan, so it was easy for this one to be a hit. I really liked the fresh ginger accent. Nice winter drink.

We would have stayed for appetizers, but found the menu to be more slanted towards a full dinner experience without any eye-catching appetizers. I woudn't mind coming back to give dinner a try, but definitely found the drinks to be solid.