As we’ve said before, finding quality Mexican food in New York City is like finding something on MTV that doesn’t make the planet dumber. Mexico Lindo is the needle in the haystack, and we’ve been satisfying our Mexican cravings there for years. A true family run establishment, Lindo has a homey feel, be it a quirky one. The best dishes in the house are the standards (tacos al carbon, fajitas, and enchiladas), although a few surprises on the menu keep things interesting. The black bean soup comes garnished with chopped red onion and banana, and is ridiculously good. Any steak dish is a winner, and the guacamole and salsa are very good. Note, if you’re looking for a pomegranate margarita, then you’ve apparently stumbled into the wrong place on your way to Tonic East. Mexico Lindo is for those out to drink a few Pacificos and put a hurting on a giant plate of fajitas. Now you know.
We are spoiled in this city…especially when it comes to food, booze, and the general pursuit of things that make us feel good. In a place where pretty much anything you can think of is no further than a cab ride away, it’s easy to become jaded and complain about the few things you can’t get. We have our own list of luxuries that we feel deprived of, and it includes, but is not limited to the following: good Mexican food, streets that don’t smell like pee, and true beer bars that know their shit.
Now that we’ve been to Blind Tiger, we will retract that last part. I grew up in Colorado, and went to college in Fort Collins, which is place that several very successful breweries call home. Needless to say, I became accustomed to drinking in bars with incredible beer selections. What I also became accustomed to, was eating some kind of terrible chicken ranch sandwich for dinner in these places, because that’s what you get in Fort Collins (ranch dressing is a religion in this part of the country). What we have found at Blind Tiger is a New York City bar that actually has an extensive microwbrew selection AND excellent food. Unfortunately, we’re not the only ones that know it. The place gets very crowded at times, but weekend afternoons are perfect, as are late nights when you need a good beer and a grilled cheese. The wings and sandwiches are also excellent, and it’s a great place to mix it up and meet people. Be warned though – the bar staff know their beer, but they’re not very friendly. We’ll let it slide…but only because there are Colorado brews on the tap every once in a while.
Respect. We’ve got a lot of it for Old Town, a straight forward burgers, beer, and whisky kind of place. Over a century of Big Apple history lies within these walls, saturated into their prohibition-era marble bar and stained all over their vintage urinals and toilets. Old Town’s no frills formula has been working for generations. It’s all about the company you keep and beer you drink. It worked back when my grandfather used to come here for a game of checkers. It worked when my father used to come here with his law school buddies, and it works now when I want to grab a low key burger and beer with friends. Old Town is a true throwback. One of the few old-New York bar/restaurants that still exists in its original form from the 1800′s, unfazed by NYC’s always changing trends and fads.
Old Town sports a full menu of salads and sandwiches, all of which I’m sure are relatively tasty in their own right. I wouldn’t know though, because I come here for one reason and one reason only: burgers. Stick with what they do best and you’ll be just fine.
Wow. How did we not know that Kingswood is such a scene? There are so many single ladies circling that bar that it feels like a perfume-laden shark tank. There’s blood in the water and I’m scared.
A restaurant like this is the entire reason that we created a category for Action at the Bar, and we’re also going to tag this one with Drunk Hook Ups, because that’s precisely what’s going down post-meal in Kingswood’s basement bar. Now, a restaurant with a crazy scene usually means mediocre food (Abe & Arthurs), but a meal at Kingswood can actually be pretty great – though everything is a bit too expensive and i’m still not exactly sure how it’s Australian. I certainly didn’t see any Bloomin’ Onions on the menu. The burger is killer, some of the appetizers are excellent, and brunch is good, but at the end of the day, Kingswood is built for one thing – mixing it up with strangers. There’s a large communal table that makes up a good deal of the restaurant’s seating, and the bar in front is a rectangle, perfect for scoping and being scoped. We’ve had a few meals at the bar and have been lucky spectators to a many a game of “slam your wine and go talk to him”. This must be where they find all the girls for The Bachelor.
Casellula is a “cheese and wine cafe”. Note the order of those words. If you’re looking for a wine bar with hundreds of varietals and rare finds, look elsewhere. In need of a dark place to take a date so she can’t tell that your hairline is in full retreat? Keep it movin’. Casellula is about the cheese first, all that other stuff second. So, if what you’re after is a laid back spot where you can get a raw milk goat cheese from Italy, this is your joint.
Casellula is a cozy little room in Hells Kitchen, run by some serious fromage lovers. The owner was once the head cheese guru at The Modern, something I discovered when I saw a congratulatory letter from Danny Meyer hanging in the bathroom. You might think something like that should be displayed in the office or over the bar, but I guess I did read it while I peed. Well placed. The cheese selection is vast and some are incredibly tasty, each priced at six bucks. Don’t do dairy? Casellula is also good for a glass of wine and a casual meal. There are some nice bites on the menu – specifically the Pig’s Ass Sandwich – but only the cheeses and desserts reach mind-blowing levels. Don’t miss the chocolate cake. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
