Manhattan Offender

Friday Food: Beast

Restaurant:  Beast
Location:  Prospect Heights
Occasion:  Brunch on a date en route to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Ron Mueck exhibition
Cocktail(s):  Bloody Mary - On the spicy side for a first beverage of the day, so be sure to have the water ready.
Wine:  n/a
Appetizer:  n/a   
Entree:  French Toast with carmelized apples and bananas was perfectly prepared and a perfect melding of flavors.  Also on the table (or, in the air of disclosure, at the bar as we didn't want to wait for a table on the busy Sunday) was the rueben benedict.  Being a little phobic of poached eggs, they never touched my lips but they were reported to be perfect, which is a science when it comes to poaching.  (The (unfrightening) roasted potatos were quite yummy too.)  A must is the side of thick crispy bacon.
Dessert:  n/a
Service:  Yet again another Brooklyn semi-hipster restaurant with no attitude.  The hostess informed us of a ten to fifteen minute wait for a table, but quickly offered the bar.  Sometimes when eating at the bar it is apparent that the bartender would much prefer just making drinks, but in this case he was all smiles and knew the menu like the back of his hand.
Atmosphere:  There is a bit of a gothic air as you walk through the heavy curved wooden doors.  The interior is very much a step back in time with an authentic antique bar.  At first glance you could be in a bar (which Beast is by night) or in an old-time eatery with a gothic twist.  The back dining room is more family style.  The only thing that seemed out of place was the bathroom with was oddly clean and Restoration Hardware-y.
Pricing:  Less than $15 each for very hearty portions. 
Rating:  "Yeah, so totally".

Image from CityNoise.org.

Friday Food: Dressler

Restaurant:  Dressler
Location:  Williamsburg
Occasion:  Dinner with three friends

Cocktail(s):  Old Fashioned - perfectly made
Wine:  Cremant du Jura Brut Rose - A sparkling rose.  Although this is trendy of late, it's been a favorite for years.  Never one to merely follow trends, it was ordered knowing that there has much work and thought put into these lately and that it would accompany both the dishes and the festive mood of our table.
Appetizer:  Lobster Bisque.  Actually three of us had the bisque.  It was perfect for the chilly night and a great start.   
Entree:  Striped Bass on a bed of swiss chard, potato, bacon, leeks, and chowder broth garnished with little neck clams.  Can bacon ever be wrong?  Ever?  The perfect combination of the bass with the chard and the thick chunks of bacon were expertly married by the broth.  Bouncing in my seat, my tablemates knew either my enjoyment or my drunkenness was high - actually a perfect combination of both.
Dessert:  Assortment, shared with the table.  All of which were fully devoured.  The plates were cleaned.
Service:  From the entry to the exit, at the door, at the bar, and at the table the staff was laid back and, dare it be said, nice.  As a non-foody, my questions can at times be naive, but my waitress (who recommended the bass of the ahi by the way) was cordial and all smiles.
Atmosphere:  Although relatively new, the restaurant has a timeless feel, with nothing trendy of a certain moment.  The crowd was festive, if not flirty enough (especially the beardy guy at the table to the left).  Of note is the beautiful ironwork throughout.
Pricing:  Came in around $60 or so per person, but so worth it.
Rating:  Hm.  Sort of new to this, so for now a rating of "Yeah, so totally".

Image from Noah Kalina via Eater.

Friday Food: Overview

Most restaurant reviews leave me feeling as if on the outside looking in.  In no way a "foodie" there is still a great love here of going out and having a nice meal.  The attempt will to be to look at the meal and environment as a non-expert, measuring the food, environment, service, and the total package.

To start this little experiment, the majority of listings will be places familiar and enjoyed.  As for particular likes and dislikes:

• Simple beats fancy any day.
• Surprising combinations always win.
• Presentation doesn't mean shit.
• Trying to impress me usually results in a "you're trying to hard" knitting of the eyebrows from me.
• There is some major food phobia in this house.  The purpose of this is partly to talk about eating out and about, but mostly to get me to try new things.
• There will likely be more restaurants in Astoria and Brooklyn to start.  Manhattan is too 'done' anyway.
• Recommendations are welcome.  ("Invitations" was almost typed but seemed cloying/desperate.)

Image source.

Metro Weakend

Okay, fine, I read Metro.  It's free, compact and the guy handing them out at my subway station looks like a pissed-on puppy dog if I don't accept his hand-out.  Plus the Times is available online. 

Today Metro introduced a "new" weekend section, essentially repackaging their usual fare, adding movie listings and some other bland fare.  A page by page breakdown:

First page - Hype mostly, telling you what is inside:  a Missy Elliot interview, movie reviews of Dark Water and Fantastic Four, New York City's best burger and an introduction to the 'new' section by section editor Catherine New.  New's introduction essentially tells you that there is a Missy Elliot interview, movie reviews and restaurant picks inside.  Oh, and some gossip.  There is one glaring typo (to me anyway); New tells of an interview with Jessica Alba inside with what Alba was in common with Sue Stone of the Fantastic Four.  Um, even someone that is only 30% geek can tell you it's Sue Storm, as mentioned on the very next page of your section.  Editor, edit thyself.

Second and third pages - "Films" A bunch of movie reviews.  Some for movies that have just come out.  Others for movies that have been out for weeks now.  Surely you can't be planning to rehash every week.

Fourth and fifth pages - "Music + Arts"  Well, mostly music, with a Missy Elliott interview where you can learn that Missy has quit smoking pot.  Uh, huh.  One column of live music this weekend, such as Def Leppard.  Some album reviews with even more rehashing: the White Stripes new album came out more than a month ago.  An interview with Jamel Shabazz, a profile of some band with a long name and another column with gallery listings.  Oh, and something that looked like an ad, but is a "photo feature" asking some dull girl what dull music she is listening to and why.

Sixth and seventh pages - "People" One page of the regular gossip section and one page with interviews of Jessica Alba and Jennifer Connely, both of whom have new movies out (so maybe this belongs in the Movies section?).

Eighth and ninth pages - "Going Out"  Which is a food section.  Hmm.  Why not call it Eating Out, or, if that's too cunnigular for you, maybe Dining Out?  Oh, and that best burger in New York?  It was selected by GQ magazine, those arbiters of fine dining.  And it's at the Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien.  So the news of 2001.

Tenth and eleventh pages (will it ever end) - "Listings"  Which is movie listings.  So in reality there are five pages of movies, just under half of the pages of the Weekend spectacular.  I'm sorry, but if the majority of our options for the weekend are going to see the movies, we might as well be living in Dubuque.

And that's it.  Finally.  In the introduction Catherine New writes:  "Put this newspaper in your bag - you're going to need it!"  And on a rainy day like today, she's right.  It makes a good umbrella.