[image]
[title]Big Alice Brewing Joining Rockaway Brewing and SingleCut Beersmiths, this Long Island City nanobrewery bolsters the thriving Queens beer scene. After winning Heartland’s 2011 home-brewing contest, amateurs Kyle Hurst, Robby Crafton and Scott Berger bought a 1,000-square-foot former Bible warehouse to turn their shared hobby into a career. Named after Big Allis—a gas-fueled LIC supergenerator from the ‘60s—the small-batch operation makes six one-off beers every month. Some offerings draw on New York purveyors, such as a Belgian-American red ale fermented with the organic Cinderella pumpkin, and a coffee-wheat stout infused with beans from Park Slope’s Gorilla. Along with a CSA-style “beer share”—allowing members to purchase a monthly batch of new suds—the brewery hosts tours and tastings every Friday night. 8-08 43rd Rd at Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, Queens (347-688-2337)
Campbell Cheese & Grocery In addition to more than 100 cheeses, this corner store stocks organic greens, artisanal chocolate, and homemade salads and sandwiches. 502 Lorimer St at Powers St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-387-2267)
Dough Re Mi FiDi suits can swing by this Water Street takeout spot for bagels, doughnuts and sandwiches. From the white-tiled counter, puffy New York–style bagels come topped with flavored spreads like cheddar-bacon or lox cream cheese for breakfast. At lunch, grab a gussied-up grilled cheese: The Lolla-Prosciutto combines Italian ham with Gruyère, baby spinach and basil pesto on sourdough; while the Appollonia features apple butter, white cheddar and fresh rosemary on rye. Appease your sweet tooth with a vanilla-frosted or Bavarian cream-filled doughnut, sourced from Astoria’s Mac Doughnut. 36 Water St between Broad and Pearl Sts (212-947-4400)
Forest Hills Station House Hop off the LIRR at 71st Avenue to find this beer-and-bourbon-focused gastropub in the Queens nabe of the same name. Fifteen craft brews are on tap at the barn-wood bar, including Evil Twin Lil’ B, Blue Point Toasted Lager and Left Hand Milk Stout. Bottles (Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold, Rodenbach Grand Cru) and cans (Sixpoint Resin, Oskar Blues G’Knight) are also on offer. Thirty-two bourbon and rye bottles line the wooden shelves behind the bar, for stirring into cocktails like a Woodford Reserve old-fashioned or the Boulevard (Templeton Rye, Campari and Carpano Antica). Upscale bar bites include fried chicken livers with roasted-garlic aioli; short rib–kimchi empanadas with sriracha mayo; and beer-battered meatballs with stout mustard. For dessert, look for a deep-fried Snickers with bacon-bourbon glaze—with a few slugs of the dark stuff in you, you’ll forget the near comical gluttony ever happened. 106-71 71st Ave between Austin and Burns Sts, Forest Hills, Queens (718-544-5000)
Gilligan’s Montauk makes its way to Manhattan with this nautically themed pop-up at the Soho Grand’s Yard, a spin-off of Long Island’s Moby Dick’s. Available from June to September, the spot’s small-plates menu highlights ingredients from Long Island farmers and fishermen: butterhead salad with radish and sherry vinaigrette; black sea bass with grilled wild ramps; and rotisserie chicken with shishito peppers and herb butter. Order off the ever-changing chalkboard menu at the bar and grab a numbered buoy—food is sent straight to your white-painted picnic table. Quaffs skew tropical, including frozen watermelon margaritas, a spicy dark and stormy, and a strawberry-pineapple pisco cocktail. 310 West Broadway between Canal and Grand Sts (212-965-3000)
The Grange Bar & Eatery Harlem meets the farm at this locavore bistro and bar, outfitted with mason jars, weathered white-oak floors and antique chandeliers. Chef Alan Vargas (Thymari) oversees a comfort-food menu rooted in seasonal produce. Having scoured nearby farms like Old Chatham and Coach Farm, Vargas dispatches seared crab cakes with celery-parsnip slaw; watermelon with feta, arugula and mint; and a roasted-beet salad with lime yogurt, almonds and goat-cheese croutons. At the 40-foot-long butcher-block bar, find a beverage program designed by Dead Rabbit head bartender Jack McGarry—cocktails include the Grange Collins (Farmer’s Gin, pomegranate liqueur, basil, lemon juice and soda) and the Convent Stroll (Heaven Hill whiskey, ginger, honey, lemon juice and soda). 1635 Amsterdam Ave at 141st St (212-491-1635)
The Greek This Greek taverna—from Thessaloniki native Tom Galis (Mexicue)—focuses on food from the country’s northern regions. Wine barrels hang from the ceiling above the bar, while mismatched woods, stencil crown molding and distressed windowpanes add to the rustic vibe. Slip into a worn-leather banquette for shareable meze (sweetbreads, grape leaves) and rotisserie-cooked meats (leg of lamb, roasted chicken) with a glass of Macedonian wine. The ten-stool copper bar features an all-Greek wine list, Hellenic beers like Mythos and Alpha, and cocktails spiked with ouzo or mastika. 485 Greenwich St between Desbrosses and Watts Sts (646-476-3941)
Tenpenny Owner Safet Kurtovic (Central Park Boathouse) gives the Gotham Hotel restaurant a French-American revamp. In the 55-seat dining room, chef Kay Choe (Jean-Georges) doles out saffron crab cakes with tomato petals; mushroom-encrusted halibut with hazelnuts and asparagus; and a braised oxtail burger topped with a quail egg. Sommelier Michael Velic showcases small American producers from California, Washington and Oregon, while cocktails like the Poire French Fizz (pear vodka, St. Germain and lime juice) echo the restaurant's Gallic accent. Photos of Manhattan skyscrapers and a mural of the Brooklyn Bridge adorn the exposed brick walls, with floors made of 100-year-old reclaimed barn wood. The Gotham Hotel, 16 E 46th St between Fifth and Madison Aves (212-490-8300)