Crustacean Mary at Alias (Clinton/Rivington)
Recent visits to JoeDoe have gotten our mixology juices churning as of late. Salted honey, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, cayenne pepper, and peanut dust… all add a clever little twist on several of JoeDoe’s signature beertails. Excuse me, prepared beers. (The Muddy Puddle is my new favorite.) I also had the Maryland Crab Boil, which is, in essence, an Old Bay-rimmed margarita.
Now, I understand that this might be old news for more seasoned (hardy har har – pun intended!) cocktail snobs out there, but it’s new to me and I love it. I’m seeing Old Bay pop up on more and more drink menus everywhere. Is it because it’s summer and it’s crab boil time? Is it a passing fad? I hope not, because the next time I am in a grocery store I am going to buy a jumbo container of Old Bay and rim all of my alcoholic beverages with it so I can be as cool as the guys who dream up things like an Old Bay-rimmed margarita. How do you think Old Bay will go with white wine? It might taste pretty good, methinks.
A few weeks ago, I went to Alias (76 Clinton St. between Delancey St & Rivington St) and experienced what was undoubtedly the best bloody mary I’ve had in New York City. Maybe even in the world, but I didn’t start drinking bloody marys until I got here so I’m not sure I’ve downed enough bloody marys to make that bold a statement. I was never all that big on V8, which is why I never really liked bloody marys, but I’m finding that all I really needed was to find the right mix. (My newfound love for bloody marys probably also has something to do with the fact that somehow, I feel less guilty about drinking vodka at 11 am when it’s mixed with vegetable juice – it’s healthy, right?) The $8 Crustacean Mary at Alias is basically a wonderful tomatoey drink with just the right amount of vodka, made especially wonderful with the addition of Old Bay seasoning, pickled celery, and the biggest goshdarn cocktail shrimp I’ve ever seen in my life. Check out that shrimp to glass ratio.
Mmm… shrimp. It’s what’s for breakfast. (more…)
I went in to JoeDoe for a late brunch around 3 pm on Sunday (yesterday) and I am still full at this very moment.
My visit was not without some reservation: I’d read all of the outspoken chef’s rants online, from Eater to Yelp, it seemed like he might be a bonafide jerk. But they say true artists are all a little off, right? So while ChefJoeDoe didn’t cut off his own ear and send it to his prostitute lover, he is a little prideful (and rightfully so, I think, after my fabulous brunch experience) and he might just need to let someone else censor his rants before he posts them on the Internet for all to see.
But from the minute our Ryan Phillipe-lookalike waiter brought us the menu and our warm, fresh out of the oven biscuits and the honey and sea salt-infused butter, I was sold.
I had the Berkshires & Kiwis ($12): clams, John’s pork, and hock stock… I only wish there had been more stock! I would drink a jug of that stuff if someone would let me. Genius: marrying baby clams (way better than the big ones) with pan fried pork sausage and chinese broccoli in a light, clam and pork broth… In the words of Rachel Zoe, I DIE. That disappeared in a matter of minutes. Which is when I moved onto helping Sara finish her dish.
For weeks, I would pass by the breezy, open-walled brunch hotspot that is Poco on Avenue B at 3rd St and wish I were a part of the wonderful thing that was happening there: a $20 endless brunch. Andrew Jackson gets you your choice of brunch item and as many sangrias (red or white), bloody marys, or mimosas you can handle while it’s still light out.
Our party opted for some heavier dishes to offset the copious amounts of alcohol imbibed just hours beforehand (we had brunch at 1 pm after having gotten in at 6 am–gotta love NYC). However, the standout brunch dish wasn’t the lobster mac ‘n cheese (which was very tasty) or the Poco Benedict (mediocre)… it was the Salmon BLT. Seared salmon served with bacon, mesclun greens, tomato, avocado, and a creamy horseradish sauce.
Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing
I didn’t try the mimosas, but I assume they were fine since it’s pretty difficult to make a terrible mimosa. The white wine sangria wasn’t wonderful, but the bloody marys (mmm… big fat stuffed olive) and the red sangrias (tequila-infused strawberries, HELLO?!) were excellent. And boozy. I remember feeling a lot like I was floating on a dense, tipsy cloud… and then I went home and slept for several hours.
I love a good, boozy brunch.
