Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts

The Wonderful Drinks of NOLA

Posted on Saturday, July 19, 2014 by
New Orleans is a laid back city. Service is unhurried, people are down-to-earth and sitting outside with a drink seems to be a past time. Indeed, I had my fair share of cocktails whether it was with a meal, for a rest, before dinner or even while site seeing (New Orleans like Las Vegas allows for roadies). NOLA is a city that is brimming with cocktails that are synonymous with the region. Listed below are but some of the ones they offer.


The Drink: Sazerac
Location: The Sazerac Bar
Website: http://therooseveltneworleans.com/dining/the-sazerac-bar.html

The original can be found at the bar by the same name. The Sazerac ($13) is the official cocktail of New Orleans. Made with Cognac/rye, bitters, sugar and herbsaint (previously with absinthe) it’s a drink that gets better as the ice melts.  


The Drink: Ramo's gin fizz
Location: The Sazerac Bar
Website: http://therooseveltneworleans.com/dining/the-sazerac-bar.html

Also offered at the Sazerac Bar, the drink I enjoyed more is the Ramos gin fizz ($14). Just watching the bartender make it is a treat! It’s shaken for a long time to combine the gin, citrus, cream, egg whites, orange flower water and sugar. Eventually, the ingredients work together to emulsify the egg whites and the contents are poured into a glass from high above with a flourish. Frothy and finished with club soda it reminds me of a pina colada without all the sugar.


The Drink: Mint julep
Location: NOLA Restaurant
Website: http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/nola-restaurant

Refreshing with the muddled mint leaves, the mint julep at NOLA is quite strong with a hefty dose of bourbon. Finished off with some sugar and water this is a great cocktail to sip on a hot summer’s day.


The Drink: Pimm's Cup
Location: Crescent City Brewhouse
Website: http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/

Another gin based drink is a pimm’s cup. A fairly easy going cocktail made with lemonade, cucumber, something fizzy and sugar water.


The Drink: Hand granade
Location: Tropical Isle
Website: http://tropicalisle.com/
Every tourist on Bourbon Street seems to be carrying a Hand Grenade.  Only offered at the Tropical Isle bars they are famous for making these.  We got the “skinny” version which has less sugar but sadly still tasted awful. Supposedly, the recipe is a closely guarded secret but honeydew liqueur is the prevalent taste; there’s definitely no risk of me trying to recreate this at home.


The Drink: Horny gator
Location: Tropical Isle
Website: http://tropicalisle.com/

Also from Tropical Isle is the Horny Gator.  Hoping that it would be a better cocktail, alas we weren’t lucky. The bar notes it’s a mix of pomegranate, green tea and other exotic flavours but somehow ended up tasting like tea mixed with cough syrup. However, something magical does happen after having one of these cocktails, so if you can just gulp it down you’re ready for a great Bourbon Street night.

I’ve been asked by many people about my experience in NOLA. Surprisingly, despite its close flight and affordable prices, it’s a city rarely visited by Canadians. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth a visit especially if you’re in the mood for an easy-going vacation filled with architectural walks, eating & drinking and enjoying the laid-back night life (no heels required here!). My highlights were:
  • Bar hopping along Bourbon Street (including trying to karaoke at Cat’s Meow)
  • Doing a day trip to visit plantations and a swamp and 
  • Visiting the Audubon Zoo.

 Thank you NOLA for the amazing time and cheers until I return!


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CLOSED: SpeakEasy 21 (Toronto)

Posted on Monday, April 21, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 21 Adelaide Street West (street level)
Type of Meal: Lunch
Newly opened in Scotia Plaza (street level by the Winners), SpeakEasy 21 is a welcomed addition and hopefully a worthy replacement for the South of Temperance, which has closed with the construction of phase 2 of the Bay Adelaide Centre. With its central location and accessibility through the PATH, it will likely become popular with the corporate crowd.

Our first visit for Thursday drinks (and potential dinner) gave us a taste of the "Liberations" portion of the menu. Indeed, their specialty cocktails are not cheap ($14.50), but with an entire page dedicated to them it's also hard to pass up.

The Mercier is great for those who like easy going fruity drinks without the sweetness. The Eristoff vodka is barely noticeably once the mango puree, tart lemon juice and lemongrass cordial is added. Topped with soda water and spiked with a bit of grated ginger it’s a refreshing and energizing cocktail. 


Meanwhile, the Sister's Shadow is a tad sweeter (not overly so) and packed with pear flavours from the Grey Goose pear and pear juice. The addition of elderflower liqueur adds a nice floral contrast that gives the cocktail a nice twist. 


Unfortunately, they were overcrowded during our opening week visit so service was painfully slow and it ended up taking almost 45 minutes to get our first round of drinks. To be fair, our waitress was friendly and did warn us that the bar was backed up. But really, 45 minutes is a bit excessive, so much so that some of our fellow diners refused to stay for dinner and we left to eat elsewhere.

Luckily, I understand that every restaurant needs to work out its kinks, especially during their soft launch period. So, I went back for a weekday lunch when there was less people and hoped for a better experience. 

During this visit, we ordered off of the much smaller "Fares" side of the menu. Despite the limited selection, we had no problems finding something appetizing sounding. The pressed short-rib sandwich ($17) sounded interesting with slices of beef, caramelized onion, confit cabbage, gruyere cheese and pickles packed into a bun and toasted. The sandwich is flavourful and ends off with a light zing from the horseradish – a great addition, if only there was more of it!


A more elaborate version of pulled pork, it’s a tender, saucy and indulgent sandwich. For me, the beef slices could have been thicker as they became somewhat lost under all the gruyere and toppings. Additionally, it was a bit heavy and could have benefited from a splash of something fresh to cut through the beef and cheese (perhaps arugula). But, these are some minor nitpicky detail for my tastes; I still enjoyed the sandwich.  Served with a choice of side salad or kettle chips, the portion size is quite substantial leaving me full and satisfied.

My coworkers opted for the whitefish and bulgogi tacos which arrived packed with ingredients and accompanied by a miniature hot sauce. Although I didn’t get a chance to try it, my coworkers said they were delicious and I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.


The media has been reporting a 3,500 square foot patio is slated to open when the weather warms up. There’s no doubt I’ll be back for more drinks and perhaps a taste of tacos as well.

In May I returned for a taste of their new lunch menu, read about this new experience on my revisit post. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

CLOSED: Boots N Bourbon Saloon (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 21, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 725 Queen St East
Type of Meal: Dinner 

 Since I loved my experience at Rock Lobster, when the announcement of their new restaurant came by, I immediately rounded up friends, crossed my fingers for no lines and braved the winter weather warnings to visit Queen East.  While one focuses on the sea, Boots N Bourbon Saloon pays homage to the land in all its deep fried glory. Despite the horrible weather, at 7:15 the bar area was crowded but luckily we were still able to score a table in the dining area.  Tip, we realized they do take reservations so you may want to call ahead.

 If you’re a die-hard Chef Pettit fan, here is your warning – stop reading this now and go check out my Rock Lobster post instead, unfortunately it gets a little ugly.  But, before we get to that, let’s start with the positive – their uniquely concocted cocktails. From left to right in the picture below is the Desert Pete, Rusty Albertan and General Lee (all $10).

Boots N Bourbon cocktails (1)
The Desert Pete resembles a margarita (made with tequila and mint) but sweeter (thanks to the pineapple juice) and has an interesting kick from the jalapeño agave syrup; the best drink of the night for me.  Meanwhile, the Rusty Albertan is better for those who like to mask the taste of their alcohol; with the addition of maple syrup, ginger beer and rootbeer bitters the cocktail was fairly sweet and the rum pretty much covered. 

 Lastly, the showcase Caesar arrives in its crowning glory - at Boots N Bourbon a pepperette and pickle in place of the lobster claw. Delicious and spicy if you like Caesars and with all the condiments certainly could be a meal in itself.

For our second round I tried Tommy’s margarita slushie ($10) which in hindsight was very similar to my first drink – strange for a person who normally doesn’t like tequila. This drink has a sour tang to it from the lime and grapefruit bitters.  If you’ve ever been to Rock Lobster and have had their Tomba-grantia, this is fairly similar.    

 My friend opted for Grandma’s Texas lemonade ($10) which is another safe bet drink made with vodka, lemonade, vanilla and peach bitters. I did enjoy the addition of vanilla which calmed down the traditional tartness of the lemonade.

Chef Matty fans, this is your last warning because now comes my opinion on Boots N Bourbon’s food.  The pickles in the deep fried McClure’s pickles ($7) were great - juicy and not overly briny with an interesting hint of spice to it. But, the beer batter was thick, doughy and soggy; a huge disappointment when you’re craving something crispy and deep fried.  If only the crust was thinner and had some texture to it (perhaps a cornmeal based coating) these would have been much tastier.

On the other hand, the fried chicken ($16 for 4 pieces) was crispy and had a nice Cornflake crust.  However, the meat was dry and overcooked not holding an ounce of juice that you’d expect for something soaked in buttermilk. We had to use so much of the buttermilk ranch sauce (quite good) to add some moisture to the chicken.  Until the kitchen can get a hang of cooking bone in chicken properly, perhaps they should consider changing this to become chicken strips instead?

Not everything was horrible, the flank steak ($15) was better.  Cooked to a lovely medium it was very tender for flank steak and tasted good on its own or with the thick bourbon BBQ sauce that accompanied it. Topped with tons of house-made hickory sticks it reminded me of the childhood treats that I could eat forever given each individual stick was so small. The fried egg topping the dish certainly added to the presentation but was a bit awkward to eat as a sharing dish and ended up making the hickory sticks soggy. 

The screaming crab ($14) was my favourite dish of the night and perhaps because it resembles the jerk shrimp and crab of Rock Lobster. The sauce’s combination of jerk sauce, cilantro and lime was packed with flavours and just the right amount of heat.  But, the snow crab pieces, although cut apart, were very difficult to eat without lobster crackers or forks. I certainly made a mess that night, thankfully wetnaps and extra napkins were available.

With all the protein, we thought an order of spicy coleslaw ($6) would be prudent. This was decent and is a light cream based coleslaw with sriracha mixed into it.  I only wish the menu would point out how many of the dishes already come with it (fried chicken and pickles) so that we could have gotten another side to try instead, like the Cajun fries!

Not entirely content, we ordered a dessert to end.  With a choice of chocolate brownie mousse or banana pie pudding ($8) both didn’t sound spectacular but we settled on the banana version.  Oh boy we were pleasantly surprised as it was good.  The pudding must have been made with mashed bananas as it had such an authentic flavour and natural sweetness to it.  The crumbled graham crackers and light whipped cream rounded everything off quite well.

We must commend the staff there, everyone was friendly and helpful, giving you a sense that they actually liked to work there and cared about your experience.  Even Matt Pettit himself mingled throughout the restaurant stopping by at tables and the bar to make conversation and ask about our experience.  

 Alas, this is where my dilemma starts … should I be honest and tell him about the subpar pickles and chicken or just smile and say everything was fine?  I went with the “fine” route, but note to chefs – unless someone answers that it’s great or amazing, it’s really not that good. My sense is Boots N Bourbon will come more of a drinks and light eats place – Cajun poutine and sliders may soon grace the menu? 

 On our Friday night visit we were hoping to join in on the line dancing or brave the mechanical bull.  Unfortunately, the bull was safely stowed away in its stable but we were advised the dancing should start around 9pm.  By 10 there was still not a yeehaw in sight and after sitting on uncomfortable metal stools for 2.5 hours we decided to cut our losses. Personally, I’d suggest starting something like line dancing earlier – maybe even doing it twice.  If you can get someone hooked and having fun they are more likely to continue ordering drinks and staying for the night. 

So, unfortunately I didn’t realize my cowgirl potential that night.  Oh well, I’ve always preferred the ocean to a ranch and it looks like my taste buds feel the same way.

 Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10



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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

 Photo Sources:
  1. Special thank you to my friend for this picture! 

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:


CLOSED: SpiritHouse (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2012 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 487 Adelaide Street West

SpiritHouse bar area (1)

Contrary to the typical financial district lounge where you’re standing around the bar like sardines and it takes half an hour to get a drink, SpiritHouse is refreshingly nice and unpretentious.  A short walking distance from the core at Adelaide and Portland my friend and I were able to grab seats at the bar when arriving at 7:30.  Sadly, the gentleman (possibly the manager) that was at the door was over optimistic and advised we’d be able to get a table “soon”.  By the time we left at 10:30 we still did not get a table.  But, we didn’t mind sitting at the bar and watching all the cocktails being made.

Their cocktail menu is extensive with throwbacks to the Mad Men era – bourbon, bitters and egg whites are abound!  I now understand why they drank so much; something about a hand-made cocktail with fresh ingredients really does shine. 

Our first drink was a Peroni Sour ($14) which was suggested by a friend.  They only had enough Peroni left to make one of them, but we shared it anyways.  The cocktail would be a great summer drink as it almost reminded me of having a spiked fresh squeezed lemonade.

 We also had an Original Cosmopolitan (circa 1988) ($12) which is nothing like the sweet cranberry mixed version you’re normally served at restaurants.  The sweet and tangy was well balanced to the point you couldn’t even taste the alcohol.  Perhaps that’s the scariest part; they taste so good that you can have many without feeling like you’re drinking.

 Now for the food … such a disappointment when the drinks and service are so good!  Whoever runs the kitchen needs to be better with managing their stock.  Considering the menu only consists of a dozen items, it’s pretty sad that they stock out of two key ingredients – duck confit and avocado.  Come on, we’re not talking about black truffles here… it’s only duck and avocado, order a little extra and risk some food wastage costs!

 Given fries are one of my favourite foods in life; we had to try the SpiritHouse poutine ($11).  On the menu it’s described as being topped with duck confit; upon ordering the poutine we were advised the dish would be delayed anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours as the duck was being cooked.  At 7:30 it’s inexcusable that the kitchen has already run out of an ingredient used on two menu items. Whoever was in charge of prepping would have Gordon Ramsey going crazy.  We ended up having the poutine without the duck and it was satisfying but not much better than a New York Fries poutine.

 The Whitefish tacos ($13) are definitely in need of revamping.  The fish itself is non-existent and over battered and fried.  Regrettably, it resembled a deep fried frozen fish stick to anything fresh. On that night, the chef chose to dress the tacos with radishes rather than the promised avocado on the menu.  This was a horrible decision!  Bitter radishes on a taco does not go well, can I suggest just using a tried and true coleslaw if avocados are not available?  The chipotle dill sauce drizzled on the cabbage was good, it just needed more of it to mask the bitter radishes and tasteless fish.

Brad, the mixologist serving us, was keen enough to ask us about the food. Upon hearing the mediocre fanfare he provided us a complimentary order of donuts.  Freshly fried timbits dusted with cinnamon & sugar, it arrived with a miniature bottle of caramel sauce.  A great gesture, but once again over fried so nothing I’d order again.

Overall, what makes SpiritHouse shine is their pleasant employees and the amazing drinks.  I would suggest staying away from the food - if you have to order something stick with the oysters.

 Overall mark - 8* out of 10

* Mark is solely as a place to come for drinks and not for the food.  I would definitely recommend SpiritHouse as somewhere to go for drinks before or after dinner.

____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

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