Some nights are just epic. Recently, a trip to Fort Greene turned into an epic crawl that wound up in Prospect Heights roughly six hours later. We hit five places serving food & booze - The Smoke Joint, No 7, Franny's, the Vanderbilt and Weathered Up.
First up was some disappointing bbq at The Smoke Joint (87 South Elliott Place). The ribs were just average but the black angus dog was excellent. Forget the sides or even the food - just hit the lengthy bourbon section. After starting off with yet another Manhattan knock-off called the Manhattan Bridge featuring rye and campari that was slightly heavy on the campari and much too warm, we dove into their copious bourbon selection with a dose of Hudson Baby Bourbon, which hit the spot nicely and made up for the spotty culinary selections.
Next up, No 7 and the rest...
First up was some disappointing bbq at The Smoke Joint (87 South Elliott Place). The ribs were just average but the black angus dog was excellent. Forget the sides or even the food - just hit the lengthy bourbon section. After starting off with yet another Manhattan knock-off called the Manhattan Bridge featuring rye and campari that was slightly heavy on the campari and much too warm, we dove into their copious bourbon selection with a dose of Hudson Baby Bourbon, which hit the spot nicely and made up for the spotty culinary selections.
Next up, No 7 and the rest...
No. 7 (7 Greene Ave) has received some notoriety from the media world (Bon Appetit, we're looking at you) so we hoofed it down from The Smoke Joint. Turns out the long space is mostly bar, which is somewhat separated from the spare, uninviting dining room by an open kitchen. We had been intrigued by the drink menu on the website, but we quickly realized they all skewed sweet so we tried the #33, (cucumber, thyme, rye, fee bros bitters and an herbsaint rinse). Oddly, the drink reminded us of Christmas with its aromatics and spicing, but though initially promising, it just got boring by the end. We also tried a glass of Coalesence from Shinn Estate, an unusual, interesting organic white made from sauv blanc, chardonnay, semillion & viognier. Strangely, everything at No. 7 is inexpensive (wines $8 - 11, menu items almost all under $20) except the cocktails, which are $12.
Next, a quick trip to Franny's (295 Flatbush Ave) for some booze soaking pizza. The room was its usual overflowing cacophony but we prefer the bar even when tables are available. After a glass of wine and a slightly too sweet Cherry Bulleit (bulleit bourbon, cio ciaro amaro with bitters and a cherry) we stumbled down the street to newbie The Vanderbilt.
The Vanderbilt struck us as ood - an extremely long, mostly empty bar, followed by a kitchen counter full of diners with a rear dining room down a couple stairs. It struck us as way too big - we know Saul is famous but good luck filling this place - and we skeptically looked at the drink list. Lo and behold, we found several interesting options and the drinks turned out to be the best of the night, not to mention the cheapest at $9 (they also have a red wine for $5 that the bartender said was decent). We tried the King Edward (rye, cherry heering, vanilla and Islay scotch spray), which was good though it could have used another spray of scotch, and the oddly named Belhaven Cocktail (Del Maguey mezcal, drambuie lime, orange bitters), which was quite smoky and delicious.
Last stop was the jammed Weather Up (589 Vanderbilt Ave), which is basically across the street from The Vanderbilt. Here we squeezed into the bar and ordered a nicely made Harvest Sour (rye, applejack, lemon, simple syrup, egg white) as well as a "Past Perfect" Manhattan. Cocktails are $11 but be warned - it's cash only.
Next, a quick trip to Franny's (295 Flatbush Ave) for some booze soaking pizza. The room was its usual overflowing cacophony but we prefer the bar even when tables are available. After a glass of wine and a slightly too sweet Cherry Bulleit (bulleit bourbon, cio ciaro amaro with bitters and a cherry) we stumbled down the street to newbie The Vanderbilt.
The Vanderbilt struck us as ood - an extremely long, mostly empty bar, followed by a kitchen counter full of diners with a rear dining room down a couple stairs. It struck us as way too big - we know Saul is famous but good luck filling this place - and we skeptically looked at the drink list. Lo and behold, we found several interesting options and the drinks turned out to be the best of the night, not to mention the cheapest at $9 (they also have a red wine for $5 that the bartender said was decent). We tried the King Edward (rye, cherry heering, vanilla and Islay scotch spray), which was good though it could have used another spray of scotch, and the oddly named Belhaven Cocktail (Del Maguey mezcal, drambuie lime, orange bitters), which was quite smoky and delicious.
Last stop was the jammed Weather Up (589 Vanderbilt Ave), which is basically across the street from The Vanderbilt. Here we squeezed into the bar and ordered a nicely made Harvest Sour (rye, applejack, lemon, simple syrup, egg white) as well as a "Past Perfect" Manhattan. Cocktails are $11 but be warned - it's cash only.
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