Absinthe sipping at La Fée's U.S. launch party

June 23

It seemed like La Fée really wanted to tie the image of their product to its history as being a muse for artists. The space rented for the event was a sort of all-purpose space billed for use as gallery and sometimes fashion show setting. Emerald green bottles of absinthe as well minty colored prepared versions of it stood out against the stark white setting of the place. Everything was white, the tables, chairs, linen. Except for one brightly-colored sofa that looked highly embarrassed that no one informed it that this would be a white-outfit party, the entire place was as white as a canvas with a fresh coat of gesso.

Even George Rowley, managing director of La Fée, seemed dressed for the space in a light suit with pastel colors reminiscent of sorbet.

George visited our offices last Friday to talk about the product and one of the things about the appeal of absinthe in today's market is that even with all the stories of the drink's naughtiness, it has actual historical and cultural significance and was the drink of choice for numerous artists. The brand seems to be very keen on emphasizing that particular aspect of the drink through a pretty image conscious way of marketing the product and sets it aside from other products on the market. Though La Fée produces several varieties of absinthe, from a "Bohemian" that's more of a Czech style as well as premium wine-based versions, the brand at the moment is only making La Fee's Absinthe Parisienne available in United States market to not dilute the image. The flagship product is modeled to be more like the traditional French absinthe with its beet-based neutral spirits that was formulated and approved by absinthe historian and author Marie-Claude Delahaye of Musée de l'Absinthe in France. The bottles also come with an absinthe spoon to help consumers enjoy it the way it was back in its heyday without being intimidated by the idea of not having all the necessary props. And, hey, free spoon.

The event really got into this artist imagery with five canvasses hung around the main area of the space at the event. Four of them depicted minimalist image and text related to an artist who partook of absinthe. A pedestal in front of these canvasses held the physical item depicted on the canvass giving the whole thing an even more of an installation feel. For example, one canvas showed a broken teacup, with text saying Van Gogh drank absinthe from a broken teacup. The pedestal in front of the canvas held a broken teacup. Later in the evening the canvasses got raffled off. For a second I kind of wanted one. Then I realized I don't know why I wanted one besides the fact they were offering it and raffles get me all excited. I also realized that if I really did win a canvas, I'd have to schlep it home somehow and my desire to win quickly dissipated.


On my way to this event, I took a right and Spring and as I was walking down Mulberry when I bumped into Leo DeGroff (Contemporary Cocktails) and his girlfriend Kaye Rabuy, and Pegu Club's Kenta Goto. They were on their way to the event as well and were coming from the NY Bar Show. I'd entirely forgotten that. Well, "forget" is incorrect. I was thinking about attending it, but noticed that the times and dates for the events and seminars I wanted to attend weren't working out with my schedule and I sort of put the whole thing out of my mind.

The main "art gallery" section had some tables serving up La Fée absinthe in the traditional manner, with water and sugar. They even had some absinthe fountains set up.

I said hello to Tony Abou-Ganim, then made my way into the adjoining room where the food was coming from. There were some tables and chairs set up and Damon Dyer (who mixes at Death and Co. and Flatiron Lounge) and Jonathan Pogash (The Cocktail Guru) were making Sazeracs (La Fée Absinthe Parisienne, sugar cube/granulated sugar, Peychuad's bitters, cognac), La Fée Sours (absinthe, fresh lemon juice, sugar, egg white), and Sea Foam Fizzes (absinthe, lemon juice, sugar, egg white and a touch of soda on top).

I even finally met Dave Kaplan, owner of Death and Co., putting a face to the voice.

Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay (of the drink consulting firm The Tippling Bros.) were also present. And since we're on the topic of absinthe, the recently opened Apothecary Lounge in Philadelphia, where The Tippling Bros. consulted, has an elaborate absinthe fountain on premises.

Sometimes depending on the location (and slightly depending on the product), you can guess what the crowd will be like. I figured the Soho location would lend it to some hip persons making appearances, but I was also anticipating it to be a mish-mash of cool types and I was pretty on the money. I saw some very young ladies running around in Olsen twins' gear (large over-sized flannel shirt, shorts, huge plastic rim sunglasses) as well as a whole gaggle of leggy blondes in jewel-toned variations of shiny baby doll dresses. There were some music industry types. At one point you might find yourself talking to a dude in a crisp suit only to turn around and say "excuse me" to a guy in jeans and a graphic t-shirt.

It was one of those parties where you wander in and half the faces you recognize or you just feel like you might. Though honestly, there were several people there who just had "that face." You know, the kind where you could swear he was the guy who was in that thing about this thing, but you're not sure? Over the course of the evening, several times, from different persons (including myself), the refrain "Hey, that dude over there looks familiar," was repeated.

Also I really wanted the green lobster they had sitting on the pedestal for the Dali-themed canvas. Yea, no dice on that.

Yuji Matsumoto: Sake sommelier for Kabuki Japanese Restaurant

In May, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, the Japanese restaurant chain with 13 locations in California and Arizona, welcomed Yuji Matstumoto as their new sake sommelier. Matsumoto's duties will also include expanding and maintaining a beverage list of cocktails and wines for Kabuki.

Matsumoto received his certification from the Sake Service Institute in Japan. He previously had his own small sushi restaurant, worked as sake and beverage manager with Tokyo Table. He also served as President of the California Sushi Academy, and was one of three U.S. representatives to compete in the 2nd World Sake Sommelier Competition in Tokyo. Kabuki's CEO and owner David Lee drafted Matsumoto to help increase the sale of beverages, particularly sake and cocktails.

"I try to use Japanese or Asian ingredients such as yuzu," Matsumoto said about creating cocktails for a Japanese restaurant. "Also in terms of alcohol I like to use soju and sake mainly."

The emphasis is to create mild and refreshing tastes that can go with delicate flavors present in Japanese cuisine.

For example, Matsumoto developed several new cocktails of Saketinis and Tokyo Mojitos with light, fruit flavors. The former comes in flavors of creamy peach, lychee and yuzu. The latter, a — "Tokyo-style Mojioto" made with sake and soju — comes in cucumber, greapefruit and lychee flavors.

Matsumoto also created a line of vodka sodas using sodas flavored with lychee, mango and pomegranate.

Matsumoto said he was slowly working on the wine list for Kabuki once he finishes training the staff a bit more.

"Wine tends to have more body and acidity so sometimes wine overpowers food, but nowadays there are a lot of fusion foods...you can see in the menu that we've been using a lot of spice and mayonnaise [in our foods]. So we probably won't have a lot of the heavy full-bodied wines, but more of the light refreshing wines can be very good."

When asked about consumer knowledge about sake, Matsumoto answered, "I think it’s getting better compared to five, six years ago. Some still have wrong information about sake. They think it should be served hot or all premium should be chilled, but people are getting more interested in sake. Whenever I do pairings, they’re pleased and surprised by the aroma, variety and taste."

He added that "people who have knowledge about wine, they really understand the procedure and tastes" when it comes to introducing different varieties of sake.

Currently Kabuki offers a sake sampler both for the happy hour and on the regular menu so that customers can try several varieties.

Kabuki's sake menu offers a wide range sake varieties as well as those not made in Japan.

"American sake tends to have more acidity and texture because the water used is here is hard water, where in Japan it's mostly soft water," Matsumoto commented about the difference between Japanese sake and its brethren created on this side of the hemisphere. "The rice they use...is not perfect sake rice, though it still has a good quality."

Matsumoto said that the less subtle qualities of Californian sake works better with non-traditional Japanese food, recalling, "When I did a pairing with Mexican food and sake, none of the Japanese sake was a good match."

A press release from Kabuki stated that Matsumoto "will continue to offer sake tastings and educational classes in the community, and tied-in with Kabuki’s menu. Additionally, sake lovers can keep an eye out for a blog by Matsumoto on deliciously paired sake and food combinations and other sake notes."

Clover Club soft opening

June 17
Edit: Now with downloadable menu goodness. (Click here)

I hopped off the F train at Bergen in Brooklyn and found myself strolling down Smith St. yet again. The last time was for the Jakewalk event, this time I was going to check out Julie Reiner's new joint the Clover Club.

While I was busy taking pictures of the storefront, I spotted Bon Appetit restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton and Imbibe author, Esquire contributing editor and all-around very knowledgeable about cocktails person Dave Wondrich enter. I realized I probably should actually go in the place.

The space does this thing where it gets more complicated and ornate the further you go in. The entire storefront is paned glass, but when you first enter there's maybe 2-3 tables, a hostess stand and the floor is a simple two-toned mosaic/tiled affair. It almost feels like you're sitting outside or in some brightly open atrium.

Once you start heading towards the back, the floor transitions over to hardwood. Then there are leather banquettes and the bar itself is large, old-fashioned and superbly fancy. I was impressed by the generous size of the bar stools' circumferences. Lo have there been many a times where I felt as though one wrong move would have me sliding off the edge of a stool.

Then there was the drawing room type area in the back separated from the front half of the bar with curtains. It looked like it was taken straight out of Wodehouse story. You could imagine the likes of Bertie Wooster, Rupert Psmith or any of the other character who are members of the Drones Club lounging about lazily. The back room had its own fancy, fully-stocked bar, but what really threw me off was the real fire roaring in the fireplace. I wasn't expecting to see one of those in the middle of June.

There have been several soft openings and Julie informed me that the one I was attending was the third one. From what I heard elsewhere, this one was supposed to be mostly media. As if to confirm that, I saw furtive dashes into notebooks hidden under tables, on laps and under purses throughout the evening. My note taking was as obvious as a Mack truck barreling down a park's bike lane. I always feel weird conspicuously taking notes but then I remember it's not like I'm a reviewer who nees to stay incognito. On top of that there are very few places on your person that you can hide a standard-sized reporter's notebook comfortably, and there was no way I was going to juggle drinks while reaching in and out of my bag every couple of seconds.

Clover Club's head bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez handed me my first drink, the Bermuda Rum Swizzle. It was dangerously delectable. Crushed ice always worries me because it makes me think "never-ending drink," but I managed to drink it fast enough that no such thing happened. Let's just say I was very parched.

The second drink was the Clover Club's signature cocktail, the Clover Club: Plymouth Gin, fresh raspberry juice and fresh lemon juice, dry vermouth and egg whites. After that was some punch served up in a huge punchbowl with teacups that included Pimm's Cup, Beefeater Gin, cucumber and strawberries among other things, a New York Sour (made with bourbon, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and some claret floated on top), and a Tequila Daisy (tequila, fresh lime juice, Cointreau, simple syrup).

Toasting the masters of French cuisine

June 16
The honest-to-goodness truth is I did not have even an inkling that Crème de la Crème was taking place until Don Lee called me at 10:48 am. Sleep-deprived, in the throes of wrestling with HTML coding and just not being much of a morning person in general, it took me a while to process what was going on.

Don said he was calling because he misplaced my email address. I thought for a second through the fog and asked, "Oh, so, like...do you want me to give it to you?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you about the cocktail that we're making for the Citymeals-on-Wheels charity event."

"...Oh, when is that?" I asked groggily.

"Tonight."

"..."

So I got myself on the list at the last minute to attend the event. I was also feeling mighty self-conscious about how I was dressed since I wasn't expecting to go to some fancy event up until a mere six hours ago.

The event was held to benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels, an organization that provides meals for homebound elderly New Yorkers on the weekend since government programs cover meals on weekdays. And they also provide meals for holidays.

It was fitting that an organization that provides meals with such deep ties to the restaurant community (Gael Greene and James Beard co-founded the organization) would raise funds through an event that honors culinary legends.

The forecast threatened rain and the organizers of Crème de la Crème were giving attendees warnings about said storm. I thought it was supposed to be one of those "We forecast rain later in the day, but we totally mean, like 9 or 10 pm" type of forecasts, but dark clouds rolled over the sky ominously as I entered 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Heading down to the garden area (the part that you skate in when it's winter), I was assaulted by the smell of food. Everywhere. I was bewildered and not sure where to go and what to do until I bumped into the Plymouth Gin booth that was located conveniently in my meandering path. I was offered a gin and tonic made with Plymouth gin and Q Tonic Water. I took one and downed it quickly to help me get my wits about me.

While I was there I asked Jamie Gordon with the Absolut Spirits Company (Plymouth is owned by Swedish company V&S Group that also makes Absolut) how things were going with the sloe gin. "Oh, dear," he answered.

Unfortunately, there seems to be some hiccups with distribution, but response and demand have been great stateside. All 2000 cases allocated for the United States have been spoken for and Plymouth is gearing up to try and brew up some more for the U.S. for next year.

I wove my way between people to the bar station where I grabbed the Le Croissmo from Don and John who were representing PDT. It tasted exactly like I thought it would. The fruity berry center of a berry-filled croissant...with alcohol.

I did a double-take because I was pretty sure Kathleen Turner brushed past me to grab a Sidecar from Chad Solomon and Christy Pope from Cuffs and Buttons, a cocktail catering outfit.

Pegu Club showcased the French Pearl, which is also on their menu. Eben Klemm of B.R. Guest served up a TGV, a super light floral cocktail made with Plymouth gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Sauternes and some lavender foam. Little Branch served up Fine and Dandies (Plymouth Gin, Cointreau, angostura bitters). And Mr. Eben Freeman from Tailor came up with a Cointreau Creme Orange for the occasion.

Right after trying out the Le Croissmo, I wandered over to the other end of the bar to say hi to Mr. Eben Freeman. Just then the skies decided to open up and the rain began to pelt the plastic and tarp protecting us.

Over the sound of rain violently hitting protective covers and the house band, Eben said that he at first wanted to serve the Creme Orange out of a keg, but that idea didn't work out too well and he instead was pouring topping the drink off with soda.

I asked what a cubeb was and Eben said it was type of pepper. You learn something new everyday. He had steeped the cubeb in hot water with vanilla and licorice and the result was a spicy, bite-y cream soda cocktail. It was like a very adult soda shop drink.

But then Eben asked me with great concern if I had had any of the food. I admitted I went straight to the drinks. He pressed upon me that I really, REALLY needed to eat the food at this event.

This was serious business. I gave my liver a breather and dove back into the crowds to sample some of the cuisine. From now on its stream-of-consciousnesses and what stood out from the things I sampled. At the Charleston Grill station I grabbed a "Crepinette de Pigeon, Sauce au Truffe de Bourgogne" (squab sausage with truffle sauce) that melted in my mouth. Bob Waggoner also served seared veal sweetbreads over Granny Smith Vidalia Compote in Xeres Reduction. I won't lie. I love sweetbreads.

City Hall had Alsatian onion tart, which I thought was intriguing. I haven't really eaten a lot of vegetable tarts and I found myself enjoying it. They also had a brandade made of salted cod served with 24-hour tomato. I kind of thought the "24-hour" bit was just a name for some fancy-pants technique, but I was assured the tomato was really simmered for 24 hours to create a paste.

The seared American Piedmontese beef loin with wild leek potatoes and morels served by chef Larry Forgione of An American Place made me with I could have like a big old plate of the stuff.

I didn't even get to try whatever it was that Jean-Georges Vongerichten had going on because his table was mobbed and by the time I came back to see if the crowd had dissipated a bit, it was all gone.

I chowed down with gusto at Tom Colicchio's Craft Restaurant station on duck pastrami with pickled red cabbage and sweet mustard and braised pork butt with smoked onions and tomato molasses.

As I stuffed my face with pork butt two or three feet away from the station I overheard to young ladies debating whether or not to get an autograph. I turned back to the station and noticed Tom Colicchio had materialized while my back was turned and was doing an interview (he wasn't there when I was there). I'm going to admit in this space that whenever I see Tom Colicchio in person, I always find him intimidating. And again I found myself washed over with nervousness. He just has this really intense aura, man. Also, I've only talked to him once, very briefly in an introductory sense a long time ago, and a small part of me swears up and down that he found me annoying at that encounter and to this day my neurotic brain thinks that somehow he still remembers me and remembers me as annoying.

Other famous faces I recognized all on my own were Gael Green, Todd English, Charlie Palmer and Drew Nieporent. I felt proud of myself. I was getting better at this.

Both Don Lee and Eben Freeman told me to stop by Rogue Ale and Spirits' table to try the Spruce Gin and Hazelnut Spice Rum when I had a chance. Chris from Rogue informed me that the two spirits were released in the New York market just three weeks ago.

The spruce gin had cucumber in it too. It had that slow gin burn as it rolled down my neck, but was intensely floral even with the Christmas tree-esque spruce scent, which I wasn't expecting. The hazelnut rum almost tasted like chocolate.

Chris then poured me a mixture of Rogue's Chipotle Ale and Chocolate Stout.

"It's like some kind of Mayan/Mexican chocolate beer!" I exclaimed.

I went back to the bar station to hang out a bit. Finished drinking some more of the cocktails, and stuck around when the chefs and everyone were called up to the stage.

I asked NRN's national reports editor Milford Prewitt, who I bumped into through out the evening along with our executive food editor Pam Parseghian, how long the event was going. When he answered that the dancing probably would be until midnight, I thought now would be a good time to throw in my hat.

Bartenders also paying tribute at Crème de la Crème

The Citymeals-on-Wheels Crème de la Crème is a charity event where guests come to sample fare created by star chefs as a tribute to food legends. For those of you attending the event tonight at Rockefeller Center, it looks like that some cocktail legends will get tribute as well.

Don Lee of PDT called me early this morning to tell me about his tribute I got a call from Don Lee early this morning saying that his tribute to Dale DeGroff and Toby Cecchini is going to be a pastry versino of a Cosmopolitan. Yes, "Le Croissmo" if you will. The Cosmo was the drink of choice, since "Dale and Toby popularized the Cosmo even before 'Sex and the City,'" Don explained.

It's made with Stolichnaya's blackberry flavored vodka, a croissant and brown butter-infused vodka, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and creme de cassis.

More on Citymeals-on-Wheels Crème de la Crème later.

Case of the Two-Dollar Bills at Little Branch

June 2

It was another one of those hectic Monday mornings when Elizabeth Licata came to the door of my cubicle and held in front of my face an unfamiliar yet not entirely strange bit of currency and said:

"Little Branch is giving two-dollar bills for change!"

"Huh," I said, realizing what the strange bit of currency was. "They just gave it to you as change?"

"Well, I went there with a group of friends and it wasn't just me, but three other people got it too."

What did this mean?

At this point whether or not this was a coincidence wasn't really a doubt or worry in my mind. What I was really curious about was where were they even getting two dollar bills?

"I don't think I've even seen one since I was, like, 12," I said my voice rising for some unknown reason. "Either way, I think I'm going to check it out myself."

Was I really going to a bar to see if they really had out two-dollar bills? Seriously? Yes, seriously. As a great hero of our time, Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown, once said, "No case too small."

Besides I hate being left curious. For all I knew, it was probably pretty old news, but nothing super concrete was coming up in Google and I wanted to see it with my own eyes or get some kind of confirmation on my own. If it's within my means to figure something out, I probably will. I like to think I have an inquisitive mind. Others probably think "nosy" fits the bill a bit more.

To see how Encyclopedia Brown solved the mystery of the two-dollar bills, read the next section

"You know," I thought as I sipped on a Whiskey Fix at Little Branch. "This place is kind of made for summer."

Obviously, you could get yourself a cold drink. The crushed ice in my Whiskey Fix was frosting the glass and metal spoon/straw combo was doing a great job of delivering chilly alcohol to my mouth. On top of all that, the place was nice and cool thanks to being subterranean.

I managed to spot a familiar face working the front and eventually figured out that it was Vito who I'd seen at Taste of the Nation. Sweet, I had someone on the inside I could ask.

"So a co-worker was here before and she told me you guys have two-dollar bills?" I cautiously asked once we'd gone through the formality of piecing together how and why we looked familiar to each other.

"Yea, we do," Vito answered. "We've been doing it for about six months now."

Vito said it worked both as a trademark of sorts and just ease of operations. It was a bit of a "throwback" as he put it, and it helps with making change since Little Branch is cash only and the cocktails are $12 leading to a lot of even numbered check tallies.

"But...where do you get two dollar bills?" I followed up.

"You just go to the bank and ask them for it."

"Wait, really? The bank just has a stash of twos?"

"Pretty much. Most people don't know that."

Well, that explains that rather anticlimactically.

Did I get any twos as change? Nope, but then again the claim to fame isn't that the place deals entirely in twos. It's more like something extra to make you remember the place. I'm sure it still falls under the realm of what makes easy and logical change. It also probably depends on how much twos they actually have on hand. My change came out to six bucks and I got a single and a fiver which makes more sense than trying to dole out three twos. Either way, if for whatever reason you find wanting a two-dollar bill, you should stop by the place and see if you snag one.

Working for the weekend: Dropping in on Eben Freeman

It wasn't too long ago when I used to joke about occupational vs. recreational drinking with friends. Lately, even that line is starting to blur a bit.

After trying the garam masala rum and hearing about the Masala Mai Tai and alcoholic gummy bears from Eben Freeman my curiosity had been piqued and I decided to stop by Tailor on the 17th, with fingers crossed, to see if I could get a sneak preview of some sorts. It was a Saturday, but I was already out and it was way too early to head back home.

I watched Eben scoop some ice into the metal half of a Boston shaker and then almost jumped back as he proceeded to pound the everliving life out of it with a muddler to make crushed ice for the Mai Tai.

I knew the answer, but had to ask if this was going to be standard procedure once this drink was on the menu. Eben said that the ice would definitely not be hand-crushed like that. In fact, don't even expect the finalized version to come with crushed ice. Eben explained that he was using crushed ice now because he thought the current Super Cinnamon strain of the garam masala rum would benefit from it. The recipe isn't different from a regular Mai Tai besides the use of the garam masala rum.

After chatting a bit about what else might be coming up on the new menu (wrestling with trying to create a pancake cream of sorts. It's for a breakfast-themed drink), I left promising to stop by when the new menu was in place.

I stopped by again on Friday though, because yet again I found myself to be in the area and had a good chunk of time to kill. I wasn't sure what the place would be like considering it was the start of the long weekend. It could've gone either way, but luckily it was quiet when I winded my way down to the bar. One of the bartenders, Troy, recognized me from Saturday and asked, "Does Eben know you're here?"

"No, no!" I said quickly, "I'm just here to hang out today."

But then curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't help but ask if there was anything new. This sent Troy upstairs to ask Eben before I could reach out and stop him to say, "Nnnnnooooo, I don't want to be a bother! I'm just here for a drink or two!"

While a bother I might have inadvertently made myself, I was glad I asked because soon I was given a three-piece serving of Sambuca Gummy Bears. So cute! So soft! These were test gummy bears in anticipation for the absinthe gummy bears that would go on the menu as part of the updated Solids beginning in June.

When Eben came downstairs he explained the bears were soft because they came from a batch made that day needed to sit for a day to firm up a bit.

"That's the basic idea for the absinthe gummy bears," he told me as I thoughtfully squished one of the sambuca bears between my thumb and forefinger. "Except, it'll be green."

I dutifully chomped off the head like I do whenever I encounter bear-shaped confections, whether they be of the gummy or graham cracker variety. As I contemplated the aniseed flavor, I realized I'd fallen for another one of Eben's puns again. It had its own logic. Absinthe and sambuca have that licorice-like flavor. Licorice=candy.

"My God, it comes full circle," I thought, as I nibbled the arms and legs off the gummy bear torso.

When Sam Mason came downstairs to snag some of Eben's house-made cocktail onions for something he was working on in the kitchen, Eben speared one for me out of the jar so that I could have a taste. It was more briny than vinegary, and on top of that, super crunchy. It made me think I should order a Gibson the next time I was in.

There was nothing else new to report on. The pancake cream was still a headache, but Eben made me a Kaffir Lime Collins he used to make at WD-50. A Tom Collins amplified with some muddled kaffir lime leaves, it was simple, but full of flavor and refreshing.