A City Smörgåsbord

One of my favorite things to write about is food, which makes me a very lucky girl indeed because one of my favorite things to do is eat. I've had the pleasure of frequenting a few noteworthy bars/restaurants lately and I'd like to share two of them with you, dear reader.

I live on the Upper East Side - Yorkville to be exact - but it's not often that my friends and I venture north of 93rd Street when we're enjoying a night out on the town. Recently, I happened to read an endearing review in Time Out New York of a semi-new bar/foodie spot on 97th and Park called Earl's Beer & Cheese. Immediately upon reading the magic words Beer and Cheese I had no choice but to check this place out. It was lauded as a really great find for craft beer and artisanal cheese-lovers who reside on the UES (or anyone who doesn't mind heading way up town). As it happens, most places that fall within those parameters are found downtown or even in Brooklyn. While I love venturing to the LES or over the bridge to an outer borough, it's cool to know I can have a great beer and an even greater cheese spread a few blocks away from my apartment. Last weekend, Lindsey and I made our way north of 96th Street to Earl's. My verdict: understated and fantastic. The narrow space is furnished with a few wooden benches and tables that lend a rustic feel. After scanning the menu, beer and/or cheese orders are placed at small bar in the rear. We both ordered Bronx Pale Ales - wanting to keep it local - and a Beer-Cheese, which we thought was going to be a cheese platter, but ended up being something much, much better.

Beer-Cheese at Earl's Beer & Cheese. Music to my ears.

As you can see, the Beer-Cheese came in a old-school plastic basket and turned out to be a heavenly spread made with cheddar cheese and house lager, meant to be generously piled onto the most gloriously buttered bread. Perfection. Understandably, the napkin I ate off of was basically translucent after having held this cheesy, buttery bread; but my arteries let it slide. The place also had really fun artwork hanging on the walls. I will definitely be going back.

This past Friday, I took the N train to Park Slope, where my friend Monique brought me to a few of her favorite hangouts. One of them was a quaint restaurant that specializes in organic, sustainable and locally-sourced food, called Rose Water. To start, we shared a really fresh calamari and citrus salad. For my main dish, I had baked polenta with goat cheese, mushrooms and spinach. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I love cheese. This was SUCH a delicious take on a baked, cheesy dish that it is absolutely something I hope to try again. It was definitely rich, but paired with the mushrooms and spinach, the overly glutenous feeling I normally feel after housing a carb and cheese-heavy dish wasn't too overbearing. On a sad side note, Monique's iPhone, which happened to store a great picture of this polenta dish, was stolen at a bar in Carroll Gardens later in the evening. While I'm sure this picture is the last thing Monique is sad to have lost, I felt compelled to explain that this picture you are about to see is not of the actual polenta dish I ate that evening. What would I do without Google images?

Baked Polenta at Rose Water

So there you have it, two spots - one on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the other in Brooklyn's ever-popular neighborhood of Park Slope - that I recommend scoping out. When you're feeling the need for a cold glass of craft beer and a chunk of cheese, take the 6 train up to Earl's Beer & Cheese. When you're in the mood for simple, organic or local fare, take the R train to Union Street and savor the goods at Rose Water.

As always, happy eating and drinking!