Two hundred years ago, a man named Benjamin Guinness used a roasted grain called Black Patent Malt as the foundation of Guinness stout as Americans know it today. Complete with a bespoke canvas bag printing station, live music, and snacks that included fried chicken and mashed potatoes in a cone, Guinness spared no expense at creating a warm, welcoming environment […]

Iced tea, generally thought of as a low-calorie alternative to water (according to girls “watching their sugar” everywhere), has reinvented itself as the perfect cocktail mixer. Argo Tea, generally known for its commitment to local and sustainable tea production, has teamed up with several note-worthy spirit companies to create some truly excellent cocktails. Raising brand awareness while providing a low-calorie alternative […]

You’d have to live under a rock not to recognize that the Bed Stuy section of Brooklyn is taking off as an “it” neighborhood to live and play. Alice’s Arbor, a five-year veteran of the hood, was an early adopter of the desirability of this neighborhood, and has maintained its presence by producing solid food in an attractive space. Refurbished […]

Summertime is upon us, and nothing sounds better after a rainy, cold intro to the season than a day spent in the sunshine with a delicious alcoholic beverage in hand.  Check out our newest obsessions. Guinness Irish Wheat  In a chic gallery in Chelsea, complete with exposed brick, an outdoor space, and slick cherry wood floors, Guinness introduced its newest addition […]

In a city that is over-saturated with bars and restaurants, it’s often difficult to stand out, especially on a busy thoroughfare like Bleecker Street. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a bar in Greenwich Village, and most establishments need to don multiple personas in order to maintain a steady flow of clientele. The Anthony is such a place. The […]

Just when you thought you’ve seen the last of speakeasies, a new one comes along that makes you rethink if the genre is dead. When you arrive at La Milagrosa, you’ll wonder if you’ve gotten the wrong address. The night I went, I walked into what appears to be a bodega (which actually sells hard-to-find traditional Mexican ingredients) and spoke […]

The Thruway Killers is the seventh of nine novels by Harvey Havel, a former SUNY Albany and Bergen Community College writing instructor and novelist. Droogan McPhee is the unemployed, unsympathetic son of a wealthy curmudgeon who owns a chain of liquor stores in the Northeast. In tandem with his adulteress stepmother (who is closer to Doogan’s age then his father), […]

A dimly lit bar reminiscent of the old LES sits across the street from the flashy Ludlow hotel, one of the more recent additions to this stretch of Ludlow street. Cozy and welcoming, this wood-paneled bar, complete with heat lamps, is easily a place you could make your neighborhood bar if you live in the area. While No Fun has […]

  The upper 50’s/lower 60’s on the east side of Manhattan is a bit of a geographic no man’s land. Not quite Midtown, not quite the Upper East Side, this area has taken on some alter egos in the past few years (Turtle Bay, Tudor City, Sutton Place – ish), but it still gives off the feeling it doesn’t quite […]

Tucked away on a quiet stretch of Madison Avenue is a homey restaurant invoking the feeling of a small town. White wood walls give it a seaside vibe, and all the manic energy of the city outside quietly melts away as your sip your first glass of wine from an interesting and off the beaten path wines-by-the-glass list. Years of […]