Recently in A Good Joint Category

While not quite Marienbad, the last night at M. Wells did have a slightly surreal quality - a mix of industry folk and devoted followers lined up outside the battered diner on the corner of obscure and nowhere in Long Island City, ready to dive once more into an order of bone marrow and snails. Surprisingly it was our first and only visit to this now legendary institution - one which we had imagined to be found at the end of some epic journey, surrounded by a sea of taxi lots and the remnants of industry, rather than just steps from the 7 train two stops removed from Manhattan.

It always struck us as odd that Ma Peche (15 West 56th Street) opened in the former Town space, a subterranean dining room underneath the Chambers Hotel. Years ago, Town was a favorite of ours since it was home to Albert Trummer and his then groundbreaking cocktails. Eventually, the restaurant dropped off the radar and then closed, leaving an empty basement we thought for sure would never matter again. Instead, David Chang and Tien Ho at the height of their powers came calling. However, the opening never really intrigued us - were we going to hike up to Midtown for stuff we got at Ssam Bar? Not really. So time passed and we never went.

We've been to Dram in Williamsburg (177 S. 4th Street) a couple of times in the last few months and it took us a while to hone in on what makes this place so good. Turns out, it's not the house cocktails - which tend to feature ingredients we don't find exciting - but rather the solid renditions of the modern classics. 

We'd heard a lot about The Summit Bar (133 Avenue C, NYC) but it always seemed just one block too far east. Finally, we braved the heat to make our way over to Ave C and we weren't disappointed.

Their signature drink, The Situation, has gotten lots of love from the likes of TONY and NY Mag so that was our first order. The drink, Afghani Raisin infused Rittenhouse Rye, caraway infused agave, fresh lemon, summit orange bitters, didn't disappoint in richness and depth. One of the best drink's we've had all year. Another winner was Breaking the Law, made with Illegal reposado mezcal, Dimmi Italian cordial, fresh lime, chipotle chili agave, Summit summer orange bitters, cucumber and topped with soda. The layers on both these drinks were impressive and obviously much care has gone into the list, especially the inventive infusions.

We didn't have time to linger but we'll be back... and soon. With a list full of classics and new creations, we're eager to try more.

Clover Club (210 Smith Street, Brooklyn) has really come into its own as evidenced by a recent exploration of the current menu.

Right at the top of the list is something that can best be described as summer in a glass - the Maria Sin Sangre ($11), a deliciously savory cocktail made with muddled cherry tomatoes, basil, silver tequila, medium dry sherry and lemon, pictured at right.

If savory isn't your speed, there are many very good cocktails - and more than a few featuring sherry. They make a good Martinez but we recommend the Pedro's Martinez ($12), 23 year old aged Zacapa rum, sweet vermouth, Pedro Ximenez and angostura bitters. This terrific drink has a great deal of depth and richness and deserves to be drunk slow.

Based on our recent adventure, we'll be back to Clover Club before too long.

A year ago, New York was abuzz with the opening of two new baseball stadiums and one of the big stories was Danny Meyer's involvement at the Mets' Citi Field. Late last season we visited the new Yankee Stadium and came away impressed with the new digs but outraged at the price gouging ($9.50 beer) and poor food choices - they were actually embarrassing.

This week we took a ride out to Citi Field to check it out - not because we're Mets fans as much as we were curious about the food & beverage choices post hype. First of all, the stadium is a stunner and shares many similarities with the new Yankee Stadium. You can walk all the way around it on the main level, it's more open and has better views of the field and it has cup holders in standing areas so you can grab a beer and stand with a view of the field. All big improvements in stadium design. As a negative, the place is too loud with speakers everywhere, even above the ticket windows, making it difficult to even buy a ticket due to the noise.

Back to food & bev - choices at Citi included the usual stadium junk, plus stands for kosher food and gluten free food! The Danny Meyer joints are behind center field on the main level and were busy, in the case of Shake Shack overwhelmingly so. We tried pulled pork sandwiches from Blue Smoke, which lacked seasoning, fries from the Frites joint, good but outrageously expensive at $8 for about 25 - 30 fries and a meh lobster roll from the fish shack, supposedly overseen by David Pasternack, with signs posted guaranteeing freshness. What it could not guarantee was proper seasoning and enough mayo.

The selection of beer was wide - there is also a rum bar best avoided - but it takes some perusing to find the best bargains. However, the beer is much cheaper than Yankee Stadium, with far more choices. There is a "Big Apple Brews" hut near they Meyer joints and they sell 12 ounce bottles of real beer (Bud Light and Coors Light are not real beers) for $6.75. We preferred "Beers of the World" where you could get 16 ounces of Stella, Czechvar and a few other Euro beers on draft for $7.50. There are two of these stands, near 1st base and 3rd base, and if you go on the right night, an 80 year old named Irwin will serve you. The guy is a hoot. Oh, and don't forget your ID. You cannot buy beer without ID, no matter how old you are. We saw a 50-sth woman turned away because she wasn't carrying any ID.

Considering how poor the Mets play, it's a shame they have the better ballpark with better amenities. We'll check in on Yankee Stadium soon as we can afford it and see if things have improved. But winning the World Series doesn't lead to lower prices.

There is something about cold weather that makes us think about brown spirits and a recent trip to Brooklyn gave us the opportunity to check out a place that is a must destination for brownies like us - Char No. 4 (196 Smith Street).

Char No. 4 tags itself a whiskey bar and restaurant, and it certainly delivers on the brown liquor front. The list has 150+ American whiskeys as well as whiskeys from around the world, so we were excited to peruse the list and take advantage of the 1 oz pour options to taste some obscure stuff.

The long bar was inviting as we slipped in early one night. We started with a couple of cocktails, hoping to ease our way into the bourbons and single malts. Unfortunately, this proved a mistake - the Hound Dog, Ancient Age bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, honey, mint and lime was initially refreshing but quickly became boring. Even worse was the pointless Kir Royale-esque Kentucky Royale, Henry McKenna bourbon, sparkling wine, cassis and orange zest. The heavy bourbon basically killed any effervescence in the sparkling wine and the drink was a complete failure.

Meanwhile, the bar got busy with people ordering, of all things, wine and beer. In a whiskey bar! Still we were determined to get into the ounce tastings, Bud-swigging neighbors be damned. We started with one of three tastings Char has created - the Belmont Park, which consisted of Four Roses single barrel bourbon, Jameson Irish Whiskey 18 year and a Laphroaig 7 year Signatory Single Malt scotch. At $25 for three one ounce pours, the tasting was a bit steep but nevertheless rewarding. The highlight was the delicious Jameson 18, surprising since Irish whiskey is not our thing. We then jumped to some 1 ounce tastes - the 1990 Lochnagar old malt cask 15 year old ($14, 1 ounce) was quite good as was the Blanton's silver, a rare find ($20, 1 ounce).

And the food? Decidedly meaty, with a Southern flare and actually pretty good. We enjoyed the house cut smoked bacon, the pork sausage with lentils and the lamb pastrami.

This being Brooklyn, the service was friendly at points, unprofessional at others and not enough staff was totally knowledgeable about the booze list. That's unfortunate in a place with this depth of great liquor but perhaps not so surprising when considering that many people just prefer beer to delving into the vagaries of 12 vs 15 year old single malts.

One of New York's best kept secrets is tiny Sorella (95 Allen Street) on the Lower East Side. We've dropped by a few times since it first opened almost a year ago and this cozy spot has gotten better - our first visit was a bit rocky but the issues we had seem to have been worked out. While there is a full fledged dining room in the back, we prefer to sit at the bar and nibble some of the small plates and drink lots of interesting wines, which are predominantly from Northern Italy.

Recently we dropped by and enjoyed the delicious veal sweetbreads, tajarin pasta with lamb ragu and agnolotti. But the wine list is what always gets us excited - it's clearly put together with care and is full of unusual, often excellent choices by the glass (over two dozen in all). The list is well priced - most wines by the glass are $10 - $13 and these days the pours are healthy. In the mood for sparkling, we tried the Lambrusco di Sorbara from Emilia Romagna ($10) and the sparkling Kerner from Veneto ($12). Both were very good and worked perfectly with the food.

If you're in the neighborhood, pop into the bar and try them out. If you're looking for interesting, well crafted food and adventurous wine choices, you won't be disappointed.

Danny Meyer sure knows how to do Restaurant Week. We've tried his restaurants in the past and they are some of the hardest reservations during RW. So when we sidled up to the packed bar at The Modern's Bar Room last week for just a drink and found out they were serving the menu at the bar, it was no surprise that we were tempted into ordering.

At his restaurants, the restaurant week menu is all they serve. Choices are plentiful and interesting, usually drawn from the regular menu. It seems like they want you to have a good time and truly want to show off the restaurants to those who may not have had the chance - or the means - to try it otherwise. At the Bar Room, the menu had around 10 choices in each category (fewer for dessert) and from what we sampled, you couldn't go wrong.

Somewhat under the radar but worthy of a visit is the snug bar at Yerba Buena (23 Avenue A), overseen by the talented Artemio Vasquez, who learned a trick or two from his former employer, the doyenne of New York cocktails herself, Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club. The house cocktails we sampled ($12) were very good: the Jamaica 107 (left, hibiscus tea infused bernheim wheat whiskey + organic egg white + fresh lemon juice) was a hit with grown men, despite its pretty hibiscus color, and the Boludo "Yerba Mate" (yerba mate infused pisco + grapefruit & lime cordials + fresh lemon juice) was deliciously refreshing. We hear those mojitos go down real smooth too.

And if you stop in by December 30, you can partake in their ongoing celebration of the repeal of prohibition. Classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Corpse Reviver #2 and Vieux Carre are $10.

Perhaps best of all, plunk down $11 for a brunch cocktail and they will keep sending them until you beg them to stop. Yup, unlimited mimosas, bellinis, French 75 or the Peruvian Kiss, which has trouble written all over it.

Yerba Buena
23 Avenue A (bet Houston & 2nd Street)
212-529-2919