In a perfect world, great beer and savory food would be paired together and available to me in a moments notice. Last night this nirvana existed in the form of the NYC Brewer’s Choice event. The sprawling event which paired the best of craft beer and fine foods was held at City Winery, was co-hosted by the Beer Sessions radio crew, Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy’s No. 43), and Dave Brodrick (Blind Tiger) with a keynote speech from Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery).

The overall layout of the event was pitch perfect. Long tables filled the hall of the stunning City Winery. Upon entry, guests picked up a menu and a wine glass for their ale. From the looks of things, the event was a total sellout, but this did not cause any problems for patrons to sample beers and grab some eats to pair with them. It’s refreshing when organizers of such events think like the people attending them and provide a solid flow so that no one has to wait on a line and miss out.

Instead of getting overwhelmed by all of the amazing selections at the event, we took our time to hit every table and meet its proprietors. But don’t worry- our glasses were filled the whole time and we wouldn’t have it any other way. The representatives from both the food and beer companies were extremely friendly. This is most likely due to the fact that they love what they do.

We had a great chat with the crew from Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY while sampling their, ‘Gnomegang’ a Belgian-Style Golden Ale. It was paired with the equally friendly team from Betty Brooklyn. They brought with them a homemade duck confit rillette, served on sourdough garlic toast with homemade wild fermented pickles. The combination of savory and sour was quite pleasurable and unique between the two items.

A favorite pairing with our crew came from Smuttynose Brewing Company and the East Village Meat Market. The choice brew was a 2007 Barley Wine and the mature, bold flavor was meant to be sipped and not gulped due to both its complexity and strong alcohol content. It was literally a beer to be chewed and therefore the huge tray of Head Cheese brilliantly paired with it. I felt like a viking as I ate it while sipping my challis of Barley Wine.

The appreciation for hand crafted beer, and savory foods is at an all time high in New York, and we couldn’t be happier especially in light of New York’s Craft Beer Week. Events such as Brewer’s Choice not only fill your stomach, but they expose you to people and businesses you may have never known existed. It is a community, and an economy that we are all helping to grow by simply enjoying the beers and food we love. Cheers!

- Jay Rubin

Arts & Culture

Saturday, June 25, 2:00 p.m – Pixar Revisited: Toy Story – Museum of Modern Art. Pixar’s Toy Story, is the first completely computer-animated feature film, which revolutionized the way we view cartoons in the modern era. The film tells the tale of Woody, a cowboy pull-string doll, who is usurped as his owner Andy’s favorite toy by a new astronaut action figure in this timeless tale about friendship and loyalty. (MoMA)

Sports

Friday, June 24th – Sunday, June 26th. The Bronx Bombers, continue the summer classic with a three game home stand against the Colorado Rockies. Friday’s match-up has, A.J. Burnett vs. Ubaldo Jimenez. On Saturday, CC Sabathia will be pitted against Aaron Cook. (Yankees-Rockies Tickets)

Music & Entertainment

Saturday, June 25, 2011 – Sweet Cyanide – Studio At Webster Hall – Doors at 7pm – Tickets $10. New York City’s own Sweet Cyanide, will headline the Studio At Webster Hall this Saturday night to show the hometown crowd why they are quickly becoming one of rock’s heavy hitters on the national touring circuit. Over the past two years the boy’s from the Big Apple have opened for such major acts as: Halestorm, Bullet For My Valentine, Pop Evil, Extreme, and Charm City Devils. Saturday night in NYC is the perfect time to rock, so get your ass over there. And while you’re at it grab a copy of their new album, ‘Sweet Cyanide II’ which is now available on ITunes and Amazon. (Studio At Webster Hall)

Saturday, June 25th 9pm – The Party Machine’s Michael Jackson Party – Union Hall – Park Slope, Brooklyn. Arden Myrin (MADtv, Chelsea Lately, Working) and Lisa Delarios (Aspen Comedy Festival, Live at Gotham) keep their monthly parties rolling at Park Slope’s Union Hall. June’s Party Machine’s theme is the late Michael Jackson. These two hilarious comedienne’s will be joined by a stellar line-up including: Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live) Nikki Glaser (Last Comic Standing, The Tonight Show) Jon Glaser (Delocated) Nick Turner (Too Cool For School) Sara Scahefer (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) and Adira Amram and The Experience (Winner ECNY). The LocalBozo crew have been to the Party Machine before, and this is a show not to be missed. Tickets are $5. (Union Hall)

Nightlife

Friday, June 24, 11:00 pm – 4:00 am – Escape Fridays at Sky Room Rooftop – Time Square. It’s Sky Room, New York’s most talked about rooftop. With indoor and outdoor space, great music and a beautiful crowd, you are sure to have a great night! Ladies Free & Guys Reduce on guest list only! For guest list and reservations please email here.

Other

Sunday, June 26th 11:30am – 6pm – Stinky Bklyn’s “STINKFEST 2011″ – Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. It’s Stinky Bklyn’s 5th annual Stinkfest of 2011. The annual street and storewide event will feature; bands all day, plenty of sandwiches and refreshments, and cheesy fun for all ages! But, once 2:30 rolls around its time for the Cheese Eating Contest. Do you have what it takes to stuff your face with smoked Gouda or a sharp cheddar? Find out on Sunday! Head over to Stinky Bklyn’s homepage for more information

-Alan Smithee

LocalBozo’s staff is full of beer lovers. Be it the cheap swill in cans or a high end barley-wine, we just can’t get enough of the sudsy stuff. So needless to say, we are always pleased to see a beer centric shop open up in the East Village, one of our favorite hoods. It’s called Good Beer, and it more than lives up to its name.

Good Beer sprouted from the mind of, David Cichowicz. Cichowicz an avid beer fan himself, has created a relaxed, informative, and most importantly, a friendly environment for purchasing craft beer and all the accouterments that go along with it. The layout is exactly what one would expect from a side street shop in the East Village. Fridges and wooden shelves line the walls, filled with various beers representing breweries, both domestic and abroad.

The stock is roughly 80% American craft beer and 20% from Germany, Belgium, and the UK. Customers may purchase 6 dollar pints or 8 dollar tasting flights (four 4.5 oz pours) which are available to consume in-house. Bottles and growlers are available for takeout only. Besides the great suds, Good Beer has a wide variety of charcuterie, cheeses, sausages, and hot dogs with an emphasis on organic, heritage, and regional products.

This week at Good Beer you can grab a pint or growler of one of the following American crafts on tap: Stoudts American Pale, Sixpoint Mad Scientist #3, Two Brothers Domaine Du Page, Coney Island Albino Python, and Victory Prima Pils. During my visit, I went for a full pour pint of the Victory. It is a perfect brew for the warmer months. The shop was filled with fellow beer lovers, which is great for starting up a conversation about the beverage we all hold dear. These tap brews will rotate on a regular basis, which allows customers the opportunity to taste something new.

Join Good Beer and Speakeasy Brewing on Tuesday, May 17 from 6:30pm - 9:00pm for an evening of awesome San Francisco beers. For the first time on the east coast, the shop will be pouring Speakeasy’s west coast take on a Pale Bock. Also on tap will be the Coffee Porter, Big Daddy, and Double Daddy IPAs.

Beer fans rejoice! You have found your sanctuary for all things hops and barley. And it is ‘Good.’

-Alan Smithee

We all need some R&R away from our stressful lives. That is why taking a vacation is so important for both your health and well being. Living here in New York City is exciting but it can become too much after a while. The great people at EscapeMaker.com are here to help. They specialize in guiding you toward a perfect trip within a 500 mile radius to spots like Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. The best part of all is their online guide, which performs all of the legwork for you, featuring personal reviews of spotlighted towns. It goes even further to suggest activities and points of interest to make the most of your trip and your budget.

On Saturday, April 30th EscapeMaker.com held their first of its kind ”Green Getaways, Local Food & Travel Expo” – a carbon free event featuring 60+ exhibitors, samplings of local wines, cheeses, fudge, chocolates, jams, apple juice, and other regional farm-fresh foods. The expo was held at Skylight One Hanson, or The Williamsburg Bank Building, as it was originally called.  It is a large and classy venue to hold an event such as this and with its lavish and ornate main hall, its no surprise that everyone from the Brooklyn Flea to local government representatives choose this space to hold their functions.

At 10:30am members of the press assembled in the former bank vault of the building for the awarding of  2011′s “Greenest New Yorker.” The award for the greenest New Yorker goes to a person who demonstrates a committed effort to living an eco-friendly, low carbon footprint life. This year’s award went to urban environmentalist, Mr. Erik Baardi. He left his job at Dow Jones in 1999 to focus on starting green business, volunteer projects, and community gardens. When not working on bettering the earth, Baardi is an avid kayaker. After the award presentation, members of EscapeMaker, including Caylin Sanders – President & Founder of the site,  and the I Love NY campaign cut the Green ribbon, made of garland to kick start the expo. Nice touch!

As New Yorkers it is our duty to support local businesses within the state, especially ones whose practices fit into a green, sustainable lifestyle. The people behind the expo hand picked businesses both local to NYC, and New York State as a whole, who demonstrate this ever important factor. The great states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont represented as well, showing us how other regions in the country are working to better their economies through small business, while keeping low carbon footprints.  Although these hot topics are serious, the expo itself was a festive affair where both vendor and patrons alike had a smile on their faces throughout.

No pairing works better collaboratively than a good bottle of wine and some savory chocolates to match. In that same vein, Tuesday night’s complimentary tasting event at the recently opened bahr che in Noho appropriately matched a burgeoning new wine bar with the delectable, exotic truffles of the established chocolatier, Vosges Haut-Chocolat. While finding the place on a rainy spring evening was no easy task, the wait was worth the reward.

bahr che officially opened its doors for business in January. Disguised with an Astor Place address, the quaint, dimly lit establishment actually sits on Cooper Square with minimal signage, so you really need to be on the lookout for where you’re going. Once inside however, you’ll find a tastefully understated ode to the wine bottle, almost as if you’re inside the cellar of a collector. The décor is ideal for intimate settings- long bouquets in vases lining the windows, small candles sitting atop each of the two person tables, and the use of the wine bottles themselves as the attention grabbing centerpiece, which force their way into any conversation. bahr che also offers assorted cheeses, charcuterie, foie gras, and chocolates from some of the finest sources in Manhattan, with a menu of delicious sandwiches and plates to suit any budget or pallet for that matter.

On Tuesday, the restaurant was pouring seemingly endless glasses of the French “Petit Caprice,” a 2010 rose that held up capably when intermittently swished between truffle tastings. The two hour event kicked off at 6:30pm, giving some additional time for patrons to come in from the rain. Vosges Chocolate representative Maggie Marion welcomed everyone inside and provided a thorough table-to-table analysis about the history of the chocolatier, and the flavors behind each of the five truffles. The Chicago based purveyor has local boutique stores in Soho and on the Upper East Side, with additional availability at many of the Food Emporium and Whole Foods stores in Manhattan. Conceptually the brand aims to “create a luxury chocolate experience rooted in a sensory journey of bringing about awareness to indigenous cultures through the exploration of spices, herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, nuts, chocolate, and the obscure.” They truly stand by the belief that chocolate can change the world.

Marion brought with her five distinct chocolates, some working better than others at pairing with the rose. But at a free event, beggars can’t be choosers- and this one was top notch. We sampled “Mo’s milk chocolate bacon bar,” a sweet white chocolate “ambrosia” with macadamia nuts, a rich, 85% dark chocolate, enveloped in cocoa powder, a creamy caramel and peppercorn spiced piece, and our favorite an exotic creamy coconut truffle topped with curry powder. Each truffle was tasted in two bites, with whispers of each of the flavors manifesting themselves with each breath. The atmosphere inside bahr che was filled with a quiet contentment, as the patrons’ collective eyes rolled back simultaneously as the chocolates and rose danced on our tongues, and the evening concluded as a complete success.

For more information on bahr che, check out bahrchenyc.com and to taste Vosges Haut-Chocolat, check out Vosges Chocolates

- Jane Van Arsdale

The expansion of a neighborhood is always a good thing. Not only does it stimulate the economy, but it helps provide its residents with a sense of purpose. This is where you live, so it is of the utmost importance that businesses move in to help enrich the area. This can be said for Bergen Street upstart, 61 Local.

61 Local, which officially opened last week sits just below the ever bustling Smith Street and the Carrol Gardens hood. They are a true Beer bar, making them an immediate friend to a borough filled with Craft Beer lovers. It is beneficial to this joint that it is off this main drag of Smith Street.”61″ is able to set themselves apart in a whole new strip. They are not alone in doing this as restaurant Broken English, and The Invisible Dog Art Gallery have been making this new territory their own for sometime now.

When you enter the space, you will be taken aback like I was about how large it is. The ceiling for one, is quite high providing an airy space where you could not possibly feel claustrophobic. Large wooden tables fill the floor providing a wide amount of seating. So this is great for groups of any size looking for a night out. The walls have local artist pieces adorning them, which will change frequently.

An amazing factoid that everyone should know is that much of the materials used to build 61 Local have come from reclaimed and or recycled textile and lumber. From the floor your standing on to the Lamps. All of these items have been given a second life here. The Lamps in particular are interesting. They were made from reclaimed, Carboys which are used for home brewing. They look great and really help to illuminate the large space. It’s great to see a new business have a low carbon footprint right from the start.

It must also be noted that 61 Local will only serve Beer in glasses to patrons, as Chris Munsey (Food and Beverage Manager) informed me. They do not want to serve brews bottles, thus furthering their cause for a greener establishment. The Beer being served will all derive from local breweries from regions including; Long Island, New York State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. “61″ is all about supporting local economies, and I find that very refreshing. Pun intended. They are quite serious so much that their beer menu, which hangs directly behind the bar is a map of the regions they serve from. An ever changing food menu is also available using local purveyors such as McClure’s Pickles and Saxelby Cheese mongers.

61 Local is a great place to start or end any night out in Brooklyn and the city as a whole. With a great bar menu, plenty of space, and helpful informative service it’s really a no brainier that they are doing something right. Head on down to Bergen Street, and find out why 61 Local will be your new home for better brews.

- Alan Smithee

There are many specialty shops all around Manhattan and each has a distinction that sets them apart from the rest of the pack.  On a bustling corner of Park Slope lies one such store that may be light on size but is big on selection, and it has quickly become a LocalBozo favorite.  Once you walk through the doorway of the small yet abundantly stocked store at Grab, your senses enter an overload in the best possible way.

Two huge cases line the right side of the shop, filled with three of the items that make the shop such an attractive place to patronize: cured meats, cheeses, and olives (three of my personal favorites).  The store is packed with such a diverse assortment of these products that it may take you a little while to decide on exactly what you will be leaving with that day.  This is no problem at Grab, as the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about everything in the cases.  Sampling is always the best way to go before you buy, and they are happy to offer you plenty of tastes to help you make the best choice.

What’s refreshing about Grab is that they are clearly at the forefront of buying local produce.  One of the cheeses that we sampled during our visit was from a small farm in New Jersey.  In the display rack they offer some popular Brooklyn based products, like Gorilla Coffee and Brooklyn Brine Co. Pickles.  Not only are the quality of these products excellent, but when you purchase them you are helping small business thrive. In that way everyone wins.

Beer, especially of the Microbrewer variety has increased in popularity over the last decade. In an earlier blog we covered another Park Slope specialty shop BierKraft, and all it has to offer.  Grab can easily play in the same league with its very impressive collection of bottles that go from floor to ceiling.  They are produced by Microbrewers from all over the country and in keeping with the idea of buying and selling local, some of the beers, like Kelso for instance, are made right in Brooklyn.

The true standout of their beer selection would have to be the ones on tap, considering that these beers change all the time.  Some may be seasonal while others may have a limited supply at any given time. Grab also sells Growlers for a $4.95 deposit, which can be filled with any of the beers on tap. The prices usually range from $9.95 to right around $16.00.  Employee Chris Vamos can be seen pictured holding one of these Growlers.  They make a great gift with their original design.

There is an old saying that good things come in small packages. Well, in the case of Grab that is undeniably correct.  If you are going to a dinner party, or just want to have something special around the house, head to Grab for a tremendous variety of food and beverages delivered to you by some of the most knowledgeable, unpretentious staff in our fair city.

For more on Grab, check out their website at www.grabspecialtyfoods.com or give them a shout at (718) 369-7595.

-  Alan Smithee