1/25/14 - Barley and Grain

So as a new found food blogger, sometimes I'm just going to have to fly solo. This was one of those days. Nothing wrong with it, just part of the life I'll be living as I work on this project. For this trip though I wanted to hit a place I've been meaning to try for months now. Barley & Grain on the Upper West Side. This was a place made just for me. Over 100 bottles of Whiskies. A friendly bartender. Chill, cozy atmosphere. It totally lived up to the hype. I believe it was "Alabama Song" that went "Oh show me the way to the next whisky bar..." and well, I found it.

The list of whiskies

Barley & Grain isn't too spacious, but it's definitely accommodating. As I was alone, I didn't want to be rude and take up a table so I decided to sit at the bar. My bartender, Jesse, was incredibly friendly and we spoke the entire hour and a half I was there about beer and whisky. He definitely knew his stuff. I started off with a rye manhattan, probably my favorite drink. He made it with Sazerac rye, which is excellent stuff if you've never had it. This was probably the best manhattan I'd ever had. It was balanced, you could taste the rye, but the other elements (vermouth, bitters, cherry) all came through as well.

Rye Manhattan

The brunch menu is a nice mix of breakfasty and lunchy foods. I was feeling lunchy, so I went with the Mac n Cheese, which Jesse recommended. The portion wasn't as big as I expected, but it was decadent and delicious. The mac and cheese was made with grueyere, maytag blue and NY cheddar. Each component comes through: the smokiness of the gruyere, the tanginess of the blue and the sharpness of the cheddar all compliment each other. Add in some salty bacon and a heft dose of cream and you've got a hell of a dish. I just wish I had more of it.

Mac n Cheese please

The house bloody mary was great too. Spicy and savory, but not overpowering in either way. Jesse said they make their mix daily and you can always tell when it's homemade vs. store bought mix. The bloodies are cheaper than the other cocktails as well, so if you plan on brunching it up for long, stock up on these.

Bloody Mary

My final cocktail was a drink called the Lion's Wheel. This was definitely interesting, made with bourbon, an all spice liqueur of some kind and lime. Jesse recommended I try it, and I definitely appreciated his suggestion. Again, just a tasty, well balanced drink.

I will say this though. For the most part I've been trying to target places with "All You Can Drink" spcieals for brunch, and B&G doesn't have one. So it is a bit pricier as a result. But the food, the cocktails, and the knowledgeable staff made this place excellent. I will definitely be back here in the future, for dinner or for brunch. Four bloody maries out of five.