"Last July [Tales of the Cocktail] declared a small, view-less bar in New York's West Village, with no guest list and a frankly disappointing lack of statuesque supermodels, the best cocktail bar in the world..."

Employees Only

"Their ethos was simple: use the freshest, highest quality ingredients and provide the best service possible."

"I always loved the outsiderness of the restaurant world."

Chef Sara Jenkins of Porchetta and Porsena in New York writes an interesting article in The Atlantic. This piece provides not only an interesting window into the life of someone working in the restaurant industry (albeit successfully) but also touches on a perspective that I think Anthony Bourdain was partly trying to convey. 

My favorite and most revealing quote about the industry:

"We work long hours trying to give people a joyful experience, and afterward we want to relax and unwind. But it's 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, and the only people still up with energy are our co-workers. We dissect the night over a couple bottles of wine in the restaurant or in another bar. We argue about the weirdo at table 53, discuss whether or not the kitchen could have timed things better, and fret about what we could have done differently."

And here's the quote I think Bourdain in particular would appreciate:

"But I want to experience a normal social life as well. I am no longer so enamored by the outsiderness of it all. I want to be inside too."

Dutch Kills

Nicole and I were in Manhattan for New Years and stayed with a dear friend from high school named Ben Loving. I had targeted several craft-cocktail establishments to visit while in New York. But Ben insisted that we visit Dutch Kills. 

Located in Long Island City, the bar's namesake originates from its historic neighborhood which hugs the Newton Creek tributary. The kills themselves reach out to the East River and separate Queens from Brooklyn. What use to be a little Dutch hamlet eventually became part of the greatest American metropolis.

Ben recommended that we take seat at the bar. We were apparently in for a treat. He's aware of our attraction to mixology. And when one enjoys conversating about the hard stuff one finds him or herself sitting in front of the hard stuff. So each one of us plopped ourselves onto a stool and studied the cocktail menu.

The bartender's name was Matt and if the bar was a flute, he was Ian Anderson. As with many craft-cocktail saloons, Dutch Kills seems to accommodate the eccentrics that clientele have come to expect. Fresh fruit, juices, and syrups chilled in a giant tray of ice, ready for use. Matt's support helped carve a giant ice block into little crystal clear cubes.

Our barman fixed a delicious brandy cobbler, old-fashioned, mint julep and 4th regiment. After a round of drinks, we discovered to our amusement that our barkeep was himself from Washington D.C. I couldn't help but reflect on the irony. Here we venture to the big apple, expecting to enjoy hand-crafted cocktails by a local mixologist, only to find a DC native treading on the New Yorker's territory.

I snapped a few pictures of our evening for the blog. If you, dear reader, are hungry for the experience yourself and happen to be in the Queens area, visit Dutch Kills. And don't forget to fasten on your drinking shoes. 

NOTE: This post has been revised since its original publication.