Evolved08gsr's Travel Continues with a Beer and Food Pairing

evolved08gsr (57)in #beer • 7 years ago

Wall 88 Bar in Manhattan!

I went on a bit of a trek around lower Manhattan this evening. I didn't have anywhere to be or any particular place that I wanted to go, so I decided to take a path less traveled (by me). I went south from my hotel.

Knowing a few things about lower Manhattan, I decided to also walk along 3rd and 2nd Avenues since they have more Restaurant/Bar establishments than other areas.

Originally I was planning on eating healthy and not drinking any alcohol. Well, I know that Trying to eat healthy and not consume alcohol while on an expense account in NYC is about as close to impossible as anything. Let's be honest, I enjoy drinking alcohol (within reason-I'm not trying to get wasted every night or anything). I also enjoy "less healthy" food.

I'm a sucker for a great burger, steak, pasta, fried food, you name it. My healthy meals are breakfast and lunch where I eat yogurts and salads. So when I "cheat" for dinner, it's not as terrible (in my mind).

So when I was finally too hot to keep walking around aimlessly, I found this bar and hopped right into my comfort zone. After realizing there was no way I was going to eat a healthy meal here, and I was too hot to simply leave and find somewhere else, I went ahead and ordered their Beer Flight & Food Tasting!

The flight came out first..

These beers were not my typical beer choices, since they were all "light" flavors. But as I said, I was so hot that I thought, why not?! There was a mixture of fruit-"infused" beers (brewed), which I chose not to pay too much attention because it may make me change my mind.

When the food came out, this is where my adventure began. I was quite concerned that half of my food was fish. How good could fish and oysters be from a "hole in the wall" bar? The first thought going through my mind was .. I really hope that I don't get food poisoning! (So far, so good ... but it's still early!)

The idea was to eat from left to right, drinking from left to right with the matching dish.

The oysters were definitely below average, but not the worst that I've ever tasted!! The pairing with the beer was worthy, but not the best. I would have selected something different simply because the Ousters were lower than ideal quality.
Next up was the "Fried Fish". I was expecting something like Fish & Chips. NOPE! This was a white fish that was literally lightly fried. Thankfully there were no bones and it actually tasted alright when you added the tarter sauce. The beer pairing here didn't make much sense to me. I think that probably related to the tarter sauce. But I wasn't going to chance eating this fish without it!
Third, we got to the main event, and the meal that I was most looking forward to! The Pork. It was deliciously charred and layered on top of a complementary peanut-based spread. By far, this was my favorite food. Also, the beer pairing selection was on-point! The beer was the Elysian Super Fuzz (I cared about this one because I enjoy some of their other beers).
Last but not least, the toast + Brie cheese (I think I spelled that correctly? If not, I apologize to my wife for failing to pay the correct amount of attention to the spelling of one of her favorite cheeses). What can I say.. it was bread and cheese. You can't really go wrong with that or expect too much. The beer pairing was a blueberry ale. Again, I would have chosen something different because of how powerful Brie cheese tastes. But it was OK.

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Comment below if you have ever been in a similar situation / happily surprised by a bar/restaurant!

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Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day!

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If you want to read more, please take a look at some of my other posts: