by Rob Vanartsdalen on i'm one of those ladies (did i just call myself a lady????) that prefers to stay home. when the old man married me- i was a party animal willing to go out 6 nights a week ("i don't roll on shabbos"). now i'm old and tired. i don't like crowds, i'm too cheap to spend money and i just enjoy a quiet night at home with a bottle of dubonnet and a good book more than going out. i like to live a simple life. the exception to this rule is food prepared by ryan and katharine at bruno's. i first tried their sinful desires at the broken record and would drag all my friends there to eat up their deliciousness. then they left for awhile. they still have great food at the broken record- so i continue to go there, but i missed me some rye and kat action. then they popped up at bruno's. so i've been a few times since they started doing their thing at bruno's. and they for surely are, doing their thing. the food is as good as it ever was...even a bit better because of the great surroundings and clean bathrooms. things i've tried: oyster po'boy, wings, ribs, brisket, brussels, collards, fried green tomatoes and their whoopie pie. everything has been amazing. so even though most nights i'm an old lady sitting at home, covered in a knitted afghan sipping my lady beverage, i will always be game for traveling to the mission to party it up at bruno's like i was in my 20's again. who's ready to go? i am.
by Elden Balmer on People always ask me for recommendations on where to bring a group of people to have drinks, maybe some food and basically chill outside in the sun. First, I send them to the weekly rateclubs from a few weeks ago (shameless plug ... http://www.rateclubs.com/we...) and then when they continue to stare at me blankly waiting for a real answer I say, The Frying Pan. While it's not the cheapest ($29 pitcher of Sangria and around the same for a bucket of 6 Coronas) nor does it attract the most socially sophisticated crowd, it's hard to beat a rickety but pretty damn large boat sitting square on the Hudson with ample seating, a large bar and a pretty decent sized menu. In fact, it's easy to forget that you're not actually stranded on said ship since the hours pass quickly between climbing the rickety stairs/ladders and braving the bathroom that's gotta be ship rat paradise. They allow dogs, kids (complete with a coloring menu), frat boys, fauxialites, and everyone in between. Watch the sun set behind Jersey, throw back a deliciously fruity glass of white sangria and revel in the warm weather. At night it gets a bit more raucous with a dance floor and live music so it's good for an outdoor party scene in the city. Now leave me alone, I've got to find a new outdoor drinking place that you haven't heard of yet!
