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August 29, 2007
My good friend Nelson called to say that another friend of ours named Gelu and his wife Erica were visiting from Copenhagen. They used to live in NYC and I think the last time I saw Gelu was a over a year and a half ago. I was at a business lunch with someone from Sony Pictures at Ruby Foo's (1626 Broadway, NY). Coincidently, Gelu was also having lunch there. A quick hello/goodbye and off he went. Nelson used to play drums in Gelu's band Automatic Slim. The place chosen for tonight's reunion was this charming, intimate little craft beer bar called Against the Grain (620 E 6th St, NYC). It's an extension of the wine bar/tapas restaurant called Grape and Grain located just next door. I got there early—which in and of itself would make this a memorable night. I joked with the lovely bartender about fighting the crowd to get to the bar. Saying this place is small is an understatement. The narrow, brick-lined room is centered by a twelve-seat pub table. There are also two stools at the tiny bar and a few others set under a shallow shelf along one wall. Dimly lit by sparse lights and candles added to its allure. More importantly for me was the choice of craft beer, the food, the music (which you could order here and was brought over from next door) and the service. My beer of choice was the very dark and heavy Sixpoint Oatmeal Stout (Brooklyn). I did try the Avery Ellies Brown (Colorado) which is still a dark beer, but lighter and sweeter than the stout. A word of advice, since these are craft brews, the selection may change from season to season. And though for the most part everything is reasonably priced, prices for the beers vary widely from affordable ($5) to expensive ($21). For dinner I passed on the Beer Steamed Cockles and opted for the Roasted Pork Loin Sandwich with Chipotle Mayo, Lettuce & Tomato. It had just enough kick to make me sweat. Of course I had my share of 'cockle' jokes thanks to my friends Helen and Marc. Everything—including her own share of 'cockle' jokes—was served up with a smile by Sara Klingebiel. She's an actress who has—in my own humble opinion—a fantastic taste in music. Anyone who has 'Rescue' by Echo & the Bunnymen on the same playlist as the theme from Soap gets top billing in my book. She also share's my birthday. And despite its size—or perhaps because of it—this place easily gets crowded, fast. Sara did a fine job of keeping everyone happy. Even popping next door for special wine orders. So if you like the atmosphere of a chic wine bar but prefer the more roughhouse flavor of a fine brew, then check this joint out. Say hi to Sara for me, order the cockles (giggle) and tell her to turn the music up. Links:
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