Good Beer Grows in Brooklyn

Yearning for a small taste of Oktoberfest, but without the time to travel overseas to Germany, my friends and I set up a little celebration of our own last Saturday to soak up the fall sunshine and mix up our traditional social regime. While it didn't necessarily involve lederhosen or beer wenches, it did involve an escape from the borough of Manhattan (to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to be exact), ginormous Bavarian pretzels and a big enough variety of beers to satisfy even the most discriminating beer-lover. Here are my top choices for a rousing good Saturday afternoon:

Brooklyn Brewery (79 North 11th Street, http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/) - The entrance is easy to miss since you think its simply the door to the production facility. However, once inside, you don't want to leave! Upon entering, stop at the booth to purchase a slew of beer tokens - 6 beers for $20 is the best deal and you can split them among friends (unless you're feeling ambitious). Head to the back bar to redeem your tokens and don't be shy about asking for samples - Martin was great about letting me sample a wide variety of beers before I honed in on my favorite - the Light Ale. Hungry? While they don't serve food, menus for Fanelli's Pizza are scattered around the casual picnic tables and they deliver right to the brewery. A fun perk to take advantage of is the Brewery Tour describing the history and production processes of the Brewery - it happens Saturdays 1-5 and Sundays 1-4 on the hour. Definitely not a chic or high-end establishment, but when you've got beer and great friends on-hand, what else do you need?

After a few hours at the Brewery, my friends and I ventured over to Radegast Hall & Biergarten (113 N. 3rd Street, http://www.radegasthall.com/), the second stop on our beer tour of Brooklyn. While the Brewery is more about the production and quality of beer, Radegast Hall & Biergarten is most certainly more about the enjoyment and merriment of drinking beer with friends. Choose to sit in the "outdoor" heated Biergarten or inside the hall (usually an easier option on a crowded day). This place definitely has the food - spatzle, sausage and Bavarian pretzels to name a few - enough authentic and delicious options to take you from day to night.

All-in-all a fantastic day in Brooklyn - our own Oktoberfest experience just a subway ride away.

Food Truck Heaven

Few places on Earth have as abundant a food truck presence and followership as New York City. Now, for those out-of-towners, I'm not talking about a random shish kabob and rice street cart. These are legitimate, well-established and delicious food establishments that just happen to be on wheels! While there are dozens and dozens to try (and I surely haven't tasted them all), I have began to compile a list of my favorites:

Street Sweets (http://www.streetsweetsny.com/) - You can spot this turquoise truck a mile away and its appearance perfectly matches the goodies it doles out. While they're typically near the large office buildings in midtown, on lucky Thursday, they head downtown to Houston & King from 3-5PM. My favorite goodies are their whoopie pies (pumpkin in the fall is perfection).

Rickshaw Dumplings (http://www.rickshawdumplings.com/plings.com/) - Something you can actually write-off as a real lunch! Rickshaw Dumplings is a brick and mortar establishment that has gone mobile. I recommend the Chicken and Thai Basil dumplings or the Vegetarian Edamame dumplings with the Asian Green Salad.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck (http://www.vanleeuwenicecream.com/) - These aren't your ordinary ice cream flavors. They have such inviting flavors as Ginger and Hazelnut, perfect even when the weather gets chillier. I've seen their light yellow trucks all over the city, but you can follow them on Twitter if you really want to pin down their location.

My next food trucks to seek out? Go Burger, El Diablo Tacos, Schnitzel Truck and Waffles & Dinges. All can be followed on Twitter to get up to the minute info on locations and daily specials.

J'adore Gramercy Park

Sometimes among the craziness of the city, it's nice to find a "respite from the storm", so to speak. I feel like I found exactly that this weekend when I decided to explore Gramery Park, a neighborhood that is situated between 14th Street, First Avenue, 23rd Street and Park Avenue South. The shining star of the neighborhood is, no surprise, Gramercy Park itself. The small, fenced-in, two acre park is one of only two private parks in the city. Only residents that live on the border of the park have a key and are allowed access. However, for someone without a key but with a lot of curiosity, I had a great time exploring the area. Here are a few of my favorite stops (aside from the beautifully maintained park which is a must-see in itself):

For after-work drinks or to kick-off a weekend night: Rose Bar or Jade Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel (2 Lexington Avenue, http://www.gramercyparkhotel.com/). The hotel was recently madeover by hotelier Ian Schrager and it shows - both bars are designed with a kind of bohemian meets high-style mentality - its not cheap though so maybe save this for a special occasion.

For weekend brunch: Friend of a Farmer (77 Irving Place, http://www.friendofafarmer.com/). This spot offers a warm, homey atmosphere that makes you feel like you're a houseguest in a rural estate outside the city. Breakfast and brunch are their specialties.

For coffee/tea/relaxing: Few places in New York feel as non-chainy as 71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar (71 Irving Place, http://www.irvingfarm.com/). They not only provide coffee and tea and other delicious beverages, but also mix up some unique sandwiches, soups, salads and other delightful items perfect to easily help you pass a weekend afternoon.

From tea to martinis and strolling to lounging, Gramercy's got it all!

Park Yourself in Park Slope

In my opinion, it's every Manhattanite's duty to venture out of the hallowed borough that is Manhattan, into the boroughs less traveled. This past Sunday, I found myself cruising the F train to Brooklyn - specifically, Park Slope - a neighborhood in the western section of Brooklyn and arguably its most popular one as well. Upon exiting the subway station, I was overjoyed to immediately encounter boutique shops (read: non-chains), large trees arching over the sidewalks and delicious looking cafes offering al fresco dining. I had to briefly check to make sure the subway hadn't transported me back to Ann Arbor. Without a college student or Buffalo Wild Wings in sight, I knew I was in fact in Park Slope. A quick Wikipedia search told me that this was the East coast home of Tom Hanks, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Keri Russell, so I was obviously eager to explore.

First stop - Sette Enoteca e Cucina (191 7th Avenue, http://www.setteparkslope.com/), an adorable spot with outdoor and indoor seating that were equally appealing. Unbeknownst to me and my friend, the only food option at this time was an $18 two course, all you can drink brunch. After our first two rounds of drinks (Bloody Mary's for my friend, Bellini's for me), we eagerly ordered the sweet potato puree soup (we are so ready for fall) as our first course - delicious - could've eaten it for my meal. My next course was a standard European-style breakfast - soft scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and a delicious mixed greens salad and balsamic dressing. Cut to our waiter literally filling our drinks to the top every time they were more than an inch below the rim. All in all, a fantastic experience and delicious food, leaving us slowly rolling out of the restaurant and onto the shop lined 7th Ave.

We couldn't resist stopping into Kiwi (119 7th Avenue) a cute boutique carrying on-trend items at a variety of price points. Some drool-worthy items included Autumn Cashmere sweaters, Hat Attack perfect-for-fall fedoras (I snatched up a fantastic navy and black one) and patterned tights. With a friendly staff to boot, this is an essential stop in Park Slope.

While meandering around brownstone and treelined streets and throughout town (including the "I'm totally back in the Midwest", Prospect Park), I noted a few other places I wouldn't mind returning to: Park Slope Ale House (356 6th Avenue) - great for a casual night out with friends - and Scottadito Osteria (788 Union Street, http://www.scottadito.com/) - lovely open air back patio for eating.

While not technically a borough, my next adventure outside of Manhattan will be to Hoboken, NJ. Suggestions? Please post them to the Midwestern Manhattanite facebook page.

Ode to a Farmers Market

Nothing says Midwest living like a good farmers market. Which is why, upon moving to Manhattan, it was at the top of my to-do list to find my favorites within the city. I've already been to many since arriving a little under three months ago and have truly enjoyed the fantastic selections of flowers, fruit & vegetables, cheese, fish and even cider and donuts now that the season is upon us! The best part? The prices are about half of what they would be at your local Food Emporium or other grocery chain. Here's a list of my favorites:

Tribeca Greenmarket (Greenwich Street between Chambers & Duane - www.grownyc.org/tribecagreenmarket) - Right in my neighborhood, this mini farmers market has everything you need. It's open on Wednesday and Saturday and is situated right next to Washington Market Park - an ideal place to sit under the trees and enjoy some treats.

Abingdon Square Greenmarket (Hudson & 8th Ave between W. 12th and Bethune - www.grownyc.org/abingdongreenmarket) - Perfect to hit on your way home from brunch or some boutique shopping in the West Village. Open on Saturday from 8am-2pm year round.

Union Square Greenmarket (Union Square from 15th-17th Streets - www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket) - This is the mother of all Farmers Markets in the city. Union Square is completely taken over each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday by vendors selling literally every item you could imagine. Definitely a must-do/see.

This week I'm enjoying some delicious garlic green beans thanks to the Tribeca Greenmarket. And - I can't lie - some phenomenally delicious donuts and cider. Next week - who knows!

College GameDay Takes Manhattan

It's that time of year again - the weather's getting cooler, students are back on campus and of course, football season is finally underway! There's no way I could properly represent the midwesterners without sharing the best and most spirited places in New York City to watch our favorite teams go at eachother:

Illinois - The Australian (20 W. 38th Street - http://www.theaustraliannyc.com/) - enjoy the $3 "fighting ilini" aka some sort of blue shot.

Michigan - um, anywhere? According to Guest of a Guest, "Basically, if you walk into a New York City bar on a Michigan game day, there's about a 30% chance you'll walk into a UM Game Watch. These guys are everywhere, including Brother Jimmy's Union Square (116 E. 16th Street - http://www.brotherjimmys.com/), the official spot for alumni and Professor Thom's (219 2nd Ave - http://www.professorthoms.com/), a longtime favorite for Wolverines in the city.

Michigan State - Blondies West (212 W. 79th Street - http://blondiessports.com/) or Mercury Bar East (483 3rd Ave - http://www.mercurybareast.com/) for drinks specials and green shots.

Notre Dame - The Public House (140 E. 41st Street - http://www.publichousenyc.com/) for unlimited soda, juice and water for $10, OR unlimited alcoholic drinks for $40 - I'm thinking most of the Irish will choose the later.

Ohio State - Tonic Times Square (727 7th Ave - tonicbarnyc.com) or The Village Pourhouse (982 Amsterdam Ave - http://www.villagepourhouse.com/) - although I don't know why anyone would want to watch the Buckeyes...unless they're playing the Wolverines.

Penn State - Tonic East (411 3rd Ave - http://www.toniceast.com/) or Mercury Bar West (659 9th Ave - mercurybarnyc.com) - both will have food and drink specials.

Purdue - Galway Hooker (7 E. 36th Street - http://www.galwayhookernyc.com/)

Wisconsin - Mad River (1442 3rd Ave - http://www.madrivergrille.com/) - perhaps the greatest incentive, Mad River will have a complimentary, limited supply of Babcock Hall ice cream, straight from Wisconsin!

...and break! See everyone at Brother Jimmy's in their maize and blue today - I mean...whatever bar you choose in your own team's colors. Go Blue!

Friday Fashion Fete

As a midwesterner who loves fashion, my "live" shopping opportunities were fairly limited to our (fantastic yet repetitive) local mall and select boutiques in town. Enter - New York City. The home of Fashion Avenue, "Project Runway", $30 "designer" bags on Canal Street three blocks from $3,000 bags at Chanel Soho, world renowned vintage stores, and - an event I've been looking forward to since I moved to the city - Fashion's Night Out (http://fashionsnightout.com/). On Friday, September 10, boutiques and stores throughout the world (New York is the largest participant) celebrate fashion by holding in-store events with DJ's, cocktails, celebrities, stylists and most importantly great deals on in-store styles. For the purpose of those who don't have time to scan the hundreds of store-based events throughout the city, I thought I'd list my top picks for a fabulous night out here:

Diane von Furstenberg (440 W. 14th Street - http://www.dvf.com/.dvf.com/) - DVF will host the "experience lounge" at her store where you can sip champagne with actress/model Molly Sims and Olivia Palermo from The City. Get photographed in DFV fall fashion looks while enjoying the beats of DJ Elisa. Your photos will even stream live on giant screens throughout the store for your very own VIP fashion moment.

Tory Burch (38-40 Little W. 12th Street - http://www.toryburch.com/) - Tory is hosting a block party outside her Meatpacking District shop and DJ Cassidy will be spinning the turntables. Best perk of this one? Shake Shack will be serving burgers on-site! So try on some new Reva flats for fall, kick back and enjoy.

Bergdorf Goodman (754 5th Avenue - http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/) - If you want some top-notch celeb sightings combined with outrageous shopping at one of New York's most infamous shopping institutions, this is definitely a good bet. On top of a bevy of in-store competitions (make-up and karaoke to list a few), celebs including Mary J. Blige, Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham.

And last, but certainly not least, my favorite online shoe site, Piperlime (http://www.piperlime.com/), has established a Soho pop-up shop in honor of Fashion's Night Out. The store is located at 93 Mercer Street and will be open today through October 3, highlighting fall's top styles in clothing and shoes alike. My favorite quirky celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe, will even be on-hand from 8-10pm during Fashion's Night Out to offer styling tips to lucky attendees looking to ramp up their style. This is most likely where you'll find me after work this Friday. Happy shopping!