Thurdsday,
March 20, 2008
Jimmy's No. 43
As you may have gathered from the last post, I wasn't exactly imbued with beercuity when we first tried Jimmy's No. 43. I wanted to give this place (which Kevin aptly described as "an Amsterdam bar without the weed") a fairer assessment.
Kevin had arrived early and was drinking a Foret DuPont, a "100% certified organic farmhouse ale." Soon "P" arrived and somehow talked the host into putting us into the large table by the door (his negotiating skills are something to see). I ordered a Wurzburger Hefeweizen and some pasta with Cornish game hen. The food was good here—certainly not your average barfood—but I thought it a bit pricey.
The beer, on the other hand, was good, with a focus on handcafted, artisinal, beers. The DuPont was smooth and complex. The Wurzburger was richly textured. Both packed a punch. The next round was the Six-Point Bengali Tiger India Pale Ale. It too was textured: fresh, complex and quite hoppy. Very good for the style, although I'm not really a big I.P.A. fan. Apparently, it wasn't "P's" cup of "T" either.
A year ago, we had cancelled plans to go to Riverdale to check out An Beal Bocht. Tonight, Kev and I decided to make the trek. A cab ride to Grand Central, a quick stop at the beer stand and we soon found ourselves sitting on the Metro North to Spuyten Duyvil. Somehow, I am sorry to admit that I had a Miller Lite. After having sampled a couple of good beers, the Miller's oppressive corn taste shone right through. Real beer uses barley, or perhaps wheat or rye grains, but never corn! [continues]
