Bend your arm at this New York institution

Established in 1854, McSorley's Old Ale House is widely recognised as the oldest Irish bar in New York City.  Located in the East Village, it's the kind of place with swinging doors, sawdust on the floor, and it has not been redecorated since forever.

McSorley's operated as an all-male establishment for the first 115 years of its life.  Then in 1970 Faith Seidenberg and her brave female friend attempted to come in for a drink but were ejected from McSorley's onto the frosty January sidewalk, much to the raucous delight of the male patrons and waiters at the time.  Faith Seidenberg decided enough was enough.  A lawyer by trade, she sued McSorley's to compel them to admit female patrons.  She won the landmark case, but she never went back to the bar again.  Ms Seidenberg died at her New York home in January this year, but her efforts will always be remembered.

McSorley's, like Ms Seidenberg, is an unforgettable New York character.  The staff there are always ready with a smile and a tall story.  To wet your whistle, your only choices are light beer or dark beer.  Either choice is a great one of course, and you're rewarded with two little beer steins of frothy, cold goodness.  You can also buy a couple of food items, which is particularly useful as the beers go down very easily.

You'd think that McSorley's would be a tourist trap but it's really not.  I've only ever seen a handful of tourists in there over the past few years; usually it's just locals and the crazy St Patrick's Day crowds (who admittedly come from all over).  When I completed the New York half-marathon in 2012 I hobbled to McSorley's for a cleansing ale (or four, if my memory serves).  And there is something wonderful about coming here on a wet, wintry day, hiding from the cold in the warm, dimly-lit pub.

But even if you go to McSorley's on your own, you'll never be bored.  You need only browse all around the walls, behind the bar, and even on the ceiling for some historical treats and treasures.  There is a bust of JFK, framed photographs of the neighbourhood through the ages, and lots of black and white images of old time New York.  Of a more macabre nature though are the wishbones suspended over a light fixture.  Legend has it that American soldiers in WW1 left the wishbones there after a satisfying chicken lunch, pledging to take them down when they came back from the war.  They have remained there, untouched, ever since.

McSorley's is a beautiful time capsule of New York, and as long as you obey the sign over the bar, "Be good or be gone", your memories will always be good ones.  Cheers!

Has US history always been this delicious?

So last week I was obsessing over the idea of pan-fried scallops (and thank heavens Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village could provide).  This week's culinary craving was pork crackling, and I don't mind admitting that I was rather resolute in my commitment to ugly-cry if I didn't get it.

I needn't have worried though, because I have been assured that pork cracklings will forever remain a staple on the menu of King Bee - a wonderful new restaurant in the East Village that opened in early October. 

The restaurant specialises in "Acadian-inspired cuisine" and if that sounds unusual to you, you're not alone.  Without geeking you out entirely, Acadian cuisine basically dates back to the late 17th/early 18th Century.  The Acadians were the descendants of French colonists living in the Canadian Maritimes provinces (modern-day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick).  They refused to pledge allegiance to the invading British forces, and in August 1755 over 11,000 Acadians were basically kicked off their land.  While some fled to Georgia, many of the Acadians ended up in Louisiana, and there they developed what we know as Cajun culture - the language, the music, and especially the food.


The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana, by Robert Dafford (Image credit here)

King Bee pays homage to this chapter of American history by adapting Acadian-inspired recipes for more modern palates.  The concept totally worked for me but then again, any restaurant whose menu leads with pork cracklings gets a gold star in my book!  The minimalist decor and white-washed walls with funky canvas art allow the food, the bespoke cocktails, and huge wine list to be the real stars of the show - and the formal reviews and informal write-ups from diners have so far been very positive.  This review from the New Yorker had me ready to camp out at the restaurant early.

Our table of four tonight was pretty keen to share a bunch of dishes to maximise our enjoyment.  With excellent service to take care of us, we sipped glasses of tasty Beaujolais (two excellent recommendations) and stuffed ourselves with the pork cracklings and rabbit rillette, plus some faro salad, baked oysters, gumbo, roast chicken, poutine with lamb neck, lobster, and earthy mushroom risotto.  Dessert was a shared piece of the traditional Cajun gateau de sirop - so sweet and tasty.  Definitely "food coma" material.

I had not heard of Acadian cuisine before my visit to King Bee, but I totally loved it.  I really enjoyed the mix of heady spices, and the big flavours present in each dish we tried.  But I'm especially pleased that King Bee has proudly classified itself as "Acadian-inspired" rather that simply "Cajun" or even "Southern" or something more generic like that.  The unfamiliar reference to Acadia made me curious, it got me Googling, and I learned a bit more about US history and the diversity of cuisine available in New York.  And what a tasty lesson that turned out to be.