A Buzzworthy Happy Hour

Don't get your beans in a bunch, but Monday 9/29 is National Coffee Day! So prep your percolator, clean your Chemex and be ready to celebrate and enjoy some delicious brew (preferably while reading a novel in a cozy wingbacked chair under the comfort of a fuzzy blanket and curled up with a golden doodle...just sayin').

If a fuzzy blanket is not in the cards for you on Monday, the second best option would be to check out the Coffee Happy Hour being hosted by Hudson Valley’s own Crown Maple syrup and Irving Farm at the latter's Grand Central Terminal kiosk from 7-9am.

For $2, they will be serving The Crown Maple Medicine Man--named for a classic cocktail, the drink will include a blend of Crown Maple, lemon and sage and Irving Farm’s Los Lorios coffee blend. The drink will be available after 9am for $4.

Pitch Your Brunch Fork Here

I always like to impress my brother with awesome NYC food when he visits, so when he came for his last trip I made a point to plan a delicious and all-you-can-drink meal that would be sure to wow him. We headed east to The Pitch and Fork and were seated in a cozy booth by the front of the rustic, yet charming, restaurant.

Pitc

One of the first things I noticed was the giant piece of taxidermy over the bar--it's definitely cozy--but then you see "bottomless brunch" on the menu and you're reminded that you are super far away from any place where a pitchfork is used for anything but decoration and the place suddenly feels chic.

The brunch menu is split into a couple of sections--appetizers, "like breakfast," and "like lunch"--to help you decide what you're in the mood for. You can make any entree into an all-you-can-drink 2-hour brunch for just $27 (that goes for the $10 granola or the $24 organic brick chicken). We started with the devils on horseback ($9) and highly recommend you do too. These little balls of bacon wrapped dates wrapped blue cheese are heavenly and they definitely don't skimp you!

Devils on Horseback ($9)

I opted for the grilled spicy shrimp ($24) with grits, fava beans, summer squash, ancho chili, bacon, and basil, which was basically a fancy way to say shrimp and grits. The Grits were perfectly cooked, and the whole dish just flowed seamlessly. I ate every last bite and could have eaten more.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp ($24)

My brother went for the classic steak and eggs (go big or go home right?), which was a rib eye served with eggs and potato hash ($24). The steak was a pretty large hunk of meat for any meal, let alone brunch, and everything was cooked wonderfully.

Steak and Eggs

We figured we had to have the entire Pitch and Fork experience so we asked what was available for dessert and knew what we had to order when our waitress told us about the donuts with bacon glaze and, get this, Pop Rocks! Do yourself a favor and get the donuts so that I don't have to explain the sensation of exploding candy in your mouth while you're trying to savor the warm doughy donuts saturated with powdered sugar and maple bacon glaze, ok?

Taking a look at Pitch and Fork's dinner menu, I'm definitely intrigued. Continuing on what seems to be a trend, they have bacon wrapped bacon for an appetizer and their shepherd's pie sounds pretty legitimate. Combine the awesome menu with a covered back patio, and this place seems to have it all. Ultimately, it was a successful meal and I'll definitely be back!

Need Saturday Night Plans?

It's raining outside and the thought of getting your act together and making plans for tomorrow night seems incredibly daunting, right? Good thing some awesome plans were already made for you! I'm hosting an open bar event tomorrow night to benefit the National MS Society at Turtle Bay in midtown (987 2nd Ave; between 52nd St. & 53rd St.), and all my awesome readers are invited!

For $40, you will get an open bar from 8-11 including beer, wine and well liquor, with $10 going to fight MS. When you get to the bar say "MS Walk" and you will be able to purchase your open bar wristband. Our group will have a reserved section in the back of the dining room and I hope to see you there! Invite all your friends -- it's going to be an awesome night for sure!

Cheap Drinkin'

There are numerous reasons to love Yelp. My top reason for next week is the 2nd Annual Yelp Drinks! Basically a week-long happy hour across the city (even in Jersey!), Yelp Drinks includes some of my favorite bars (ie: Hotel Chantelle), some bars I've been dying to try (ie: Lani Kai), and some fancy bars too (ie: David Burke Kitchen). Each venue is offering 3 drinks for half off from Monday February 27th to Sunday March 4th.

The great thing about this promotion is that there are no coupons, secret codes, etc. -- just a plain ole' special menu and some awesome cocktails. Check out the list of participating bars in Manhattan here and let me know which cocktail you are most excited to try.

BOGO Off-Broadway Bonanza

Cheap theater is good. BOGO theater + BOGO drinks is even better! You're in luck because the city is sponsoring just that from Jan. 24 - Feb. 13 this year. Take your pick from more than 30 different Off-Broadway shows, from big names like Avenue Q and Love, Loss and What I Wore, the critically acclaimed children's show Freckleface Strawberry and a retro celebration The Awesome 80s Prom (I like it because it's awesome of course!). You will get a free ticket for every ticket purchased.

When the show's over, the party doesn't stop. Your ticket will get you 2 for 1 drinks after the show. This is a great deal and I'm thinking the city is brilliant for sponsoring an opportunity to encourage higher attendance at Off-Broadway shows. There are truly some gems out there that don't get a whole lot of attention. You can view a listing of all available shows here. Come back and let us know what you saw and how you liked it!