amNY story: Summer Bar Preview

Ahh...nothing beats summer time partying...especially in the great outdoors.

Wondering where to sip drinks this summer? amNY had me profile 7 new hotspots for imbibing when the weather heats up. Click on the image to enlarge the article.

Cheers!

amNY Story: Free Foods

Looking for more free food in the city? I covered this topic for amNY today. The deals are legit!

Free BBQ and Alcoholic Milkshakes

nycdailydeals.com

Truly good deals are hard to come by, but Tasting Table (http://tastingtable.com/) revealed some pretty spectacular recession specials this week.

Specials so good, they won't cost you a dime.

Our favorite? Free BBQ and Maker's Mark Milkshakes at Bushwick Country Club on Sundays. Yes, that's in Brooklyn, but they do have a pretty awesome mini-golf course.

Have a reason to celebrate? The country club also offers free drinks when you bring in at least 15 people on your special day. Have 30 friends who will show up (c'mon, that's what facebook is for!) and they'll supply free hot dogs off the grill. That's alot of free!

Looking for more freebies? Visit http://www.examiner.com/x-2935-Manhattan-Food-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Free-BBQ-and-Makers-Mark-Milkshakes.

Ewe Should Be Excited: Taste of Tribeca Lamb Cook Off

This weekend, I covered the Taste of Tribeca's first-ever lamb cook off for AOL's food blog, www.slashfood.com, starring two ba-ad-ass chefs, Leah Cohen (of Top Chef fame) and Kurt Gutennbrunner (Wallse/Blaue Gans).

The teeny tent drew a terrific crowd of enthused foodies, who tried not to drool while watching the chefs grill American lamb sirloin over a gigantic grill. The chefs were given 30 minutes to wow the judges (including another Top Chef star, Gail Simmons) with 1 killer dish--using just the ingredients found in the pantry provided for them, plus one secret ingredient.

So who won the challenge? Find out at: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/18/taste-of-tribecas-lamb-cook-off-mutton-wrong-with-competition/

Expeditioner Story: Riviera Maya

We love Mexican imports: tinga tacos, margaritas, sopapillas, and telenovelas--but nothing beats a trip down to the Mayan Riviera.

Check out my expeditioner.com article on Eco Tripping--Mexico style. It'll make you want to cross the border, in a socially responsible fashion, of course.

Get your adventure on, after the jump:

http://www.theexpeditioner.com/2009/05/17/top-10-eco-adventures-in-the-mayan-riviera/

Scorpion Bowl Guide

We only learned one thing this weekend: that scorpion bowls = trouble.

But don't let that stop you from enjoying these campy, oversized drinks (and who doesn't love super long straws?). Here's where you can log some tiki time:

Zombie Hut

273 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY, 11231nr. DeGraw St. (718) 875-3433

This Carroll Gardens hotspot offers a large garden space (complete with South Pacific decorations and thatched palapas), board games, and cheeky mixed drinks like the frozen Zombie (three kinds of rum, yum!), the suffering bastard (don't ask what's in it), and the flaming Scorpion Bowl (pictured) for four is worth a $20. Most drinks cost just $5 a pop, however, late into the night.

Bamboo 52

344 West 52nd St (212) 315-2777
The happy hour here is killer ($5 drinks specials/half-priced drinks till 9pm), and the selection of sushi makes it a great place for an afterwork drink with your cubicle buddies. Furthering the corporate bonding are two flaming scorpion bowls, one for $18 (serves 2) and one for $28 (serves 6). Both feature a heady mixture of dark & light rums.

Otto's Shrunken Head

538 E 14th St New York, NY 10009 (212) 228-2240

This East Village standby has two rooms, live bands, and a grungy atmosphere--but their flaming, oversized Volcano bowl ($26) is a serious contender. For those hoping for tropical drinks in cheezy tiki glasses, a $5 deposit is required. But we may know of some imbibers who have walked away with a hula girl glass...