half the fun in life is trying out new stuff. last weekend i decided it was time to branch off from the beers that i know and tried something new: smuttynose's IPA. i chose them out of new england loyalty. the IPA was pretty good but, over a weeklong testing period, didn't really stand out.
i have something that does, though: ithaca beer company's double IPA. i was looking for something with a little more oomph, nuttiness and all-around flavor to it and this fit the bill. they proudly proclaim it's made from new york hops. lady liberty is featured on the packaging hoisting a pint. god bless america.
there's a lot of new york-specific yumminess to be found if you look for it -- or even if you don't. i looked over my local c-town's ice cream selection to see if i could find ben & jerry's new flavor, stephen colbert's americone dream. no dice but i did notice something unknown to me peeking out from a corner. it was a pint of 5 boroughs ice cream in amaretto amore. said it was an astoria-based startup (woo!) focusing on making ice cream just for the five boroughs. i had to try it. had a spoonful while still putting away the groceries after i got home and had to slap my own hand to keep myself from just inhaling the whole thing. put down... the ice cream... they have other flavors such as rich white vanilla (UES) and landfill (staten island). i'm kind of surprised that they didn't yet offer the bakla-wha? flavor in my astoria supermarket -- it'd be an instant hit!
speaking of local food, i've noticed that my c-town is bringing in more organic and eco-friendly products bit by bit. they've expanded their seventh generation stock and today i noticed for the first time that goya is marketing organic canned beans. must be pretty new cause you can't even find them on their web site. anyway, whole paycheck whole foods is great for peace of mind where that's concerned but it's also valuable to shop your local grocery stores, ask for organic products and then buy them to show there's a market for them. i remember when my former roommate, a public health nutritionist, waltzed into a just-opened food market around the corner from us and requested organic beef only to be met with a puzzled look as the man behind the counter mouthed the word "or-ga-nic?" things have improved since then, thankfully, but it's good to keep seeking this stuff out.
Comments