In Cooperstown, if you’re not drinking ballpark beer, you’re not drinking right. Starting at the Baseball Hall of Fame, walk down Main Street: hipster hasn’t touched here. Insurance salesmen waddle around stuffed into Derek Jeter jerseys; little leaguers follow, their uniforms comparatively loose on pre-adolescent frames. July slips away in cheap ice creams—scooped into mini batting helmets, pick a team—and Coors, bottles, cold. When I last visited Cooperstown, I was in-between mint chip and Miller, so I had never heard of Ommegang Brewery before last Friday. Apparently, Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, excuse my ignorance. According to Ommegang’s website, Cooperstown was the headquarters of American hop production circa the 19th century. Ommegang started in 1997 and safely predates the 21st century explosion of craft breweries and foodie beer nerds. Continue reading
Category Archives: Drinks
Triathloning: Shaking It Up
In my last triathloning column, I talked about the protein fetish.
The protein shake proposition frightens me. I associate protein shakes with Ivan Drago, Gold’s Gym, and overly zealous lifters knocking off a few reps and chugging down a supplement-packed slurry. Consuming more than a day’s worth of protein in liquid form feels unnatural and unbalanced; but if you want to get vascular, and you do, then out with milquetoast beverages and in with bodybuilder’s delight. Milkshakes no more—that is, unless they contain 100 grams of whey protein isolate. Continue reading
Filed under Columbia University, Drinks, Triathlon
Dar Al-Chai: Milkshakes and Crepes in Toledo
by Marc Prablek, Princeton University
For those of you who don’t know, which is probably most of you, I’ve been spending the last few weeks in Toledo, Spain, taking an art history class with Princeton. I’ve been living in a dorm, but I definitely have been getting out and eating other food here. Yesterday I went to the “Jewish” neighborhood, that is, the neighborhood near the old synagogue, to visit a tetería (tea shop) that had been recommended to me by friends who had done the program in the past.
The tetería is called Dar Al-Chai, and, to be precise, is located in the corner of the Plaza Barrio Nuevo on the west side of the old city of Toledo. Walking in, diners are immediately surprised (or at least I was) by the lavish Middle East-inspired décor and the variety of pleasant smells coming from the bar. The menu is expansive, and with such a vast variety of teas, coffees, and crepes, it’s hard to imagine there isn’t something for everyone. Continue reading
Filed under Dining Suggestions, Drinks, Marc P., Travel
Stick to the Donuts, Dunkin’
by Andrew Giambrone, Yale University
I hate to admit it, but I love paradoxes. And chocolate. That’s why I decided to try the new Frozen Hot Chocolate ($3.27) from Dunkin’ Donuts on a recent summer day. “How is that even possible?” I asked myself incredulously. “I must be hallucinating because of the heat.”
Sadly, I wasn’t.
Jason and the Argo (Tea Café)
Loitering at bus stops and people watching in dog parks expends precious energy. Fortunately, New York is full of watering holes and saloons where a weary soldier can rest his knapsack. As I wander the city, I construct a cartography of stopping points, taking careful note of carefully maintained bathrooms and potent potables.
This afternoon, I was aimlessly walking around Midtown feeling quite dehydrated from an eight mile run. Although I have a sink in my dorm room, getting a decent drink requires filling a Dixie cup four times. Consulting my mental map, I headed for Columbus Circle. Per Se, immaculate public toilets, Whole Foods—what more could a body desire? But when I’m on the south side of Central Park, I like to satisfy my thirst at Argo Tea Café. Continue reading
Filed under Columbia University, Drinks, New York City
Espresso Expeditions: More Good Coffee in the LES
Lorenzo L., Columbia University
Don’t remember me? Read the intro to this recurring segment.
It has been a while since last documenting my caffeinated wanderings, but I return from a far distant urban jungle bearing the good news of carefully crafted warm beverages. One of my favorite Manhattan neighborhoods (if I’m allowed to have favorite neighborhoods as a mere college student?) is the Bowery, and I try to get down around East 4th whenever I can. The narrow region is eclectic, diverse, and very alive, a place where trendy and workaday can sit side by side, with awesomeness squeezed in between. But recently I have been venturing further east into the similarly charming Lower East Side, and have been rewarded by spots with espresso enthusiasts ranging from the friendly to the fanatical (or both!). Continue reading
Filed under Columbia University, Drinks, Espresso Expeditions, Lorenzo L., New York City
Espresso Expeditions: A Study Kaffe?
Lorenzo L., Columbia University
Don’t know what I’m blathering about? Read the intro to this recurring segment. As spring break continues to fade into the past and April begins to invade our present, we, as responsible Northeastern college students have only one thing on our mind: summer FINALS. So, if those final papers begin to draw nigh and your reading remains resolutely unfinished, or if (God-forbid) you are working on your thesis, get your quality artisan coffee in a place that caters to your cram-related needs: Kaffe 1668. Continue reading
Filed under Columbia University, Drinks, Espresso Expeditions, Lorenzo L., New York City
