the absinthe gummi bear at tailor

when i told my friend about tailor's absinthe gummi bears, his eyebrows went up. he loves gummi bears, so this seemed to speak directly to the kid in him -- on a totally adult level. with absinthe being so taboo historically and culturally, how clever to serve it up in such an innocuous way. we were both very curious: was it really absinthe? would we be able to taste it? would it make us sick or dizzy or high or...something? would we even like it?

as it turned out, it was as wonderfully decadent and delectable as i thought it would be. more on that in a minute.

finding the place was no problem. it wasn't in the trendier pocket of soho for eateries, which threw me off. there weren't necessarily a lot of hipsters there, either. hm. maybe we beat the rush. the new york times review only gave them one star -- a good rating. i could care less about things like ratings because i eat where ever i like. but a rating that isn't raving is enough to put off people who eat at certain places because their favorite reviewer in the times told them about it. it wasn't very likely that those people would be at this place.

and oh yes, they're pricey. upon closer examination of the menu, we realized that this place was for those who enjoy a little experimentation with texture and taste combines, with a chef (sam mason) that clearly likes to walk on the wild side. and that doesn't necessarily mean foodie -- or downtown new yorker. in my world, this place is for a special occasion -- a moment when the food should be as much of an event as whatever it is that i'm celebrating. but that's me. i couldn't eat there every night because i simply couldn't afford it.

that being said, here it is:



when we got there, the place was full so our lovely hostess pointed us downstairs to the bar which was old-school perfect: dark woods, a marble bar, comfortable low seating, all kinds of bitters. and here's the kicker: bartenders really know what they're doing and who take the time and effort necessary to make your cocktail by hand. my friend was a downtown nyc bartender/bar manager for years; nothing rocks his world and he was suitably impressed. we decided to sit at the bar. great idea. we got a really cool bartender named adam who was very knowledegable, made great suggestions, answered my stupid questions and was friendly without being intrusive. i decided that i'd come back when he was working there. my blackgrrl rule #1 for eating out: have your own people everywhere you go. that way, you are always assured of excellent service and you can overtip with confidence.

i had that delicious, wonderfully inventive little gummi bear concoction with a shot of espresso, first thing. just perfect. there was the tang of anise at first, and then there was that overwhelming licorice taste that reminded me of childhood candy run amok. and then something more -- but the tiny little bear could only give up so much. our mixologist adam cautioned that if we ate a small bowl of them, we would definitely feel the heat. maybe next time.

seemed a shame to have coffee without dessert, so we ordered two -- and were pleasantly surprised. (sorry, but except for the gummi bear, it was way too dark to take a decent picture of any of these things.) i had the bell pepper cake with cornbread ice cream and sweet pea. loved it! my friend had the mango ravioli with the black rice ice cream with cilantro and coconut. really delicious. neither of these things resembled their descriptions. they were so much better than what i was imagining.

on the cocktail tip, i love teas so i had the mate sour, made with (amongst other things) yerba mate tea, honey and egg whites. i am not a drinker -- i just never developed the palate for it -- and i loved this cocktail. it had depth, and so much flavor i very nearly licked the foam out of the bottom of the glass. my friend had the mushroom margarita, made with fairly amazing dark green huitlacoche mescal. there was so much going on in that little glass -- kind of like that tex avery cartoon where the big burly cowboy says, "make mine red eye, too!" and the bartender has to wear a welding mask and use tongs to give him this explosive little shot glass. yeah. it was something like that.

so good, it was almost trippy. but i guess that's the idea. you're supposed to have this wonderful experience in a place like that. i'm so relieved that we did.

so for dessert and drinks, i give tailor a definite yes. my birthday is at the end of the month so i'll have to get back to you about the food.