A few days ago was the first official day of summer, and we here at R&B are very excited. Summertime is all about sun, BBQs, and of course, beer. And we just so happen to have a great beer bar around the corner from the R&B HQ in Hell’s Kitchen–Pony Bar, which is dedicated to serving up America’s finest craft beers. This place has 20 (20!) craft beers on tap at all times, plus two hand-pumped cask ales, all of which are doled out for a measly $5 a pop. There’s a lot of yeasty goodness to choose from at Pony Bar, but now that the temperature is a-risin’, we have eyes only for limited-edition summer ales. A recent fave: Saranac’s summer brew, a European-style blend of German Radler lager and lemonade.

Seriously. Lemonade + Beer= So. Refreshing!

It’s brewed in upstate New York, but one sip will take you out of the smoggy city heat and into your own relaxing, breezy paradise. Crisp and light, with a lovely citrus sweetness, this is our new go-to summer brew. Grab some for yourself: Pony Bar is located at 637 10th Ave (45th St.), and you just might see us there.

We here at R&B are big supporters of the James Beard Foundation Greens, an event series for foodies in NYC aged 21-40. Past events have included a Porkapalooza with Ryan Skeen, a behind-the-scenes look at a dumpling factory in Brooklyn, and of course, a Taste of Hell tour with us! Tonight, we’re venturing out to Williamsburg to check out Brooklyn Bowl, the city’s first LEED-certified green bowl-o-drome, with a menu from the team behind Blue Ribbon (think fried chicken, egg shooters with pickled peppers, and chocolate chip bread pudding). We’ll be there, shooting for that perfect 300 and sipping on Sixpoint brews, and you can join us by clicking here! Because there’s nothing more amusing than tipsy foodies in bowling shoes.

A lovely midweek lunch at the Rum & Blackbird headquarters, from our neighbors Sullivan St. Bakery. Sullivan’s owner, Jim Lahey, has racked up all sorts of buzz (see here) for his patented low-yeast, no-knead breadmaking method, and has even authored a book (the appropriately named “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method“) on the subject. But in addition to loaves of gorgeous pane pugliese and filones, the Sullivan St. wholesale home base in Hell’s Kitchen also doles out simple, expertly constructed paninos for a quick, rustic-style lunch (and only lunch; they’re almost always sold out by midafternoon).

Our little picnic consisted of breadcrumb-dusted gruyere-and-zucchini pizza; cremini mushroom and thyme pizza; marinated beet, arugula, and goat cheese panino; and the brilliant PMB (pancetta, mango, basil and chili powder) panino. The panini bread was, unsurprisingly, killer–light and chewy, with a hint of salt; while the pizza has enough crustal integrity to stand up to a hurried jog from the bakery to R & B. Now that’s a revolutionary lunch.

Welcome to the Rum & Blackbird blog!

Here you’ll find all sorts of fun stuff: food news, interesting eats, Q & A’s with our tasters, travel tips and fun food creations. What better way to get the ball rolling than by meeting our illustrious founder, Moira Campbell? Sure, you can get the basic stuff on our “About” page, but for the real scoop, read on:

moiracancook

Q: Be honest: where’s your favorite place to eat in Hell’s Kitchen?
Obviously I love all the stops on my tour, but one other place I adore is Daisy May BBQ. I just love barbecue. Their macaroni and cheese is off the hook. Adam Perry Lang took his classic French training with Daniel Boulud and applied it to a low-concept cuisine that is the very basis of American food. Meat + fire = delicious.
Q: One food you couldn’t live without:
Peanut butter. To be truthful—I eat it by the jarload.
Q: What trends are you noticing in the NYC dining scene that you’re psyched about?
I love seeing really talented, classically trained chefs taking on more simplified concepts—like pizza, or sandwiches, or hotdogs, but done up with exceptional ingredients. Angelo Sosa at Xie Xie is a good example, and that’s why I wanted to include him on the tour.

Have another question for Moira or want to know more? Drop us a line at info@rumandblackbird.com, and check back here for more good stuff soon!