December 1st, Julebryg- Scandinavian Holiday Beer Fest

Each year we have some wholesome, Nordic fun after Thanksgiving. We serve a simple smorgasbord - rye bread with cheese and mustard; crackers with herring; flatbread with roast pork and plum jam- and add a selection of Danish and Norwegian holiday craft beers to our menu. Some of the beers will include these gems, from Shelton Brothers Imports.

- Oppigards Winter Ale
- Sogaard's Bryghus Vintage Julebuk
- Amager 2008 Vintage Julebryg
- Nørrebro Julebryg
- Mikkeller 2009 Santa's Little Helper
- Nøgne Ø Winter Ale
- Handbryggeriet Nissefar Christmas Ale

In conjunction with Julebryg, on December 1 join Brooklyn Brew Shop for the latest installment of our Eat, Drink, Learn series. At 7:30 PM the Tasting Room in the back will be a hot spot for learning about brewing and enjoying beer and food pairings. Reservations are still available, the cost is $30/ per person. To read more about Brooklyn Brew shop, check out this article on Reuters.

The Naked Pint Beer Pairing

We collaborated on a beer pairing brunch menu with Christina Perozzi, co-author or The Naked Pint. Some choices were obvious, like Kostrizer Black Lager paired with smoked salmon, because we're in New York and we are big fans of Russ and Daughters!

Our second course would be the "beer brunch salad" - frisee, smoky Benton's bacon, and local farm poached eggs. It is a simple, bistro standby that tastes so very American complimented by a great American saison beer, Ommegang Hennepin.

Also for brunch, I like to pull out my old party standby, pasta with bacon, onions, beer, and fresh farm sourced cream. I start by sauteeing onions and bacon, add Sixpoint Ale, reduce and finish with farm cream. Christina suggested a Belgian single ale, Maredsous 6, as accompaniment.

Cheese and dessert would follow. The cheese could go any direction, soft, local sheep's milk camembert, perhaps? We chose a local aged blue, Cayuga, New York state paired with St. Bernardus Prior 8, a Belgian dubbel ale that is fruity and food friendly. For dessert, a local cider bread pudding with Ronnybrook whipped cream and Allagash Curieux. The cider bread pudding is the new favorite dessert at Jimmy's No. 43. It's sweet apple goodness is balanced by the cask aged Curioux.

This would make quite a meal!

Everybody's Favorite Dish

For 4 years now, the most popular dish at Jimmy's No. 43 has been the "skillet fried beer sausages." Don't take our word for it, see what NYC Tastes has to say.

Brave Beef Biscuit at New Amsterdam Market

Sunday, November 22 we will be back at the New Amsterdam Market featuring a popular sandwich from our fall menu- braised beef brisket w/ mint and pecorino.

The beef brisket also doubles as a great tasting dish. Last October, we were at the New Amsterdam Market and I served it on hot bread kitchen toasts with Schoolhouse Kitchen Horseradish Mustard. We sold out. Our line of stalls was very tasty and well worth visiting again. There was Jimmy's No. 43 with the "braised beef brisket", next to Rick's Picks pickles serving pickle on a stick , and anchored by Porchetta's porchetta sandwich "to go."

Rick and I had a lot of fun "barking" at the thousands of market goers. He would call out "pickle on a stick!" and I would answer "brave beef biscuit!". If you shout "braised beef brisket" after a few times it comes out "brave beef biscuit"!! So, try this yourself or, better yet, visit us on Sunday.

Pickle on a stick!

Brave beef biscuit!

The Brisket Sandwich

One of our favorite food writers, Alex Van Buren (author of Clean Plates and a contributor to Edible Manhattan) stopped by the other night for a brisket sandwich. We have a few new fall menu items - shrimp and grits, 24 hour braised pork with celery root puree but the sandwich is the real winner- and it will be on the menu for the fall and winter!

Alex wrote that the brisket sandwich is "...glammed up version of pulled pork (from a totally different animal)...". To read more of his beef brisket musings, click here.

Harvest Dinner- November 18th

Paisley Farm plus Sara Grady = a really great kick off season for Paisley Farm's first foray into the CSA distribution biz!

Jimmy's No. 43 and dba Williamsburg were 2 bar/restaurants that stepped up and made this innovate program happen. To celebrate, Jimmys No. 43 will host a CSA Harvest Dinner on November 18. To find out more about this event and how you can get to talk to Farmer Mike, click here.

Fresh Hop Beers

Not long ago, there was a great article in the New York Times Dining Section about fresh hop beers. Last year, we featured the Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale. Currently we have: Southern Tier Harvest Ale, Two Brothers Heavy Handed IPA, and the best of the bunch Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale from Colorado. Thinking about awarding a best beer of the year? I'd nominate the Great Divide!

Fancy Dutch Beer Week

November 12-16 is Fancy Dutch Beer Week at Jimmy's No. 43, featuring Christoffel Blond and Robertus (Bock ) Beer,
Kleine Duimpfe holiday beer, La Trappe Isidor (125th Anniversary) beer- the only trappist brewery outside of Belgium- plus oysters and herring.

Check out all the things you can do to celebrate 5 Dutch Days, but don't do it on an empty stomach, drop by Jimmy's No. 43 first.

Hiroshima- Style Okonomiyaki- November 3rd!

In late September, Jimmy's No. 43 played host to a demonstration of Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki- a savory Japanese pancake made with cabbage. It was so delicious and fun that everyone agreed it needed to happen again! On Tuesday, November 3 Okonomiyaki makes another appearance in the back room from 7:00 - 10:00PM. Enjoy this Japanese treat and pair it with some great beers. Can't wait until Tuesday? Read more at Time Out New York.