#fultonmarketkitchen

Hi Fellas!  So I will be out of the country for a month (I will be in China and Taiwan).  I will try to log my exploits from there, but as the government can be a bit restrictive with their censorship, this may prove to be challenging.  So you will have to forgive me if I miss an entry, but I will try to keep consistent.

In my absence, occasionally I might have some guest entries!  So that will be fun to look forward to.

Onto the main entry ...

While waiting for a friend at Fulton Market Kitchen, I happened to walk in on their Bar Battle event for Cinco De Mayo.  A very happy surprise, as one of the cocktail lounges I really like was competing.

The bars competing were Bar Deville, Scofflaw, and Bordel.  Each bar took over a separate section of Fulton Market Kitchen, as the space is huge.  Bordel was by the entrance, Scofflaw was upstairs, and Bar Deville was in the back on the ground level.

This entry will cover a little bit of all 4 spots (3 bars and the venue).  I will talk about the space at Fulton Market Kitchen, but I was unable to taste their cocktails, and I will be covering the cocktails from the other 3 spots.

The first cocktail I tried was Bordel’s Guacamole.

The avocado and green chartreuse gave it a nice color and hints of the guacamole flavor, so it embodied the spirit of guac in a drink very well.  The spices on the side of the glass added a strong kick.  I really applaud Bordel’s creativity.

I then went upstairs to Scofflaw.  I’ve been to Scofflaw before, which is located at Armitage and Kedzie.  Their drinks are fantastic, though it is a bit of a distance from where I live, and on weekends there is a long wait (for good reason).

The upstairs to FMK is amazing.

I really like the art theme in the bar, with the paintbrushes hanging on the ceiling, and also all the cartoon paintings on the walls.

Their diversity in art is really fun.  Most of the paintings lie within the realm of movies and cartoons, but with a wide range of categories.

After doing a quick walk around, I went over to Scofflaws and the bartender recommended a tequila bramble called the Zarza.  Only moments after I got my drink, the bartenders started giving cookies to everyone.

I forgot that at Midnight, Scofflaw always serves cookies to everyone in the bar.  They were very tasty cookies, and added a nice vibe to the event.  I will have to make it out to Scofflaw again when I come back from my trip.

After eating a bunch of cookies, I turned my attention back to my Zarza. The Zarza was very relaxing and crisp, but not something I haven’t tasted before.  It was great, but it lacked the creativity that Bordel’s cocktail had.

I made my way back downstairs to try the final cocktail at Bar Deville.

The back bar where they were setup for the night also has some awesome paintings.  It is a different theme from the upstairs, and not as relaxing a feeling, but I like it just the same.  The diversity at FMK is exceptional.  They keep a consistent theme but then try to vary the atmosphere in different sections of the place.

I had to sneak this one in here, as I am a Batman fan.

Anyways, back to Bar Deville.

I tried a cocktail called the “Sent From My IPhone”.  It had a very nice crispiness and dryness.  Though, the cocktail starts off very good, then tapers off into an unexpected bitter after taste.  Overall, I still enjoyed it, but not as much as Bordel’s or Scofflaw’s cocktails.

It did not take me too long to make my decision.

Although I am partial to Scofflaw, I have to give it to Bordel’s Guacamole cocktail.

All 3 teams were top tier, and showed that they are specialists at their craft.  In this specific competition, I do feel that Bordel shined a bit brighter.

Additional note about the event, in the back between Bordel’s and Bar Deville’s sections, Nina Palomba, a local artist, was painting for everyone to see.  You can check out her stuff at http://ninapalomba.com/.  I don’t have a picture of what she put up (sorry guys), but I got to talk to her about her work, and she seems like a really passionate, creative, and nice person all around.  I believe Fulton Market Kitchen is still featuring her work, so this would be a great opportunity to go check it out!

First off I just wanted to thank everyone who sent loving birthday wishes my way. Ya’ll know how to make a gal feel happy!

I was lucky enough to get the entire weekend off! In the restaurant world having Friday - Sunday off does not happen often but I am happy I have some great bosses who are allowing me time this summer for birthdays and trips.

I celebrated my birthday exactly the way I wanted to. I opened some gifts with my parents and then got a big breakfast with my mom. We hit up our usual spot that we use to go to with my Angel Babe (Grandma) when she was alive—It never disappoints. I was also able to Skype with Alexander which was exciting because he’s been captaining a sailboat for the last week and you can imagine the wifi connection is not so great out at sea!

From there I packed up and headed to my sisters place. I had plans to get pampered at my favorite salon (Mixed Co.) and get a well overdo hair cut—also another place that never disappoints. My sister and I had reservations at RM Champagne later on so in the meantime my brother-in-law and I wandered down Randolph, watched people set up Taste of Randolph, and stopped in some places for a quick bite and some drinks. On days where I know the drinks will be flowing I never hesitate to grab a quick bite. I mean lets be honest I never hesitate even on days when the drinks aren’t flowing, (I <3 fOoD!).

After an amazing day it was time to start the night! The weather was incredible which to me always makes any night 10 times better. RM Champagne was to die for. It was so pretty and the food was amazing. We ordered a bottle of sparkling rose and enjoyed fried oysters, steak & frites, trout, and an array of desserts. It was the perfect kick off for the night.

After dinner I met up with Emily and we headed over to Fulton Market Kitchen where myself and some dear friends spent the night drinking and sharing stories. Always amazing service there; I planned on just having drinks in their lounge area but a big table fit for a queen opened up and they saved it for me. Emily and Kathryn kept the birthday going for me after leaving FMK when we headed to Lone Wolf where great drinks continued to flow over great conversation.

Turning 23 was done right and I couldn’t have been happier.  I'll post some pictures in my next post!

I now have to hustle on over to the gym and WORK OFF this weekend with my trainer. A few more days of work and then I’m off to NYC with my family!