going to town on my Pickled BlaMa at Cookshop

Since moving to NYC, I have quickly learned that going out to brunch is a way of life here. Just like going the gym, getting your morning cup of joe on the way to work, or being a proud owner of a metro card. It’s part of the lively hood. As the weather breaks into spring, brunch is a given among all the other fantastic outdoor things to do.

For April, I am featuring my BlaMa (Bloody Mary)  experience from CookShop in Chelsea. I had been here once before with a colleague. The only thing I could remember besides the good time we had, was the drinks….humm,?  

Recently, I met up with Trevor & Rodney, at Cookshop for brunch on a Saturday afternoon.The place was packed and I would strongly recommend making reservations. Otherwise, the wait can be a bit long especially during peak periods 11-3. Even with our reservation there was still a bit of a wait. There is not a lot of room inside if you need to wait, but while waiting, you can always order a drink.

Finally, we were seated, and shortly after, the sweetest waitress came over and took our order for drinks. Cookshop currently serve 5 different types. I ordered the “Pickled Mary” and Trev & Rodney ordered the “BLT Mary”. Anything with pickles catches my eye. Other than loving tomato juice, I love me some dill pickle juice. My drink was made with the Cookshop  mix, pickle juice, and pickled red onion and garnished with my favorite large sized pimento olives. T&R’s had applewood bacon, house infused bacon vodka, and the garnish was bacon slices.

For my meal, I ordered the Range Free Turkey sandwich which came with a massive amount of french fries. The bread was lightly toasted, turkey tender and moist. The fries cut a bit smaller than I like, maybe that is why they give you so many. I was filled to the gills after this meal, no need for dinner. The boys (I hope they don’t mind me calling them that), ordered the Finger Lakes Grass Fed Beef Burger. It was huge, they toyed with getting the fried egg option, but decided to stay with the original. They were very happy with their choice, and it sparked memories of the time they were upstate at the Finger Lakes.

Out of a range of 1 (lowest)-10(highest), I’ll give Cookshop a 8, for the “Pickled Mary”. The tomato juice was just the right amount of thickness, vodka nice and smooth, and the pickle juice is a nice taste. The serving size was perfect, and I felt like I was defiantly getting my $12.00 worth. I have to come back and try all the other options.

Besides, a bit of a wait on our drinks, we were given our drinks free, plus a complimentary round for the delay. We would of preferred to have them before our meal, but they recognized we had been waiting for a while and took care of us. I will definitely go back again, but as I start my quest for the perfect Bloody Mary. There are many other places I must visit. If you are ever in New York, go to 10th Street Cookshop for brunch, and then enjoy a nice walk along the High Line . A perfect NYC afternoon right there!