As the old saying goes: When kids are at sleep-away, parents will play…read more
With the Progeny off at camp, the Pardner and I are partying hard. And by hard, I mean we're staying up until 11 p.m. instead of going to bed at 10. (Cue Forever Young. Just not too loud, ok? )
Our recent date at Rebellion Gastro Pub in Danbury, CT was absofreakinlutely great. The company was alright, I guess. But the drinks and decor were stellar. The latter reminded me of hip joints in Reykjavík, with its vaguely volcanic / below-decks-on-a-Viking-ship + 1920's lounge aesthetic. Food was sophisticated, but fun, and extremely likable, about 10x better what's usually served in most pubs or even gastropubs.
We had:
- Beef Tartare (cured yolk. anchovy. caper dust. coal toast. $20) -- The finely chopped beef was tender and very umami on the tongue, sharp with mustard and topped with some grated, salty cheese. I found the dish spectacular.
- Beet salad (citrus. feta. mint. toasted sunflower seeds. $16) -- well executed. Sweet, fresh roasted beets + excellent mesclun + neatly suprêmed sweet oranges.
- The Glizzy (Waygu beef. street corn. lime crema. cojita cheese. cilantro. chili oil drizzle; $22) -- In case you can't tell from the description, The Glizzy is a hot dog. A very, very good one. Tender, juicy, flavorful, all the good things, like master butchers Erica Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest used to make and sell via J&E Small Goods. It's about a foot long, but comes in a regular size bun. Corn was a wee bit chewy, but nicely dressed, and contributed some welcome vegetable matter.
- Brick Chicken (crispy airline chicken. rosemary jus. whipped yukon potatoes. braised kale. $34) -- Airline chicken is a certain cut of chicken, also called Statler chicken, which includes a boneless, skin-on chicken breast with the first wing joint (the drumette) attached. This was nicely made with moist protein and flavorful skin that had either been seared in a pan or by a torch. Kale was a bit tougher than ideal, but the whipped potatoes and jus were likable accompaniments, retro, yet chic. (Perhaps out of nowhere, it made me think of Crown Shy in NYC.)
Now a note on service. I had originally ordered the Mussels (saffron broth. fennel. herbs. $18) and was served a beautiful, generously portioned bowl with what appeared to be fat bivalves. Unfortunately, they smelled odd -- strongly and weirdly of human urine -- though the one mussel I ventured to eat tasted fresh and unspoiled. I was Googling for possible benign causes of such a smell and actually prepared to power through if I could -- prima donna types who send dishes back to the kitchen irritate me to no end -- but our amazing server, Mia, noticed my perplexed face, and graciously offered to take the dish away and off the bill. Later, the fantastically nice and charismatic co-owner, Tim Medina, stopped by the table to apologize and chat. And after that, they even generously comped us a dessert. I was too full to want to indulge, but the Pardner ended up requesting the whimsically named C.R.E.A.M. (see below). Even before all this, we were impressed by the gracious staff's sense of hospitality and their excellent team play. The hostess was occupied with other guests when we first arrived and the lovely bartender / mixologist immediately came out from behind the bar to greet and seat us.
- C.R.E.A.M. = The CEREAL RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME (vanilla or chocolate gelato. choice of cereal. $10) -- This was deeply nostalgic for me. Like probably just about every other kid, my sister and I made similar concoctions as children. Our favorite was vanilla ice cream mixed with peanut butter and either corn flakes or saltines. Rebellion's version came with an off-menu salted caramel gelato (good mouthfeel) and, at the Pardner's request, Cocoa Pebbles. Fun and irreverent. Also -- shhh -- sophisticated.
Given our well-paced and leisurely meal over conversation and the World Cup, we were able to try quite a few cocktails, yet drive home completely sober. The mixologist(s) -- Google tells me chef Tevin Snider is the man in charge, here -- know their game. More than anything else, the drinks stole the show.
All cocktails are $15 and well made classics served with those big, classy cocktail ice cubes. The menu is organized by primary spirit. We had:
- Mexican Firing Squad (tequila, fresh lime, grenadine, bitters)
- Oaxaca Old Fashioned (reposado tequila, mezcal, agave, bitters, orange peel) -- strong, fragrant, not-too-sweet -- my fave
- Penicillin (blended Scotch, lemon, honey-ginger, smoky Islay Scotch)
- Gold Rush (bourbon, lemon, honey) -- evidently invented at one of our favorite NYC establishments, Milk and Honey, in the early 2000s. Back when we lived a few blocks away. This makes me feel old.
- Vieux Carre (rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, benedictine, bitters)
It's been a while since we've been to such a fun, funny, classy place. I'm in love!
