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If all went well with my flight, I should presently be on terra firma in Spain. Stay tuned for stories of tapas, flamenco, pinxtos, Gaudi, sherry, bullfighting, cava, the Prado, and more. And, if you have any suggestions for Seville, Barcelona, or Madrid, send 'em my way!
We all know the regulars. Those that walk into a bar or restaurant and are greeted like Norm from "Cheers." But then there are the regular orders by the regulars, which in turn becomes "You want your regular?"
I don't frequent my pal Peter Shelsky's smoked fish emporium and delicatessen all that often - maybe once or twice a month - but I've been going there long enough that I have a regular off-menu order that the counter staff knows is my go-to.
The particulars: a scooped sesame bagel, toasted, smeared with plain cream cheese, filled with smoked sable, a paper thin slice or two of belly lox, slices of ripe tomato and onion. The beauty above is a variation on the theme, served on a toasted bialy. (Fantastic, and yet I'm sure I'll go back to the sesame bagel standby next time around.)
I get the sense that Peter is disappointed that I don't mix it up and try The Tribute bagel sandwich, made with whitefish salad, horseradish cream cheese, and wasabi tobiko, or order an El Vicente, which stacks sturgeon on top of plain cream cheese with fresh jalapeno peppers and sour pickle on a bagel or bialy - but he knows that I adore my "regular." Now, he just needs to name it after me and officially get it up on the sandwich menu!
I am not one to suggest drowning your sorrows in a drink. Had a bad day? Alcohol can soften the edges, but I usually recommend getting out into nature (or a nearby park), petting a dog, or going to the movies to make for a better disposition.
Then - and only then - can you imbibe with the spirit with which I believe it was intended. Joy.
There is, however, one major exception to the rule: Tiki cocktails.
Who the heck can be depressed with a big ol' drink filled with tropical juices, rum galore, finely-tuned bitters and aromatics, topped with a mini-umbrella and little plastic mermaid? No one!
Not that I was in a sad state when I took pleasure in sipping the gorgeous Tiki specimen above. I was sidled up to the bar in New Orleans' legendary Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 with a friend. Laissez les bon temps roulez!
And, thankfully, Brooklyn barkeeps have a flair for the Tiki, keeping me in a good mood when parks, petting friends' dogs, and movies fail. Though Julie Reiner's Manhattan ode to Hawaii, Lanai Kai, is no more, her Carroll Gardens spot Leyenda makes some righteous Caribbean-inspired drinks graced with sprigs of mint and the occasional orchid. Red Hook's Fort Defiance transforms into Polynesian paradise on the last Thursday of the month, becoming ground zero for all things Tiki as the Sunken Harbor Club. And, even one of my nearby Brooklyn Heights watering holes, The Binc, makes a mean Tiki cocktail called Ashes to Ashes, a potent combination of amaro di angostura, white rum, patron XOXO café, pineapple, and lemon...
...and fire. Don't forget the fire.
Tiki. It cures what ails you.