The Locals

My intention tonight was to finally get around to reviewing Prospect, a bar between 14th and 15th streets on 5th avenue which has been open now for 6 weeks today. I stepped in and ordered a Victory, (I used to live 5 minutes from their brewery and their Prima Pils is still one of my go to favorites on a warm night,) planning on checking out the food menu too, which was promised to arrive about now... Not yet, it turns out. I'll give them a couple more weeks and come back.

Der Kom from the outside

I left after one beer and headed down 5th to Der Kommissar. I love this place, and it needs a day on this blog. The food is super simple, but perfect when you're drinking; the beer selection is small but well cultivated, and the vibe is super casual and comfortable.

I had a Debreziner, a Hungarian sausage that looks like a slender hot dog but packs a spicy/pungent garlic and paprika punch. They serve all of their sausages here on grilled baguette pieces, and you get some kraut and a pickle or two on the side.

Debreziner, Pickle, Kraut, and Knodel

As an additional side, I ordered the Knödel, a dense eastern European dumpling typically made from semolina or potato and some parsley. This version had the consistency of good gnocchi, and was slice thin before being browned on the grill. Hearty and flavorful, this little dumpling made me wish for colder weather so that I could take advantage of it's warming properties.

The kraut here is good, and has caraway seeds floating around in there somewhere. The pickles are ok, but Brooklyn has some pretty amazing pickles to compare with these...

To drink at DerKom, I had the Ayinger Jahrhundert, which was a sweet and potent Dortmunder, followed by the Smuttynose Vunderbar, a delicious pilsner that deserved an encore.

This place is unpretentiousness at its finest. You can come here straight from the gym, (as two women did next to me,) and eat fried hotdogs and sausages, and no one will say a thing about that disparity. You can nerd out with the bartender, like the guy at the end of the bar comparing stages of his life to the original three Star Wars movies, and no one will judge. You can watch the Big Lebowski or the Dark Crystal or whatever other (amazing! )movie is being shown on the projection screen at the back, or some crappy tv on the tiny screen behind the bar. Come here often, and with chill friends. Just be careful that you don't stand too close to the hand dryer in the "sheisshaus" bathroom.

-SdJ

Scrawled on the bathroom wall