Mothers, lock up your children, the cougars are on the loose!  When I entered the underground bar at Hill Country, little did I know I was walking into a den of lascivious ladies 40+, bedazzled in beads and boas, and rocking out to a live-band playing their favorite 90’s classics.   We listened to Counting Crows covers and picklebacked all night.  Get your mind out of the gutter; a pickleback is the shot of Jameson followed by a shot of pickle juice…zing!  The perfect thing to get your old lady in the mood…

The restaurant at Hill Country also has a Man vs Food-esque Challenge, where one has to consume 3 pounds of meat (including moist brisket, lean brisket, beef shoulder, prime rib), a medium hot side, a medium cold side, a 32 oz. drink and a cupcake, all in less than an hour.  If you finish, you get it for free and your picture on the wall, and if not you have to pay $85.  A ReBlog is definitely in order if I can find an Olympic meat-eater who wants to go for the beef.  Volunteers?

Appeasing my current fondness for French Cuisine, I had brunch at Le Bateau Ivre (meaning ‘The Drunk Boat’ in French).  And a fitting name for a brunch spot, with everyone packed together in one room, recovering from the night before, alcohol sloshing in their bellies below.  I sampled the French toast (or is it just known as ‘toast’ in French restaurants?) which came with a fruit salad, a cup of tea, and a tart bellini.  This is clearly a departure from the glorious all-you-can-chug brunch spots, as you only get one spiked beverage with the meal (and the price is on the steep side).  However, it wasn’t the food or the drink (although tasty) that brought me here; a jazz trio the plays live music from 11-4 that is the real draw.  With open air from the midtown streets, and catchy tunes thumping away, this is the perfect place to hit up if your parents are in town, or if you’re trying to impress someone, or you’re working the evening shift and cannot get too too plastered before work.

Yee-haw, its time for a hoe-down, darn-tootin!  There will be a buffet of organic and locally grown cuisine and live music from four bands, including the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and dancing.  All proceeds go to the Growing Food and Justice Initiative, which helps local farmers help all of us.  Sounds like a win/win.  Hope to kick up some dust with y’all there!

http://www.brooklynlyceum.com/news/the-brooklyn-farmers-ball-featuring-rude-mechanical-orchestra-and-more.-october-27