High Cost Archives - Page 2 of 2

Whiskey Places – The Dead Rabbit

July 16, 2022July 16, 2022 TJ Provost

The Dead Rabbit is a famous cocktail bar located on 30 Water St in New York and I was lucky enough to go there with my coworkers. We booked a table upstairs which means a bit more space. Trust me when I say that is a good thing because this place gets busy. Then we started to drink.

I tried two of their signature drinks, of which there are many, but I have to be honest when I say I didn’t enjoy them as much as I did when I switched over to Redbreast 12. They were interesting, but they were honestly just a bit too sweet and a bit too funky for me.

I may be too old for The Dead Rabbit, or maybe just too much of a whiskey snob. After the first two mixed drinks I changed over to neat Irish Whiskey before ending the night with Red Breast 12, which you can never go wrong with.

I had fun and enjoyed the huge selection of Irish Whiskey. So why did The Dead Rabbit score a 75/100? The fact that the mixed drinks were a bit too funky for me cost them points, as well as the cost. I know this is in Manhattan but I’m a country boy and the prices seemed astronomical to me.

The other factor that cost The Dead Rabbit some points was how busy it got. It is a popular bar, and once our private table expired we went downstairs to the main bar area. It was just a press of people. It is hard to enjoy a drink when every movement jostles you up against someone else.

Please let me know if you’ve been there and what you thought of The Dead Rabbit in the comments.

Place	Location	Score	Price Scale	Drink
Cinder Bar	Clarksboro, NJ	96	High Cost	Manhattan
Saltgrass Steakhouse	Orlando, FL	91	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Irish Whisper	National Harbor, MD	90	High Cost	Irish Whiskey
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks	National Harbor, MD	80	High Cost	Manhattan
The Dead Rabbit	New York, NY	75	High Cost	Multiple
Iron Hill Brewery	Wilmington, DE	71	High Cost	Kentucky Connection
Cadillac Ranch	National Harbor, MD	70	Moderate Cost	Multiple
Harry’s Savoy Grill	Wilmington, DE	67	High Cost	Manhattan Boulevardier
Ted’s Montana Grill	Newark, DE	66	Moderate Cost	Newly Fashioned
Creekside Inn	Woodstown, NJ	65	Low to Moderate	Manhattan
Alewife	Richmond, VA	63	High Cost	Manhattan
roanoke	Chicago, IL	55	High Cost	Black Manhattan
Blue Line Lounge & Bar	Chicago, IL	53	Low Cost	Manhattan
Da Andrea	New York, NY	50	High Cost	Manhattan Negroni
Iguana Cafe	Chicago, IL	45	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Greene Turtle	Newark, DE	40	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Restaurante Montserrat Manor	Punta Cana, DR	35	High Cost	Manhattan
Dave & Buster's	Deptford, NJ	30	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Cock'n Bull	Lahaska, PA	26	High Cost	Manhattan Old Fashioned
The Brass Tap	National Harbor, MD	25	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Carrol's Creek Cafe	Annapolis, MD	21	High Cost	Manhattan
Big Fish Grill	Wilmington, DE	10	High Cost	Manhattan
The Legend	New Castle, DE	5	Low Cost	Manhattan
TGI Fridays	New Castle, DE	1	Moderate Cost	Manhattan

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

Whiskey Places – Cinder Bar

July 10, 2022July 10, 2022 TJ Provost

One of my sons lives a few miles from Cinder Bar and pre pandemic we would meet there for dinner and drinks on Friday nights. Cinder Bar has excellent pizza, the most amazing Deviled Eggs of any restaurant I’ve ever been to. I know its a simple dish, but simple dishes done well is sometimes the hardest thing.

My family loves the pizza, but my favorite meal is the Short Rib Cheesesteak.

The meat is just mouth watering. Juicy and full of flavor that is just rich and decadent. The fontina cheese, aioli, and caramelized onions just combine into the most amazing bite – every bite. The sandwich is rich. Its not huge, but somehow it fills me up more than sandwiches twice its size.

What I’m trying to say is that the food is really good.

So what do I normally drink with my meal? A Manhattan of course.

While my Basil Hayden’s Manhattan was amazing, its just a fraction of what’s available at Cinder Bar. This is a real Whiskey Drinker’s restaurant. The Whiskey Menu is so large it takes up multiple pages on the menu.

Cinder Bar has a great selection of Irish whiskeys.

I can’t even get a screen capture of the full Whiskey Menu because its several pages long. But you can view it here. There are six pages of whiskey to choose from.

When it comes to having a great selection of Whiskeys and amazing food, you can’t go wrong with Cinder Bar.

Cinder Bar is scoring 96/100, putting near the very top of places I Will Go Back to. Like most things in life you pay for quality, and Cinder Bar is not cheap if you have a few drinks, appetizers, and everyone eats an entrée.

Is it worth it? Yes it is. I have yet to have a bad meal here.

Place	Location	Score	Price Scale	Drink
Cinder Bar	Clarksboro, NJ	96	High Cost	Manhattan
Saltgrass Steakhouse	Orlando, FL	91	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Irish Whisper	National Harbor, MD	90	High Cost	Irish Whiskey
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks	National Harbor, MD	80	High Cost	Manhattan
The Dead Rabbit	New York, NY	75	High Cost	Multiple
Iron Hill Brewery	Wilmington, DE	71	High Cost	Kentucky Connection
Cadillac Ranch	National Harbor, MD	70	Moderate Cost	Multiple
Harry’s Savoy Grill	Wilmington, DE	67	High Cost	Manhattan Boulevardier
Ted’s Montana Grill	Newark, DE	66	Moderate Cost	Newly Fashioned
Creekside Inn	Woodstown, NJ	65	Low to Moderate	Manhattan
Alewife	Richmond, VA	63	High Cost	Manhattan
roanoke	Chicago, IL	55	High Cost	Black Manhattan
Blue Line Lounge & Bar	Chicago, IL	53	Low Cost	Manhattan
Da Andrea	New York, NY	50	High Cost	Manhattan Negroni
Iguana Cafe	Chicago, IL	45	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Greene Turtle	Newark, DE	40	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Restaurante Montserrat Manor	Punta Cana, DR	35	High Cost	Manhattan
Dave & Buster's	Deptford, NJ	30	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Cock'n Bull	Lahaska, PA	26	High Cost	Manhattan Old Fashioned
The Brass Tap	National Harbor, MD	25	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Carrol's Creek Cafe	Annapolis, MD	21	High Cost	Manhattan
Big Fish Grill	Wilmington, DE	10	High Cost	Manhattan
The Legend	New Castle, DE	5	Low Cost	Manhattan
TGI Fridays	New Castle, DE	1	Moderate Cost	Manhattan

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

Whiskey Places – Restaurante Montserrat Manor

June 19, 2022June 19, 2022 TJ Provost

We gave out kids a trip to Punta Cana as their holiday gift instead of buying them a bunch of gifts that they may not really want or need. We are getting older and its harder to actually spend quality time with them because they all have their lives. On our last night in the Dominican Republic we went to the Montserrat Manor for a nice dinner. My idea was to cap off the all inclusive fair with a final night Upscale Dinner.

In the end it wasn’t much better than the all inclusive food. The quality and the price of the meal just weren’t in line with each other. When I asked for a whiskey menu they basically told me they had what I would consider local bar quality whiskey, so I went with my standard Manhattan.

How was it?

Honestly, I’ve had better at Applebee’s. What was it made with? The waiter told me the house bourbon, so I have no idea.

Given how expensive the food was, the poor quality whiskey selection, and even worse Manhattan, I’ve got to give Montserrat Manor a 35/100, putting it just barely into the If I Had Limited Choices territory. If I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I’d probably go back. I was really disappointed in the Manhattan, and sure, I should have ordered a Rum drink, but by the last day I’d drank so much Rum I just wanted a sip of whiskey for God’s sake.

Place	Location	Score	Price Scale	Drink
Cinder Bar	Clarksboro, NJ	96	High Cost	Manhattan
Saltgrass Steakhouse	Orlando, FL	91	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Irish Whisper	National Harbor, MD	90	High Cost	Irish Whiskey
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks	National Harbor, MD	80	High Cost	Manhattan
The Dead Rabbit	New York, NY	75	High Cost	Multiple
Iron Hill Brewery	Wilmington, DE	71	High Cost	Kentucky Connection
Cadillac Ranch	National Harbor, MD	70	Moderate Cost	Multiple
Harry’s Savoy Grill	Wilmington, DE	67	High Cost	Manhattan Boulevardier
Ted’s Montana Grill	Newark, DE	66	Moderate Cost	Newly Fashioned
Creekside Inn	Woodstown, NJ	65	Low to Moderate	Manhattan
Alewife	Richmond, VA	63	High Cost	Manhattan
roanoke	Chicago, IL	55	High Cost	Black Manhattan
Blue Line Lounge & Bar	Chicago, IL	53	Low Cost	Manhattan
Da Andrea	New York, NY	50	High Cost	Manhattan Negroni
Iguana Cafe	Chicago, IL	45	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Greene Turtle	Newark, DE	40	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Restaurante Montserrat Manor	Punta Cana, DR	35	High Cost	Manhattan
Dave & Buster's	Deptford, NJ	30	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Cock'n Bull	Lahaska, PA	26	High Cost	Manhattan Old Fashioned
The Brass Tap	National Harbor, MD	25	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Carrol's Creek Cafe	Annapolis, MD	21	High Cost	Manhattan
Big Fish Grill	Wilmington, DE	10	High Cost	Manhattan
The Legend	New Castle, DE	5	Low Cost	Manhattan
TGI Fridays	New Castle, DE	1	Moderate Cost	Manhattan

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

Whiskey Places – Peddler’s Village Cock N’ Bull

January 2, 2022June 21, 2022 TJ Provost

We made our annual trip to Peddler’s Village and had dinner at the Cock’n Bull Restaurant. My wife and I always enjoy heading out to Lahaska, but this was our first visit since Covid-19.

Our server was amazing, and she was running like mad to deal with a lot of tables, so keep in mind that the Cock’n Bull seemed short staffed and they were really busy.

I had two drinks with dinner. The first was a Manhattan, which is my usual go to drink.

Based on the menu, the Cock’n Bull Manhattan is Rittenhouse Rye, Carpano Antica, and an amorosa cherry.

Sadly, this Manhattan tasted like bourbon with ice. There was no real flavor, which is actually the reason I moved on to order an Old Fashioned as drink two.

Do you notice anything about this Old Fashioned? It is almost clear. How did it taste? Well, like sugar water with a twist of orange in it. If there was bourbon in this Old Fashioned it was just a tiny splash.

I’m giving the Cock’n Bull a 26/100, and that is mostly a courtesy as I have had a few good meals here, and they are getting bonus points for being open during Covid-19. Being as expensive as it is, I expect high quality meals and drinks from a restaurant like this. As it stands currently though, the Cock’n Bull is in the “Will Never Go Back” if I’m looking for good Whiskey.

Place	Location	Score	Price Scale	Drink
Cinder Bar	Clarksboro, NJ	96	High Cost	Manhattan
Saltgrass Steakhouse	Orlando, FL	91	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Irish Whisper	National Harbor, MD	90	High Cost	Irish Whiskey
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks	National Harbor, MD	80	High Cost	Manhattan
The Dead Rabbit	New York, NY	75	High Cost	Multiple
Iron Hill Brewery	Wilmington, DE	71	High Cost	Kentucky Connection
Cadillac Ranch	National Harbor, MD	70	Moderate Cost	Multiple
Harry’s Savoy Grill	Wilmington, DE	67	High Cost	Manhattan Boulevardier
Ted’s Montana Grill	Newark, DE	66	Moderate Cost	Newly Fashioned
Creekside Inn	Woodstown, NJ	65	Low to Moderate	Manhattan
Alewife	Richmond, VA	63	High Cost	Manhattan
roanoke	Chicago, IL	55	High Cost	Black Manhattan
Blue Line Lounge & Bar	Chicago, IL	53	Low Cost	Manhattan
Da Andrea	New York, NY	50	High Cost	Manhattan Negroni
Iguana Cafe	Chicago, IL	45	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
The Greene Turtle	Newark, DE	40	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Restaurante Montserrat Manor	Punta Cana, DR	35	High Cost	Manhattan
Dave & Buster's	Deptford, NJ	30	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Cock'n Bull	Lahaska, PA	26	High Cost	Manhattan Old Fashioned
The Brass Tap	National Harbor, MD	25	Moderate Cost	Manhattan
Carrol's Creek Cafe	Annapolis, MD	21	High Cost	Manhattan
Big Fish Grill	Wilmington, DE	10	High Cost	Manhattan
The Legend	New Castle, DE	5	Low Cost	Manhattan
TGI Fridays	New Castle, DE	1	Moderate Cost	Manhattan

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost