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Joe Alicata is a 2009 graduate of Northport High School, he has his B.A. in Public Administration from the University at Albany. Joe works in the insurance industry, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Northport High School Academy of Finance (AOF) program, and is a Director for Northport Students Mean Business. He can be reached at |
| When you move to a new area as a foodie, one of the first things you want to do is to explore the local cuisine. Thankfully, I have a tour guide in my roommate. He recently recommended Cebu Bistro as a stop on our tour through Bay Ridge. The interior of Cebu is reminiscent of Prohibition-era America. Dimly lit with Edison bulbs hanging above a long oak bar which finds itself situated above art-deco style tile floors. The ambiance is wonderful, and that is where the wheels come off the bus on this tale of dining. Upon being seated, we were presented with the drink menu, which offered a satisfying array of unique cocktails. As a gin drinker, my personal choice was the “Modern Love”, comprised of Dorothy Parker gin, elderflower liqueur, lavender honey syrup and lemon juice. I have had many a gin cocktail, but this is by far my favorite. This is an important piece to the story, as you will find out shortly. My roommate opted for the “Double Crossed”, featuring bourbon, aperol, amaro and antica formula. An equally impressive drink, it is clear the bar staff at Cebu has their wits about them. Moving along to appetizers, we decided on a plate of Thai mussels to share. For those of you who have read my prior columns, I am a big fan of mussels, and these did not disappoint. Served in a cast iron vessel, swimming in a bright and savory ginger broth, these mussels were well cooked, plump and all around delicious. The ginger broth was a star all its own, necessitating numerous pieces of bread to attempt to dispose of the leftovers from the mussels. We selected our dinner, my roommate ordered the lamb burger, and I the seafood paella (sticking with the seafood theme). About ten minutes after we finished our appetizer, our waiter appeared and apologized for a delay with our meal due to a large group in the other room, he offered us another round of drinks on the house, which we happily accepted. Fast forward another twenty minutes and still, no dinner. But, we were given another round of free drinks. All the while we were offered free drinks, we were not given any more bread with which to offset the alcohol, or offered any food of any kind, so by the time our dinner arrived, we were…well…farther along in our alcohol consumption than planned or desired. When dinner arrived, the lamb burger was well cooked and seasoned. Tender and juicy, it is definitely a solid go to menu item. My paella on the other hand, left me Googling cookware to see if anyone had ever served rice and/or seafood in copper before. My dish was served on a copper plate, with a bed of saffron rice and adorned with clams, shrimp, mussels and calamari. The only problem is, every single bite tasted like the copper it was served on. Our waiter was very apologetic, however at that point we had had too many free cocktails to care. I would recommend Cebu as a pass through, grab a quick bite and a cocktail as you walk through Bay Ridge. If you decide to stay for dinner, just make sure there are no large tables. |
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