Get In Touch with Your Inner Babe at The Sunburnt Calf

The Sunburnt Calf - 226 West 79th Street, New York NY 10024
646.823.9255
1 Train to 79th Street

www.thesunburntcow.com

With all this hot weather, a much needed cool-down is welcome.  I know that I always love a chill hangout with great drinks and casual, tasty food for an after work pick-me-up.  That's why when I got invited to sample the food and drinks at The Sunburnt Calf on the Upper West Side, I immediately latched on to the invitation (I know...that was bad).  And I know you're probably wondering why I'm drinking out of a baby bottle. I'll explain that and much more...just keep reading.

Atmosphere:
Very similar in appearance to its sibling, The Sunburnt Cow in the East Village, The Calf is an unassuming yet lively bar and eatery.  The front is more of a bar scene, just like at The Cow and the back offers nice, comfortable dining digs with a raised glass ceiling.  Apart from the fact that it was dark and rainy during our visit, I can see the roof really bringing in light and cheeriness on nice days.

The overall vibe was fun and relaxed and as you can see from my pictures, the owners promote a playful atmosphere.  In honor of The Calf, they serve mixed drinks in baby bottles for patrons to actually use (like me!) or to just get a good laugh out of.  It certainly breaks the tension of stressful city life - and as I think back on our experience, I remember Dan and I laughing a lot.

Food and Drinks:
The menu has influences from the Sunburnt Cow, with popular items such as the Calamari Oz style and oyster shooters, but aside from that, it has its own personality too.  We tried to stick with seafood dishes but Dan also tried the pork and we of course saved room for dessert.  The drinks were a big highlight of the evening, offering inventiveness and whimsical flare.

Appetizers:
We started out with an oyster tasting, including a potent oyster shooter in a Bloody Mary mix as well as oysters Kilpatrick, which were fried and seasoned with smoky bacon bits.  Both were really fresh and tasted like the sea - the shooter had a spicy after bite and the Kilpatrick was just pure indulgence. I could've popped at least three of those babies.

Taking it up another notch with seafood, we also ordered their signature Calamari Oz, which I already enjoyed at The Cow as well as a new starter called Shrimp on the Barbie.  Not only was the shrimp smoky from the bbq sauce, but the whole dish carried out a fresh, summery feel with a bed of spicy avocado, sweet mango and crunchy red onion.  I'd recommend getting this on a very hot day - it was a great picker-upper.

Entrees:
I'm really not sure why I keep doing this to myself, but I once again ordered the Barramundi.  The first time I had it at Bondi Road, it didn't impress me and yet again, it didn't do it for me at The Calf.  Unlike the one I had at Bondi Road, this one was grilled and served with a tomato, papaya and shrimp salad, with a side of shoestring fries, which resembled potato stix.  I guess it was their version of fish and chips.  Take it from me - you can skip this one unless you know for a fact that you love barramundi.

Dan was smarter in his choice by getting the grilled pork loin, marinated in brown sugar and red pepper.  YUM! It was absolutely delicious and so tender--the meat had so much flavor and a lovely sweetness from the brown sugar.  Its tenderness was a delight for your fork and knife, not to mention your palate.  A colorful side salad of watercress, macadamia nuts, apples, carrots and radicchio brought forth some earthiness along with a pop of flavor from the spicy Dijon mustard dressing.

Dessert:
We just couldn't refuse a healthy dose of chilled desserts and ordered the Peach Melba and the Banana Fritters, both served with the most delicious vanilla ice cream.  The banana fritters were just decadent, beautifully crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.  They were juxtaposed well with the cold ice cream and the syrupy chocolate sauce on top. If you're a fan of the banana/chocolate combo, this one's for you.

The Peach Melba was also an excellent choice, with a grilled peach and strawberry sauce on top.  I liked that they incorporated a lady finger that stuck out of the ice cream - judging by the funky attitude of this place, it seemed almost as if they were flipping us the bird, in the nicest way possible. We totally dug it!

Drinks:
As I already hinted several times, the drinks were awesome.  So even if you're not feeling hungry, definitely come by for cocktails.  As you can see, I really loved my Island drink - a mixture of pine-coconut Bacardi and fresh guava juice.  It came in their signature baby bottle and I of course took full advantage.  Note to self - this drink is delicious but it has a lot of pulp.  Therefore, if you do choose to channel your inner babe, make sure to poke a bigger hole in the bottle. 

Dan got an equally interesting drink called The Oasis.  The presentation was just wild, consisting of an inverted lime filled with tequila, sitting on top of a concoction of strawberry, watermelon, blackberry and a splash of pineapple-lime.  Instead of describing it here, I'll let you watch the video.  And as you can see, I was past drinking my bottle when I said "Dan is about to take a shoot." Who says that?!

Service and Cost:
Just like the atmosphere, the food and the drinks, The Calf's service is also super fun.  The staff jokes around with you and I have to mention that they sport really awesome Aussie accents.  You'll be treated with care and respect but you'll also laugh and joke around to your heart's content.  And it almost feels like you're in a different country - it's a good thing!

Costs are affordable and include the following:

Mixed Drinks: $7-$9
Appetizers: $2 - $9
Entrees: $12 - $16
Dessert: $6

The Calf offers a Saturday/Sunday "Endless Brunch" for $18, which gets you a brunch entree and all-you-can-drink cocktails.

3 Loud Mmmms

The Sunburnt Cow - Aussie Bar Food with Attitude

The Sunburnt Cow - 137 Avenue C, New York NY 10009

212.529.0005

6 Train to Astor Place or L Train to 1st Avenue

www.thesunburntcow.com

Back in the summer of '08 I tried an Australian restaurant on the Lower East Side called Bondi Road.  It was so wonderful and the food was so different from what I'm used to that I jumped at the chance to have dinner at its sister restaurant, The Sunburnt Cow.  My brother Peter joined me on a Monday night and together we indulged in good Australian bar food.

Atmosphere:
Located in the East Village waaaay East actually on Avenue C, The Sunburnt Cow is very much away from the hubbub and chaos of Manhattan.  The block it rests on (between 8th and 9th street) is especially quiet and once you walk in, you feel yourself unwind even more. 

Not to say that the Surnburnt Cow is quiet - it's not but it isn't overly loud or obnoxious either.  The front of the house is all bar and the back has a few small tables suitable for intimate parties of 2 or 4 at the most.  It's perfect for after work drinks and a casual dinner.  The overall vibe is very cool, with young Aussie bartenders catering to your every wish - nothing wrong with that.

Food:
I was expecting the food to be more or less like at Bondi Road but there were considerable differences.  While the feel was similar, the menu offered creative dishes from Mutton Stew to Pesto Shark.

Appetizers - We started with two things, the Aussie lamb balls in tomato sauce and the Calamari Oz Style.  Out of those the calamari was a clear winner, as it presented a new spin on a classic appetizer.  Unlike any fried calamari I've had, this one was topped with a jalapeno kiwi salsa.  I love mixing savory with sweet and the slight hint of sweetness from the kiwi and the punch from the jalapeno brought the dish up a notch.  It didn't even need a spritz of lemon but we went for it anyway. 

The lamb balls were on the ordinary side - while the flavors were good, they weren't anything spectacular and I'd skip them next time.

Entrees - Peter and I both ordered hefty entrees and tried to go for something we haven't yet experienced.  I splurged and got the Wild Boar Spare Ribs while Peter went with an all seafood dish, the Kakadu Fish Stew.  Both were excellent and left you feeling full - not overstuffed but definitely satiated.

The Wild Boar ribs were tender and juicy, falling off the bone beautifully and dressed with a spicy pineapple salsa.  I liked that the spice wasn't too intense but it left a nice tingle in your mouth.  A bed of polenta with crispy edges was the starch in this dish - it was gentle on your palate but gave you a little break from all that protein.

Peter's fish stew was delicious, and it was so huge that I brought the leftovers home and ate it for dinner the next day.  It had so much seafood goodness - chunks of fresh fish, shrimp, scallops and mussels - swimming in a rich tomato broth.  This dish was a perfect way to enjoy dinner on a cold, snowy evening.  They serve it with a side of toasty bread that's nice to dip into all that richness.  If you love seafood, I wouldn't miss this.

Dessert - Although we were quite full, a small taste of something sweet was just gnawing at us and we decided to split the butterscotch/date molten cake.  I liked that it was different from your everyday, boooring flourless chocolate cake.  Every bite was a like an explosion of caramel with a hint of saltiness at the end.  That coupled with a big spoonful of fresh whipped cream, and your Australian bar experience was 100% complete.

Drinks - The Sunburnt Cow has a plethora of specialty cocktails that are creative and fit the "down under" theme.  Many are fruit based and in addition to beer, we ordered two fruity cocktails, one being The Island and the other one called The Illusion.  Both were very tropical with mango, coconut and guava notes, spiked with rum and vodka respectively.  Peter and I ended up swapping drinks - I was glad that the swap worked to our favor and we were both happy customers.

Service and Cost:
As I mentioned, the service is super friendly and the staff is right from Australia.  I loved our waiter's accent and his overall casual "no worries mate" mentality - it was a nice change from what I'm used to.  One suggestion about the service would be to get more waiters - our guy was great but he seemed a bit overwhelmed.  He needs a break!

Costs are very reasonable, especially on Monday nights when you can take advantage of an all you can eat and drink 2 hour special for $20. Their brunch isn't too shabby either, $18 getting you a full meal and all you can drink morning cocktails.

3 Mmmms