I remember cutting out a clipping from The Village Voice about four years ago and hanging it on my refrigerator in my scrappy apartment on York Avenue. A bar I'd never heard of, Schiller's, made the "Best of New York" issue for having the best stiff cocktail:
"
SCHILLER'S LIQUOR BAR, where the bartenders mean business. Juices are fresh, proportions consistent, and contents shaken till cold and foamy."
That's all I had to read and I knew that I would someday land on a regular stool at Schiller's. I was still adjusting to Manhattan bar tabs, which, compared to those in Arlington, Va., were about triple what I was used to spending on a night out. If I was splurging on alcohol, I may as well try and get the biggest buzz for my buck. Don't ask why it took me almost four years to get my act in gear and over to Schiller's.
Schiller's is one of Keith McNally's creations. I am a huge McFan, I'll admit it. If people ask me to rattle off some of my favorite restaurants, I always include
Balthazar. And if people ask me for recommendations on where to eat, you can't go wrong with any of McNally's babies: Schiller's,
Morandi, Pastis or
Lucky Strike. I have eaten, drank and partied, eaten and partied, drank and eaten at each and I love them all. Still to hit: Pravda.
I've been to Schiller's now twice in the past six months. I'm making up for lost time. The first occasion was to pre-game and to celebrate Activista's appearance on Fox News Business Channel (and my appearance, but that's another story). Activista is a member of Team Darfur, a coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, and Fox interviewed her for a segment on the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
We started the night at Bull and Bear, where Fox's show "Happy Hour" is filmed live, but where the idea of happy hour doesn't really exist. We were blowing $13 on miniscule glasses of wine and had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
It was a week night, and about seven of us walked into Schiller's expecting there to be an atrocious wait. We should have thought of backups. I don't know how we lucked out, but somehow we scored one of the over-sized booths in the back.
We all decided to go with a cocktail. I picked the mojito, following Fashionista's lead. It was incredibly refreshing and I almost wanted to dive in and eat the mint leaves with my fork.
Schiller's and Pastis are the closest siblings of McNally's restaurants, Schiller being the younger, smaller sister. It has an odd feel to it, like you've just walked into a steam room, or an antique bathhouse minus the steam and baths, but with tables and a bar. You're surrounded by white tiles on the walls, on the floor and on the columns. I think the tin ceiling is the only surface without a shiny white gleam. As odd as that sounds, there's something about it that I like. It gives off a clean, reflective, bright and pristine feel, like you've just walked into a giant smile.
After we'd had one or two of the best stiff cocktails in the city, we ventured into the wine department. Schiller's has a great method to the wine madness and I think other restaurants should adopt it. You can order wine by the glass, half-carafe, carafe or bottle. If you go for the carafes you choose between cheap, decent or good. If you want a bottle you can consult their limited list. Let's be honest, you're not going to Schiller's for the wine. We obviously went with the cheap choice and were very satisfied. It put us out $18 and it made the rounds.
For the appetizers we tried the goat cheese "petatou," or goat cheese and potato cake with olive tapenade and a mesclun salad ...
and the nachos with chorizo, refried beans, salsa and jalapeno. Both times I have now been to Schiller's we ordered the same appetizers -- they were that good. We couldn't get enough of the goat cheese tower. The goat cheese was strong enough to my liking and dressed up the potatoes. My only complaint about the nachos is they aren't stacked deep enough. For a table of six you only get to eat about one and a half. Every chip was equally covered in warm gooey cheese and beans. For a non-Mexican restaurant, Schiller's aces the nacho platter. The salsa was so fresh and tangy I started eating it with a fork.
SassyScrubs ordered the mussels, and as to be expected in a place serving French bistro fare, they were large and in charge, in size and flavor.
FoxyLady ordered the croque madame, or an open-faced grilled cheese and ham sandwich a la francaise with a giant fried egg on top; and she will never go back to just the plain, boring monsieur. We tried convincing her to try the monsieur out another time and she was like, "NO WAY!" Apparently the croque monsieur is for wimps. Funny. At the risk of sounding like an anti-feminist, shouldn't the names be the other way around? There's an institution in Charlottesville, Va., called The White Spot and they're famous for their Gus burgers, or burgers with a fried egg on top. Only the brave and hungriest souls delve into those bad boys.
Towards the end of dinner, FoxyLady went to the bathroom and the busboy came to clear the table while she was gone. I assumed she was stuffed and finished, but when she got to the table and her plate was gone it was like someone stole the croque from her croque plate. I messed up bigtime, and had I been in her shoes, I would have been equally disappointed. We didn't hear the end of it all night. Sorry, FoxyLady!
Fashionista tried the croque monsieur and downed it like it was a kiddie peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Activista posed with her fish plate and her nifty Team Darfur wristband. She's always fighting for human rights.
My friend PoloChick tried the eggplant parmesan. It was simple and right on. I wish there had been bread at the table for us to mop it up with.
Last (and sadly, least) was my sandwich, which I ordered per the recommendation of our brilliantly hilarious character waiter. I ordered the Cuban sandwich with roast pork, gruyere, pickles and mustard. I am not a picky eater, if you weren't already aware, so when my friends saw my face after I bit into the sandwich, I'm sure they thought I had bit into a nail or something that alarming in nature.
"EEEE-ick," I said.
I've since read on many Web sites that Schiller's is famous for this Cuban sandwich. I am shocked. Maybe because I'm a thinly sliced kind of girl. Or maybe I'm just not a pork person. But when I bit into this half-an-inch-thick slice of pork I almost gagged. It tasted like I was biting into a big pink eraser. Thank god for the fries and everyone else's plates around me. I wish I had sent it back in exchange for a croque monsieur. I had the worst case of dinner envy. But I couldn't do that to our awesome waiter and just kept my trap shut, drank and took the occasional bite of someone else's food. That's what I do best, after all.
The second time around I learned my lesson and ordered the croque monsieur. I've never been so satisfied after a meal in my life. I had brunch at AOC and made the mistake of ordering a croque monsieur after the one I had at Schiller's. Schiller's ruined me for life. I challenge any restaurant that serves a croque monsieur to make theirs as juicy and cheesy and scrumptious as the one at Schiller's. AOC's was dry and stiff and I practically needed a saw to cut it.
SassyScrubs ordered the hamburger the second time I went. She orders them wherever we go, so when she said it was mediocre I trusted her.
When I read about Schiller's four years ago, I had no idea I'd be more obsessed with their food than their drinks that mean "business." And I almost forgot. Our waiter brought us this incredible dessert and I can't even remember what the name of it was. Next time you go just ask for their famous dessert. It was a sort of sticky bun with ice cream and we inhaled it. I know, I know, you're thinking how can she rave about this restaurant when her sandwich was gross. That was my fault. I should have gone with my gut and ordered what half of the table was ordering -the croques. Schiller's nails so many other aspects of the dining experience, what's one hiccup? The goodness of Schiller's outweighs the bad and I said it once and I'll say it again, McNally still knows what's up.
131 Rivington St. at Norfolk St.
212-260-4555
to keep reading
I've been contemplating bringing my laptop with me for the past week. Bring Apple or leave Apple? Pack Apple or stow Apple? I've decided to leave Apple at home this trip. It could use a little R&R anyway. I will probably go through Apple withdrawal, but I will be sure to have my leatherbound blank book with me. It used to be my writing refuge and it's been feeling neglected over the past several years.
![](http://services.nexodyne.com/email/icon/gfFCNRBHcNUkIA%3D%3D/aGkyjzo%3D/R01haWw%3D/0/image.png"border="0"){kind=icon}
