The Stag’s Head

A couple weeks ago, an old college buddy texted me that he would be in NYC and asked if I was free to meet up for drinks. We had not seen each other since his wedding last June. You may remember some of our experiences back then at McKenzie Brew House and Main Street Sliders. After he told me where he would be staying, I decided on going to The Stag’s Head. I had been there for a Midtown Lunch happy hour before and enjoyed it. Not only does it have a great beer selection, the food offerings are quite good too. As an added bonus, CT was able to join us at the last minute.

After quenching our thirst, we grabbed a table to get some food to help soak up the delicious beer.

The jambalaya croquettes piqued my interest so I convinced CT and JS to share them as an appetizer. Unfortunately all of the food came out at the same time, so these quickly became an afterthought. They were described as “Andouille sausage & chicken rice croquettes.” Unfortunately, all that could be detected was the rice. Any meat inside was chopped way too finely. Do yourself a favor and skip these.

innards

CT wasn’t especially hungry so she decided to get buffalo wings. She went with the “hot” option. These were some of the hottest “hot” wings I have ever had. One bite and I felt that nice tingle of fire. After one or two wings, she was literally tearing. I would have shaken the Chef’s hand if I could. Apart from the duck laab at Kin Shop, I don’t think I have ever seen CT cry from spicy food. Luckily, these were tears of joy. She likes a good burn.

CT says: At first I passed on any food, but when I saw and smelled those wings pass by, I decided to try them. They were great – nice crunch on the outside, though not covered in breading, and juicy meat on the inside. However, as TT said, they were H-O-T!!! At first bite, the heat really hit me. After a few wings, I was struggling to continue. But as TT mentioned, I’m a glutton for pain and I still ate my way through the whole plate, minus one for JS. Though they were hot, they still had a strong tangy, “buffalo” flavor that kept me going back for more. I always appreciate when food isn’t just hot, for the sake of being hot, but still has flavor underneath. A cold beer was a required accompaniment to cool off my mouth between bites, along with a few stolen fries. I would definitely order these again, but next time to share. Well done, Stag’s Head.

JS got “Bruce’s Burger.” The menu describes this behemoth as house ground burger, applewood bacon, lager-glazed onions, blue cheese and parker house bun. He chose the cajun fries as his side. When it comes to a choice of fries or cajun fries, cajun fries win every time. The burger wasn’t the prettiest nor the most photogenic, but I believe he still liked it well enough.

I decided on the BBQ pulled pork- Carolina pulled pork, coleslaw and pickle on a parker house bun. I realized I had been on sort of a pulled pork hibernation during the winter, so it was time to let it out of the cave. The meat was hearty and filling, but lacking that vinegary tang of Carolina BBQ. It would have been made better with a few squirts of hot sauce used on CT’s wings, but not too much for my delicate palate. I also got the cajun fries and enjoyed them a lot. Maybe that was the beer talking? They could have been a bit crisper, but they got the job done. The cole slaw was just ok, but a good way for me to get my veggies.

All in all, The Stag’s Head is a great place for Midtown workers to get good beer and food with friends instead of one of the plethora of Irish pubs that surround it. It’s always nice to catch up with old friends that live far away, so I am glad JS reached out when he was in town. The bar also has plenty of TV’s so add it to the list of options when you need somewhere to watch the game.