Hendrick's Tavern: Roslyn, NY

Interior

One step into Hendrick’s front doors you feel like you are being welcomed into someone’s home. The Tavern is the restored estate home of Hendrick Onderdunk, built in 1740. The building is full of history, and still remains today now as Hendrick’s Tavern serving a variety of delicious dishes, desserts, and drinks.

As you walk through the restaurant to your table, you’ll notice the beautiful decor throughout—it’s eclectic mix of historical and modern decor. History is adorned on each wall, with vintage portraits and paintings, even antique mirrors.

The dining room and the various seating arrangements throughout are cozy and intimate, perfect for a special occasion or for date night.

Menu

Once you arrive to your table, Hendricks provides each table with various QR codes to access through your smart phone. They have a variety of menus: Drinks, Wines, Appetizers/Dinner, and Dessert.

It’s the new way of dining during this pandemic, but it allows you to save the menus onto your phone as well. It’s very useful when you plan on ordering more apps/sides during dinner. Below you’ll find the menus for each section.

Food + Drink

To accompany dinner, we ordered a bottle of Colomé 2017 Estate Malbec. I love Malbecs because they pair so well with savory, meaty dishes. This was our first time trying Colomé and we enjoyed it so much that I look forward to the next time we’ll have it again.

Malbec tends to be a drier wine with a higher alcohol content, and its fruity notes (usually raspberries and/or blackberries) pairs extremely well with a nice, juicy steak. It was the perfect pick for dinner and even for our dessert too. I’d recommend it to pair with super sweet desserts as well, (e.g. chocolate desserts) as Malbec has the perfect bitter to sweet contrast.

Salad special: Heirloom tomato salad

To start off our meal, we ordered the salad special. It’s important to note that Hendrick's has daily specials, and certain items might not be available after that evening.

We ordered the heirloom tomato salad—sweet corn, red onions, avocado with a chardonnay dressing topped with fresh ricotta salata.

The salad was light and refreshing, my only wish was that I wanted more ricotta salata in the salad to add a contrast to the sweet, juicy veggies. Other than that, the salad was delicious and it’s a perfect starter to a big feast.

Truffle Lobster Mac & Cheese

To accompany dinner, the first side we ordered was the Truffle Lobster Mac & Cheese. The flavors of both meld together beautifully—it’s truly melt-in-your-mouth. They use black truffle in this dish (very generous amount), and its earthiness compliments the meaty lobster and gooey cheese. I guarantee you it’s so delicious and addicting you almost don’t want to share.

10 oz. Wagyu steak (medium)

Since Hendricks is known for their steaks, I took this opportunity to try my first-ever wagyu. The wagyu is 10oz. and granted it is smaller than the other cuts, but what it lacks in size it makes up in flavor. The meat is extremely juicy and tender—it was delicious with the au poivre sauce and the bulb of roasted garlic. Jose ordered the Colorado rib eye (16oz), a thick and juicy cut. The rib eye was cooked medium—both juicy and well-seasoned. Both steaks were amazing on their own, but topped with the au poivre sauce (be sure to ask), made it even more memorable.

Dinner spread

Asparagus

Other than the salad, another vegetable dish we ordered was the roasted asparagus with garlic chips. The asparagus was juicy, crunchy and tender—it’s the perfect choice to complete the meal. It’s topped with more roasted garlic, added a crunch to each bite.

Chocolate cloud cake

To finish off our feast (and feast we did), we chose the Chocolate cloud cake—Decadent slices of chocolate cake are sandwiched together with sweet, vanilla cream; it’s served with fresh, homemade whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a wafer to top it off.

The dessert was sweeter than anticipated, but with some wine still left it was the perfect pairing. Who doesn’t love chocolate and wine together? The berry notes and the bitterness of the Malbec paired well with dessert. If you ever find yourself with a chocolate dessert that’s too sweet, look no further than a delicious, bitter red wine. If you can’t find Malbec, I recommend Sangiovese.

A big thank you to Hendrick’s Tavern and to our waiter Marvin, to making our anniversary extra special. From the food to the atmosphere—Hendricks is the perfect place for any special occasion. The wait staff is very attentive, and will answer any questions you have about the menu and even suggest the best wine pairings for your dishes.

A big thank you to Jose— thank you for a wonderful evening and memorable anniversary experience. Tqmm.

For more information on Hendrick’s Tavern:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Reservations are recommended, masks required.

To make a reservation: (516) 621-1200

Hendrick’s can be found at 1305 Old Northern Blvd Roslyn, NY 11576

x Yzabelle

Where to get the Best Bubble Tea in NY

Bubble tea is one of those things that has increasingly become popular, yet still passes under the radar. If you're a boba drinker, you might still get questions like, "What is that?" and "Why are you chewing your drink?" (at least, I get these questions from time to time). Often it's these questions that can open a person's horizon on what a drink can be and introduce them to something new. 

There is a bubble tea for everyone: For the sweet-tooths, tea connoisseurs, and even the health conscious (yes, there is health conscious boba).

For those who are hesitant of trying this delicious concoction, think of it as an adventure next time you trek out on your next food trip (P.S.: it's also a great conversation starter). And to those who have given bubble tea multiple chances (maybe even one), give these places a try, you won't regret it.

For the tea lovers/connoisseurs: Shiny Tea (Flushing, Queens)

If you're craving high quality tea or looking to quench your thirst, Shiny Tea is there for your thirst-quencing needs. All their tea is shipped straight from the Hanlin Tea Room in Taiwan and will probably be the closest you'll come to authentic Taiwanese bubble tea (P.S. they also have location in Taiwan and a new UWS location). They also have a variety of toppings you won't find at your typical boba joint such as aiyu jelly or dried plums. Besides the tea, they're known for their "mixed bubbles" (small and big tapioca). Be sure to ask for a stamp card, you'll receive a free drink of your choice once it's full. *ice + sugar level customizable, cash only*

Osmanthus green tea with herbal (grass) jelly and mixed bubbles

Wenshan tea with herbal jelly and mixed bubbles

Favorites:

Wenshan tea with mixed bubbles (white mini pearl +black pearl) and herbal jelly

Osmanthus green or oolong tea with aiyu (fig) jelly

Pu-erh tea with herbal jelly + mixed bubble

Tieguanyin tea with aiyu jelly + mixed bubble

Your new go-to: Kung Fu Tea (Multiple locations)

Kung Fu Tea's popularity has been increasing since their first opening a few years ago. Now a franchise, you can get your bubble tea fix in more than one borough. As with all franchises, it's key to find the best locations that are consistent; some locations make the drinks better than others. They offer cool flavor combinations, have regular competitions, and promotions. Kung Fu Tea is interactive with their boba drinking community; I recommend to use their hashtags to win gift cards or free boba. At KFT, You can order slushies, straight tea, milk tea, and even coffee (certain locations only). *ice and sugar level customizable*

Grapefruit green tea at Kung Fu Tea's Chinatown location

Best locations:

Kung Fu Tea, St. Marks Place (Manhattan) *has coffee options*

Kung Fu Tea, Chinatown (Manhattan) *cash only*

Kung Fu Tea, inside New World Mall food court (Flushing, Queens) *cash only*

Kung Fu Tea, inside Food Gallery 32 (Korea Town, Manhattan)

Kung Fu Tea, inside Queens Crossing Mall (Flushing, Queens) *cash only*

Favorites:

Golden oolong/jasmine green tea with bubbles and herbal jelly

Grapefruit/Orange green tea with bubbles and herbal jelly

Matcha slush with red bean and bubbles

Mocha slush with bubbles

Mango slush with bubbles

For the health conscious foodie: Tea + Milk (Astoria, Queens)

Tea + Milk has been getting a lot of recognition for their healthier approach to bubble tea. They have a variety of tea flavors that are the shop's personal brews. If you love taro milk tea this is the place to get it; they use real taro, not the purple powder most are accustomed to. What's special about Tea + Milk is not only the welcoming atmosphere, but an amazing cup of freshly brewed tea. This would be a good location if you're just trying boba for the first time, especially if you're feeling iffy about texture. The do still have tapioca, but also offer aloe and chia seeds. And while they do have milk tea, try their signature cream instead--especially with the heartier teas like roasted oolong and black tea. *sugar level customizable*

Roasted oolong with signature cream and hibiscus peach white tea with aloe and chia seeds

Favorites:

Roasted oolong with signature cream and tapioca

Fuji Apple Chia Green Tea with aloe

Hibiscus Peach White Tea with aloe and chia seeds

Jasmine Green Tea with chia seeds and aloe

For the Organic and Green Tea lover: Nohohon Tea Room (St. Marks, Manhattan)

Nohohon Tea is a new St. Mark's addition that offers bubble tea in all things matcha and organic. Tucked away upstairs from the main strip, Nohohon transports you to Japan with it's intimate space and Japanese decor. The matcha used to make your drinks is 100% real, organic matcha from Japan, not the fake matcha served at Starbucks. If you're lactose intolerant, hate milk, or vegan, they offer non-dairy milks and use natural sweeteners like agave. Nohohon also offers the traditional tapioca, but I recommend trying their adzuki beans for an added element of flavor. You'll find unique matcha drinks here utilizing coconut water, lavender, and hazelnut. Though small, there is a bench available to sit and watch them make your drink from scratch, using traditional methods to whisk the matcha. Sign up for their rewards program and receive promotions such as buy one, get one free or a free upgrade or topping. 

Tokyo fog w/ red beans and Furano Field with tapioca

Favorites:

Furano Field with tapioca/red beans and soy milk (lavender matcha)

Tokyo Fog with red beans and soy milk/almond milk (vanilla matcha)

Green Haze with tapioca and soy/almond milk (hazelnut matcha)

I'd love to know if you've try any of these places! Hopefully they become favorites of yours too. 

x Yzabelle