Last January, when I was in New York, I visited the “o-fish-ial” Packers bar, Kettle of Fish, in Greenwich Village.
Even though I liked the bar itself and the folks there were plenty friendly, at the time I wrote: “I couldn’t help thinking that a Packers bar might have a Bloody Mary up to Wisconsin standards… no such luck. This Bloody Mary was flavorful, but severely lacking in “fixin’s”-no olives were harmed in the making of this beverage!”
I even had a chat with the owner, Patrick Daley, who was working at the bar the day we stopped in and encouraged him to bring Midwest-style Bloodies out to New York, but he said he had tried but it wasn’t successful.
In follow up to that visit, I stayed in touch with Patrick. We connected when he visited Milwaukee this past summer and I let him know when I was back in NYC in June (although I didn’t have the chance to go back to Kettle that time) and that I was coming in November.
When we arrived at the bar on a Monday, right before the Happy Hour rush, Patrick was not there, but they were ready for us. He knew we were coming and had set aside cheese and sausage specifically for us!
I couldn’t believe it! This just shows you the kind of people the owners of this bar are–completely above and beyond.
“Well, you complained there weren’t any fixin’s last time,” they said.
Which, is indeed true, but not uncommon of elsewhere in NYC.
Kettle’s original Bloody Mary by itself was quite flavorful and good. This was just icing on the cake, or, I should say “fixin’s on the Bloody.” (Note: Not everyone should expect to receive this version, we feel really special!)
Thank you so much to Kettle of Fish for giving us a little piece of home while in New York. We have spread the word to everyone we know that they have to visit Kettle of Fish while in NYC.
Also, in case you missed it, as fate would have it, right before our trip, the local paper published an article on Kettle of Fish. I encourage you to check it out and then check out the Kettle itself next time you’re in NYC!
Thanks again, Patrick & Co.! We love you guys!
Out For Bloodies 