Free Spirits

The April birthday celebrations have officially started! Mine is about 12 days away but whose counting? To celebrate Jenna's 25th, a group of us channeled our hipster selves and went down to Freemans for dinner last night. It's been on my list for quite a while now but their no reservations scare me away time and time again.

I got there early to put our name down and was amazed at my skills that I actually found the place! Located in the back of an alley off of Rivington street, you would never know this place existed. That is unless you read US Weekly, NYmag or any other magazine that talks about food or celebrities. Rob Pattinson is a frequent diner of this spot as well as many others. As I'm sure y'all know, NYC doesn't have that many alleys, especially not in the middle of the LES where cool hipsters hang out all the time. Hopstop doesn't even pick up on Freeman Alley so it's a good thing I found it.

I got a seat at the bar right away and ordered the Freeman's cocktails because my cousin is obsessed with them. Not a huge lover of whiskey, I trusted her recommendation anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The bartender was meticulous in making my cocktail, I felt like she was counting how many times she stirred and shook the drink in the shaker. And to top it all of, she lit a toothpick and lit an orange peel on fire before topping the drink off with it! The drink was incredibly strong, and couldn't imagine what would happen if I had another, so I stuck with water the rest of the night. I wanted to remember what I ate of course!

We were seated right away after the rest of the group arrived right in front of the door for prime people watching. We were definitely out of place at Freeman's in our J.crew tops and cardigans. Everyone here is extreme hipster and they all pull it off.

We ordered some appetizers asap, the grilled cheddar toasts, artichoke dip and mixed greens salad with caramelized onions and goat cheese. The cheddar toasts were a hit or miss. I really liked them but Jenna didn't. The cheese was really strong and there seemed to be a hint of horseradish in it. The artichoke dip was the best out of the three and I think it's one of their most popular items. Someone next to us was eating that as his main meal. Can you say stomach ache ready to happen? It comes with toasted pieces of french bread and it's a great appetizer to share for the table.

Next we ordered the mac and cheese - another recommendation from my cousin-- even though we would have ordered it anyway. I was once on a mission to try every mac and cheese in the city. The trout with thyme, garlic and lemon and the roasted chicken with home made ranch dressing. The mac and cheese was just the right amount of creaminess, the kind where you can eat a lot and not feel like it's too much. I couldn't eat it as a whole meal to myself, but a couple of spoonfuls was just right. The trout came already de-boned but had the head on it which almost made me lose my appetite. A quick covering with the lemon and we were ready to move on. The fish was light without a strong hint of garlic and really good. The chicken was a little small to share for four people, so we all got a little taste. But it was far from dry and my brother in law would have loved it. They sided it with a stock of romaine lettuce on the side that had been grilled for a couple of minutes covered in the ranch dressing and that was a great addition.

Last but not least, we ordered the sticky toffee cake for dessert. I was in the mood for the warm chocolate brownie but I guess you can get that anywhere. It was a good choice and we finished every last bite.

For drinks, dinner or brunch - make sure you go to Freemans at least once when you're in NYC. The atmosphere makes the food taste even better (or maybe that was the Freeman Cocktail) and the prices aren't crazy. If you can't find the alley, then you're not cool enough to go in the first place.