MARCH 5 - mARCH 11, 2015 • TIMES 15 dining out Belgium hopping up in Ridgewood The Monk 68-67 Fresh Pond Road. Ridgewood 347-987-4097 COnstruCtiOn LLC Free Estimates Family Owned & Operated for 30 Years (718) 845-9200 Violations removed •Kitchens & Bathrooms •Dormers & Extensions •Brick Work •Paving Stones •All Types of Concrete •Custom Built Homes •Residential & Commercial •New Construction •We Do It All! VISIT US AT... SclafmoreConstruction.Com NYC License #1314744 Nassau County License #HO445750000 Long Beach License #5944 Fully Insured Cleaning & Maintenance Where perfection is not an accident! 718-894-0400 Magic Touch Cleaning & Maintenance provides quality service to all customers. No jobs are too big or too small. Commercial and Residential Cleaning and Maintenance Specialists in cleaning all types of awnings and canopies. SERVICES INCLUDE: •Sidewalk Restoration •Gum Removal •Vinyl Floors Stripping •Vinyl Floors Waxing •Tile Floor Restoration •Grout Restoration •Graffiti Removal •Window Cleaning •Bird (Pigeon) Control •Construction Clean-up •House Detailing •Office Cleaning •Light Bulb Maintenance •Power Washing •Carpet Cleaning •Property Maintenance •Parking Lot Maintenance •Snow Plowing Ask for our Specials on Office Cleaning. ****10% Discount with this ad**** 60-68 Metropolitan ave., ridgewood, nY RIDGEWOOD OFFICE PRODUCTS CENTER “YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS” DISCOUNTED OFFICE FURNITURE •Space Planning •Interior Design & Layout •Safes/Shredders •Printing / Copies/ Fax Service •Blumberg Legal Forms/Leases •Wedding Invitations/ Foreign Languages Celebrating Our 70th Anniversary (1945-2015) FULL LINE OF ART SUPPLIES IN STOCK SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT WEDNESDAYS 67-16 FRESH POND ROAD (Near M Station) 1-718-386-3266 by Kelly Marie Mancuso A slice of the European beer scene was brought to Ridgewood with the recent opening of The Monk, a Belgian beer bar located at 68-67 Fresh Pond Road. Co-owners Dan Berkery and Joe Figliolia were inspired to open The Monk after a trip to Amsterdam nearly a decade ago. While in Amsterdam, the duo frequented an authentic Belgian beer hall that boasted an extensive, eclectic menu of draft beers. “We ended up falling in love with the place,” Berkery explained. The bar did not have televisions or music playing so as to keep the focus on the beer and the conversation. Berkery and Figliolia sought to recreate the same experience and aesthetic back in Queens. Recognizing the need for Belgianoriented beer bars, Berkery and Figliolia opened The Monk as a way to put Belgian beer back on the menu and the map. “I love craft beer bars, but we’re doing something a bit different here,” explained Berkery. “We’re a specialty shop.” The most remarkable aspect of The Monk is their extensive and varied beer menu comprised of mostly Belgian beers, both on tap and bottled. For those unfamiliar with the taste of the different types or styles, The Monk offers patrons multiple samples in an attempt to find the beer that suits each guest best. Berkery begins the sampling experience with a little taste test to determine whether the patron prefers sweet or sour beers. Our taste test started with a sample of La Trappe Dubble, a Trappist double style of beer on the sweetest end of the spectrum. The Trappist was brimming with sweet fruit flavors and notes of apple. The tart, sharp taste of the Rodenbach Grand Cru, a Belgian sour beer, contrasted the sweetness of the Trappist. Next came the Troubadour, a rich Belgian stout with a smooth coffee and cream flavor. The aromatic and fruity Belgian Triple followed. “This is the classic Belgian style beer,” Berkery explained. It is light in color, high in alcohol and bears the distinctive yeast flavor commonly emphasized in Belgian beer. We also sampled the two op beers on tap: the Hommel, a Belgian hop beer, and The Other Half, an American West Coast IPA created by a local Brooklyn-based brewery. The Hommel was the milder of the two, with slight floral notes. The Other Half had a sharper, bitter flavor with an abundance of hops. The other two taps featured German beers. The Weihenstephan Heffe Weisse is a German wheat beer with a slightly fruity flavor profile. They also feature the Einbecker Pilsner, a classic German “beer flavored beer” as Berkery calls it. In addition to the beer, The Monk also offers three small plate menu items: a cheese and meat plate, hummus and tsatziki with pita and burrata with Rao’s Italian roasted peppers. The food offerings were delicious, but the menu was kept short and simple to keep the focus on the beer. Many different kinds of Belgian-style beer are available at The Monk in Ridgewood.
RT03052015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above