Weekend Activities

One of the primary causes of the below-mentioned lack of posting over the weekend was an all-day trip to the glorious Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens. The hour+ subway ride to this wonderful establishment has been a summer ritual at least once a year since I've lived in Park Slope, and every time it seems to get better.

We usually go with a fairly large group (best to get there early enough to ensure a large enough seating area for your friends, if you're responsible for the trek, one of the roomies and I were there at 2 pm), and this year was no exception. Probably around 15-20 trickled in at various points between our arrival and when I finally departed for the return trip to Brooklyn around 10 that night. One of the major drawbacks of not being well off in the city is the necessity of taking the subway, even when you're fairly drunk, at night, and you're facing over an hour ride. Good times.

Regardless, the visit featured seemingly endless pitchers of tasty (mostly) European beer. I we tended to opt for the sweeter Hoegarden or the heartier Spaten over the more pedestrian, prevalent and bitter Stella, although when the drinking games began, the Stella came in handy due to its lighter feel and easier chugability. And the drinking games did begin. One of the great aspects of the beer garden, aside from the enormous shaded patio and amazing food (more on that later), is the picnic bench communal-style seating, which allows not only for easy fraternization with the group that settles next to you, but also provides for an easy space on which to play cards, dice, etc.

In the past, the beer garden even allowed for more active drinking games such as flip cup and beer pong (aka beirut, I'm not going to get into the widely-argued difference - I know, beer pong is technically the game played with paddles, but that game is dumb and no one ever plays it, for most people, myself included, "beer pong" = beirut, so that's how it's going to be), but, I assume in the face of threatened litigation for over serving, they now crack down on such games.

In addition to the friendly atmosphere and the great beer, the beer garden also serves some great Czech food, including Klobasa and pierogies, as well as some more standard American grill fare. However, my favorite, which I enjoyed (twice) on Saturday, is the bratwurst. For $10, one receives about a foot long bratwurst, grilled to perfection, and a serving a fries. However, what sets the beer garden apart is the condiment table. Along with the usual ketchup and mustard, diners can also help themselves to as much rye bread, dill pickle chips and sauerkraut as they want. These really serve to fill out the meal, particularly when one has been drinking for a couple hours, and it's not unusual to see visitors going back up to restock on kraut.

As far as I know, the patio portion of the establishment remains open as long as the weather stays nice, so make time to pay a visit before it gets too cold.