Arrive Magazine - November/December, 2008

Advertiser: Paul Fredrick MenStyle Contact: Derrick LaPointe at

Paradysz-Matera Phone: 763.647.5142

people have come to expect. Thrasher starts with a tomato consumée, which he makes using fresh local heirloom tomatoes, onion, Serrano chilis and lemon grass that are blended and strained through a cloth (see recipe below). He then adds fresh lemon or lime juice and citrus vodka.

At Clio Restaurant in Boston, chef Kenneth Oringer gives his tomato water martini a starring role on the 14-course tasting menu, where it is the opening dish. That version, made with strained juice from fresh tomatoes topped with basil oil, is nonalcoholic, but for those looking to try the drink on its own, it’s also available from the bar with gin.

E: dlapointe@paradyszmatera.com On Sale: 11/1

Variety Is the Spice of Life

These days, if a brunch spot has just one Bloody Mary on the cocktail list, it seems as much a disappointment as if the menu featured nothing but scrambled eggs. Take the restaurant Prune in Manhattan’s East Village, where the Bloody Mary list includes 11 versions. Just walking through the door is temptation alone, with bottles of spirits chilling on the bar in buckets made of ice, studded with ingredients like chilis and lemons (the cocktail lover’s dream ice sculpture). Prune’s menu features the Mariner, made with vodka, clam juice and olives; the Southwest, a blend of tequila, smo-ked chipotle peppers and lime; and the Chicago Matchbox— a neighborhood favorite—made with homemade lemon vodka and garnished with pickled brussel sprouts, turnips, green beans, radishes and caper berries.

At Alfa Bar in Philadelphia, the choice is easier to make, thanks to the restaurant’s Bloody Mary flight, which includes 3-ounce samples of all five of Alfa’s unique Bloody Marys, colorful versions that are as pleasing on the eye as they are on the palate. Alfa’s Bloody Mary menu is inspired by regions around the world. There’s the Thai Mary (curry spices, lime, cilantro and rum) and La Maria Verde (tomatillos, lime, cilantro, pineapple and tequila). A Cajun version, the Voodoo Mary, is extra spicy, made with tomato juice, vodka, hot sauce, barbecue sauce and an Andouille sausage.