the weekend buzz

“Murray's Wine and Cheese, Brunch at Macao, and English Roasts at Double Crown ”

Saturday: Murray’s Cheese at Metrazur at Grand Central Station

Whether you’re a hard-core caseophile (a fancy name for a cheese aficionado), or just love the idea of eating cheese and drinking wine on a Saturday afternoon, you’ll love “Murray’s at Métrazur,” a series of wine and cheese pairing classes held the first and third Saturday of the month. The classes are led by a fromager and sommelier and are conducted in Metrazur’s private dining room overlooking Grand Central’s main concourse.

Kicking off the series this Saturday is a class devoted to the restaurant’s namesake, the Metrazur, a commuter train that traveled the Côte d'Azur to Monaco. You’ll sample wines and cheeses from the surrounding area and learn about the gastronomic traditions of this Mediterranean region. Tickets ($75 a person) can be purchased by calling Murray’s cheese shop at 292.243.3289 x12 or online at www.murrayscheese.com. The Class is held from 3-4:30pm.

Saturday and Sunday: Brunch at Macao Trading Company, 311 Church St, 212-431-8750

One of my favorite new restaurants on the scene this year is Macao Trading Company, the Portuguese-Chinese drinking den on Church Street from the owners of Employees Only and the chefs of Chanterelle. They’ve done us the good service of opening for brunch with dishes like poached eggs with linguiça, piquillo and potato hash ($12), a Portuguese croque-senhora ($12), a Chinese omelet with yellow & garlic chive ($12) and Congee Two Ways ($9) with pork belly and mustard greens and Chinese duck confit and duck sausage. Since Macao is owned by the cocktail masters behind Employees Only, their drink list includes some potent eye openers like their Bloody Marta, with luksosowa vodka & home-made spicy sangrita), the Portonic made from Poças white port wine, tonic, bitter melon & grapes and the Mint Collins—Hayman’s old tom gin, lemon juice, mint & soda. Brunch is served both Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am-3pm.

Sunday: Double Crown’s English Roast, 316 Bowery (Bleecker Street), 212-254-0350

Figuring out what to do for dinner on Sunday nights often winds up a toss up between ordering in pizza or Chinese, but your options just got a lot more exciting thanks to our friends at Double Crown. Chef Brad Farmerie’s ode to the Queen mother is a proper Sunday Roast that includes everything but the British accent: a selection of roasts and sides, with an appetizer and dessert all for just $45 a person. Gather up a bunch of friends and get ready for a feast.

And that’s your Strong (weekend) Buzz for this week! Check in with The Strong Buzz every day for cutting edge news, reviews and more! READ IT AND EAT!

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