ERRBODY IN THE CLUB GET TIPSY.

Tipsy Parson, the new-ish restaurant in Chelsea serving up southern comfort on a platter, is going to become one of those I'M-HAVING-A-BAD-DAY-LET'S-JUST-EAT-CRAP go-to restaurants for me. But not because it is crap. It is AMAZING crap. Like the window outside states, it is "belly-filling goodness" - I couldn't describe it better myself (I tried, and all I could come up with was 'amazing crap').


I started with the Ginger Mint Julep - a frozen slush of ginger, lemon, and bourbon with a few sprigs of mint. It was absolutely phenomenal!!


Soon after, the Hush Puppies arrived with a nice Old Bay Aioli for dipping. I normally don't even LIKE hush puppies, yet I was a fan of these ones...for some reason they had a little more substance than your typical deep fried ball of corn bread.


Deviled eggs, hello my old friend. I remember stuffing my face with deviled eggs at one Bat Mitzvah back in middle school while everyone else was probably doing the Macarena on the dance floor...and falling in love (with the egg, not a boy)...and I haven't eaten them since. Mostly because they seem extremely time-consuming and messy to make and they aren't typically served at restaurants!! Well, Tipsy Parson, thanks for coming to the rescue!!!


I also ordered the Warm Spinach & Kale Salad. I didn't realize I hated Kale until the moment I tried chomping on those bitter, rough greens!!! The salad was topped with dried cherries, button mushrooms, cornbread croutons, and a shallot-sherry vinaigrette. You would think cornbread croutons would be something OUTTA THIS WORLD...but really, how amazing can stale cornbread taste? So I mostly just picked out the dried fruit and some mushrooms from this dish.


The Mac & Cheese arrived soon after and I quickly shoved the nasty plate of kale out of my peripheral vision so I could focus my complete attention and pay homage towards the most amazing macaroni and cheese I have had in a long time. This completely reminded me of the first version of macaroni and cheese I ever experienced, hardcore HOMEMADE by my Portuguese babysitter. It had almost a dry cheesiness to it (perhaps from the addition of ricotta, I am guessing??) and took nearly an arms length pull to separate one amazing, cheesy bite from the rest of the deliciously congealed mass. I will now delve into a detailed description of the actual pasta - I commend their use of pasta shape - they used a stout, non-ribbed tubini rather than an elbow. The pasta had slightly thicker walls than others and had a nice soft, moist texture. This definitely worked well with the drier-cheese coating and the delicious, crunchy breadcrumb topping. LOVEDLOVEDLOVED this dish.


My Dayboat Scallops, which sat upon a celery root puree, pan roasted mushrooms, meyer lemon, and walnut brown butter, were absolutely marvelous!! Two huge, plump, perfectly-cooked scallops that had the sweetness from the brown butter, the slight tartness and acidity from the lemon, an earthiness from the walnuts and the mushrooms, and mixed with a nice creamy/mashy texture from the celery root puree. Completely enjoyed this dish.


Et finalement, the Grasshopper for dessert. This little pot need not have a lid because I don't know how anyone could fathom bottling it up for later. Layers of mint mousse, chocolate streusel, chocolate creameaux, whipped cream, and little chunks of chocolate crunchies...so heavenly. We dug out every last molecule of mousse before finally sitting back...sighing with happiness...and realizing that once again, we had gone a little overboard for a Monday evening dinner. Especially when the meal replaced a gym session.

Looking forward to trying out Tipsy's parent restaurant, Little Giant, in the LES.