Pier A Harbor House

Guys, listen up: I have had the best pretzel in my life.  Not in any German bierhall, not from a dirty water hot dog street cart.  The title of Prize Pretzel belongs to Pier A Harbor House down in Battery Park.

Pier A is a revamped old pier jutting out into the Hudson River.  There is a spacious beer hall on the first floor and a fine dining room upstairs. We grabbed a seat by the huge open windows overlooking the water (and I got the scare of my life when a big wave crashed into the dock below us and nearly sprayed water through the open window!).  First, we ordered a big pretzel and I was dismayed at the price: $12!? This had better be some good pretzel.  We also got some beer, fish and chips (for Alex), and a truffle chicken salad sandwich (for me).  Needless to say, the food was delicious and I'd gladly go back to Pier A to eat, drink, and be merry.

Let's talk about this blue-ribbon pretzel.  It's probably more than a foot wide, with thick, dark brown ropes dotted with salt and looped into a pretzel shape.  This pretzel was warm and impossibly buttery and paired so well with honey mustard.  The salt was not overdone and there was a rich flavor all on its own.  Now I can see that it warrants the $12 price tag.  I would absolutely go back there for this pretzel alone.

The other food we had was also delicious.  I thought my truffle chicken salad sandwich could have used a little more spice, but the fish and chips were fantastic.  The crust was golden brown and crackling, and the fish spectacularly white and flaky and smooth.

I think I'm in love and I can't wait to spend summer evenings dining and looking out at the sunset while sipping beer and nibbling on some beautiful pretzels.