Pork Chops & Chicken

Bon Beer Boat Cruise Day 1: Amsterdam 10/22/11

 

 

This day didn't start out too well for old Todd and I. Hungover in the worst possible way, stiff back from passing out on the floor the night before. But we had to get our stuff packed and head down to the docks where our barge was parked. We do our best to meet Europeans on time. After spending time with Germans, it's something we have come to understand well. There is no 5 minutes late. You are on time or you are rude! We got there with time to spare.

Saying barge sounds like it wasn't a nice boat. This wasn't the case. It was a very nice boat with more than accommodating cabins for us travelers. Had our own rooms, bathrooms and showers. The crew was awesome. They stocked the fridges with the kinds of beers they thought we would like and they prepared home cooked meals for us every day. Breakfast was a typical European spread of meats, yogurts, breads, cereals, juice, coffee, and tea. We were rarely on the boat for lunch, but dinners on the boat were awesome! They even prepared a few of their own special beer dinners for us with the food being specially paired to the beers. We couldn't have asked for a better crew. Our only complaint on the tour was that we actually didn't spend more time on the boat. I would have liked to have hung out with the crew late at night too and talked to them for a while during our down time.

So, we dropped our things off got settled in, and then headed off to Langendijk eetcafe. The gang went on a brewery tour and many many beer samples were had. Along the walls inside, is a massive collection of bottles. This one that looked like an Aunt Jemima Syrup bottle caught my eye.

 

We met up with Ron Pattinson and had a few drinks with him where he bestowed upon us a very rare beer. After that we walked back to the boat for our first dinner.

 

 

Dinner: Salad with boiled egg, oven potatoes with mixed veg and curried pineapple chicken.

Dessert: Strawberry fool.

 

 

Very easy day, a few others walked around the city some more. We took it easy and had a night cap in our cabin. Night cap provided by the pervious hotel we stayed at. They told us to do it too. Strangest thing, they thought we waited to long to check in. And because some loser was hassling the front desk trying to wiggle out of half of his hotel bills in front of us, the hotel decided to upgrade us to a huge suite. And naturally I spent the night on the floor! They told us everything was complimentary and to please feel free to take the minibar contents. I have never had that happen before, but I did it anyway. Proved useful at night on the boat.

 

The Beer Cocktail Controversy

 

 

On Monday, we hosted our final dinner in the summer series, Things We Love Summer of Beer at Toro restaurant in the South End of Boston. Things We Love is a beer dinner concept that was designed to shed beer dinner images. No longer do we work with one sole brewer and only their profile. We work with what we love at that moment and what we love to eat, fresh and seasonal. The idea is to gain a better inclusion of the restaurant staff, and a better idea of the restaurant itself. So many times, people leave beer dinners talking only about the terrific beer they just had. We want people walking out of our events thinking in new ways about beer and food together.

We wanted to shed themes and concepts to elevate the beer novices and foodies, and also bring down the beer nerd who demands the finest foods, rarest beers, but won't pay more than $45. The idea is to have fun and not work with impossible people or parameters. These our dinners, our favorites and our idea of fun. This can also include a wine pairing with the dinner, a battle of beer versus something, a beer cocktail... No limits anymore, but one rule, the main focus is the beer. You are being welcomed to sit at OUR table. To add any restrictions or rules about how it should be done changes the concept completely.

When I sat down with Jen Fields, the General Manager at Toro, we talked about our past histories in the restaurant world of Boston. Jen and I both used to work a crummy, yet popular hipster dive bar in Cambridge. We know our bartenders in this town. Boston has become quite the town for craft cocktails and craft beer. One thing that has never changed, is the need for cheap beer and shots of bourbon or fernet after a long day.

At Toro, head chef Jamie Bissonnette loves Bud Light Lime. So does a lot of the kitchen staff. If you are a beer nerd, this is probably cringe worthy to you. But this is burden of true Beer Advocate. It's not our place to tell anyone who they are or what they can and can't drink. It is a beer in their hands after all.  It's obvious we advocate for better beer and will always do so, but the hardened beer geek must realize we are BeerAdvocate and not Craft Beer Advocate. This doesn't mean that we are in the pockets of Budweiser because we don't shamelessly rip them apart every chance we get. The arguments against them are stale, old and tired and no one is really saying anything new about the big bad beast that is Anheuser-Busch. Having said that, we would still defend and support a craft brewer long before the corporate beasts if problems arise. And at the end of a hard day in a hot kitchen, you want slamming back beers. And if BLL is their choice, so be it. They have earned the right to drink whatever they fancy.

When I sat down with Jen to discuss the menu for our beer dinner, I asked her what is everyone in here drinking right now, what do they love right now. And she mentioned Jamie's BLL affinity. This made sense to me, because at his other restaurant Coppa, also in the South End, he features awesome Shandy's on his cocktail list using stouts and 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. It's called the Merman, with the wheat beer, and it's delicious and hilarious with the name proving there is a time and a place for every beer. Beer cocktails are fantastic. We even featured a French Shandy at the Aquitaine TWL dinner.

We got a consensus of what everyone wanted to drink. And Jen thought it would be funny and awesome to make Bud Light Lime Margarita as a welcoming drink since we told her that we LOVE beer cocktails and that they should feature one. She thought this would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone. Get Jamie's choice in there, make a beer cocktail, and be completely cheeky about it without having any pretensions at this dinner. One, Toro makes slamming cocktails with Andy McNees behind the bar. It's only right to have something fun. Jen, was also a bartender in this town and knows how to make a good drink, this was all her idea. Two, it's in line with our idea of featuring what we love with beer cocktails. Three, we made it into a cocktail and enhanced it.

 

 

Bud Light Lime Margarita; tequila, elderflower liquor, grapefruit and lime, with lime salt. We paired it with tempura rock shrimp that used BLL in the batter, lime salt again, shrimp mayo and charred jalapenos.

One person saw the dinner being advertised on their blackboard, and asked how much Bud was paying us and the restaurant to use their beer. Another person, a member of our website, actually turned it away at the dinner. Rude and silly if you ask me, but then again I tell no one who they are and what they can and can't like. Not to mention random tweets from judmental dickheads who weren't even there to to try it, but saw Todd's tweets about it. I find it ridiculous, all the kerfuffle one beer cocktail has spurned. Not to mention it tasted fantastic, made the beer quite enjoyable, and worked amazingly well with the pairing. His loss, not mine.

We are not in Anheuser-Busch's pockets, it's ridiculous to even have to say that. We have not, nor have we ever or will ever, sell out to AB. It was Jen's idea to highlight one of the most respected Chef's in Boston, Jamie Bissonnett's favorite, as well the the staff favorite. For the love of fuck it wasn't a big deal, but it had enough people's panties in a bunch that I felt like I had to say something about it.

The dinner was a huge success. We had so much food and beers, it was well worth it. And the next time we do a dinner like this or a tasting social, I will have no problem featuring a macro product if the timing and idea behind it, is right.

Once we, hosted an Aztec-themed beer dinner at Upstairs on the Square. We featured and incredible ceviche on a bed of avocado with Negra Modelo. There was an historic aspect to the beer, the style, and it worked out so well. In a Russian-themed beer dinner, Budweiser, sent me Bud made in Russia for the dinner. You see, beer is the number two drink in Russia behind tea. And Budweiser did this for us with no questions asked, no favors exchanged. It tasted very different from our Budweiser and it was really good and more malty. It was paired with corn belini's, boiled eggs, caviar, and creme fraiche. It was amazing to be honest. And you'd never know if you had such a deep snobbery, it prevented you from being adventurous.

I am not asking anyone to roll the way we do. You can do whatever you like, pair how ever you see fit. But we're having mad fun and keeping it real with what our friends and restaurants we like. When you see the pictures from the dinner, which I will blog about very soon, you will be jealous you missed an event like this. Hang your heads in shame if one light hearted beer cocktail prevented you from coming to this dinner.

Edited: I forgot to mention how when we started Things We Love with Hungry Mother in Cambridge, we featured a battle of the cheap beers at that dinner. 10 courses and one was a fried chicken course served in a paper basket with watermelon and cole slaw. We featured their shitty beer of choice which was Genny Cream Ale vs. our choice of Narragansett. We served it in paper cups to be cheeky that an upscale southern restaurant could stay true to it's down and dirty roots. Everyone had so much fun popping open the cans and hearing the simultaneous cracking from the cans. It was awesome, Narragansett won, and a whole room full of diners had fun. All done with "shitty" beers.

We also did our second TWL with Hungry Mother for a Valentine's day, and that time we featured a beer cocktail with Miller High Life. We had 40's of HL on the bar and made and awesome cocktail with Vida Mezcal, grapefruit 'concentrate,' beer syrup, Miller High Life, salt. It was awesome.

No one complained once during those dinners that cheap macro beers were being used. They served a purpose and ended being awesome and people loved it. They were fun, they tasted good, and they fit with our theme of having fun the way we like it.

Toro and Coppa, Boston

            

Visiting with Toro recently, it was my first time eating there. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get over there. We're working with Toro on an upcoming beer dinner. This was organized between me and Jen Fields, the general manager. We're old pals in the restaurant industry from back in the Charlie's Kitchen days. Awesome chick who loves beer and asked us to come in, try the food, and hopefully do a beer dinner with them. I contacted her later on with an idea I had about filling the summer with a series of beer dinners hosted all over the city.

BeerAdvocate presents Things We Love: Summer of Beer @ Toro

So, now that it is happening, time to put the food to the test. These are Ken Oringer restaurants, so we knew they would be phenomenal. But what we didn't know, was just how laid back and cool these places are. So relaxed and inviting, you could just hang out there all day drinking and eating small plates.

We stopped by Toro last week for a quick bite to eat first. Please forgive my iPhone pics in a dark restaurant.

Coppa (pigs neck charcuterie) and house made liverwurst. Locally sourced meats with head-to-tail philosophy.

 

That coppa tasted so amazing. And the liverwurst was super fresh and delicious. Simple foods, no fluff to to them, but insanely delicious.

 

Pork wrapped dates stuffed with Marcona almonds and salt cod fritters with fried lemon peel and squid ink aoili.

 

 

Braised short rib and Spanish-style grilled corn elote with garlic aoili and cheese and lime.

 

The dates seem simple, bacon wrapped dates is not entirely original but it's the quality of the pork and dates. Not to mention Marcona almonds. It's the perfect bite. The salt cod fritters were excellent. I love salt cod. The lemon peel looks like an onion ring. It ads the right amount of lemon and sweetness of all tings, from the rind once it's been fried. The squid ink aoili was nice, but a little bit much. I only say that because I am a hot mess and end up wearing it versus eating it. I escaped this time time, but my table wasn't so lucky.

Short ribs are one my favorite things on Earth. If you can nail that knife-not-required softness of the meat, then you are winning. This is was super rich and flavorful. It was also a nice sized portion of meat rather than a huge hulking piece. You don't need massive portions in a restaurant like this. Especially with the corn!

Aye aye aye! That corn was amazing. Super garlicky, zesty, and fattening with all that aoili and cheese on top. It was so amazing, and my stupid iPhone just didn't do it any justice by way of pictures. Pair this corn with their Spanish cider that drinks exactly like a sour lambic or gueze and you have an unbelievable combo.

 

Two days later, we headed back to Toro for lunch and power meeting about the upcoming beer dinner. More coppa, more dates, and now a chicken sandwich and white bean gazpacho.

Milanesa Bocadillo: Fried chicken sandwich with Oaxaca cheese, avocados, chipotle mayo, and refried black beans.

Chilled white bean puree with lots of garlic, cumin, and olive oil, sprinkled with some edible flowers.

 

 

Later that day, we stopped by Coppa for a quick drink. we had time to kill before meeting some fellow chocolate lovers for a drink at Max Brenner. But before that we must go back.

Two days before we had dinner at Toro. We were then told to go to Eastern Standard for Jamie Bissonnette's birthday drunk-a-thon. I call it that now because that's what happened to every single one of us who attended this. I brought Todd to come meet Jamie, thinking these two would get along famously since they are both homegrown Boston punks who are the top of their games professionally. Turns out they already knew each other from a long time ago. This is where the trouble began though. Catching up on old times and slamming back expensive shots of bourbon and Narragansett's, Todd and Jamie got tanked. Jamie was walked out by two friends and left speaking a whole other language and Todd left speaking his famed Toddinese. That's an unintelligible form of drunk speak, Blurb, glarg, nahhhhrrrrr, that I have to try and decipher while putting his ass in a cab.

The Toro people just laughed at us when we came in. But when we went into Coppa, Jamie looked like he was still hurting. So this is how he paid us back. "Oh you guys just had a bit of lunch at Toro? You're kind of full? Well, here's some whipped lardo, and some summer pasta. Load up kids, you don't want that going to waste." Damn you, Jamie! Damn you!

 

First thing's first. Walking down to Coppa, we ran into our buddy Phil, who works at the South End Formaggio Kitchen. SEFK is directly across from Coppa. He told us to swing down and get a Merman. A summer Italian-style shandy with Hell or High Watermelon wheat from 21st. Amendment. It's all about the glass and this quote from Zoolander:

Larry Zoolander: I just thank the Lord she didn't live to see her son as a mermaid. Derek Zoolander : Mer-man! [high-pitched cough]  Mer-man!

 

 

Testa, pig's head terrine with tomato tapenade. Baccala, salt cod crostini.

 

Effing fantastic. Look at all that fish on the salt cod crostini. And best of all it's pretty cheap. Both at Toro and Coppa, everything was reasonably priced. These two small plates could have easily gone for $15 or higher. And it's so good people would pay it.

 

"Hey guys, thanks for getting me so wasted at ES, have a little Whipped Lardo. I will be back in the kitchen while your heart begins to beat slower and gets clogged."

Whipped Lardo with pickled gooseberries and Coda di maiale, wood oven-roasted pigs tails with mostarda glaze.

 

Yummy, greasy, sweet, fatty, salty pigs tails. Pick them up and eat them with your hands. Deliciousness in all ways. That whipped lardo though, this is what the restaurant refers to as "meat butter." It's whipped up pork fat and balanced with a tart, vinegary, pickled gooseberries and served with rosemary crostinis. We may have thought Jamie wanted to kill us, but then we tasted it and we fully understand how delicious it really was even if we did begin to feel our hearts beating at a much slower pace.

And then as if our pant buttons weren't about to pop off at any second, this gets sent our way. Maybe he really did want to kill us. Death by expanded bellies... i.e. Big Trouble in Little China.

Oricchiette con Verdure, house made pasta with blistered cherry tomatoes, zucchini, escarole, and garum.

For me, this was all about the garum and the zucchini. Garum is a fish sauce or condiment used to flavor dishes like this. Such a simple, yet so rich and such a hugely flavorful dish. I am in love with it.

 

Todd and I both, can't believe it took us this long to venture over to these two awesome places, but now they won't be able to get rid of us. And the upcoming beer dinner at Toro is going to be EPIC!!! Spanish food and beer. It doesn't get any better than that.

 

Things We Love w/ People We Love @ Hungry Mother 2/14/2011

 

 

 

Hungry Mother + BeerAdvocate 4eva!

Word is Bomb!

 

This was our second go with a "Things We Love" concept at Hungry Mother. The idea of "Things We Love" is to not have such rigid guidelines for beer dinners anymore. No more themes, no more working with only one brewer, and no cheesy holiday schtick either.

It's about doing what we want do and featuring what we love at that moment. It allows us to encompass the best of a restaurant. In this case Hungry Mother. From the beers we love, to the food we love, and even a few cocktails.

This wasn't a dinner for lovers only. This was dinner for beer lovers, foodies, friends, and lovers alike. We wanted to host a dinner on Valentine's Day that wasn't your typical wine and fine dinning meal followed by ordinary sex, mediocre chocolates, and the obligatory red roses. No, our dinner was down and dirty, and about friends, beer, soul food, and awesomeness. If you were a couple at this dinner, I have no doubt you went back and had mind blowing, wake-the-neighbors kind of sex! Nothing ordinary about what we set out to accomplish with this dinner. That's how we roll.

I ran out of the house on my way to this dinner without my Nikon. These are iphone pics so please don't front about image quality.

 

Amuse Bouche: Vermont Cheddar Cheese Straws

Beer: Beer Cocktail: Vida Mezcal, grapefruit 'concentrate,' beer syrup, Miller High Life, salt.

 

 

These were small but tasty little snacks we were treated to as we sat down at out table. Awesomely rich cheddar cheese flavor and a High Life Beer cocktail. Ya betta ax somebody! You could imagine my great joy in seeing High Life 40's being poured from behind the bar to fill these glorious little beer cocktail treats. I loved it. It tasted great and worked really well the cheesy straws. A little snack but the exact right taste to the set the mood for the rest of the pairings to come.

 

First Course: Hoppin' John "Burger" with bacon, lemony mayo, b&b pickle, fingerling chips.

Beer: Cottrell Brewing Co., Old Yankee Ale, 5%

 

This was fun. A veggie burger with the consistency of a perfectly cooked medium rare burger. And it had bacon! I love sweet bread and butter pickles. This gave it the perfect hint of sweetness coupled with the malts from the beer. Some earthy flavors from the burger with the earthy micro greens and awesome little fingerling potato chips for a hit of salt. This was cool and fun. This beer was really good too and the perfect choice. When it comes to burgers you don't need to over think your beer. A good lager or a pale ale will suffice and this was perfectly malty and exactly what the earthy burger needed.

 

Second Course: Cornmeal fried Chesapeake Oyster with Virginia 'surryano' ham, pea tendrils, citrus-buttermilk vinaigrette.

Beer: Dogfish Head, My Antonia, 7.5%

Or

Braised duck and hominy stew with exotic mushrooms, Vidalia onions, pickled peppers, and cracklins'.

Beer: Hill Farmstead, Arthur, 5%

 

 

 

Both of these were wonderful. Todd got the Oysters, but we ended up switching our courses midway through. I really liked the oysters course the best with My Antonia. That is a phenomenal beer from Dogfish Head. It's a beautiful Imperial Pilsner.

The oysters were big and plump and perfectly coated in cornmeal. The dry and crisp flavor of the beer helped balance the fatty creaminess of the oysters and buttermilk dressing. The citrus in the salad and the citrus flavors on the beer helped round out this course.

The duck course was rich and flavorful. Awesome cracklins' on the side for a play of textures. I did think maybe the hominy could have been a bit softer, but this course was rich and fatty and delicious. The beer was not my personal favorite, but how it paired with the course was dead on. It was funky, extremely bread-y, citrus, and peppery. A nice choice to help off set or cut though some of the rich fattiness of the duck. Nice big chunks of duck meat as well.

 

Third Course: Pineland Farms Boneless Beef Shortrib Steak with Maine shrimp, Tasso ham, and creamy grits.

Or

Barnegat Light Sea Scallops with crispy pork belly confit, escarole, red onion jam, lemon brown butter.

Beer: Ballast Point, Sculpin, 7%

 

 

 

These scallops were unbelievable!!! So succulent and sweet with a gorgeous sweet and tangy sauce. My friend Paul and I, ordered the same thing and both of our faces lit up with the first bite. These scallops and that brown butter and onion jam were so good. The pork belly was perfectly cooked. That crispy top was fantastic and the pork belly was soft, rich, meaty, and fabulous. I thought I had died and gone to heaven with this course.

The Sculpin was great for this pairing. So many times with seafood, especially scallops, people think to pair lighter beers, less hops. Saisons and other boring repeated choices. The rich sweet scallops held their own and the pork belly was an added bonus.

The steak course was just as awesome. Perfectly cooked as you can see in the picture above. Creamy grits is a specialty of Hungry Mother. They do southern food so well. The richly spiced shrimp with IPA's are a no brainer, and of course steak and IPA's are great together too. The hops and the spiced shrimp really pulled it all together though.  I only had a few bites so I didn't have enough time with this dish to fully evaluate it, but the few bites Todd slipped me were outstanding.

 

Dessert: Flourless Taza Chocolate Cake with sorghum marshmallow and peanut butter creme anglaise and spiced tuille.

Beer: Hill Farmstead, Everett Robust Porter, 7.5%

Or

Meadowcreek "Appalachian" cheese with Tennessee truffles, malt vinegar pickled 'Tomcat' grapes, black walnuts, and sourdough.

Beer: Cicsco Brewing Co., Lady of the Woods, 5%

 

Lawd have mercy! That chocolate cake with peanut butter sauce and oozing sorghum marshmallow cream was effing amazing! It was the exact right thing with that very robust porter. I am not a Taza chocolate fan at all, but twice now, Hungry Mother has not only made me enjoy their chocolate desserts, but they have slapped me in the face with their Taza desserts and made me love them. This porter is full-bodied, chocolatel-y roasted, and delicious. To make that chocolate stand out more, peanut butter creme anglaise completely made that porter show its full roasted quality and allow the chocolate notes to come full forward. Normally if you pair chocolate on chocolate one will over take the other and allow other characteristics to appear. In this case the chocolate cake did not interfere with the beers chocolate character thanks to the peanut butter. Amazingly rich, and fabulous dessert.

Sex on a plate! Fo real!

The cheese course was right up Todd's alley. I found the cheese to be a bit too funky, and the beer too funky and lemony for me. But once again, for someone like Todd, whom loves the funk, this was a spot on pairing. The beer was heavily lemony, sour, mildly carbonated, and a bit earthy underneath all that lemon. Citrus cutting though that creamy and funky cheese. This is one of those times where similar flavors paired together work well. Funk on funk is a good thing. Grassy, lemony, creamy, earthy, beer and cheese.

 

And a little parting treat with our check, handmade truffles.

 

 

 

The black truffles were a feature on the cheese plate, but it was also offered shaved on the main courses. They are Tennessee grown black truffles from friend of Hungry Mother's, Tom Michaels. First commercial scale black truffles grown in the US.

 

Something to take note of. I always, always offer a vegetarian menu for my beer dinners. The menus may not always be posted because to me the meat courses just really bring it home for people, but you can always attend my beers and find amazingly paired vegetarian courses.

 

Vegetarians were treated to:

First Course:
HOPPIN’ JOHN ‘BURGER’ lemony mayo, b&b pickle, brioche bun, fingerling chips
Cottrell Brewing Company ‘Old Yankee Ale’: american pale ale (5%), Pawcatuck, CT

Second Course:
WILD MUSHROOM & HOMINY STEW delicata squash, vidalias, poached ‘flying dutchman’ egg
Hill Farmstead Brewery ‘Arthur’: barrell aged saison (5%), Greensboro Bend, VT

Third Course:
SMOKED MAINE TOFU ‘SCALLOPS’ A LA PLANCHA white sweet potatoes, escarole, lemon brown butter
Ballast Point ‘Sculpin’: india pale ale (7%), San Diego, CA

 

The same desserts were offered.

 

 

This dinner was amazing. It really is Hungry Mother + BeerAdvocate = 4 eva!

They really now how to make comfort food elegant and flavorful and truly wonderful. They respect beer and really get it. Their waitstaff is friendly and patient. They consistently blow me away and prove time and time again that they are whats up in this town.

Journeyman ~ 1/10/11

 

Todd's birthday dinner at a very special new place in Union Sq., Somerville called Journeyman. A new restaurant focusing on local and fresh daily offerings. This restaurant is tucked away in a small nook next to the Independent in Union Sq. A great spot for beers before or after dinner.

Journeyman's manifesto via their website:

Journeyman is the project of a handful of food-loving friends who believe that fine dining should be a comfortable, intimate, and delicious experience. We’ve created a small, refined restaurant that serves elegant but unpretentious food and drink with relaxed and respectful service.

Our food comes from local farmers and artisans, often people we know and respect in our personal lives. We grow edible herbs and flowers in our window garden, and are working to become an active member of the Union Square Community by supporting as many local producers as we can, including some neighborhood favorites like Taza Chocolate and Pretty Things beer.

Our beverage program focuses on the strange and wonderful back alleys of production, featuring wines made in traditional ways in unusual areas, beers brewed with special care all over the world, and a wide selection of superb aperitifs and digestifs. We bring in our teas from Upton, and our coffees from Counter Culture, and the selection rotates regularly.

 

When I first heard about Journeyman, I met a guy name Seth Hill, their beverage buyer, who told us about this new place opening and it was going to be very small with maybe 35 seats and a menu that changes every day to every couple of days based on what is available and what was sourced locally from the area markets and surrounding farms. Cocktails, wines, and he assured us good beers too. Sounded right up our alley.

The restaurant is a very large open space from floor to ceiling but still small enough and intimate enough for a small restaurant with only around 35 seats. Open kitchen that kind of feels like a kitchen in someones apartment. Simple decorations and boxes of herbs next to the window. Great location.

We were most impressed with the pricing. You can do a 3 course, 5 course, and 7 course tasting in both meat or vegetarian for $39, $65, and $85. This is very reasonable for fine dining. Especially with locally sourced foods. You won't that anywhere with this kind of quality. Also, we were most impressed that they advertised on their website that not only do they pair the courses with wine but beer as well. Most places will accommodate you with beer, but never make mention of it unless you ask. Our fine dining in this city really appreciates beer and we as BeerAdvocates, couldn't be more thrilled. Our constant questions for restaurants are why would you feature the finest ingredients on your menu, the finest wines, the finest spirits, but only have a minimal and lame selection of beers?

Here is there beer list from Monday night.

 

 

 

Started off with a Bushnell Spritz, a cosmo with a sugar cube and bitters topped with champagne (Dope yo!) and Todd had a Pretty Things American Darling. 

 

 

We opted for the 7 course tasting. Why not jump right in? It's new, the waitstaff was super friendly and fun, why not indeed?

 

First Course: Butternut squash puree.

Simple, elegant and very fresh. Not spiced to hell with nutmeg and allspice either. Just tasted like gorgeous warm squash. Look at that gorgeous orange color. So many times you see butternut squash soup and it's pale yellow and loaded with cream.

 

Obviously it didn't suck. This is what every plate we were served looked like when we were done.

 

 

House-made breads with butter served on a slate rock. Nice touch.

 

 

Second Course: Wilted spinach salad.

A sort of deconstructed salad with lots of veg and purees. I don't recall what everything on the plate was, but it was so tasty and delicious that believe me when I say I decimated this course. The colors once again really stand out and make for a lovely presentation.

 

 

Third Course: Celeriac Broth with Oysters and Chorizo.

THIS!!!! This course was so unexpected and so awesome. It was very simple yet the flavors were so unique and fantastic. Loved this course. Spicy chorizo which I believe is house-made with fresh and amazingly soft and delicate yet fatty oysters.

 

 

 

Fourth Course: Cod and onions.

Soft poached cod with leeks, spring onions, braised onions, pickled onions, and a ravioli with caramelized onions. This was another unexpected yet fantastic course. The cod was so deliciously soft and flavorful and the onions were perfect. Each adding their own unique tastes to the plate so that each bite was different.

 

 

Fifth Course: Charcuterie Plate and Pork Belly Raviolis.

A split in offerings for both Todd and I. Their menu was rotating in and out of things so we picked a few different choices here. Awesome rillette (center right) and lamb (bottom of pic) on the charcuterie plate. The real winner here though is the pork belly raviolis with (I think) a clementine reduction and onions. TO DIE FOR!!!!

 

 

Sixth Course: Foie Gras with persimmon and grapefruit foam.

Who does that? Who serves two huge slabs of Foie like that? Not that I am complaining mind you. Delicious, chilled, biting fresh grapefruit foam to help add acidity to the fatty foie. Rich and delicious just as you would expect. Just a bit too much for us though. We did the tackiest thing and asked if we could take it to go. No way I wanted to waste it, but after a few bites I could feel my heart slowing down.

 

 

 

Seventh Course: Lamb two ways.

Braised and grilled with butternut squash ribbons, eggplant, chickpea puree, fresh green chick peas, and roasted chick peas.

Middle Eastern inspired and simply presented. Loved this course. The lamb was delicate, soft and perfectly cooked. The chick peas added various textures to the plate and the squash ribbons added a hint of sweetness to the plate. Delicious and again simple.

 

 

 

Vino with dinner and Todd had Oerbier from De Dolle. Todd was a happy man to have that this foie and lamb course.

 

 

Intermezzo: Lime sorbet with coconut.

This course is a bit fuzzy for me forgive me. I was reaching food coma status at this point. It had limes and coconut but I can't remember what the foam on top was. That doesn't make it less tasty or mean that it's a forgettable course, it just means I was enjoying the shit out of myself.

 

 

 

Dessert: Semolina Cake

Whole grains and semolina cake with coffee foam, rice pudding, lemon sauce, and sorbet. Off the top of my head I forget what the bruleed sauce was. Might have been vanilla. Once again things we're getting a bit food coma fuzzy for me.

This was a very nice and clean dessert. Lot's of flavor pops that all seemed to work in harmony despite how contrasting they were in comparison to one and other. As the Official Chocolate Advocate, I am saying that not every fancy restaurant has to serve you a big rich chocolate dessert to feel like you were treated like absolute royalty on this culinary adventure.

 

 

 

 

They paired this course with an awesome sparkling pear cider. I haven't had a more aromatic, and fresh tasting cider before. I really dug this and will have to find out where to buy it. It was the exact right pairing for this dessert.

 

 

Treats: Lapsang Souchong Tea Custard with butter cookies and brownies.

Word is bomb!!! That tea custard was phenomenal! Normally that tea is too smoky for my liking but this was subtle tea and smoke flavors on a custard. It was awesome. I couldn't stop eating it. And a natural fit with the small brownie and cookie bites. Awesome ending.

 

 

Amazing meal. So well excecuted, extremely friendly staff, just an awesome time. I can't wait to go back and visit them. The prices were good, the restaurant is cute and intimate like being in someone's loft. Very inviting. The chefs, Diana Kudajarova and Tse Wei Lim are also interested and maybe doing a beer event. More on that soon!!!

Random iPhone pictures from Belgium

I just got back on Sunday from an amazing trip to Belgium. It was a quick trip all about beer and business. My husband Todd and his brother Jason were knighted by the Knighthood of the Brewers' Mash Staff (Belgian Brewers' Guild) and kicked off the Belgian Beer Weekend.

These are just some random iPhone images snapped through out the weekend.

Chocolate shops were everywhere in Belgium. Not all of them were great and most were very touristy. But still chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, everywhere you look a chocolate shop. This place was right next to my hotel in the Center of Brussels. Also, some random mural. Seemed interesting amidst all the classic and old buildings.

Then we went over to the Grand Place where the festival was being held over the weekend. We just got into Brussels and were hungry and needed a beer. We went to a tourist restaurant called La Roy. It was a good choice. Fresh Duvel's with beautiful pours, rabbit in kriek sauce with cherries on the side and frites, and yes even pig bladder balloons everywhere for some weird tradition.

 

 


 

Beers at Moeder Lambic. Best beer bar in Brussels hands down we went back several times over the course of a few days. Val-Dieu Tripel, Cantillon Kriek, Val-Dieu Grand Cru, De Ranke XX. Grand plat de fruits de mer. Jean Hummler sent over massive plates of seafood.

Jean is also the kindest man in Belgium. Not only was he incredibly generous, but he recommended an amazing chocolate maker in Belgium named Laurent Gerbaud. He even scored some of that chocolate for me when I had no time to get over to the shop myself.

Beers at A La Mort Sabite. Jason got a Rochefort, and I got a large Duvel. Basically two Duvel's in one big glass. Super delicious.

After many beers, a trip back to Moeder Lambic, and a few whiskey-cola's, we then went to a bar called Cafe Bizon on Tom Peters of Monk's Cafe's advice.

 

After Todd and Jason were Knighted, the next day, we spent a glorious afternoon at Comme Chez Soi with Michel Moortgat of Duvel. We were seated in the kitchen for a private lunch cooked just for use using beer. Those pictures are for another blog post.

We then said our good-byes as the business part of the trip was over. We headed back to the Moeder Lambic for a few beers. Jean kindly treated me to a delicious cup of hot chocolate where he uses a light raw cows milk and 45% cocoa for a super rich and fantastic cup of hot chocolate.

Jean was a little mad at me for not being able to finish it all, but if he had seen the 6 course meal we had just had for lunch, then he would understand. 

Some lame couple then ordered a Lou Pepe from Cantillon and decided after two sips they didn't like it. Jean brought the bottle to us. Plus he brought us an Oud Bruin made with chocolate malts and aged in apricot schnapps barrels. Too sour for me to appreciate, but Todd and Jason loved it.

And one last quick snap from my iPhone in Germany at the Frankfurt airport. Frankfurters and potato salad. A delicious snack with whiskey-colas to wash it all down.

 

How I Ended Up Seeing Alice Cooper In Las Vegas

I went to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday last October. While visiting and imbibing on food, gambling, and copious amounts of booze, I had an ultimate Las Vegas experience that ended with me seeing Alice Cooper playing live for a packed bar called Aces & Ales.

I must preface this and say it was an epic day, but it certainly didn't end up like The Hangover. And it didn't up like the last time I was in Las Vegas and got married completely shit faced. Yes, that is a true story. I was married in Las Vegas 5 years ago. I am living proof that if you get married the way you want to, doing it for fun and happiness and not doing it for all the bullshit, other people, and all the planning, it will last much longer than the $20k to 100K weddings.

It went down like this. My birthday was on a Friday and I got the fuck out of dodge (Boston), to celebrate such a landmark birthday and headed to Las Vegas. I had fun, I ate filet mignon and drank wine for breakfast in bed on my actual birthday, drank a lot of booze and beer, won $400 bucks gambling, and went to Hubert Keller's restaurant for a fabulous, but bank breaking dinner at Fleur de Lys in Mandalay Bay.

The Saturday after my birthday, we decided to hold a pub crawl with the local BeerAdvocates. Before we headed out to Vegas, the bar owner of Aces & Ales Keri Kelli, sent us a beermail (email via BeerAdvocate) telling us he owned this great new craft beer bar off the Vegas strip and that we had to come visit. He said he loved BeerAdvocate and would love it if we came and saw his place. He added that he was the guitar player for Alice Cooper, and that Alice was playing in Las Vegas while we were visiting. He mentioned that Alice Cooper might come in and visit the bar. It turns out that rockers are big fans of craft beer. The hangers on and the groupies still latch on to the PBR and Bud Light, but Alice Cooper and his band drink good craft beer.

Only after I got back from Las Vegas, did local brewer Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing Co., tell me that Alice Cooper had been into CBC and sat down and had his beers. He said they were great. The whole crew came in and sat down and asked a lot of questions and drank good local American craft beer.

I don't care if you like Alice Cooper or not, the fact that he is a craft beer drinker and that one of his band mates owns a craft beer bar is unbelievable.

So we started on the Las Vegas strip because there is really fuck all for craft beer on the Vegas strip. A few places and then we went outside of the strip. We wanted to get it over with.

We started at The Pub in the Monte Carlo where we were staying. I started knocking back cocktails because I am not a full day beer drinker. I can't or I will get too bloated to continue on. It's unpleasant to talk about but it's the truth of the matter. Mixing it up can be a bad thing, but in my case it keeps me on the same page as every one else and allows me to continue on all day.

The Pub was cool because we met a few BeerAdvocates from the area and one of our long time friends named Uncle Jimbo from Boston, whom happens to love Las Vegas, randomly flew out just to party with us.

We then made our way over to Mandalay Bay where The Burger Bar is located. That is one of the only places on the Vegas strip where craft beer can be located. Lots of the casinos have one or two imports like Duvel, but the strip is a craft beer wasteland.

Not only did The Burger Bar have Stone Ruination and DFH 90 Minute IPA, which despite being able to get almost anywhere, was truly a godsend on the Strip, but they also had a collection of the Firestone Walker series. Only true beer geeks can appreciate how rare and awesome tasting 10, 11, and 12 at the same time really is. They also offered an array of beer floats with different beers. I appreciated this because beer floats are great.

After treating ourselves right to a good base of grease and meat, we then headed off the strip over to the Freakin' Frog. This is a total craft beer oasis in the middle of the barren dessert. 

And before I forget, there was a pit stop before the Freakin' Frog at the Crown and Anchor British pub. Interesting place. Crappy beers, football (soccer) scores, and video poker machines. I kind of enjoyed it because I took time out to drink a glass of red wine to settle my stomach after those burgers and play some rounds on the video poker which it turns out I am pretty good at.

The Freakin' Frog also has a special room upstairs of the owners Adam Carmer's, private collection of tequila's, scotch whiskeys, bourbons, and other rare offerings which Adam generously offered us tastings of. I think my taste of the Rey Sol tequila, 100% pure blue agave, was like a $50 taster. Very generous indeed!

This part of the post will be a little bit tedious, but I urge you to click and enlarge each picture to see this rare collection.

The Monk.

 

The Tequila's. Some of the images came out a bit blurry, but you get the idea just by looking at them.

 

The Scotches.

 

The Bourbons and Rye's.








At this point it's fair to say we were all pretty well lit. Now we make our move to Aces & Ales.

We knew we were in the right place with a huge Deschutes barrel sitting outside.

So here is how this all went down. We show up and the bar is packed yet closed for a private event. We called the owners of the bar and they met us outside and ushered us into the packed bar. They took us off to the side in the VIP area for the night. They said "have whatever you want we'll be running around all night."

The next think you know, we got Stone Ruination's slammed in front of us with some Valley Brewing Co. beers, and bombers of Stone Smoked Porters. The place is completely mad and jam packed. All rocker types and they are looking at us like "who the fuck are you and why you are so special to sit in the VIP area?" So many groupie hoes around too, it was hilarious. We did meet some cool rocker guys who knew who we were and told us about how they will be opening a brew pub in L.A. soon. Good news for the L.A. area.

Bands are playing, Keri is on stage rocking out with some other groups. Next thing you know we were all kicked out of the VIP area because Alice Cooper was coming and he was going to make his entrance through that area. So we moved off to the side to the less crowded side of the bar. Sure enough, in walks Alice Cooper and he plays a few of his hit songs. It was incredible. He sounded so good live. He truly is a legend. And how awesome is it to be seeing a rock god playing live with a Stone Ruination in your hand? Life was good at that moment.

We went back to the hotel after this quick performance. We were going to hang out for a bit because Alice Copper left and the VIP room was opened to us once again. But then we heard it would be emptied out again because The Steve Miller Band was heading over. I would have liked to have seen that too, but we were all smashed and exhausted from a long day of drinking. Not that many stops, but some serious drinking.

A great time with great BeerAdvocates in Las Vegas. And the generosity from the Adam at the Freakin' Frog and Keri from Aces & Ales was unbelievable. 

The next day was Sunday, which meant huge Las Vegas buffets to look forward to. Nothing better than being hungover and having booze to wake up to and a huge buffet. I love Las Vegas!

Sunday Brunch Buffet @ The Wynn, Las Vegas

CBC Autumn Brewers Dinner Nov. 14, 2009

Cambridge Brewing Co.'s Autumn Brewers dinner from November 2009.

This was a fabulous beer dinner I went to last minute at CBC back in November. I wasn't sure if we were going to end up going or not and then two friends called saying they really wanted to go too so off we went.

Amuse Bouche:

Double Happiness Cocktail. Tangerine twist with duck crackling and apple cider caviar.

Double Happiness- strong golden ale refermented in chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces and lychee fruit. Bright with perfumed tropical fruit and a lightly tart finish. 10.4% 

This was an awesome little opening. The caviar was solely made from apple cider. The duck crackling added an odd but oddly necessary hit of grease to the whole tasting. It seemed strange but it worked.

The brettanomyces was low and not dominating in this beer, and the fruit flavors were crisp and fresh, not cloying as it would seem with something sweet and sticky like lychees. Very refreshing and unique.

Apple cider caviar? At first I thought it was actual caviar in apple cider. But it was apple cider in small pearls like caviar. It even had that little bursting effect when you eat caviar. Very interesting and cool.

For those of you who haven't been to a CBC dinner before, the way they offer the courses is to have a few selections from each course to choose from. When the waiter comes to take your order you generally order the whole meal in one shot. I am going to post the menu and and then talk about the courses I myself had and some of the folks at our table had.

CBC Autumn Brewers Dinner
November 14, 2009

Amuse:
Double Happiness Cocktail
Tangerine Twist, Apple Cider Caviar, Duck Crackling

First:
Island Creek Oyster Bisque
Butter Poached Yukon Gold Potato, Leeks, Fried Salsify
Blackout Stout

Local Celeriac Soup
Beer Brown Bread Croutons, Crispy Carrot-Celery Salad, Raisin Jus
Cambridge Amber

Second:
Long Island Duck Rillette
Cerise Cassee Cherry, Clear Flour Sourdough, Beer Mustard, Micro Green Salad
Cerise Cassèe

General Gau's Frogs Legs
Steamed White Rice, Broccolini
Biere de Gourde

Maine Lobster Pierogies
Local Spinach, Porcini Cream, Amaretto Crumb
Om

Warm New England Vegetable Timbale
Spaghetti Squash, Glazed Root Vegetables, Aged Gouda,
Braised Greens, Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Red God

Third:
North East Family Farms Venison Loin
Sweet Potato and Chestnut Puree, Swiss Chard, Sweet Ginger Salt, Natural Jus
2008 Bannatyne's Scotch Ale

Wild Mushroom Cannelloni
Autumn Squash Bolognese, Toasted Pumpkin Seed, Parsnip Béchamel, Crispy Kale
Great Pumpkin Ale

Braised Rabbit Stew
Gnocchi, Tomato Confit, Hen of the Woods, Local Spinach, Butternut Squash,
Piave Cheese
Sgt. Pepper

Nantucket Bay Scallops
Brown Butter Fried Cauliflower, Fingerling Potato, Candied Kumquats,
Toasted Pinenuts
St. Alphonso

Dessert:
Vintage Blunderbuss Barleywine Flight
Stilton, EVOO Fried Almonds, Heirloom Apple Compote
2009 Port Finish, 2008 Bourbon finish, 2007 Dryhop finish Blunderbuss Barleywines

Benevolence Bread Pudding
Barleywined Fruits, Apricot Caramel, Pumpkin Ale Ice Cream
Benevolence

Gingersnap Napoleon
Sweet Pumpkin Custard, Cinnamon Cream, Bittersweet Ganache,
Candied Ginger
Olde Pumpkin Porter

Second Course:

Local Celeriac Soup
Beer Brown Bread Croutons, Crispy Carrot-Celery Salad, Raisin Jus
Beer: Cambridge Amber

Cambridge Amber- Well balanced, medium-bodied, deep amber-red. Malty caramel notes, hints of chocolate, slightly roasty finish, complemented by a touch of fruity, spicy hops. 4.7%

This was an excellent pairing. The soup was creamy and rich. The amber was a perfect match. The soup actually brought out a lot more of the complex characters of the Amber like the roasted finish. The only negative to this course was that I finished it all the way through and it was more filling that it sounds. We had a whole evening to get through....

Sadly my shot of the amber was blurred, but I got a somewhat decent shot of Todd's beer. He had the Island Creek oyster bisque paired with the Black out Stout. I did not however, get a shot of his soup. Todd gets annoyed when I take foodie pictures while we're trying to eat. Boo Todd.

Third course:

Long Island Duck Rillette
Cerise Cassee Cherry, Clear Flour Sourdough, Beer Mustard, Micro Green Salad
Beer: Cerise Cassèe

Cerise Cassèe- sour ale spontaneously fermented along with 300 pounds of tart red cherries and aged in a Solera system of wine barrels. Aggressively tart with flavors of sour cherries, malt, vanilla and oak tannin, and a finish that defies description in its funky-yet-balanced uniqueness.  8.5%

Another great course. The Cerise cherries were so delicious and sweet. The duck was simple, flavorful and fatty. This batch of Cerise Cassèe was more acidic and tart than normal. Usually Cerise is a sour beer with a decent level of acidity that doesn't burn the throat when drinking. so people live for that burn I do not. Having said that, the fatty duck helped tone down the acid. The acid in turn helped cut the fats and oils and allowed the flavors of the mustard, sweet cherries, and duck to add their own pop. Lots of different tastes, but very tasty. 

Sadly my pictures of the beer are not doing them any justice to get the full effects of their rich colors.

Warm New England Vegetable Timbale
Spaghetti Squash, Glazed Root Vegetables, Aged Gouda,Braised Greens, Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Beer: Red God

Red God-  Featuring Simcoe, Amarillo, and Columbus hops at a rate of over three pounds per barrel, with American pale and Belgian caramel malts providing a malty but dry pedestal upon which this hop fest rides to its long, lingering, hop-bittered finish. Beware this vengeful god.8.5%

My friend Courtney went with this course. She suffered the same fate I did with the soup. It doesn't look like it from the picture, but this course was huge. And she weighs all of 90 pounds soaking wet. But from what I gathered it was hard to stop eating this course. And it was paired with Red God which is one of my all time favorite beers from CBC. Courtney is a hop head too. So this course was hard to not gorge on.

And Todd had the lobster pierogies.

Maine Lobster Pierogies
Local Spinach, Porcini Cream, Amaretto Crumb
Beer: Om

OM- Strong golden ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels. Brettanomyces exresses with flavors and aromas of pineapple and peach fruit, creating a harmonious balance of honeyed malt and hop, yeast and flora, and oak character. 9.4%

Fourth Course:




Wild Mushroom Cannelloni
Autumn Squash Bolognese, Toasted Pumpkin Seed, Parsnip Béchamel, Crispy Kale
Beer: Great Pumpkin Ale

Great Pumpkin Ale- 150 pounds of fresh, locally grown, organic sugar pumpkins are hand-carved and added to each batch, along with a touch of cinnamon and allspice. An appropriately orange beer with subtle pumpkin flavor, enhanced by a touch of traditional autumn spices. 4.2%

I didn't get a shot of the beer because I jumped right into this course. This thing was fabulous. And it paired really well with the Great Pumpkin. GPA from CBC is one of my all time favorites. They have really mastered making a pumpkin ale that tastes like squash and not over-spiced. It's so tasty. It went amazingly well with the cream sauce and rich mushroom cannelloni. I loved this meal. And unusual for me is getting a vegetarian course when there are meat options. This sounded terrific and it was. Very rich and filling. Noticing a pattern here?

This was our other friend at the table Mark's course. Originally it was supposed to be be scallops, but he ended up with monk fish instead. I am not sure if they had run out of scallops, or if it was requested to be different. Mark was happy with his course.



Nantucket Bay Scallops (Monk Fish)
Brown Butter Fried Cauliflower, Fingerling Potato, Candied Kumquats,
Toasted Pinenuts
Beer: St. Alphonso

St. Alphonso- Our American take on the Belgian single, or table beer, with our house Belgian yeast strain and bucketloads of American hops. Well-attenuated, super-dry, light-bodied beer with tons of fresh hop flavor. 4.5%

Dessert:



Gingersnap Napoleon
Sweet Pumpkin Custard, Cinnamon Cream, Bittersweet Ganache,
Candied Ginger
Beer: Olde Pumpkin Porter

Olde Pumpkin Porter- After one year of age in bourbon oak with Brett., this porter was blended with fresh pumpkin, crystallized ginger, whole cinnamon, and new toasted oak. Very complex yet drinkable, with smooth blending of subtle spices and roasted malts. A great dessert porter! 6.5%

This was amazing but messy! This was by far the worst thing I could have done to myself ater having this insanely rich meal before and finish it off with a decadent and super rich dessert like this. The cookies were weird though. They tasted amazing and were soft, yet you couldn't just cut into the dessert. It smashed and squished all the insides out. So while it was delicious and awesome, it was incredibly messy.

This dessert paired awesomely with the pumpkin porter. Another brett beer that didn't overwhelm me with funk. Brett beers are an interesting thing for me. My body will either respond well to them or not. This was one of those days where the funk just added some flavor and didn't make me ill. It wasn't overwhelming to the beer either. Sometimes when working with brettanomyces it has a propensity to completely overtake a beer and all other flavors there may have been in the beer.

I had a hard time noticing the ginger in the beer with ginger cookies and crystallized ginger on the plate, but the pumpkin spices, and the rich notes of the porter were enough to come through and make this a flavorful and yet again, super rich course.

Todd got the cheese plate and flight of barleywines.



Vintage Blunderbuss Barleywine Flight
Stilton, EVOO Fried Almonds, Heirloom Apple Compote
Beer: 2009 Port Finish, 2008 Bourbon finish, 2007 Dryhop finish Blunderbuss Barleywines

2009 Blunderbuss Barleywine, Port barrel finish- A delightful sneak preview of this year's unreleased expression of Blunderbuss. Aged in vintage port wine barrels, which provide a touch of fruit and oak to this massive, malty brew. 13.2% sherry glass

2008 Blunderbuss Barleywine, Bourbon barrel finish- Last year's expression spent time in barrels from the Buffalo Trace distillery, where it picked up notes of caramel, vanilla, hints of cotton candy, and toasty oak. Super smooth. 11% sherry glass

2007 Blunderbuss Barleywine, Dry Hop finish- heavily dry-hopped with Simcoe and Ahtanum hops before its annual release. This extraordinarily complex ale boasts flavors and aromas of caramel, dried fruits, toffee, lots of spicy, resiny, and floral hops, and a very warming alcohol finish. 11.5% sherry glass


This is generally how CBC rolls when they do a beer event. Their pairings are spot on and the food is always creative, good, and really filling.

*Beer course descriptions via CBC menu courtesy of Will Meyers, Brewmaster.

Taco Night @ Green Street

Just a quick post from dinner last night at Green Street. Wednesday nights are $4 dollar taco night at Green Street. And not just your average tacos either. Braised duck and oxtail tacos. Yeah, it's like that.

We started with their chicken and bacon croquettes and one of my favorites, their cheese plate with homemade chutneys and preserves.

The cheese plate comes with toasted cinnamon bread, apple chutney with rosemary, Jasper Hill Farm cheddar and Brebirousse d'Argental, a soft sheeps milk.

I greedily began to eat my tacos before I could take a picture of the whole presentation. But luckily I ordered two carnitas tacos. But Todd had a skirt steak taco which I missed. The taco in the very first picture is a carnitas. And this second picture is a grilled fish and carnitas.

Remember folks, these are only $4 bones a piece. Pretty sweet deal.

Green Street is also known for their awesome cocktails.


        
                                 

                                                               

Flora Vieja, Fort Washington Flip, and The Corazón. Tequila drink, applejack, and rum drink. 

This is how Wednesdays go at Green Street.

Breakfast @ America in New York New York, Las Vegas

 
[Image via sporttruk]

When Todd and I got married in Las Vegas 4 years ago, we stopped one morning to grab a bite to eat while walking around the casinos at America in New York New York. We decided to revisit the place while hitting up Las Vegas for my 30th Birthday.

When we got to Vegas 4 years ago on a whim to get married, we arrived late at night, got cocktails and beer ordered to the room, and crashed. We woke up the next morning and visited the surrounding casinos. America at New York New York was cool for us to get a quick bite and an early morning cocktail. Love the 24 hour a day access to booze. It's the way the whole country should work.




Anyway, in going back we made a huge mistake. We ordered too big. I screwed up my whole day, but eating a massive meal, having a giant Pina Colada, and then trying to walk around some more. I ordered ham steak and eggs with a side of bacon. Did I really need that side of bacon? Well, no. But who knew I was getting a whole hog for a piece of ham steak? Another situation where the plate or portion of food was bigger than my two hands fanned out. Unbelievable.

Not even cigarettes, or another cocktail like a lychee martini at the MGM Grand would help settle me. I had to go back to the hotel room and lay down for a bit. Then shower up and hit the strip again.

Don't get me wrong, the meal was great, despite being so big. And I would have been fine had I not had that damn giant Pina Colada.