I Laughed So Hard...

After visiting Pacific Standard for a few pints I decided to head to Pete's Waterfront Ale House for a little lunch.  I passed Hank's Saloon on the way and was pleased to see it looked as disreputable as ever.

Forever Seedy


I am glad to see there are still a few bars around here that aren't cluttered with strollers.

This has nothing to do with anything, but I thought it looked kind of cool.  It was sitting outside a store on Atlantic Avenue that sells all kinds of neat old stuff, from a pinball machine to old LPs.

The Cock Of The Walk


When we got to Pete's the dining area was packed.  It looked like there were at least two large groups celebrating something and then the rest of the tables were filled with people just stopping in for lunch.  No big deal because I like to have a beer or two at the bar before sitting down at a table for my meal.

I started out with a 21st Amendment Golden Doom, a strong - 7.8% ABV - Belgian style golden ale.  Very good, crisp and spicy and very refreshing.  Maybe I should have had this at Pacific Standard because 21st Amendment is a California brewery.  Actually, I don't think they had it there.

After finishing my beer and chatting a bit with Gaid, the World's Friendliest Bartender, the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I found a table and sat down for lunch.

I ordered a Blue Point Rasta Rye to go with what I had hoped would be my Duck Burger with Ginger Onions.  The beer was good, another strong one at 7.5% ABV and a nice coppery color with a creamy white head.  Similar to the Golden Doom in that it was also a bit spicy but with a little more hoppy bitterness.  Quite good and very quaffable.

Unfortunately the large lunch crowd beat me to the Duck Burgers, they were all gone.  But they still had the Soft Shelled Crab Sandwich so that is what I had.

One Of The Best


Went Well With The Beer


The Mysterious Chinese Woman said something funny and I laughed so hard I had a crab-leg come out of my nose.

Milk Is Bad Enough


The Mysterious Chinese Woman seemed to think this was most amusing.  Especially after I reminded her that crabs that are just about to molt and could have the hard outer shell peeled off are called snots.  Crabbers used to brake a joint of the claw leg to see if the crab was developing a second skin underneath, in which case it could be peeled. The term snot comes from the fluid that emerges at the break.

She Laughed Until She Cried


The Mysterious Chinese Woman had Chicken Wings and I am glad to say she had no mishaps.

Dynamite Wings


She seemed to be very pleased that she got through the meal with no bones coming out of her nose.

So Proud Of Herself


The wings here are always good, and you get a really nice portion.  But it is hard to pass up the crabs when they are in season.  I still wish I had been able to get the Duck Burger.



And my man Nate Robinson shot two for two including a three pointer and made both his free-throws to put up seven points (one more than Kevin Garnett) in the fourth quarter as the Celtics evened the series last night.

Pacific Standard

My neice, Katie, is coming to visit at the end of next week and she expressed an interest in going to an Ethiopian restaurant.  Guess they don't have much ethnic food in Alaska, except maybe raw seal blubber.  I found one (an Ethiopian restaurant, not a seal) kind of in my neighborhood and decided to check it out.  It was quite a walk and the place wasn't open, but at least it is still in business.  Right across the street was an Australian pub named Sheep Station.  Alas, it too was closed.  We will go there one evening when Katie is in town, and they should both be open.

It was a bit of a walk and the day was hot so I bet you can guess the next part.  You are right, I found a neat little bar to pop into.

Pacific Standard


Pacific Standard is on 4th Avenue, a still somewhat gritty stretch that is largely commercial.  But, mark my words, it will undergo gentrification once the economy turns around.  You are already seeing signs, and this bar is an early indicator.  It has only been here three years although it looks older.  Maybe there was another bar here before this one.

Nothing overly pretentious about the place, but kind of cozy looking, like an old pub.  And they have a very decent selection of beers on tap.

A Nice Selection


I started out with a Rye Knot from the Chelsea Brewery that is located in Manhattan.  I have written about the Chelsea Brewery before and it is well worth visiting.  They have a nice restaurant with great views of the marina on the Hudson River.

Anyway, the beer comes in at a nice 6% ABV and is brewed using three types of rye that make-up about half of the total mash.  A nicely flavored beer with a good balance of spice and hops.  But not at all sweet.  A very nice summer beer and you could easily spend an afternoon drinking these.

Quenching My Thirst


I followed that one up with a Captain Lawrence Kaptain's Kolsch.  Captain Lawrence is located in upstate New York and I felt a bit guilty ordering this.  The owner's of Pacific Standard are both from California and they did have several California micro-brews on tap.  Maybe next time.

I generally like the Kolsch style of beer, kind of a light, slightly lemony flavor and very refreshing.  This one is a 5.5% ABV and is a light, pale yellow color and true to its style.  A nice alternative to weiss beers for a summeer brew.

The back room of Pacific Standard is a bit different.  Where you would expect to find a pool table there is a little library.

The Reading Room


There are board games available so you could get yourself a beer or two and head back there to play checkers or read a book or something.  Pacific Standard also hosts readings, so very West Coast.  The owners are probably from San Francisco.

Pacific Standard has a nice website that also links to their blog:

http://www.pacificstandardbrooklyn.com/events.html

They also have their own beer glasses, not just the promotionals from the breweries.

A Glass With Class
 

As I mentioned, this bar has a bit of an old pub feel to it with little tables in nooks up front where you can sit and have a pint or two and chat with your friends.

A Cozy Corner


And let's not forget the mirror which gave me a chance for taking one of my "artistic" pictures.

My Artistic Picture


Actually, I consider any picture that has me in a reflection to be artistic.  If you look closely at the first picture of the exterior of Pacific Standard you can see my reflection in the lower righthand corner.  That makes that an artistic picture as well.

They don't serve food here but have no problem with you bringing in your own from one of the nearby take-out places.  A couple of young ladies got a bag of chicken wings to go with their martinis and graciously offered to share them with the Mysterious Chinese Woman and me.

They might not have food, but they do have nice tee-shirts available.

Take Your Pick


All and all, it was a very comfortable and friendly bar.  The bartender, Glenn, was affable and the whole place had a nice vibe to it.  It was relatively early in the afternoon so it wasn't very crowded, but I will try to pop in one evening to check it out.  It is a bit of a hike from where I live, but would make for a nice stroll on a pleasant summer evening.

Not Jim

One of the reader's of my blog wanted to know if this was my brother-in-law Jim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=aJG9Tol1a0U

No, Jim isn't that talented.  But they do look kind of alike.

Jim, A Drinker, Not A Drummer


And they are so cute at that age.

Thanks for sending me that video, Jerry, it was awesome.

My favorite part of the Celtics/Lakers game last night was the jump ball with Nate going up against Pau.

Almost Perfect

Although it is a shame that Armando Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game the other night, look at the bright side.  I do believe that what happened was even rarer than a perfect game.  Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that there are fewer instances of a pitcher throwing a perfect game through 9 2/3 innings and blowing it with the last at bat than actual perfect games.

Still, you have to feel bad for Armando, particularly when he would have been the one who actually got the last put-out.  Now that would have been classic.

You will have to admit, Armando is one classy guy for handling the whole thing so well.  I am glad he at least got a new car out of it, and I see a lot of potential endorsements in the future.  It wouldn't surprise me to see an ad with both him and Jim Joyce in it in the near future.

Now I am starting to wonder, in bowling have there been more 300 games or 299 games?

Another prediction for the New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets:  With Phil Jackson in the last year of his contract with the Lakers, look for Mikhail Prokhorov to make a play for him.  What bigger lure could you dangle in front of LeBron, other than money.

Looking forward to watching the Celtics/Lakers series and am hoping that Nate Robinson can make a real contribution for the boys in green.

Haven't heard much about Isiah and Stephon lately. 

Congratulations Nate

I wonder how many of Nate's former teammates on the Knicks wish they could have been traded to the Celtics.  You might want to keep that in mind, LeBron.

Jury duty today and you have to love the government.  You are supposed to show up at 8:30 AM at 360 Adams Street.  Oh, wait, it says the main entrance is on Court Street.  But there isn't any Court Street address.  And if you aren't supposed to show up at the main entrance, why mention it?  Also, if you take the subway and get off at the Borough Hall subway station and walk to the corner, Adams Street is Boerum Place.  And Boerum Place and Adams Street is also known as Brooklyn Bridge Boulevard. I live on the corner of Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place and I get confused.

Oh yeah, and your Social Security number that you are supposed to protect at all times, you need to write that on the form that you turn in.  A form that will probably be seen by about a hundred people before the day is over.  Ah, but what can they do with that if they don't know your name, address, and date-of-birth.  Oh, wait, that is on the form too.  I am suprised they don't want your mother's maiden name as well.

I won't get selected for jury duty anyway, I am wearing my tee-shirt that says "GUILTY" on the front.