A Trip Abroad

Well, perhaps a trip abroad is a bit of a stretch, but we did move to another island, Staten Island. By the way, for those of you who might not know, where we were earlier today, up in The Bronx, is the only piece of New York City that is not on an island.

We took the Staten Island Ferry, always a fun trip, and free as well, and said adios to Manhattan:



And goodbye to Brooklyn too:



And, as the ferry took us by the Statue of Liberty we had to take the obligatory photo which is basically a big head with a tiny Statue of Liberty in the background.

Donna And The Lady



After landing we took a bit of a walk to a place that Donna had read about, the Cargo Cafe.

Cargo Cafe



This is an unpretentious place with a lot of interesting art hanging, and painted, on the walls. There is a pretty decent view of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and there is a bit of a view of Manhattan and Brooklyn interspersed with views of three large apartment buildings, two of which are still being built. The view from them must be quite nice indeed.

Bruce and I decided to have a pre-dinner Martini at the bar, of course.

Bruce And Bar Man At The Bar



After our drinks we headed for the back room, which had the best views, and had our meal under the watchful eyes of some of old friends.

The Pack



Our drinks were very good as was the food. I had a nicely spiced skirt steak and the ribs were a big hit too. The portions were more than generous and they came with large portions of mashed potatoes with onions and stuff mixed in. Very good, and they most certainly were not the instant kind.

Even though this place is out of the way, and that is putting it mildly if you live in Brooklyn, I will return. And I will have the steak again too.

We didn't pay attention to the ferry schedule, kind of assuming they ran every half an hour or so. Well, they do, from Manhattan to Staten Island. They only run every hour in the other direction, at least late on the week-ends. To make matters worse, we missed one by just a couple of minutes so we had a fairly long wait.

Bruce, Donna And The Mysterious Chinese Woman...Waiting



Despite the wait we counted the adventure a great success and were very pleased with the Cargo Cafe.

A Fishy Fish Festival

Don't believe everything you read in the papers. The Daily News had a major article touting the Seafood Parade that supposedly is the Bronx's answer to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. It is held in Hunt's Point in the Bronx close to where the Fulton Fish Market relocated. The article said "...they're cooking up fish dishes, crafting fancy fish costumes and building homemade fish floats for a mile-long march through their neighborhood." Well, see for yourself.

First of all, on week-ends the subways never run as advertised so we had to take a somewhat convoluted route to get to this grand parade. We made an erroneous transfer at 125th because the Mysterious Chinese Woman done steered us wrong.

Bruce And Donna At The Wrong Station



The Mysterious Chinese Woman Abashed



Ah, but it was so worth it when we finally arrived. Despite getting a bit lost we did arrive in time for the start of the grand parade.

The Parade Starts



Floats, I don't think so. There was only one, and it would be a stretch to call it a float. The whole parade had maybe 30 people max, most not in costume, and lasted all of five minutes.

The One And Only Float



The crowd trembled in fear though when the local toughs showed up on their tricked out, ah, bicycles.

The Local Bikers And Their Rides





Ah, but the fish, that is what it was all about, Right? After all, "...they're cooking up fish dishes..." Well, there wasn't a single stand that was selling fish. In fact there weren't any food stands at all except for Moe Gridder's Famous BBQ trailer. Well, you have to do what you have to do, so I had a pulled pork sandwich.

Bar Man And His Pulled Pork



The Fish Festival certainly wasn't what I expected but it was kind of worth going to just for the humor of it. The irony was that they were having a street fair a block from where I live that was about ten times the size and where you could get fish. No mile-long parade though.

Show Time At Showman's

Showman's



You may remember that I visited this place one afternoon last November with my friend Bernie during my 1000 Bar adventure. It is located at 375 West 125th Street up in Harlem. At that time I heard about their Thursday Night Tap Dance Extravaganza. Well, Extravaganza might be a bit strong, but they did have tap dancers.

It wasn't too crowded when we got there so we got seats at one of the four small tables, although in retrospect we should have sat at the long bar. There isn't any cover charge here, just a two drink minimum per set. They also had free hors'doeuvres which consisted of pasta with peppers and sausage. Mona, the manager, assured me she made it herself.

The opening act was Joey Morant, a trumpet player who regularly headlines at Showman's on Thursdays. That is when he is not touring. He said he just returned from Paris and was about to head out to Europe again for another tour that would also take in Russia but said he would be back for the first Thursday in July. He was quite personable and came over to talk to us and really got the crowd going with his band that included a great sax player, guitar, drums, and an organ player. Showman's claims to be the only Jazz Club in New York with an organ (but it is kind of a small one).

Joey Morant And His Two Trumpets



We were enjoying our drinks at our table when a large group came in from Wachovia and crowded the front of the bar pretty much blocking our view and making it hard to get to the restrooms. They weren't being obnoxious or anything, just a bit inconsiderate. There was plenty of room at the back of the bar where nobody's view would have been blocked.

Bruce And Bar Man At Our Table



Did I mention tap dancers? The had tap dancers that seemed to range from an Australian sheepherder to someone who looked like a Japanese manga character.

Tap Dancers












Showman's is a fun place to visit for good jazz every night of the week except Sunday. You can easily get there by subway, the 1 train stops about six blocks away and the A train is right around the corner. Just get off at 125th.

My Favorite Italian Restaurant

Armando's At Dusk



This is one of the first restaurants that I ever visited in Brooklyn, a few years before I even thought about moving into the neighborhood. Now I live just a few blocks away and it remains my favorite Italian restuarant. It is located on Montague street that used to be "the street" for restaurants in Downtown Brooklyn before Smith Street, just a few blocks away, took over the title. Armando's, however, gives proof to the adage that older can be better.

The usual bartender, Paul, knows your name and what you drink. He makes a mean Martini and Armando's serves them in the appropriate sized glasses. The are large enough but not so large that your drink gets warm before you can finish it. A lot of bars use those over-sized glasses so the bartender doestn't have to work so hard. Why make two smaller drinks when you can get by with making one big one (and charge more for it).

Bruce and Bar Man Enjoying Our Martinis With Paul Looking On



The food here is delicious as well and the service is both friendly and efficient. They have the best linquini with clam sauce (I prefer the red, the Mysterious Chinese Woman leans towards the white) that I have ever had. The filet of sole in a lemon sauce is also fantastic. I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal here.

Bar Man, MCW, Bruce and Donna With Xhavit Attending



Xhavit has been working at Armando's for as long as I can remember and is fantastic, as is the whole staff. I still remember one warm December day when they had their Christmas tree up and they moved a table and chairs outside for the Mysterious Chinese Woman and me so we could enjoy our lunch in the sunshine.

Bruce And Donna, Happy With Their Meal



Because, as I said, they make their Martinis small enough so you can have two cold ones, I stopped at the bar and had another after dinner drink before heading on home.

Xhavit, Paul and Bar Mat At The Bar



Paul wasn't getting his due in the pictures so I managed to lure him a bit closer to the camera for one last shot.

Paul and Bar Man



Back in the 1950's when Marilyn Monroe was married to Arthur Miller they used to frequent this place and there are pictues of her adorning the walls along with pictures of other old-time movie stars who may, or may not, have eaten here as well. Pictures of Italian landscapes also hang on the walls and there are nice floral arrangements too. It is a very lovely and friendly place to have your lunch or dinner and it is usually bustling. The bar isn't just a service bar either and a regular crowd can usually be found enjoying a drink or two. Paul will make sure you feel welcome, as will everyone in the place. I hope Armando's stays around forever.

Downtown and Midtown

There was a childrens festival at the Southstreet Seport in downtown Manhattan today and somehow I got roped into going. The original plan was just for the Mysterious Chinese Woman and me to meet her sister for dinner before she went to a play. Somewhere along the way another sister of hers decided to bring her daughter to the festival and then meet her husband later. Everyone seemed to think it would be great fun if I joined them.

Luckily I had the forsight to suggest that we meet at the Heartland Brewery that is almost in the Seaport. Also luckily, for me at least, the sister-in-law's had a hard time finding a parking place so I was able to settle in for a few beers before they showed up.

Settling In At The Bar



Although I always take exception that Heartland still advertises themselves as a brew pub, long after they have stopped making their beer on the premises and now make it in a brewery in Brooklyn and truck it in to their multiple locations, their beer is still quite good.

I started out with an Empire Premium Lager and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had a Summertime Apricot Ale. The Empire was very good, like a good Czech lager. Quite crisp, a bit on the dry side, with a nice bit of hops but not overdone. This, to me, is what a lager should taste like. You will notice that I think Asahi gets it right as well.

The Apricot Ale had a bit of an apricot nose to it but not much of an apricot flavor, at least not that I could discern. It did, however, have a nutty back taste to it. Tasted like hazelnut to me. Not bad, but I was looking forward to a bit more apricot, more like Magic Hat #9.

The sister-in-laws showed up with little neice Suzie and decided to head out to enjoy the fair. I begged off saying it was way too crowded out there so after they left I treated myself to a Belgian Cherry Chocolate Stout.

Bar Man Enjoying His Stout



One day I hope to achieve the dignified look of the guy in the picture behind me. The Mysterious Chinese Woman says I just need to stop trimming my hair and beard.

Maybe my palate just wasn't attuned to fruit today but the Cherry Chocolate Stout didn't taste at all like cherries to me. And it certainly didn't seem much like a typical Belgian ale, although they claime to use a special Belgian yeast. It is a hefty 8% alcohol though and tastes a bit like a Russian Imperial Stout. Not bad at all but not one you would quaff in large amounts on a summer day. I switched back to the Empire.

After about an hour or so everyone returned and the three of us who were having dinner headed to the theatre district. We went to a very French Bistro that I had heard a lot about and I was very pleased with my choice.

Pergola Des Artistes



This place is located on 46th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, As you can tell by the awning, it has been around for 43 years and is still owned and operated by the family that originally started it. The two sons seem to do most of the heavy lifting but their mother, resplendent in a silver sequined baseball cap, was scurrying about and cleaning tables.

Bar Man Having His Pre-Dinner Martini



I settled in at the bar and had my usual, a Bombay Martini, up with a twist. Then we tucked into some very good grub. I had a hanger steak with carmelized onions and the MCW and her sister had duck. Everyone thought the food was great and the prices were quite reasonable for this neck of the woods. The service was friendly and the atmosphere was casual. This is a place to which I would definitly return.

I finished up with a Sambuca and Espresso and then we headed out, my sister-in-law to the play and me to Brooklyn. The Mysterious Chinese Woman just sort of pouffed into a cloud of orange smoke that smelled vaguely of apricots.

Greek Festival

Greek Festival



At least once a year (it seems more like once a month) the Greek Orthodox Church down the block from me holds a week-long festival that is always a lot of fun. They block off the street and there is a plenty of Greek food, some of it furnished by local restaurants and some of it brought in by members of the church. They also grill a lot of lamb and chicken for shish-kabobs that they are really great. The lamb, in particular, is always very flavorful and quite delicious. Sometimes they will have a goat on a spit but I didn't see it this time. I can never get any anyway because the church members seem to know just when it is going to be done and gobble it all up before I get there.

The Bar



Not much of a bar here, but you can get cheap beer and wine and the stronger stuff as well. Now that is something you never saw at the sphagetti dinners at North Methodist Church in Minneapolis where I grew up. They even used grape juice for communion.

I had a plastic glass of 2004 Makedonikos White from the Tsantali vinyard in Greece. The Tsantalis have been making wine and distilling Tsipouro and Ouzo in eastern Thraki for over 100 years. It was a decent tasting wine and went perfectly with my lamb shish-kabob

Beer For Breakfast

A Great Breakfast Beer



Sometimes you wake up in the morning and just really want a beer for breakfast. When that happens you want a few things; a big beer, a cold beer, and a nice crisp flavored beer. Now Asahi, a Japanese beer, has it all. It is what beers like Budweiser and Coors and all the rest should try for. Hello, you can be a lager and still have flavor. There is a reason that Budweiser has to sell under an alias in Germany where they paid a bundle to advertise themselves in the World Cup. Good Lord, German beers are actually good. How many cups of Budweiser do you think will be sold in the stadium, other than the ones to be dumped on the heads of opposing players.

I just wish one of the major breweries in the United States would actually try to add a bit of flavor to their beer. Are they really convinced that the American beer drinking public likes water with a smidgeon of alchohol?

My tirade is over. I have also discovered the perfect morning drink. Over a tall glass of ice-cubes; Two shots of gin, two shots of orange juice, top with Club Soda. Gin gives you a nice angry edge to face the day, which you need in New York. I am going to try rum when I want to be a bit more laid back.

Airport Bars, You Have To Love Them

Just time for one beer in the bar at the Minneapolis Hubert H. Humphrey Airport. You have to love an airport that as you approach it has a sign saying “Airport Lane.” Silly me, I thought that meant you should get into that lane to go to the airport. No, that was just the name of a street; you had to keep going straight to get to the airport.

I ordered a Blue Moon at the bar and it came with an orange slice instead of a lemon slice. When I mentioned that it should really be served with a lemon slice I got the typical “This is the way I was told to do it” response. She wouldn’t even replace it. Jeez, sometimes I just love airport bars.

Bar Man With His Beer And Orange Slice

A Fun Filled Day

Bruce decided to play golf with my nephew Charlie and Donna decided to take a nap so the Mysterious Chinese Lady and I decided to go out for some fun and excitement. Our first stop was a very nice miniature golf course. According to an ad in the paper they were supposed to have $3 rounds of golf and $2 beers. Unfortunately they hadn’t gotten their beer license yet so we settled for ice-cream cones. Blue Bunny is the brand of choice because it is made in LeMars, Iowa, not too far from here.

The golf course has a waterfall and a stream that runs through it and is quite nice.

And A Stream Runs Through It



The Mysterious Chinese Woman jumped off to an early lead but soon ran into difficulties and I managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman And A Tough Lie



After working up a thirst on the links we headed to the Barefoot Tiki Bar, Iowa’s first (I am surprised it isn’t the only) Tiki bar.

Barefoot Tiki Bar



I learned something interesting here too. The top of the palapa can only be made when the leaves are green so they shipped the leaves from Florida in a refrigerated truck so they could make them. Supposedly they are able to withstand hurricane force winds, not that you are likely to get a hurricane in Iowa. It was quite a pleasant place to have a beer. The scenery was nice and the weather was beautiful.

Bar Man At The Bar



The Mysterious Chinese Woman And A Friend



I had to take a picture of the door to the men’s room.

Dick’s Hang Out



After we got back and Bruce returned from his round of golf we decided to go out for dinner. We went to a nice little place on the water called The Wharf.

The Wharf



Bruce and I decided to have a pre-dinner libation at the bar so we ordered Bombay Martinis with a twist, straight up. One of Bar Man’s favorites.

Bar Man And Bruce At The Bar



I kind of wanted to sit out on the deck and enjoy the view of the lake but the women in the group were afraid of the sun and the bees so we sat at a booth inside and enjoyed our meal in air-conditioned comfort.

Sportsman's Pub

Sportsman’s Pub



There were a lot of neat little bars in the Spirit Lake area, but we didn’t really visit many of them. We went to a few restaurants and did some grilling, but bar-hopping wasn’t really big on our agenda. Hey, I was on vacation.

This bar was a neat little locals place and we found out some interesting information about the area we were visiting from a guy in the bar. The area is known as the Iowa Great Lakes Area because of the number of large lakes in the vicinity. These lakes are Spirit Lake, the largest, Lake West Okoboji, Lake East Okoboji, Minnewashta, and Upper and Lower Garand Center Lake.

Lake West Okoboji is a blue water lake which means that it is spring fed. President Clinton once said that there were only two blue water lakes in the world, but he was wrong. The guy in the bar said there were only three. He was wrong too. I am not sure why Clinton was wrong but I think the guy in the bar was confused because The National Geographic Society named Lake West Okoboji one of the three most beautiful blue water lakes in the world, the other two being Canada's Lake Louise and Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

Bar Man, Donna And Bruce At The Bar



After we finished our drinks we headed to Remington’s and had Bombay Martinis with our dinner but, alas, didn’t drink anything at the bar.

Donna, MCW And Bruce Heading Into Remington’s

Graduation Day

Charlie, The Proud Graduate



My brother Marty and his family live not too far from Spirit Lake where I was vacationing. This weekend they were celebrating my their son's, and my nephew, graduation from high school (MCC, which stands for, I believe, Murray County Central). Charlie, you my remember, visted me in New York last summer and even got some training as a Junior Bar Man (he practiced with sodas).

On Saturday there was a party at Marty's place and there was, as you might expect, plenty of good food. Marty and his wife, Paula Sue, own the Left Bank Cafe where they serve excellent food and their own custom roasted coffees. You can also order their coffee online and can get to their website by clicking the picture below.

The main dish at the party was roasted pork butt. He did up 100 pounds of the stuff but 60 of it was for someone else who was also having a graduation party.

Marty, Charlie, Paula Sue, Katie (my neice)



The next day we were back again for brunch and to watch a taped performance of Aida that Charlie's high school put on. Charlie played the role of Zoser (hiss).

After that we headed to the high school for the graduation ceremony then after a quick stop back at my Marty's we all headed to Spirit Lake again.