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.

Blast From The Past

I was in the neighborhood so I thought I would drop into one of my old favorite haunts.

Molly's


Now back in the day when this was pretty much my second home (I lived about half a block away) it was known as Molly Malone.  Although the name and the ownership have changed, not much else has.  It looks pretty much the same as it has always looked.

Just Like In The Day


I had the ever reliable Bass Ale to quench my thirst.

Still An Old Favorite


A lot of good memories in this place.  I used to come in here with a friend of mine and we would drink our Bass Ales with shots of Old Grand Dad 114.  One day we came in and they were out of the 114.  We asked when they were going to get more in and were told they weren't going to carry it anymore because not that many people ordered it.  When we protested that we ordered it a lot the bartender said that was the other reason they weren't going to carry it anymore.  Ah, the good old days when we were young and wild.

Another thing that hasn't changed, their hamburgers which are some of the best you can get.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered a cheeseburger with mozzarella cheese.

Lookin' Good


Oh, yeah, the Mysterious Chinese Woman was lookin' good too as she dug in.

Digging In


I opted for the bacon cheeseburger with chedder and then gussied it up with the raw onions and pickles.

Built Big


Mine was a bit messier, though.

Messy, But Good


Ah, I have to admit, I miss this place, but Pete's Waterfront Ale House has become my new Molly Malone.  But I don't go there nearly as often as I once went to Molly Malone, which was about 5 or 6 times a week.  In fact I had a set of keys to my apartment hanging behind their bar in case I lost mine.

I should have tried one of their Irish Coffees, they were the absolute best that I have ever had in a bar and, for all I know, still are the best.  Although their hamburgers are dynamite, all of the traditional Irish pub grub here is a generous cut above the average.

If I still lived in the neighborhood this would be where I would be hanging out.



Heading out to my Mysterious Sister-In-Law's place today for a big Memorial Day weekend.  Smoking ribs for sure and who knows what else.  Maybe a couple of chickens and a leg of lamb too.  We will also be celebrating Jim's birthday so that means a decent feast with lobster, for sure.

We are going out today because Jim knows that I bought him Red Dead Redemption and he wants to spend a few days finishing up Zelda - Twilight Princess on the Wii before he starts it, and the Wii resides at the Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law's house.

Oh, yeah, speaking of the Wii, the Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law is a huge Beatles fan so she has that Beatles Rock Band.  Watching her and my three neices, ages 7 through 12 singing along to the songs is both amusing, and a bit disturbing.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day and just think about this, Do you think the Rolling Stones would ever allow a video game to be made?  Man, I really hope not.

Such Modesty

Now don't get me wrong, I have lived in New York for about thirty years now and love it.  Although I travel quite a bit and there are other cities that I enjoy; Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Puerto Vallarta and many more, I prefer living where I do, Downtown Brooklyn.

But, having grown up in the, according to New Yorkers, sleepy little town of Minneapolis which may or may not be west of Chicago (New Yorkers are very poor at geography) I still recoil a bit from New York's over-the-top braggadocio.  Case in point, today's New York Daily News front page.



Consider this, "Greatest city gets greatest sports event as NFL awards us Super Bowl 2014"

Now being proud of your city is fine, we all should be, unless you live someplace like Detroit.  But is New York really the greatest city?  Just wondering where that came from.  A recent list of the cities with the best quality of life had New York at number 49, below Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Honolulu (the top rated U.S.A. city) and a slew of European cities.

And "greatest sports event"?  American football is ranked ninth in popularity among sports throughout the world, well below Association Football (soccer to us) and Cricket.  In fact, other than in the United States, ice hockey, baseball, and basketball are more popular than football.  In fact, despite Mayor Bloomberg's statement  "This isn't volleyball..., it's football for God's sakes," volleyball is actually more popular than football, worldwide.  And the Super Bowl doesn't even come close to drawing the crowds of World Cup Soccer.

Okay, how about the "NFL awards us Super Bowl 2014"?  Us?  Excuse me, the stadium is in the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is not in New York, either the city or the state.  Kind of makes you wonder about Justin Tuck's (Justin plays for the Giants) statement "I want to win the Super Bowl in New York City."

Oh well, I know this post will upset some of my New York friends, but really, the Super Bowl is not being played in New York.  We tried to get a football stadium here several years ago, but it was voted down.  We got two new baseball stadiums, though, and are about to get a new basketball arena (right down the street from me, in fact). 

On the other hand, I would bet that most of the partying happens in New York.

How Quickly We Forget

Nick Swisher, he of the New York Yankees, was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying "Minnesota baseball, they've never really had an outdoor stadium to go and enjoy the great weather they have there in the summer."

Guess Nick forgot the twenty years the Twins played at Metropolitan Stadium.  Although, to give Nick the benefit of a doubt, that was 1961 to 1981, a bit before his time.  Nick was born in 1980.

Funny though, the New York Jets left New York in 1983 and the New York Giants left for New Jersey back in 1976,  I guess, by Nick's logic, New York football has never had a stadium in New York.

Still working on the designs for my New Jersey Jets and New Jersey Giants apparal.  Somehow I need to incorporate seagulls into the design.  If you have ever been to a game in the euphemistically named Meadowlands (Swamplands just didn't cut it) you would know why.

But no, I am no longer bitter about the $15,000 per seat PSL the Jets wanted to charge me to continue to be a fan.  Or at least a seat in the seat kind of fan.

Coming Here??

So now the New York papers are full of speculation and anticipation that the Super Bowl will come here in 2014.  Here?  Excuse me, but don't you mean that it might be coming to New Jersey?

Mike Lupica actually said "If the Giants and Jets win this bid, the city wins.  They would finally stop playing the biggest game there is out of town."

First of all, the Super Bowl is far from being the biggest game there is.  World Cup Football anyone?  And, secondly, if the New Jersey Meadowlands isn't "out of town," then I don't know what out of town is.  Last time I looked it was about seven miles from Times Square.

Actually, Jersey Jets and Jersey Giants have a certain alliterative allure.  And, if they changed the name of the teams you could then buy new New Jersey jerseys.

I mean, when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn they didn't still keep calling themselves the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

I wonder if the Nets will still be known as the New Jersey Nets once they begin playing in Brooklyn.  After all, it doesn't seem to matter where you play that determines the name of your team, at least not around here.

You know, I bet you could make good money selling New Jersey Jets and New Jersey Giants apparel.

Gold Bubble

For those of you too young to remember, I am gonig to give you a quick history lesson regarding bubbles in gold and silver.

Back in the old days when there were spikes in the price of silver, people were actually selling silverware and other silver items just for the money they could get for the silver content.  Of course this was pretty silly because most of the time the value of the item sold, silverware, for example, was worth considerably more than what you could get by melting it down.  But people got swept up in the excitement.  And, invariably, the price of silver dropped dramatically shortly thereafter.

What do you see on television today?  Adds for you to send in your "unwanted" gold jewelry and you will be paid for the gold content.  Sound familiar?  This sounds to me like we have hit a bubble just like we have done with silver in the past.

Be forewarned.

And, vaguely related, I believe that watching too much History Channel changes your brain, much like reading too much National Lampoon and Mad Magazine once did.  Ancient Aliens, anyone?  I mean, How else could the ancient Egyptians have lit the inside of their pyramids other than by electric lights?

And what does "proof by indication" mean, exactly.

And It Just Gets Crazier

Just a quick follow-up to my last post.  The New York Daily News is now counting down the number of days until LeBron James becomes a free agent.  Forty-four today, in case you are interested.

They even have a website you can visit:

http://www.getlebron.com/

And, in yet another bit of bizzare logic, the New York Daily News thinks LeBron should come to the Knicks because he can't win a title in Cleveland.  Excuse me.  This from the Knicks who don't even have a first-round draft pick this year because we traded it away to get Stephon Marbury. 

In case you have forgotten, in that trade back in 2004 the Knicks acquired Marbury, Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski from Phoenix for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lampe, the rights to Milos Vujanic, two first-round draft picks and cash.

Yeah, the Knicks are sure the team you want to go to if you want to win a title because they have a history of building winning teams since Dolan has taken control.

Okay, Okay, I think I am gradually working through my anger at the Knicks.  Maybe I can let it go after the play-offs are over.

Oh, by the way, what team is Stephon Marbury helping win a title this year?

Got To Love New York

I won't go into detail about my long and, recently, painful history with the New York Knicks.  But I do have to scratch my head at the wishful logic of Knicks' fans.

When the Cavaliers were on a tear these Knicks's fans were all excited because, so the reasoning went, if LeBron could deliver a championship to Cleveland his work there would be done and he would be more willing to move to New York.

Now, with the Cavaliers not doing so well against the Celtics (my current favorite team because of Kevin Garnett) the logic goes that LeBron will want to leave Cleveland and come to New York.  Why, because the Knicks will have enough cap room to pay him well and surround him with a couple of great players so he has a chance to win a championship.

Hope blooms eternal for Knicks fans who haven't had a team to root for in many years.  I go to Minnesota this weekend for the Annual Fishing Opener gathering and it has been a long time since I have had to try to find a bar with a Knicks play-off game on their television.

But, and remember that you heard it here first, my prediction is that LeBron goes to the Nets and ends up playing in Brooklyn.

Why White Men Can't Jump

Some fascinating news has been coming out concerning the relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans.  It appears that somewhere around 60,000 to 100,000 years ago there was a bit of hanky panky going on between the two.  As a result 1% to 4% of the genome of non-Africans today is derived from Neanderthals.

This may also account for why most hockey players are non-Africans.

dba Brooklyn's Cask Festival

On Saturday I headed over to Williamsburg for the Cask Festival at dba Brooklyn.  The dba in Manhattan was one of the first bars around here that sold cask ales.  They had two of the hand-pump casks installed but usually only sold the ale during the cooler months.

I overestimated the length of time it would take me to get to Williamsburg.  From here, in Downtown Brooklyn, you take a subway into Manhattan and then at Union Square transfer to another subway back into Brooklyn.  Convoluted, but this time I hit all the connections and showed up a bit early.

Where's The Beer?


I actually walked right by the place the first go-around.  When it is closed there isn't much to distinquish it from the places on either side.  One metal door looks pretty much like any other.

Although dba Brookyn wasn't open yet Spike Hill was ready for business so I passed a bit of time there.

An Early Morning Kind Of Place


They have a few interesting beers on draft here and the Hacker Pschorr Maibock caught my eye.

Smooth, A Glass Of Brunch


Maibocks are a lighter form of Bock beer and, as you might guess by the name, is typically served in May.  Very good.

I may have had a glass of brunch, but the Mysterious Chinese Woman thought something more substantial might be in order.  Just down the street is a nice little Asian restaurant that we have been to before.

RED BOWL or redbowl


They seem to have a bit of an identity problem.  One sign uses all Capitals and two words while the other signs use all small letters and run the two words together.  I know, picky, picky, picky.

I had a plate of noodles to wash down my Sake.

Sake And Flowers, How Springy


Then it was time to head back to dba Brooklyn.

Better Luck This Time


And there was Alex, setting up his wares.

A Hard Working Guy


Well, it isn't like it was all fun and games for me, either.  I had some drinking to do.

Started out with the New Jersey '1787 Abbey Single Ale,' a relatively mild 4.8% ABV.  It is in the style of a Belgian Pale Ale and is considered a session ale.  This means it is low enough in alcohol that you can make a session of drinking it.  I thought it was pretty good but had kind of a coppery taste to it.

My next beer, a Fuller's 'London Pride,' was even milder at 4.1% ABV.  You can get the London Pride in both bottles and on draft, but the cask version has much more flavor.  Nice and well-rounded.

I finished up - yes, I know, a short session - with a fairly strong 10% ABV Stoudt's 'Double IPA.'  As you can imagine, this was a fairly hoppy pour.  And the hops was long lasting.  It uses three types of hops, Warrior hops for bitterness and Cascade and Williamette to impart the hoppy aroma.

Savoring My Ales


For some reason, maybe because it turned out to be a nice Spring day, I didn't feel like sitting inside drinking cask ales all afternoon.  Note, it was chilly and drizzling earlier in the day, hence the somewhat inappropriate jacket and hat I was wearing.

Anyway, I had been to the nearby Surf Bar before and thought that would be a nice change.  For some reason I thought they served Australian beers.  Maybe the used to, or I am getting it confused with the Sunburnt Cow in Manhattan, which is an Australian bar with a surf theme to it.

The Surf Bar


Well, no Australian beers this time around, but they had a nice outdoor seating area.

Lovely Little Place


They had a number of Tiki drinks, but I didn't like the looks of the recipes.  A bit on the sweet-side for me.  On the other hand, the Mysterious Chinese Woman found the Zombie to her liking.

What A Pretty Zombie


Peek-A-Boo


I have been on a bit of a Margarita jag lately so that is what I had.  Not bad, but not as good as the ones I make.  Alton Brown had an episode of Good Eats the other day where he demonstrated his Margarita making skills.  I will have to try it his way.  He doesn't use any orange liquor, kind of a staple, but does use fresh orange juice.  He also makes a big deal about muddling the limes and ornages with a bit of agave syrup to extract all of the oils from the skins.

Another tip, he dips the glass in tequila and lets it dry for ten seconds before dipping it into salt.  I will have to try this next time.

Not One Of Alton Brown's


Then it was back home after a quick stop at Spike Hill for a bathroom break and one final Margarita.

It would have been a perfectly fine day if it had ended there.  However, such was not to be.  Jim called and wanted to know if the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I wanted to hook-up at Capucine's.  He was taking the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law out for an early Mother's Day.  Well, how could I say No.

After heading back to Manhattan there was Jim, but he was by himself.  Apparently the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law didn't feel like going out.  So we ended up the evening with dinner, a couple of Rob Roy's and an after-dinner Rusty Nail.

Sadly, the next day I was supposed to go with the Mysterious Chinese Woman to meet the Mysterious Chinese Mother-In-Law and a Mysterious Chinese Sister-In-Law for dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.  I say sadly because I begged off on going and now, I am sure, I am in the doghouse with someone.

The life of Bar Man is not an easy life.

But First A Word From Our Sponsor

Not really a sponsor, just my favorite neighborhood bar that, by now, you probably know is Pete's Waterfront Ale House.

I popped in on Friday for a quick bite and they had a corned beef sandwich on the special menu board.  Sam, the grilll-master, was there and I asked him if he did his own brisket.  I should have known, of course he did.  The spicing and brining and smoking, the whole thing.  Well, how could I resist.

One Fine Looking Sandwich


It didn't take me long to dig right in.

Stuffing One's Face


I have said it before but it is always worth repeating, the food at Pete's Waterfront Ale House is always surprisingly good.  They don't advertise themselves as a rib place, yet their ribs are some of the best I have ever had anywhere.  And they sure don't advertise themselves as a deli, but their corned beef  sandwich, dare I say it, was even better than Katz's.  Smokier, which I prefer.

Now they don't often do a lot of Mexican food, but I think they did have some Cinco de Mayo specials last Wednesday.  They do, however, have pretty decent Margaritas.

Good To The Last Drop


And Don't Forget The Free Fresh Popcorn


The next day, Saturday, I went to dba Brooklyn for another cask ale festival, but more on that later.

And The Pot Calls The Kettle Black

Is it just me, or does an obviously obese or, at least, very over-weight, U.S. Surgeon General warning about the dangers of obesity seem, well, a bit strange?

Hey, Cut Out The Cupcakes

Kind of like me warning about the dangers of drinking.

And what's with that "I never thought of treating my patients as work" all about.  You are a doctor.  You see your patients while you are at work.  What, you treat them as a hobby and don't charge them? 

Sanjay Gupta should never have turned down this job.

A Guide To Licorice Liquor

Well, no pictures today from Bar Tabac, but I shall pass on a bit of knowledge, or opinion.  I like licorice, so I also like licorice flavored liquors.  Sambuca, a bit too sweet for me these days, and that goes double for Anisette.  Strega, ah, great step up from Sambuca.  Then we move to Ouzo, Pernod, Riard and Arak.  Of course there is always Galliano of the old Harvey Wallbangers fame, belongs there up a step below, or maybe above, Sambuca.  And, then, the often overlooked Herbsaint, developed after Absinthe was outlawed, much like Pernod, but Pernod actually made Absinthe, and still around today (that is Herbsaint that is still around today, my last sentence was a bit convoluted, even by my standards).

Anyway, after having a bit to drink today, Ricard being predominate but also including most of a bottle of Sancere and a wee bit of Champagne (and a glass of whatever the woman sitting next to me left behind), I have decided to present you with my guide to drinking licorice flavored drinks.

Anisette:
To be avoided at all costs unless given to you by someone "connected."  In that case it will be high-proof and made from 100% alcohol stolen from a tanker shipping it from a  Midwestern brewery to a wine company on the West Coast that makes fortified wines (that tanker somehow getting rerouted to Boston).  If the latter, drink it straight up or use it to "sweeten" your espression, er, I mean your espresso (both, probably).  And you didn't here this from me.

Sambuca:
See above, but can be consumed if nothing else is available and you are desperate.  Do not pay extra for "Black Espresso."  It isn't worth it and only stains your teeth.  This may not hold if you are actually in Spain, Italy, or Portugual.

Sterga:
Italian for "Witch."  A big step up from either Anisette or Sambuca.  Still sweet, but strong enough to make up for it.  Plus, any Italian restaurant that has Strega is, in my opinion, probably a good restaurant.  Only the good ones even know about it.

Herbsaint:
Over-priced and nothing taste-wise you can't find somewhere in the following list.

The Following List:
Ouzo, Pernod, Riard and Arak should be drunk, in my opinion, one of three ways.  Staight (think Root Boy Slim and Boogie 'Till You Puke), in a glass with an ice-cube and a spash of water, or, and one of the best, one part of the alcohol, five parts water and a couple of ice-cubes in a tall glass.  Absolutely refreshing.  Also, and try mixing with orange juice, a favorite of mine but not to everyone's liking.  I think it tastes like those little pumpkin candies you used to get on Halloween.  Back when little kids could actually go door-to-door and accept candy from strangers.

Ah, remember those old days when you could read comics at the drug store and buy everything you needed to make gunpowder as well.  Try going to CVS or RiteAid and picking up a couple of ounces of sulfer and saltpeter today.  We used to be able to shoot marbles a full-block, eh, but that is another story for another time.

And, one cannot forget Absinthe, newly legal in the United States, but drunk by yours truly in many a foreign country before then. Staight (not highly recommended), with an ice-cube and a splash, or with ice-water dripped over a sugar cube (probably the best, but I wouldn't make an issue of it).

In my opinion, of all those available. in the United States today, Pernod is far and away the best.  Pernod was, if not the first, one of the original makers of Absinthe.  When it was banned (wrongly, because of the wormwood), Pernod altered the recipe a bit and lowered the alcohol content (the real culprit).  Now that it is legal again Pernod has reconstructed their recipe to as close as possible to the original and upped the alcohol content back to a respectable 134 proof.

Cinco de Mayo and Pinatas

Being somewhat of a contrarian, and trying to avoid a crowd, I lilke to go to Bar Tabac, a French bistro, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  And, the Mysterious Chinese Woman wanted me to know that the pinatas, of which you may see a lot today, probably had their origin in, this will be hard to guess, China.

At least as far back as the 13th century, the Chinese had a game whereby large paper dolls in animal shapes were stuffed with seeds and then smashed to bits by partygoers.  The paper remnants were then burned and the ashes kept for good luck.

Explorer Marco Polo saw this game during his travels to China and brought the idea back to Italy, where the object was called a pignatta - or "little pot" - and became popular with the Renaissance nobility. Instead of paper and seeds, small clay vessels were filled with trinkets and other pricier gifts, then batted at during pre-Lenten celebrations. Larger, colorful pignattas filled with candies were hung in town squares and smashed open for children during the carnival festivities.

The route from Italy to Spain brought small changes to the custom, which then made its way across the Atlantic to Mexico with Spanish missionaries.
In Mexico, the Spanish pinatas were used as a tool of religious conversion, as the hanging pot was meant to represent sin, and those who destroyed it represented good vanquishing evil. Pinatas were readily accepted in Mexico because a similar Aztec ceremony honoring Huitzilopotchli, the god of war, already existed there.

So there you have it.  Of course according to the Mysterious Chinese Woman, everything had its origin in China.

Left Handed Playing Cards

As many of you know, I am left-handed and, according to the Mysterious Chinese Woman, possibly an alien.  And not from Mexico.  She is thinking someplace a bit further away.

Now I have often maintained that the left-handed are, if not more intelligent than right-handers, more adaptable.  As a case in point, I can easily sit down at a right-hander's PC and use their mouse without thinking about it.  However, I have watched right-hander's struggle for hours trying to get comfortable using my mouse that is set up for a left-hander.

Here is a little experiment you can do.  Most people don't realize that playing-cards are designed for right-handers.  Don't believe me?  Take a close look.  Right-handers naturally hold their cards in their left hand and then use their right hand to fan them.  Easy to see the numbers and suits when you do that, Right?



Now hold the cards in your right-hand and fan them with your left-hand.  Hah!!  You can only see the number and suit of the first card.



Okay, here is my point.  Left-handers have no problem with this because they can adapt and hold the cards in their left hand just like right-handers.  But, see if you can get a deck of cards for left-handers, and not the ones that have the numbers and suits in all four corners but just in the opposite corners.  Now slip it into a card game and watch the perplexed looks on everyone's face when they can't figure out what their cards are.  And then watch them struggle to figure out what to do.

Left-hander's are not just more adabtable, we also have a weider sense of humor.

Cask Festival At The Brazen Head - Day Three

Another nice day on Sunday so another fairly small crowd at The Brazen Head.  A bit unfortunate because new casks don't come out until the old ones are gone.  As a result there were only two beers available that I hadn't already tried.

I started out with a Pearl Street Saber's Edge Imperial IPA.  This is a double IPA which, I guess, means that it has a lot of hops.  A nice coppery color, but way bitter.  It is a hefty 8% ABV and not a beer that I would drink a lot of.  I was glad I was just drinking half pints.

My next one was a Defiant Porter, a dark, fairly heavy brew with the now common hint of coffee.  A bit hoppy, but nothing overpowering.

I still had tickets left and I had enough of the heavy beers so I finished up with a pint of the Michigan Celis White to clear the old palate.

Now that should have been my day, but oh no, not me.  Someone took an interest in the pictures in the background at Cody's Ale House and wanted to know if Gaid had a website.  Now I knew I had one Gaid's cards someplace but, of course, couldn't find it.  This meant I had, simply had, to go to Pete's Waterfront Ale House  to see if I could get the information.  And, you can't go to Pete's without getting a drink, or two, or three.

But, I did get the information, kind of.  It turns out Gaid doesn't have a website but does have a telephone number.  I guess he isn't a complete dinosaur.

Old Time Photographs - (917) 245-5523


Or, you can stop into Pete's Waterfront Ale House on a Friday or a Saturday afternoon, when Gaid usually works, and ask to see his portfolio.  Tell him Bar Man sent you, I might get a free beer out of it.  Or you might and I will have to pay double.  Gaid can be funny that way.

I was minding my own business drinking Margaritas at the bar and talking to a guy named Vinnie about the old days in the neighborhood when in walks the Mysterious Chinese Woman.  She had returned from visiting her mother and tracked me down like a dog.  And she was hungry.

We got ourselves a table where she had chicken fingers and I opted for the softshell crab sandwich again.

Finger's Lookin' Good


A Crab With His Crab


What A Cute Little Fellow


Things were pretty much under control at this point but then...  They have had the Pernod Absinthe here for awhile and so far I have resisted the temptation to try it.  But the fellow at the table next to us ordered one and, well, I figured as long as the waitress schlepped the whole intricate serving device all the way from the bar I would make it worth her while by having one myself.

Ice-Water Over Sugar Cube Into Absinthe
 

A Close-Up


I got a picture with the waitress and you can see the veneration with which I am held around here.  I am not sure if that sentence was grammatically correct.  I think I meant You can see how I am venerated around here.

I Get No Respect


And now I am ready to meet the Green Fairy.

Tinkerbell, Here I Come


Ah, nothing like a blast of 136 proof green stuff to get you looking at the world a bit differently.

Smooth, And Refreshing


I am bringing a bottle of this to the Minnesota Fishing Opener in a couple of weeks.  Must remember to buy sugar cubes, but I think we will use a simpler device to pour the ice-water.

Just a reminder, this weekend the Cask Festival shifts to dba Brooklyn in Williamsburg.

 

I am going to try to get there Friday so if you go, look for me and say hello.