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.

Delta Crown Room Club

Tamika and Beer at Delta Crown Room Club



The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I were heading to Minneapolis to pick up a car and drive to Spirit Lake, Iowa for a short vacation with my friends Bruce and Donna. The night before Bar Man stopped at Fraunce's Tavern for a few Martinis with my friend Ronnie and I wanted a beer or two just to keep the buzz going for the flight. Sadly, not a bar was open in the terminal where I was catching my Sun Country flight. However, Bar Man is well practiced in dealing with difficulties of this type.

Sun Country shares a terminal with Delta and where there is a Delta there is, ta da, a Delta Crown Room Club. Now I am not a member because I do not fly all that often anymore, but they do offer day passes for only $25.00. Now considering that this entitles you to free drinks and snacks, it isn't that bad a deal. Sadly I only had time for a couple of beers so I didn't really get my money's worth. Well, yes, I did. After all, there wasn't any alternative.

The busy Tamika who worked the front desk also had to do double duty as the bartender because the one on duty was taking a potty break. Tamika was quite charming and it turns out that she lives not far from me in Brooklyn. She couldn't find a bottle opener at first (the bartender seemed to have taken it into the bathroom with her) and she rejected my suggestion that she open the bottles with her teeth. She used the old bang it on the edge of the counter trick though. Usually I carry an opener on my key chain but I put them in my bag so I could walk through security unmolested.

I had a couple of Sam Adams and got back just in time for boarding. The Mysterious Chinese Woman was less then pleased that I made her stay in the boarding area with the luggage. Sometimes a Bar Man has to do what a Bar Man must do.

Guardian Service Club

Bernie and Bar Man At The Bar



Many years ago, in a place far away, Bar Man had a "real" job. Kind of. I did consulting and had a small consulting firm. My primary client (my only client for many years) was Guardian Insurance Company. They have a very nice service club and for many years Bernie was the president. Bernie, like myself, is also retired but he has a lifetime membership in the club. Although never a member myself, because I was never really a Guardian employee, I on occasion have visitation rights. Bernie invited me to join him this evening to see a few of my old friends and enjoy a libation or two. They pour a very decent drink.

The Opener

It has long been a tradition, like for well over twenty-five years, for a bunch of buddies to get together at a friend’s cabin for the opening of Walleye fishing in Minnesota. Now this really is a big deal, the Governor, Tim Pawlenty this time, goes every year and gets all kinds of news coverage, weather predictions for the weekend are studied, wives bemoan the fact that it almost always falls on Mother’s Day, the real deal. This year the Governor had a fellow that I know as his guide, a fellow named Mike “One Doggie” Lessard. Mike is a friend of Barry Woods who owns Woody’s Fairly Reliable Guide Service. I guess with so much coverage “Fairly Reliable” just wasn’t enough.

Our crew didn’t have to worry about such things though because, quite frankly, we don’t do much fishing. We are more into drinking and dining. And we are always successful at that and this year was no exception.

A View Of The Lake With Rico




The beer of choice this year was W.L. Logar Lager, a home-brew prepared by my friends Bruce McClellan and Jon Logar. Jon lives on Wolf Lake and claims that that is what the W.L. stands for. The rest of the crew maintained that it really stood for Wiener Licker.

Bruce And Jon Showing Off Their Beer



Bruce Pouring Bar Man His Beer



The Crew Having Some Brew



Inside The Cabin



This was a very hoppy beer, to say the least. In fact when it was first cracked open it was almost over-poweringly hoppy with a real harsh taste and smell of fresh green hops. There was some question about how drinkable it would be. Amazingly enough it quickly mellowed and became a very refreshing, although still very hoppy beer. Although it was named W.L. Logar Lager, I think that was taking a bit of poetic license because I am pretty sure this was ale and tasted like a very good IPA. Bruce, the master-brewer of the team, said if had a chance to age for another couple of months it would really smooth out.

Although we had plenty to eat and drink at the cabin, including delicious ribs fixed on the grill, collard greens and pork to go with it, a Junior’s Cheese Cake, all the way from Brooklyn, and Rico’s famous omelets in a bag for breakfast, we still found it necessary to make our way to the Blue Max for a few drinks. The Blue Max is in the process of changing hands and when Rico and I stopped in on Friday we got two-for-one drinks and even managed to walk out $37.50 in pull tab winning in our pocket. Woot.

The Crew Heading Into The Blue Max



My Pals Affectionately Saluting My Arrival



There were eight of us spending the week-end, or at least part of it. Aside from me, and moving left to right along the bar were Gus, Rico, Chris, Cubby, Jerry, Bruce and Jon. Cubby had recently returned from climbing Mt. Kilimajaro so he had some interesting tales to tell and pictures to show. Bruce also showed us pictures of his climb of Mr. Whitney.

Although there was no fishing except for a couple of lines with bobbers tossed in off the dock, a few of the hardier souls did partake in some water activities. We were, after all, in a cabin on a lake.

Jon, Jerry, Bruce, And Cubby On The Lake



Jerry And Bruce Paddling In The Puddle



All in all everyone had a very good time as we do every year. Oh, except last year when, for reasons we won’t go into, the owner of the cabin, Jerry, had to cancel. Otherwise the Blue Max and its neighbor, the Eagle’s Nest, would have been among the 1000 bars that I hit.

Oysters

I decided to try out a recipe for Rocky Mountain Oysters the other day.

Rocky Mountain Oysters in the Raw



I just fixed them like I would fix fried chicken.

2 pounds fresh bull testicles (oysters).
1 cup floor
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup red wine
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
Louisiana Hot Sauce
cooking oil

With a very sharp knife, split the tough skin-like muscle that surrounds each "oyster". Remove the skin. Set the "oysters" into a pan with enough salt water to cover them for one hour (this takes out some of the blood). Drain. Transfer "oysters" to large pot. Add enough water to float "oysters" and a generous tablespoon of vinegar. Parboil, drain, and rinse. Let cool and slice each "oyster" into 1/4" thick ovals. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of sliced "oyster" to taste.

Mix flour, cornmeal and some garlic powder to taste in a bowl. Roll each "oyster" slice into this dry mixture. Dip into milk. Dip into dry mixture. Dip into wine quickly (you may repeat the procedure if a thicker crust is desired). Place each "oyster" into hot cooking oil.

Add hot sauce to cooking oil (to taste). Cook until golden brown or tender, and remove with a slotted spoon or wire strainer. (careful the longer they cook, the tougher they will become)

Drain on paper towels and serve.


They looked delicious but, based upon the reaction of my friend who ate them, I don't think this will be a regular dish at my tailgate parties, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Post Oyster Feast



I will keep you posted on any new recipes that I come across.

Cinco de Mayonnaise Malaise

Well, here is another example of how the person working at a bar can make all of the difference in the world. I decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the Mysterious Chinese Woman by going to one of the most authentic looking Mexican restuarants in my neighborhood. I mean this place does look like it could have been plucked out of a small beachtown in Mexico.

Pacifico



I have been here before and given it a pretty favorable write-up so I was hardly prepared for what I experienced today. Now, first of all, it was about 3:00 P.M. so it wasn't exactly the busy time of day. The outdoor deck was, however, almost full. The only tables available were in the sun and it was quite a hot day. We decided to sit inside where it was a bit cooler and there was only one party of two already seated. In other words, the place was just about empty.

As we were waiting for someone to take our order a group of four young women came in who wanted a table for six. They were curtly informed that couldn't be seated until their entire party arrived. Again, this in a place that was almost empty. They said they just wanted to sit and have a drink while they waited for their friends but were again told that wasn't permissible. So, they left.

Then the same guy asked us what we wanted and we said just a couple of margaritas. We were told that if all we wanted were drinks we would have to either sit at the bar all the way in the back or at a table outside. We said that we really didn't want to sit at the bar where it was dark or in the sun on the deck but couldn't we just sit at the table inside by the window looking out on the deck. We were told no, even though, again, there was only one other couple inside. Who knows, maybe if the fellow had been a bit nicer and we liked our drinks we would have stayed to order some food. But, who needs the aggravation. We got up and left.



Cafe Tabac



I guess, to make a point, we decided to head to a French Bistro that we liked to "celebrate" the French's ultimate victory in the war. Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates a fairly impressive victory by Mexico over invading French forces during the war, but about a year later Mexico lost the war.

We decided to have a bottle of wine and an order of mussels, some of the best in town, and were able to enjoy them at a nice sidewalk table.

A Nice Repast



We could have sat there even if we didn't order the mussels though and the waiter was a very pleasant fellow. We talked a bit about Tony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential and former executive chef of Hales, a very good French bistro in Manhattan and now starring on No Reservations, a television show on the Travel Station. He had made a comment about eating mussels in restaurants in his book and I paraphrased it and told our waiter that I would eat mussels in Cafe Tabac anytime.

Here is what Tony said:

"I don't eat mussels in restaurants... More often than not, mussels are allowed to wallow in their own foul-smelling piss... I have had the misfortune to eat a single bad mussel... sent me crawling to the bathroom shitting like a mink, clutching my stomach and projectile vomiting."

But hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Ours were delicious, as usual, and the bread to sop up the juices was just what you would expect in a French bistro. Even the French fries served with both catsup and mayonnaise were good.

Raising Our Glasses To French Hospitality



I finished up with an espresso and a glass of Ricard, similar to Pernod, before we meandered on home.

The New Harry's

Harry's Cafe


Harry's used to be a venerable old bar and steakhouse down in the Finacial District of Manhattan and conveniently located right across the street from where I worked for a number of years. It was largely populated by those who worked on Wall Street and there was a large ticker display running along the wall. Lots of suits and cigars and very good steaks. There was a large U shaped bar that was generally jammed from about 5:00 P.M. until everyone headed home in the early evening. Unfortunately it has been closed for about three years so it didn't make it as one of the thousand bars I visited last year.

It has now re-opened, although the official grand opening won't be until May 12th so they were missing a few things, like draft beer. Also, the place has been remodeled and doesn't quite have the old charm. It has been split into two with the steakhouse on one side and a smaller bar on the othe side in the cafe part. That is where I parked myself with a couple of buddies for a few libations.

We started out with a Bombay Martini followed by a Chimay. Ben and I had the Blue while Ronnie had the red. Very good and I shall review them in the not too distant future.

The bartenders were very friendly and recoginized me as the Bar Man, and that was flattering.

Mike And Carolina, The Bartenders


A fellow seated next to us said he followed my blog and was pleased to meet me. He just moved here from Boston so was happy to meet someone who could give him some bar recommendations. And I was more than happy to do so.

Mike, A Fan And Now A New Yorker


Harry's Cafe, it turns out, has a very good selection of beers so we decided to sample some. Carolina said that they would be getting some nice ones on tap too, including at least one Belgian.

Our next beer was an Innis and Gunn:





My friend Ben, who is a real beer maven, started talking about it and, after I figured out he wasn't talking about Guinness, we decided to have one. It is one of the best beers that I have ever had. An amazingly complex set of flavors that has elements of carmel or toffee, nuts, honey, vanilla and more if you roll it around on your tongue long enough. It is aged in for 30 days in oak casks which are then emptied into a marrying tun where it is aged for another 47 days to allow the flavors to blend. It is brewed in Edinburgh, Scotland. However I have also heard that it is brewed by Caledonian for Innis & Gunn. Well, whoever makes it, I strongly recommend it.

After that our discussions about beer continued and we got around to talking about hefeweizen beers and whether they are a heavy or a light beer. Ben seemed to think they are heavy and Carolina agreed with him. Ronnie and I, however, thought they were more on the light side. To settle the arguement Carolina suggested we taste one so she popped the top on a Franzikaner Hefeweizen and poured us each a taste.





"Hefe" means yeast and "Weizen" means wheat so it is no surprise that Hefeweizens are made with wheat and are a top fermented, unfiltered, bottle conditioned beer that usually has a noticible yeast deposit on the bottem and can be somewhat cloudy. These beers are popular in both Germany and Belgium but in Belgium they often add coriander and other spices and botanicals. They are also called Weissbiers or white beers because back when most beers and ales were dark these were the exception to the rule.

This particular beer was a bit sweet and fruity and was, I have to admit, guite full-bodied. It was very good.

We decided to see what else Harry's had to offer and Carolina said they had a nice Australian beer. Now I was hoping that it wasn't going to be a Foster's, and was pleased to find out that it was a Coopers Original Pale Ale.



Not a very good picture I am afraid, but the beer was very good indeed. It has a bit of a citrus bite to it with a slightly bitter aftertaste. But bitter in a good way. It is supposed to be brewed using the "Burton on Trent" brewing style, but I will be damned if I know what that is. A lot of good beers are, indeed, brewed in Burton on Trent, a town in Straffordshire, England that straddles the River Trent and grew up around the monastery of St. Modwen. The water there contains a lot of dissolved salts from the gypsum in the surrounding area and this gives the beers a somewhat unique taste that is thought to be desireable.

Ben Enjoying His Coopers


Ronnie, Ben, and Bar Man Enjoying Our Beers


Ben is quite self conscious about his height so we got him a telephone book to sit on and took this picutre too.

Revised Picture Of Ben And "Friends"


Sorry Ben, I couldn't resist. Ben is actually not short, he was sitting and we were standing.

Ronnie And The Normal Sized Ben


Ronnie had to leave to catch a ferry so Ben and I had one more Innis & Gunn for the road before heading of into the night.