Hoo-Rah

I decided to go back to La Mancha for another taste of Spain, but wanted to stop into Pete's Waterfront Ale House to say hello to the world's friendliest bartender, Gaid, and to have a pre-dinner beer.  And I got a wonderful surprise, Mr. Popcorn is out of rehab and seems to be showing no ill affects.

Welcome Back


For this we are all grateful.

I had a draft IPA and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had a nice spicy Weiss beer, but I will be darned if I can remember what kind they were.  I should have taken notes.  Perhaps because we were just on the way to somewhere else I wasn't really all that focused.  Plus Mr. Popcorn distracted me.

We swung by La Mancha, but it wasn't open yet.  I thought it was supposed to be open at 2:00 P.M., but somebody inside said come back in half-an-hour.  What was Bar Man to do with time to kill?  Well, he could always go next door and have a beer.

The Atlantic Chip Shop


They have a nice selection of beers in here, but not exclusively British beers. In fact, very few of their draft beers were British. The bartender, Diana, said the selection of beers varied depending upon the time of year.

Diana, Kind Of Hiding


I had a Belhaven Scottish Ale which was about the most British thing they had, unless you wanted a bottle. I will probably try to stop in here next Thursday for the Scmaltz Brewing Company promotion. They are based in San Francisco and are most known for He'Brew, The Chosen Beer. However, they also brew in New York and have a line of Coney Island craft beers that include Coney Island Lager; Albino Python, a white lager brewed with spices; Sword Swallower, a steel hop lager - well, you get the point.

Should Be Fun


I am hoping they will pass out some swag. One of their Tee Shirts would be nice.

After finishing up my beer I went back to La Mancha that still wasn't "really" open. We were told it was because they had a big party the night before and the place was kind of a mess. Must have been a good party.

La Mancha


They still had the grilled sardines, kind of a stand-by, and then a couple of specials that sounded good, grilled octopus and also escargot that was somehow mixed with chorizo and cheese. Sounded weird, but hey, you know I had to try it.

All Kinds Of Good Stuff


My Little Plate


The Corizo And Cheese Stuffed Escargot


And, of course, the delicious Sangria that they make on the spot when you order it.

Best Sangria In Town


It was a bit on the cool side yesterday, but nice and sunny. It is fun to just sit at the bar here and gaze out at the street and watch the world pass by.

A Street View


Oh yeah, I told you about the Jamon Serrano Ham. Never heard of it before, well let me enlighten you:

"There is nothing more Spanish than jamón serrano. This country ham is a national treasure shared in Spain by all walks of life. Cured for at least a year, it has a much deeper flavor and firmer texture than its closest relative, Italian prosciutto. Serve as a 'Tapa' with cheese and olives."

"Jamon serrano country ham is a source of great pride among Spaniards. From time immemorial in the mountains of Spain, they have rolled fresh hams in sea salt and hung them from their rafters to cure. A year to eighteen months later the jamones are ready to mount on special stands that are designed so that anyone can stop by, carve a few paper-thin slices, and enjoy an impromptu snack – perhaps with some manchego cheese."

Jamone Serrano Ham On Its Special Stand


After our lovely meal and lingering over our sangria I decided to head back to Pete's Waterfront Ale House. I passed Gaid, the world's friendliest bartender, who sadly pointed out the demise of Mezcal's.

Mezcal's, It Has Ceased To Be


Proof Positive


This is what happens when you get greedy landlords. You triple the monthly rent of a place that has been a neighborhood institution as long as I can remember and put them out of business. Now I am betting this place will just stay empty for months and then who knows what will appear. Probably an upscale apparel shop or something. We shall have to just wait and see.

Anyway, I was going to have that Weiss beer that the Mysterious Chinese Woman had earlier but then at the last minute decided I wanted a bottle of a smoked beer. Luckily they had just gotten one in.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock


Aecht Schlenkeria Rauchier Urbock is unpasteurized and is a ruby brown with just a thin head. Not really very carbonated but very malty. It has a distinctly smokey nose that smells kind of like a smoked ham. Quite pleasant if that is what you are looking for. It is a relatively reasonable 6.6% ABV and I hope they still have it the next time I stop in here for ribs. I would pair really well with them.

No Complaints Here


It was a might fine day and tomorrow, Saturday, should be another one. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I are heading to The Gate in the early afternoon for their Cask Ale Fest and then drifting down to Brazen Head later for their Clam and Oyster Shuck. Maybe I will see you along the way.

Like Father Like Son

Is it just me, or does it seem a bit bizarre that in Nike's new commercial featuring Tiger Woods there is a voice-over of his father, who routinely cheated on Tiger's mother?

Me And Frank

People often remark on how much I remind them of Frank Sinatra.  I think I can see why, although I had much better, or at least bigger, hair.

Only In New York

The police had a crackdown on bicycle riders the other day, ticketing them if they rode their bikes outside of the designated bicycle lane.  This despite the fact that the bicyclists were doing so to avoid cars that were illegally parked in the bicycle lane.  It seems that the police ignored the cars but positioned themselves to ticket the bicylists who avoided them.

The irony: There is no law in New York that requires bicyclists to ride in bicycle lanes.

Stimulating The Economy

I popped into the Beer Party™ Headquarters last Friday to work on an economic stimulus plan.

Beer Party™ Headquarters


I was sad to see that in my prolonged absence while I was in Mexico an old friend went missing.

Oh No, Mr. Popcorn Is Gone


I can only hope that it is nothing serious and that his recovery will be complete.

Get Well Soon


Ah, but on to my economic recovery program. How about ordering a $29 bottle of beer? The locally brewed Black Ops.

You Didn't Hear It From Me


The blurb on the back of the bottle plays it close to the vest:

Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist it would be a robust stout concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under cover of secrecy and hidden from everyone else at the brewery. Supposedly "Black Ops" was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with Champagne yeast, creating big chocolate and coffee flavors with a rich underpinning of vanilla-like oak notes. They say there are only 1,000 cases. We have no idea what they are talking about.

Mine, All Mine


Of course first you have to open it.

So Far, So Good


Hmm, Just A Twist Of The Wrist


Nothing To It


Almost There


Ah, Down The Hatch


Okay, so what's the verdict. Well, it has a bucketful of flavor, that's for sure. Rich and heavy with definite chocolate, caramel and coffee hints. I thought of this as like buying a bottle of wine with dinner, thereby somewhat justifying the cost. It would be better to compare it to a bottle of port that you might have after dinner with your coffee. Or maybe with a cheese plate. Or even a chocolate dessert of some kind.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I did order dinner, a catfish salad for her and a rack of ribs for me.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman Surveys The Scene


Bar Man Chows Down On The Ribs


It was a bit of a day of excess. But part of it was intentional. Half an order of ribs is plenty for two, but I always order the whole rack so I can take some home for leftovers. I also ended up taking half of the Black Ops home as well. It was just too much to drink at a single setting. I probably shouldn't have had a Duvel Green to start out with.

The Duvel Green, which is served on tap, was really good. It is a bit lighter and less foamy than regular Duvel but most flavorful in almost the opposite direction of the Black Ops. It is 6.8% ABV and has a nice crisp citrus taste. Goes down way too easy for such a potent brew. The Black Ops is a hefty 10.7% ABV, but you won't be slurking this down like you might the Duvel Green.

When we finished up at Pete's Waterfront Ale House the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I headed back to my place to watch The Shop Around the Corner staring James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. It is a 1940's romantic comedy that was remade as You've Got Mail. I managed to finish off the Black Ops while watching it, grateful for the high alcohol content. Then I also managed to finish off a bottle of Three Philosophers that my brother-in-law Jim thoughtfully left in the refrigerator for me.

That Which Does Not Kill Me...


That was from Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, a German philosopher. See, Three Philosophers, a quote by a philosopher, even if was one who went insane and committed suicide. And they make you read this stuff when you are in college, go figure. Anyway, the beer did not kill me. It was quite good and was almost necessary after the heaviness of the Black Ops.

Okay, the burning question, Was the Black Ops worth the price. Hmm, not quite sure how to answer that. I am glad I had it, just so I can say that I know what it is like. If I were to go out with a few buddies I might consider buying a bottle to share, particularly with a nice cheese plate. Would I buy a bottle just to drink by myself? No. But that is largely due to the size, it is 1 pint 9.4 ounces. You really do need to share this with a few friends.  Actually, five friends and five ounces each would be just about perfect.

Beer Party Update

In keeping with the values of the Beer Party™ - Our motto is What, we have values - and in the interest of stirring up controversy, I pose this question:

Do you think Republicans are happy or unhappy that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has surged almost 40% since Obama took office?

That;s right folks, the Dow was at 7,949 the day Obama took office on January 20th, 2009 and hit 10,927 last Friday.

Of course I am not going to be so cynical as to believe that any Republicans are actually happy that the unemployment rate has gone from about 7.6% to 9.7% during that same time.

Okay, enough pseudo-politics, tomorrow I will write about my personal attempt to keep the economy rolling by drinking the most expensive beer that I have ever bought.

A Heads Up

If you are lucky enough to live in Bar Man's neighborhood, one in which you can walk to a French bistro, Bar Tabac, so authentic you would swear you are in Paris or to a Spanish tapas bar, La Mancha, that makes you feel like you are in Madrid,  then listen  up.

The Gate, where I hit bar number 500 way back in 2005, is having a cask festival April 9th. 10th, and 11th.  I will certainly try to be there for at least one of those days.

The Brazen Head, that I used to be able to see from my window before they built the Brooklyn Law School dormitory, is having their cask festival April 30th, May 1st, and 2nd.

And d.b.a. Brooklyn, not really in my neighborhood but just a short subway or bus ride away in Williamsburg, is having their cask festival May 7th, 8th, and 9th.

If you are cask ale fan (they even have some lagers now) these are kind of must-attend events.

The Brazen Head is also having a clam and oyster shuck on Saturday, April 10th from 5:00 P.M. to 10 P.M.  These are always great fun with plenty of fairly inexpensive clams and oysters.  I highly recommend that you get there early.  And The Brazen Head usually has two cask conditioned hand pulls available along with 15 micro-brews on tap.

After eight weeks of mostly Corona and Pacifico with an occasional Modelo, Bar Man is ready for a bit of a change of pace.

The Last Meal

Not a whole lot to post that I haven't posted already. Just a very few pictures. I guess we were all too caught up in the moment of our last night in Puerto Vallarta and reminiscing about the good times we had to think about taking many pictures.

The Final Four


Some of the gang had left earlier in the week and a lot were either busily packing or eating up whatever was left in their refrigerators

I already said how good the food was here, but I did manage to get a picture of one of our appetizers.

The Fried Calamari


And I mentioned how I got a flaming drink for my dessert.

Careful, Careful


Ah, The Perfect End To A Perfect Meal


Again, my hats off to Daiquiri Dick's. A lot of times you will get a free dinner-for-two but it comes with all kinds of caveats such as "drinks not included" or "for entree only," but not here. Everything was on the house from pre-dinner drinks to dessert and flaming coffee. I even mentioned that they were willing to add on desserts for Bill and Marcie. In short, Daiquiri Dick's could not have been more generous.

And the food was fantastic as well.

Daiquiri Dick's Mix Off News

In today's edition of the Banderas News there was an article about Daiquiri Dick's Mix Off as well as a few pictures.

You can check it out here: http://www.banderasnews.com/1003/rr-ddmixoff.htm

I think I looked kind of dapper shaking my stuff.

Back Home And Boca

I am back home in Brooklyn and it is chilly, overcast, and drizzly. Kind of like when I first got to Puerto Vallarta, only about twenty-five degrees colder. Surprisingly, it is quieter here. You can't believe how loud the booming of the surf can be. And our place in Puerto Vallarta is on a street with a lot of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian.

There is also construction going on someplace nearby so there were trucks going up and down the street all day. Plus, although it is supposed to be a two-way street with no parking, the no parking regulations are never enforced so only one way traffic is possible. However the one way is both ways. There is an endless dance of cars and trucks backing up and maneuvering around each other. Surprisingly little horn-blowing, I must admit. I guess this dance is part of the culture here.

Kind of funny to be saying that in some ways it is more peaceful and quiet here in Brooklyn than it was in Puerto Vallarta. But, and please don't misunderstand me, in some ways only.

After our morning and early-afternoon in El Tuito the gang caught the bus back down to Boca de Tomatlan, the little village at the mouth of the Tomatlan river. As I have said many times before, this is one of my favorite little day trips when I visit Puerto Vallarta. If you catch the city bus directly here and don't take the El Tuito bus it costs less than a dollar each way. And it is an exciting ride of about half an hour. More exciting and less time if you holler "mas rapido" or "andale, andale" at the bus driver.

Once you get off the bus you have a fairly long walk down to the town. The road is cut into the side of the mountain and the town is at the mouth of the river.

Heading On Down


But when you can get fresh fish like this, who cares about the walk. Besides, it is the walk back up that is the killer.

We Took The Big One, Of Course


The don't even start the coals until you order your fish so there is always a bit of a wait. But hey, you don't come here for service that is "mas rapido." You come here for a leisurely afternoon. And if it takes awhile for the food to arrive, the buckets of beers and little treats that go with them show up plenty quick.

Marge And Jim Enjoying A Brewski


We got pretty good service because one of the waiters seemed to be a bit smitten with Valerie.

There Eyes Met Across The, Well, Sunlit Beach


This Waiter Didn't Wait


Okay, now don't get all excited. It was all in good fun and no unwanted advances were made. The staff here is most accomodating and willing to pose for the camera. (Valerie made me say that).

And then the fish arrived, and what a fish it was.

Done To Perfection, As Always


The Mysterious Chinese Woman immediately fell into a swoon.

At Least She Didn't Poof


And Then We All Fell Into Eating


Another delicious feast. We had, of course, the snapper, grilled and with their fantastic barbecue sauce, and then the restaurant's specialty, Mummy Shrimp and also their delicious coconut shrimp. Now I don't usually like coconut shrimp because in the United States most restaurants use that shredded coconut that comes in bags. Yuck, dry and stringy. But in Mexico they use something else altogether. The shreds are thicker, not nearly as dry, and quite tasty.

After our meal was over the waiters once again tempted us with their racilla. And who could refuse such generous hospitality?

Not Me And Marcie


Nor The Mysterious Chinese Woman


Carol Was Game


As Was Her Husband, Jim


Jim, The Other Jim, Of Course


And Valerie, Too


Bill, of course, said it tasted like gasoline and, worse yet, wasn't pink and didn't come with an unbrella. I can still here Bill as if he were sitting next to me: "How can you drink that stuff?"

At Least He Tasted It


I Think Jim's Wife, Marge, Just Sniffed


We had yet another great time at Boca and I am already looking forward to going back again next year. May this restaurant never change.

After we paid our bill and started to head up toward the bus a couple of the waiters came out and flagged me down to give me a tee-shirt.

How Nice Of Them


Just My Size


I gathered that this was to say thank-you for showing up at their restaurant three times during my stay and bringing a fair-sized crew with me each time. Either that or we grossly over-tipped.

After we got back a few of us stopped by my place for a few more hits of racilla out of the bottle that I bought the last time I was at Boca.

Never Say Die


And, you will be happy to know, Valerie made it back too.

With Her Honor Uncompromised


If you ever get to Puerto Vallarta, be sure to visit Boca de Tomatlan and stop at the restaurant with the yellow tablecloths.

And Yellow Tee-Shirts Too


Well, that is pretty much the end of our trip. I have a few shots from our last meal at Daiquiri Dick's to post and I will do that tomorrow.

As a vaguely related (last meal, Last Supper) aside, I just read that over the years the size of the plates and the amount of food depicted in paintings of the Last Supper have increased dramatically. I guess super-sizing affects everything.