Thursday, August 30, 2012

Rembrance of Things Pabst


I am been really busy dealing with the teeth so I haven't had time to post much. We have found the best way to deal with it is alcohol. Lots of alcohol.

Now we are basically wine drinkers but lately we have been having a cocktail to start off dinner. Just one but one to get you to relax and to stop your jaw from hurting. The wife loves her cosmos and I mix it up depending on how I feel.

This past Sunday we decided to go out. Now Sunday night is a great night to go out as most of the amateurs stay home. And since we have so many restaurants in walking distance we decided to do something different. Which wasn't my idea but I figured why not?

You see as I have often said....there are two kinds of places in the neighborhood. The yuppie-scum/hipster-dofous joints and the old school regular guy places. Now we almost exclusively go to the old school places which means we go the same joints over and over again. Which I like. It is always good food and a good pour with consistent food. So we hit Marco Polo, Enoteca, Nine D Thai, Mexcals and the red sauce joints like Casa Rosa, Red Rose and Sams. But we decided to turn left instead of right when we left the store and go down Court St towards Atlantic. We walked along and decided to give this joint Watty and Meg a try.

This is a joint on the corner of Kane and Court that was in a space that had been about ten other joints in the last ten years. It has some well know chef or something and the typical fancy smanchy cuisine that impresses the yuppies so much. But what the fuck why not try something different?

First we had to decide if we wanted to sit outside on the sidewalk cafe or inside where the AC really wasn't pumping. We compromised by sitting right by the door so we got a breeze but were not out on the street. It was an evening of compromises.

We started with cocktails. Now they had a cocktail menu which you would think would be promising but it didn't work out. The wife had a cosmo. That she actually had to send back. It was really poorly made with almost no cranberry and just looked sick. We never send anything back so to do that was a big thing. I ordered a "Pimms Cup" which is an English drink. I had never had one and always saw it on the menu and decided to give it a try. Let me tell you it explains why English people have bad teeth and poor hygiene. It really really sucked. Enough of that we switched to wine.

As appetizers the wife had an iceberg wedge with bacon which was ok and I had perogies which were pretty good. Covered in fried onions and sour cream it was the only good thing I had that night. For the main course she had a Vegetable Wellington which was vegetables such as portabello mushrooms under a puff pastry. It was ok but not worth the build up. I had a ravioli with Swiss chard and ricotta in a cream sauce that was just mediocre. All in all it was not worth the check.

Then we decided to do a pub crawl. We went to this new place called "Strong Place" which seemed to be a bar in the middle of Court St. So we sit at the bar and much to our chagrin....they did not have cocktails. Only craft beer and wine. So we decided to make the best of it and ordered some wine. And started talking to the two girls behind the bar. Who turned out to be total loons. I mean batshit crazy. It was scary shit.

So we kept walking and the only place open was Enoteca which is our cafeteria more or less. Marco's dad Joe was sitting outside with a couple of his cronies having some wine and a cigar. He calls us over to sit and have a drink. We have a couple of superb cocktails mixed to perfection. When we get up to go and I call over the waiter for the check he goes "We love you guys there is no check."

You see that is a regular guy place. They take care of their friends. No fifty dollar check for a couple of glasses of wine. 


It just goes to show you.

44 comments:

chickelit said...

We bought some high quality gin recently and so we've been skipping the foo-foo cocktails mixed with sweetners. Bitter is the way to go through a drinking life.

The Dude said...

I am bitter. Maybe if I drank more that would help. Nah, who am I kidding?

chickelit said...

Vesper. If you need sweet, stick with a Lucien.

chickelit said...

Here's the most bitter cocktail recipe I ever tried: link

/crack

windbag said...

The guys you buy moonshine from down here sound classier.

chickelit said...

I just had the thought. You know who they say the umami is the 5th basic taste (along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). Someone needs to invent a really tasty cocktail that hits the tongue's umami sonsors. Here's one, but it looks a bit involved what with all that infusion: link.

If I invent a good one, I'll call it U-Mama or if it's based on MSG, The Gluteus Maximus.

chickelit said...

Windbag: There's a distillery in my hometown in Wisconsin that makes White Whiskey. At first I thought it would be a cool "colorless" option for mixing whiskey drinks, but it turns out the stuff is pretty interesting straight-up.

ndspinelli said...

Always go w/ your gut. Experiences like this just reinforces that.

Bruce and Sixty, I thought you were talking about Agonastura Bitters. Which, is a good cure for the hiccups. When I tended bar I would give folks a half shot of bitters and almost always cured their hiccups.

ndspinelli said...

I just bought a bottle of Four Roses small batch..superb.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...
Always go w/ your gut. Experiences like this just reinforces that.

Absolutely. It's like pizza and music. Your choices don't affect me and vice versa.

Politics is whole 'nother thing.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

umami---very interesting. I looked it up. Perhaps the secret ingredient in your umami cocktail could include some bonito flakes and perhaps some lime.

I have a big jar of bonito flakes that I keep in the freezer and use quite often in soups. And Hon-dashi. Indispensable for Japanese cooking.

Shichimi togarashi Is something that I also love and buy as much of it as I can when I rarely see it in grocery stores here Maybe a small dash on top of the cocktail for a little extra zip?

Michael Haz said...

White whiskey??? Racist!!

I like whiskey, all types. Except bottom shelf stuff.

My eveery day favorite is Jameson's. Knob Creek if I've got a bit of extra change in my pocket. Or Booker's.

Jack Daniel's in my cabin cupgboard, suitable for drinking from a chipped coffee mug.

No mix, ever. That is a felony. A drop of water, maybe; an ice cube, maybe. Otherwise, sipped slowly as it is.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Haz....try some Henry McKenna

We usually stick to scotch and water or scotch on the rocks, but when I want a fancy cocktail, I usually like something bitter or citric. Not sweet.

blake said...

Batshit crazy?

How do you suss that out in a few minutes at the bar? Were they looking to repair their flux capacitor?

chickelit said...

Michael Haz said...
White whiskey??? Racist!!

Democrats could have a field day with that, especially since it's made in Wisconsin!


Anonymous said...

Never ever take a muscle relaxer then have a drink.

blake said...

Voice of experience, Allie?

Michael Haz said...

DBQ - Thanks. Will do. I agree that sweet drinks are yuck. Bitter is better, except in spouses,

Allie - Done that. Enjoy the nap!

Dust Bunny Queen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dust Bunny Queen said...

Never ever take a muscle relaxer then have a drink.

Well, it is obvious then that Allie missed the 60's and 70's. /wink

chickelit said...

AllieOop said...
Never ever take a muscle relaxer then have a drink.

How else do you think Bond plyed all those women?

windbag said...

I was pondering the unfairness of life the other day, in that you can home brew beer or operate a winery with the utmost respect from the imbibing community, yet cannot enjoy the fruits of your labor resulting from distilled spirits without the rebuke and abuse from your neighbors, the W.C.T.U., the ATF, and perhaps your liver.

Pappy VanWinkle. It's not just for breakfast anymore.

windbag said...

Never ever take a muscle relaxer then have a drink.

Drink first, then the pill. Gives it something to dissolve in faster.

Trooper York said...

I don't take pills hardly ever.

The dentist kept plying me with Oxi which is just my drawer at home. I just use the Prescription strenght Motrin that he gave me and I haven't done that for a couple of days.

chickelit said...

Anyone who enjoys a gin & tonic mixes alcohol and muscle relaxant, quinine which is in the tonic water, albeit in small quantities. Quinine was used by the British as an anti-malarial but it's also a muscle relaxant.

Enjoy!

The Dude said...

ATF - that's my favorite convenience store.

Anonymous said...

I made the mistake of doing that once, I was a wet noodle, never again.

Anonymous said...

Packing for the wedding in Madison, I want a drink right now, but I'm babying my tummy, so no drinks, maybe a couple at the reception, that's all. I'm letting myself have wedding cake, chocolate, with raspberry cream filling and vanilla buttercream frosting, yep I'm having a big hunk of it!

Chip S. said...

Take the cake, leave the reception.

At least that's what I'd do, but then I'm never in the wedding party.

windbag said...

I "borrowed" some pain meds once after a wisdom tooth extraction. Don't even know what I took. I recall people coming into my office to strike up a conversation, then having a little smirk on their faces. My wife worked at the same company. After a couple of hours of entertainment, I called her and asked her to take me home. At least I was lucid enough to realize I shouldn't drive.

The little old ladies in the Sunday School class I taught at the time reprimanded me for having a tooth pulled while the moon was waning. Apparently, I was just asking for it. You schedule your extractions for a waxing moon, and it's no problem.

ndspinelli said...

Chelsea Clinton had an all vegan wedding, including the cake. How fucking self absorbed was that? Congrats MOB, enjoy the day. You're a great mom.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...
Chelsea Clinton had an all vegan wedding, including the cake.

Does that mean what I think it means? No men involved?

chickelit said...

AllieOop said...
I made the mistake of doing that once, I was a wet noodle, never again.

Did someone go al dente on you?

The Dude said...

"(the visitor) is so upset at being kept waiting -- he's waxing roth."

"Is Roth out there too? Tell Roth to wax the Dean for a while."

I saw a horse fly but never saw a moon wax.

Chip S. said...

How about bleached?

The Dude said...

I'd rather have my nuptials toasted.

chickelit said...

Roth got IRAte

windbag said...

Chelsea Clinton had an all vegan wedding...

Our ancestors didn't crawl to the top of the food chain just for us to turn into vegetarians.

rcommal said...

OK, I know it's past Happy Hour and all, but since you all are still talking about ingesting one thing or another, can I just pop in to say the next round is on us?

We got the house out East and settle in two weeks. Lord knows when we'll actually move, but still: Carpe diem! Let's celebrate.

chickelit said...

reader IA was
DE or bust

Congratulations!

Michael Haz said...

Hey Reader! Congrats! Best i!

chickelit said...

Sixty Grit said...
I'd rather have my nuptials toasted.

Joe was so much Younger than he's older than here: Pretty Maids All In A Row

Song is dedicated to Allie's daughter. Prost!

Michael Haz said...

Hey Trooper - Where's the thread where we can all comment about the comments we made on the previous night's thread?

Because that's entertaining. Not.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I drank bourbon last weekend but in the mornings I drank coffee with Patron Coffee liquor. Which is good.

I got a bottle of Pendleton in Montana and I like that too.