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southdenverhoo

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  1. southdenverhoo
    wow, seriously meh beer list.
  2. southdenverhoo
    A very dear female friend of mine lived and worked year-round as a bartender in Aspen for 4 or 5 years in the 80s and spoke with a similar degree of "exasperation"--perfect word, there-- about that with which she had to put up, on a regular basis, as well. I don't think she worked at WCT, but was a regular there; but in any event HST didn't limit his activities to his oft-declared favorite joint and Aspen wasn't very big, so sooner or later every professional server was going to have dealt with the entire local adult population, at something less than its best. Though Aspen in the 80s was a town in which impaired and entitled assholes were not scarce, she told HST stories with a particular vehemence. A lot of them, if I recall correctly, involved M-80s packed inside hamburger "bombs," and similar instruments of noisy messiness, detonated indoors for maximum effect, that some poor server had to clean up afterwords...but there was frequent gunplay as well. Sometimes it's best not to meet our heroes, or people who have dealt with them intimately in their private lives. Especially our heroes in the arts. It doesn't detract one iota from my enjoyment of lines like this: I felt like a monster reincarnation of Horatio Alger: A man on the move, and just sick enough to be totally confident.
  3. southdenverhoo
    My old UVa fraternity brother, Maunsel White, is the great great grandson referred to in this article. (there are many more like it) I don't think McIlhenny "stole" White's recipe but I do think it likely that White introduced him to the "Tobasco" pepper itself, and probably gave him the seeds. After that, the peppers probably took on a different flavor on Avery Island than at the White plantation at Deer Range. I believe McIlhenny's sauce was entirely his own however. I think both men can be honored with the idea that White gets credit for the cultivation of the pepper itself and McIlhenny for either creating the sauce or at the very least, perfecting it -- and marketing the absolute tee-total hell out of it.
  4. southdenverhoo
    I hope she did OK--horse people of that era were legendarily cheap (with some notable and locally renowned exceptions) and the middle class folks--well my dad once gave me a stern talking-to in my late twenties over a 25% tip he saw me leave; I've never let him see any check I've paid since. He's a strict 15% man having been raised in the Depression, but compared to him a lot of the local entrenched/generational wealth tossed nickels around about as casually as if they were manhole covers.
  5. southdenverhoo
    If thwarted in Georgetown, the Shields so ought to go to the former Ben & Mary's Steak House in Warrenton VA. Been sitting empty again for months. Perfect size for intimate dinners albeit for 60 or 70 vs 14. Not even listed for lease anymore, I believe the owner finally got tired of failed restaurants. If they are interested in opening a restaurant in DC or thereabouts, they MUST read this website, so: Mr. and Mrs. Shields, the property owner is Keith Fletcher, and his website is www.fletcherrentalproperties.com. The space had a long career as the place to be among wealthy local horse people as well as middle class folks like my parents, too, with great steaks, but fell off horribly after Ben & Mary Golightly retired, and has been mediocre to poor under a string of owners since. But it's a hell of a lot closer to the District than, say, Little Washington. Or Chilhowie. I mean, it's just sitting there. 6806 James Madison Highway, Warrenton VA, 51.1 miles/57 minutes from the corner of Wisconsin & M in G-town... There is a moneyed clientele around, I'll bet Neil Wavra would tell you a surprising amount of his business comes from Fauquier and western Loudoun counties, as opposed to day-trippers and weekenders from inside the beltway. (my interest is strictly as an occasional visitor to my old home town; my dad's place is less than 3 miles away...)
  6. southdenverhoo
    it was written perfectly; my own constant misuse of the word "like" was like the only reason I misunderstood it...
  7. southdenverhoo
    I hope he can bring them down to earth a little bit. He's certainly got the resume.
  8. southdenverhoo
    well I guess my guess was wrong, on further review of all the clues...I do like the location I wrongly guessed, though. Too expensive though.
  9. southdenverhoo
    what were you doing in Fremont, picking up your Tesla? (Thanks for pointing me to your previous Sucks review...with which I heartily agree, except to say you sure as hell don't need to calibrate via checking on what the Ahlstroms say)
  10. southdenverhoo
    well, my personal favorite from them is Lagunitas Sucks, a beer probably--but not definitely, because like all Lagunitas beers it is SO damn well made--both too bitter and too "hoppy" (two different things, achieved by, respectively, huge additions of hops early--bitterness--and late--hop flavor and aroma--in the boil)--for Don to like, though I wish he'd try it sometime and report back... But Sumpin Sumpin rocks as does its half-sister, A Lil Sumpin Wild, same beer but fermented with a Belgian yeast strain...and btw these are pretty hop-forward beers for a professed malt head to enthuse over. Don, their Pils is excellent too, I think every bit as good as Victory's or Sly Fox's take on the style.
  11. southdenverhoo
    I'm kind of sort of "related" to one of the featured guys, Dustin Wilson, now at Eleven Madison Park, in a complicated 21st century way...(His nephew, by marriage, is my step-grandson-- the younger of the two dudes in the picture at left, actually). It occurs to me this is the most famous person I know well enough to say I "know"... Wonderful guy. Deserves the accolades, worked extremely hard, even monomaniacally, to get there. Haven't seen the film yet but really want to.
  12. southdenverhoo
    leleboo for someone new here you have surely scoped things out! I agree with 100% of what you've posted here. Some suggestions you haven't mentioned yet, and also for Denver travelers: 1. Potager, my favorite restaurant in Denver, and 2 blocks from my house. 2. Table 6, near Fruition, (which latter I see you've tried & enjoyed, we love it but not quite the same since maitre d' Paul Attardi left) 3. I see you've been to two Frank Bonnano restaurants, Bones and Osteria Marco, both on the more casual end of his spectrum; have you tried Mizuna or Luca d'Italia? 4. Old Major in LoHi. Though nobody in my family likes this quite as much as I do...this is where Paul Attardi from Fruition landed, a big plus in my mind. 5. Haven't been so can't recommend but hearing good things--Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, downtown. 6. For casual but good food which pairs well with the excellent craft beer selection, it is very hard to beat Euclid Hall, where the top toque is Jorel Pierce whom Top Chef fans know as Jennifer Jasinski's (also of Rioja which I agree rocks) sous chef in the recent Masters series in which she was a non-winning finalist. House made sausages and something on tap: a great casual meal. ETA: wow is my short term memory bad--I attributed recommendations from page 2 of this thread from Tujaque or Tweaked (can't remember, again) to you: Fruition . And suggested a restaurant to you that you were already aware of (though don't know if you've been yet), Table 6. Sorry! PS agree totally re: TAG Burger Bar, in Congress Park (next neighborhood north of Cherry Creek BTW).
  13. southdenverhoo
    I like this place too, practically around the corner from my stepdaughter's L.E.S./Chinatown digs. No food though, right? Or very limited, like charcuterie and cheese? Another beer-centric place we enjoyed close by was Spitzer's Corner, I want to say one block east and one or two north, of Top Hops (or thereabouts) good if not great food and a shorter but still excellent list of beers including a number of locals--if you want a little more substantial nosh with your beer & people-watching through the huge (open when we were there) floor to ceiling windows. I guess I entertained about 8-10 of her late 20's friends for around $400 w tax & tip, and everybody ate something more substantial than appetizers, (mine was a very nice pork belly benedict, for example) and had a few craft beers...so: reasonable IMO, very reasonable for NYC. just checked: 101 Rivington, so, yes, a block north of Delancey and a block east of Orchard, nice to see my memory is intact after what was for me a pretty liquid lunch in an unfamiliar town... But yeah, Top Hops is a far more serious craft beer bar. Also like 6-8 glass door/shelves of refrigerated bottles to go. (do you know if they are all priced for on-premise consumption, or are they at common retail prices and maybe they charge the beer equivalent of "corkage" if you want to enjoy one on-premise? we stuck with what was on tap so never asked) And growler fills of everything on tap, something we don't get in Colorado. Top Hops rules.
  14. southdenverhoo
    I thought, but expect to be schooled by Don's eventual post, that the Copper Fox two year old rye I've been sipping on since I brought it back from my last trip home a month ago, is rather nice actually. That may be because of the low expectations I went in with, in part from posts here about the harsh and sort of artificial flavors in the single malt from a few years back. But those described, if I understood correctly, whiskey sold young to be barrel aged by the customer, and with some sort of process to inject smoky Scotch-like flavors into it on the quick & dirty...this rye, on the other hand, was aged in barrels from the Bowman distillery in Fredericksburg for at least 12 months (I know, I know, still pretty quick...) and while the malt is kilned over an applewood fire this is to me old school rather than artificial, and similar (but applewood instead of beech) to the way Bamberg maltsters make the rauchmalz that go into, say, the Aecht Schlenkerla Ur-Bock Also because Rick Wasmund and his mother and his apprentice were so fucking nice when I showed up at 11 am on a weekday while they were cooking up one batch of mash and bottling a finished batch of whiskey and gently kilning one batch of malt over an applewood fire (in a fairly ingenious arrangement in the old barn that houses their distillery) and raking the floor maltings for another batch of malt, and steeping still another, still found time to show me around. But it will be hard to convince me that this is not a smooth, caramelly, pleasant tipple, for a beer geek ( and occasionally snob) who is not too up on spirits and therefore perhaps not aware enough of faults that would be obvious to a trained palate... I just realized that this is bad manners, unforgiveable thread drift and nothing to do with steak tartare! And yet having written it I don't want to erase it, and will hit "post" knowing it's bad manners. Deal with me (and the post) appropriately, Rocks, mea culpa... Back on topic if only tangentially, if you're ever in Denver and in the mood for tartare, go directly to Old Major in Highland. I don't know how they dress it, obviously a vinaigrette but not a vinegary one if that makes any sense.. but there is an unctuous velvety texture that's spiked with just a tang of something acetic, and the meat itself, wow. One of the best in my recollection...
  15. southdenverhoo
    Jammin' Joes has moved to the Whittier neighborhood in Denver, at 2600 High Street in the former home of neighborhood fave Frank's Kitchen. I have to admit I never went to the old stand even though my family's home is "just down the road) from there, so I can't tell from the pictures if it's the same guy (he's identified as Joe Van Dyke if that helps) but the "Appalachian style BBQ" that I seem to remember as his trademark before is still the prominent descriptor...and there are numerous references to him having moved from Virginia...
  16. southdenverhoo
    This just came to Colorado. Per the link, it has evidently been available on the West Coast for awhile. I had one today and highly recommend, if it ever makes its way east to y'all. Of course I added shredded cheese and un-veganed mine. But an excellent evocation of chorizo, the effect I understand they were shooting for, with no meat. If I screwed up the embedded link--my virgin attempt--here's the link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/28/chipotle-vegan-sofritas-burritos/2583869/ If I didn't screw up the embedded link, who knows? Emboldened, I may even heed Don's polite request & try my hand at an avatar...
  17. southdenverhoo
    apologies in advance for what is probably a dumb question, but why not just buy pork belly at a Chinese grocer like Super H (if there's one nearby)? I mean, if it's uncured you want? Or is there some seasoning or processing short of a "cure" on so-called "uncured slab bacon" that makes it superior to plain ol' pork belly for lardons? (I am not a gourmet cook or even a particularly competent one! ergo the question) oh--Edit to Add: it's probably the organic or sustainable or pastured or local aspect? I can see all of those as a critical value-add...
  18. southdenverhoo
    I was surprised by how many commenters offered condolences; I read the last 4 or 5 blog entries describing the sale (not involuntary closure) of the restaurant and thought, shit, this is a success story! He's had the fun of opening and running a critically successful restaurant which perhaps was not sufficiently profitable in the summer to balance out the winter doldrums in the Hamptons, but he's sold the business while retaining the real estate, rented out for sufficient money (if I read correctly) to pay off all loans and leave him with unencumbered real estate in, oh, 15 years. (Obviously a lot depends on the chops of the guy he sold it to, but he seems comfortable with the guy, and, hell, if this one fails there will be other takers, believe me; the point is he still owns the real estate.). Plus he established a relationship with his (apparently soon-to-be celebrity) chef which has led to what I am assuming is roughly a 20% interest in what seems to be a slamming Brooklyn restaurant (he's put up 25% of the money, I assume the other 75% was split between three investors and the chef got a free ride for an equal share, but that's just a guess). And they may be doing other deals... Plus he clearly is going to get a book out of this deal...and he got to hob nob with the Rich and Famous, some of whom he name checks... Any first-time restaurant start-up you walk away from without a stop in the bankruptcy court is a success, but he did far better than that.
  19. southdenverhoo
    The first World of Beer in Colorado is near my gym and I drove by it for maybe 6 weeks, put off by the chain-ishness of the exterior, before finally checking it out. It is actually quite good, and way more supportive of the local beer scene than I anticipated from a Florida-based chain. The second time I went in there they had 46 of 50 taps serving Colorado breweries. Another time there were at least 30 beers from local nano-breweries, ie breweries with smaller than 5 barrel systems. Indeed they had beers from brewers in our burgeoning nano scene who brew on 1 barrel systems, several of whose beer I have never seen anywhere outside the brewery's own walls. I had never seen that done before and it speaks volumes as to the level of commitment and enthusiasm these folks have for what they do. This is of course not all they do, and their selection of both US and foreign (particularly Belgian) brewers is extensive, not generic--they get the one-offs and seasonals, not the dross--and constantly changing, therefore fresh. The antithesis of the Yard House chain out of California, if you've ever had the misfortune... It is a franchise, though, so maybe we were just lucky with our franchise owner here... Colorado has both tavern and "beer and wine" licenses that require no food service other than "light snacks," so our location (and the new one planned across town) doesn't even have a kitchen. They encourage you to order from surrounding restaurants in the little "entertainment district" in which they are located. That won't fly in VA, but I couldn't imagine the food would be very noteworthy; it doesn't seem to be what they are about, looking at their website.
  20. southdenverhoo
    My late mother's favorite St Louis joke: Did you hear about the time Popeye got lost in St. Louis? He was on Olive and thought it was Grand.... Damn I miss her. What a great old broad she was.
  21. southdenverhoo
    those outraged by Furstenburg's article, have any of you been to Charleston lately? Or, Jesus, even Richmond? I think he's on to something, with regard to rents and their impact on the specialty grocer, cheesemonger, baker (I think we can all agree he knows something about that) brewer (which he didn't mention but you have to really want to brew beer in DC to have done so, Fritz Hahn's article to the contrary notwithstanding) or young innovative genius restaurateur without a shit-ton of capital (bye bye, pizza man, we'll miss you). I think if you live in a city with the population of Washington and the second cheesemaker you can come up with in rebuttal to his point is a Cowgirl Creamery from Point Reyes with a retail outlet 2 miles from your house, you're making his point. OTOH, things are certainly getting better, but the question one might ask is, are they getting better everywhere else,too, but at a faster pace?
  22. southdenverhoo
    this thread made me go out and buy a pressure cooker a couple months ago, and the reawakening of this thread made me finally use it--red beans and rice in an hour and twenty minutes (I did soak the red beans for 4 hours first) because I had little confidence in the experiment, I did not spring for the best ingredients--simple Kroger kidney beans instead of mail-order Camellia brand, a poor Johnsonville take on andouille which was the downfall of the dish--but what I learned was, this really works. But about 20 minutes of dicing the trinity etc, 55 minutes in the pressure cooker, then add the separately heated and sliced sausage, and all textures were exactly right. I was taught this dish 25 years ago by a girlfriend from Uptown (Joseph & Prytania) who was a stickler, so my standards are pretty high. Her version took at least 8 hours and often 10. I am a convert
  23. southdenverhoo
    Hume; Paris should have also mentioned that Hume is only 15 miles (about 25-30 minutes, on these roads) south of the much-loved Ashby Inn in Paris. Just go north on Leeds Manor Rd, cross the interstate, keep going until you run into US 17 just outside Sky Meadows Park; stay on 17 to US 50, then west on 50 just a wee bit to Paris...don't exceed the posted limit (a ridiculous 45 IIRC) on 17...
  24. southdenverhoo
    Hume; Flint Hill My best friend in HS (class of, alas, '71 ) lived in Hume; his father was farm manager at the Marriott-owned Fairfield Farm (now, I believe, referred to as "the Marriott Ranch", but you see where one of Marriott's brand names came from). Anyhow, Flint Hill is just a hop, skip and a jump from his old place via Hume Road to 522, then south (north would take you to Front Royal); if you're closer to Hume proper, ie the intersection of Leeds Manor Rd and Hume Rd, I think it would be quicker to go south on Leeds Manor and then turn west on Crest Hill Rd. which will put you in the middle of Flint Hill. There your choices would be the newly re-opened Flint Hill Public House (thread here recently), The Griffin Tavern, or, 24 Crows. There's a nice review of this last in roadfood.com: http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/7882-9393/24-crows. A place crying out for a restaurateur, but currently (mostly) vacant, is a little south of Hume in Orlean, the Orlean Market. While the restaurant is closed, they still serve sandwiches and light fare in the market, and they have a nice wine selection and an especially nice if limited craft beer selection in what is basically a (closed) restaurant-cum-gas station-cum-convenience store with "gourmet" aspirations. This is about 6 miles south of the aforementioned "downtown" Hume (Hume Rd & Leeds Manor Rd), at the intersection of Leeds Manor Rd and John Barton Payne Rd. If you don't want, or don't have time for the drive over to Flint Hill ( I said "hop, skip, and jump" but it's 12 or 13 miles on mostly country roads, ergo 20 minutes each way from "downtown" Hume) this is a pleasant place for a sandwich (I believe their bread comes from the Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton) or some decent cheese, and a beer or glass of wine (at regular retail price). But in the right hands it could be so much more!
  25. southdenverhoo
    Bloomingdale seems to have hit critical mass...hail the pioneers like Big Bear, Hail the Bloomingdale Farmers market, hail the Rustik and the very important Boundary Stone, but this, i think, elevates everything a notch. I fell in love with that building the first time I saw it, back in 2006. Thinking back on it that was when I joined this community, to get a feel, as an outsider, for what was going on around town. There was a good Bloomingdale blog, at the same time, authored by a blogger named IMGoph, who, I figured out from the blog, lived in one of the two upstairs apartments in that exact building. I wanted to put a nano-brewery in there but zoning was wrong, and really, DC laws weren't and I think still aren't right for the brewery/tap room combo you can do here in CO, or (after a change in the law last July) in VA. But I digress. This is the PERFECT place in the perfect space. Couldn't have happened to a nicer neighborhood. I predict a long and happy life for what I think is a restaurant in the early days of being a neighborhood institution. Can't wait 'til I'm back in town to try this out.
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