TMFIII

I'll second Joe's recommendation. I've really enjoyed each of the flavors of Fentimans I've tried. I'm not a cola drinker, but their Curiosity Cola is delicious!

Don't mind if I do. As Sean stated, I hadn't yet made it to Spider Kelly's on the sober side of life and have been craving a trip to give it another shot. (The last time being after a cocktail class at EatBar with Gina, Sean, Nicole and Vince that was fueled by beer and whiskey shots . . . but I digress.) Being starved and feeling a little decadent, I ordered the Spider Kelly Burger (medium) with american cheese, bacon and the fried egg. I'm a sucker for eggs and putting a fried egg on just about anything makes me happy. I've also discovered the joys of a fried egg with smoked spanish paprika. Oh that's just tasty. Damn tangents. Anyway, the burger was perfectly cooked, the egg yolk mixed happily with the cheese soaked down into the meat and bun. The bacon was lean and perfectly crisp, as I prefer. The only downside to the burger, for my tastes, was the pork fat. Now don't get me wrong, I love porky goodness as much as the next gentile and the idea of mixing fat with the beef in a burger makes me swoon. However, in this case, it was just too much. It overwhelmed the flavor of the beef to the extent that I felt I was eating more pork than beef. With that said, I polished off 4/5s of the burger. Next time, I plan on ordering the regular burger just so I can get a baseline. As Sean stated the accompaniments were spot on great too. In all it was a great meal and I'm very glad I went back. I definitely plan on returning! I may even bring in some smoked spanish paprika to add to the fried egg added onto my bacon cheese burger. Ummmm . . . Lipitor . . . Cheers!

I've finally written up my visit to Town House. It was starting to get long so I decided to write a post about it on Scofflaw's Den. Here is the write-up. Cheers!

I was paired a Starr Hill Lager (or it could have been an Ale) with the Candied Yam-Benton bacon-Golden Char Roe course. The dish had black sesame that complemented the Starr Hill really nicely.

I'll second this account. For the past few years that Sober Ride has been available (at least since I moved back to the area in 2005) the experience is less than stellar. Long waits, uncooperative cab companies, rude phone people, etc. It is a good idea on paper, but unfortunately no one really cares enough to make it a good experience. I'd rather pay for a cab and get somewhat reliable service. In my book, Sober Ride is a monumental FAIL each and every holiday.

I'll have my report up soon, with pictures!!! Now that the holidays are officially behind me I can get to more important stuff. I will say that my meal at Town House was superb! Cheers!

HOLY CRAP!!!! I just found these posts. I grew up in Saltville, which is about eight miles up 107 from Chilhowie! My mother still lives there and that's where I'll be spending the holidays. I'm hella stoked to give this place a go. In fact, time to call Mom about reservations . . . . Cheers!

I'll be there!

Wait. Why did I come here again? Who are you?! Help, it's cold and there are wolves out here.

Schneider's on Cap Hill has (had) the gin last time I was there. But that's been 7 months or so . . .

Count me in as well! I'll be happy to brink along some utensils, plates, napkins, cups, etc. I may also see about something Scofflaw-ish . . .

Just a small update. We are planning on starting off at Bourbon in Adam's Morgan around 5:30-6:00pm. We'll have a few drinks, eat a bite or two and just have a nice relaxed drink-filled time. Then we'll be heading down to Central to say hello to Justin and maybe have another bite or two. After that, who knows!?!?! Depending on whether others show up or how we're feeling, Tabard Inn, Urbana, Bar Pilar, Cork are all on notice that we may show up. If you're around and want to join us, just show up! If you need to get ahold, feel free to e-mail us or send us a PM. Both of us will have access to email on the go and I'll have my trusty Iphone for web access too. And if you contact us ahead of time, we'll be hooking people up with a phone number or two. Cheers! Marshall

Depending on the day/time, I would love to go!

A Gin Fizz, along with the gin and seltzer, historically uses lemon juice and a touch of sugar to sweeten the drink. The Gin Rickey, historically, uses lime juice and no sugar/sweetener. Of course, interpretations such as Justin's Black Pepper Gin Rickey is quite delicious, IMO. Cheers!

I think I died a little inside watching this video. Just so I'm clear, she says to NEVER substitute tonic water and club soda. However, it's perfectly acceptable to substitute tequila, Cuervo no less, with rum. I agree with Joe, if I can't get a properly made cocktail, I'll drink something else.

Went to Commonwealth this past Friday with some co-workers. We shared the scotch eggs, welsh rarebit and a bucket o' chips. The scotch eggs and wesl rarebit were very very tasty. The chips were only okay - they were a little too soggy and wilted for my tastes. For thick cut (steak fries), I prefer a nice crispy outside with a fluffy innard. Your tastes may vary. For my entre, I ordered the beef and pork pasty. The filling was very nice and the dough cooked beautifully. The mashed potatoes on the side were great, in fact, I wish there were more on the plate. The only knock I have on the pasty is that the filling could be a little wetter. It was kind of like a meat loaf inside and I think a gravy or sauce over top (though not traditional) would have made the dish sing. It also didn't help that I tried a bite of the fish from the fish and chips and thought it was delicious! To drink I had a cask Hop Devil and an English pint of the Bellhaven Twisted Thistle. Both were excellent beers and really hit the spot. Overall, I was more than happy with our outing to Commonwealth and will be looking forward to getting up there again. Cheers!

I've used various brands of agave nectar in cocktails and it's very interesting. It lends a deeper flavor - think demerara sugar syrup or cane syrup - than sugar. Joe's correct in that it is some thick stuff. I've never thinned it out with water, tending to use less volume instead.

Jake, any news? The anticipa . . . . . . tion is killing me. :-)

Congrats to the folks at Castries! They were awarded a gold medal at the Ministry of Rum tasting event held this year at Tales of the Cocktail. Cheers!

Hmmm . . . I think today might be a perfect candidate . . . ummmm . . .

I liked the Fever Tree more than the Q. I still need to do a side by side comparison though.

Yes. Oh . . . wait . . . I still want to give this place a shot, even if it's only a middle of the road spot culinarily speaking. Do you know if the regular wings are breaded or as Hooter's calls them, naked? And these nachoes you speak of . . . gooey melted cheeze sauce or melted shredded cheese? Inquiring minds and all . . .

I can verify this! Phil Ward at Death & Co. poured me a dessert glass of the stuff when he learned I had never tried any . . . And I wonder why I have fuzzy memories of traversing NYC the remainder of the night.

Yep, there is on in the Shops. I've eaten there several times since it isn't that far from my office. Cheers, Marshall

Came up with this last night and it turned out really nice. Just need a name for it . . . 2oz Castries 1oz amber/dark rum .25 oz Allspice Dram .25 oz rich simple syrup 2 healthy dashes of Angostura bitters a small pinch of kosker salt Shake everything with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish is a small dusting of crushed peanuts. Cheers, Marshall