Camping with friends

A couple of weeks back we went camping to celebrate our friends birthday. It was sort of a disaster, but we did get one magical moment out of the deal. below is the only way I can describe it.

Saturday Morning September 22nd:

We crashed out onto the beach like conquistadors in reverse. We swaggered with the cocksure steps of ownership and alcohol. The pitch black of the open ocean and sky giving way to infinity as our eyes adjusted and the world fell away. We rushed to the water. We spun in place, eyes to the heavens until our equilibrium and delirium gave way to gravity.

Adventurers who marched a half a mile and centuries back in time.

We gazed at the stars with new eyes as they shone so clear and so bright with the defiance of eternity; only to be mocked by the fleeting appearance of shooting stars hither and yon. Lying on our backs in a row contemplating the universe like our fifteen year old selves, basking in the knowledge there was some unknown secret that would, someday, be revealed to us. Sluffing off the weight of expectations we had accumulated through the years. We were not celebrating a birthday, but all birthdays, and as Miles Davis wailed through the darkness, with his unspoken refrain of "so what" turning in our minds, we recaptured a moment we had all thought was lost years ago.

Once in a lifetime

Having lived in Charlotte for 13 or so years now and expecting anything but the unexpected, it came as quite a shock when we were picked to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Never one to let an interesting experience pass me by I decided to volunteer. Around the same time, as the announcement, an old friend from high school was visiting our city and while we were catching up over breakfast one day, she mentioned the event and that she knew one of the transportation organizers, and that I should do that. Sure, I love to drive. I scheduled a way to be off for the entire week and I was excited.

Fast forward nine months and I find myself in the thick of getting everything ready. I was asked if I would be up for, and eligible, to drive in the Senatorial pool. I told them they could try but I make no promises that I would pass. But, turns out my past is either not as interesting as I have self mythologized it to be or well under the radar of law enforcement, either way, I was accepted.

The week leading up to the event I was driving staff around to do final checks and things and everything was running like a top. When we signed up for the Senate duty we were told we would get one person and be assigned to them. This turned out to not be the case, but still seemed like a cool gig.
Come Monday morning, the week of the convention, I get a call from the transport staff, asking me to cover an evening shift, since I didn't have to start my Senate driving until Tuesday. I was free-ish. I re- arranged my entire schedule. I forgot to mention that on top of this, I was playing with my usual band, Broken Napoleons, on Friday and covering the final show for a band I helped start 2 years ago but hadn't played with in a long time on Sunday. So Monday was, work, two band practices, be at the transport center by 7. Perhaps I over did it a bit. Anyway.

I get to transport and get sent off to cover for a guy who did not get his credentials on time to get into the security perimeter. He was a dedicated driver for a congressman that, all I needed to do was get him into the arena and back to his hotel that night. Easy. After I switch with the driver, my phone dies, I get there late and miss the congressman, who decided to walk, but pick up his assistant and make my way to the arena for pick up. This is when I learn the congressman needs to be picked up at 6:30 the next morning and there is no way the other guy is going to have his credentials by then. I am a sucker, and feel like this is what I signed up for so, I say yes. The other driver should be good to go by 9am and I have to be at the Senate hotel by 3pm, all is well.

Next day I pick up the congressman, Chris Van Hollen, Maryland, from his hotel and the day begins. This time everything is going ok. He and his staff are very nice and I begin to relax. Unfortunately, traffic starts to build by 9am and the city is at a standstill. Even though a lot of the big corporations in the city told their employees to stay home, a good number of people decided it wouldn't be that bad, and it wouldn't have been, if they had stayed home. By 1pm, my nerves were frayed, I was getting reminder calls from the Senate staff, I wasn't getting calls about the original driver, and I thought I was going to loose my mind. All of this was made better when the congressman said the magic words "call and make sure we can keep Kevin for the week." I had not intended to steal the congressman, but we had bonded and, as I learned, they don't deal with change well. Some calls were made and it was settled. I would stay. Later that evening, the rain started and the traffic got worse, if that's possible. While driving the congressman and his wife to and fro, we found ourselves with some down time and empty bellies. I was asked for a recommendation for a local place that was quite. Knowing we had to be back at the arena in an hour and having a need to steer clear of uptown, I took them to local favorite, Crepe Cellar. The congressman was very gracious in asking me to join them and even picked up the tab, to bad I couldn't have a drink, I needed one. So we chatted about politics and their children and soccer. That is a night I will cherish forever.

The rest of the night was uneventful, and when I finally made it home. I had a nice glass of Cognac and crashed into bed.

Wednesday and Thursday morning were fairly uneventful. Everyone stayed home, so the traffic was much better and those that did not, or could not, now knew the security routine. All was well until it was announced that they would be moving the president's acceptance speech from the Bank of America stadium, 70,000 seats, to Time Warner Arena, 20,000 seats. You do the math. The scramble was on. Thursday was a busy day for the congressman and as it got closer to the time when the president would arrive, security got tighter and tighter.

The Mrs. had taken off the entire week to avoid the madness, good call on her part, and to volunteer for Thursday at the stadium. It was the only way to guarantee seeing the speech, I would have also seen it with my credentials. With the new venue and 50,000 fewer seats all that was out the window.
I had been listening to all of the goings on at night while I waited for the congressman in the secure parking deck; It was nice up there, all the drivers hung out and gossiped we could get some reading done and maybe nap a little, all of my days started at 6am and finished after midnight, So, it didn't seem like a bad way to listen to the speech. I was closer than most people would be and could still feel the charge of the event, being within the security perimeter.

This all changed when I was told the Congressman had secured credentials for The Mrs. and I. It was crazy. I could have hugged all of them, but that would have been bad form. I finished my driving duties on Thursday with a huge grin and made plans with The Mrs. to meet up. She was told to arrive by 3pm and we would be arriving around 5pm; No one was sure how long we would have before the fire marshall shut the building down, which he had done on Wednesday by 7pm. I met up with The Mrs., we watched the speeches and took as much in as we could. I left her a couple of minuets before the president was finished, so I could be in place for the congressman down at the VIP exit. It was cool I got to see Madeline Albright, Jesse Jackson, and a host of congressmen and woman and Senators. Apparently, I also saw Jessica Alba, she looked like a hooker so I didn't notice. Well, I noticed, but not that it was her. Once in the car, the congressman and his staff wanted to blow off some steam so we headed toward the Google wrap party, picking up the congressman's friend Peter, whom I believe is a representative from Vermont, I didn't get his whole story, on the way. So we went to the Google party, with me, again, not drinking. More celebrities, the daily show cast was there, I got hit on by a very drunk girl with a heaving bosom, and an hour later we were back at the hotel making arrangements for the airport the next morning.

I picked up the congressman and Peter, who was on the same flight back to DC, and needed a lift knowing full well he'd never get a cab in the chaos of the mass exodus. Made no difference to me, I was going there anyway. I got my credentials for the week signed by the congressman and we said our goodbyes. It was something like the end of summer camp. Empty promises of keeping in touch and the like. But, you can bet I'll be in touch if I ever need a letter of recommendation.

It was a great experience, one that comes once in a lifetime, how can you pass those up.

The cherry on top for the week was playing two awesome shows.

Impromptu Bourbon Tasting

For an experiment that I will write about in a future post, I found myself in need of a drinkable yet inexpensive bourbon. My go to is usually Buffalo Trace but, with the closest liquor store being the ghetto liquor store, not that all of the liquor stores run by North Carolina are barren wasteland of mediocre swill, I found myself staring down a shelf with none to be found. So on a whim I decided not to soldier onto a different store and try some of the lesser bourbons available that have been recommended to me. Armed with the promises of one friend and one complete stranger, I picked up a bottle of Ancient Age and a bottle of Old Crow. The following tasting ensued.

I still had a little Buffalo left in a bottle, which made for a good comparison, as I drink it fairly regularly. The First up was the Old Crow; this is the cheap bourbon of choice for Will Gordon, writer of the Serious Eats Blog "Drinking from the Bottom Shelf", a hilarious blog about alcoholism. I found it a little on the sweet side with a decidedly peanut butter character to it, not unlikable or undrinkable and for $7.50 an out right steal. Ancient Age, which I have been dogged to try by my friend Mr.Ozark, was next up and fully delivered on its sour mash billing. It was quite sour actually and, like the OC, a bit one dimensional. At $14.00 I'm not sure it's worth twice the OC. We'll find out when I start making cocktails with them (a post for another time). Last came the Buffalo Trace, which I can usually pick up for around $20.00. BT is miles ahead of both of the other two in complexity, but had a mineral-y taste when compared with them. All had a pretty good nose of vanilla and oak, with the OC, again, being a tad on the sweet side. For sipping I would probably stick with something other than any of these, like the Woodford Reserve Double Oak I have in the cabinet now. However, as I mix with the other two I may find that I can save a couple of bucks. Look for that post in the near future. Next post will be my week at the DNC.

A Sia Saide

Quinn

Northern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere

And now a break from our regularly scheduled programming.

I have been working on a new cocktail and thought I would share. I am calling it the Northern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere. I started with the name and worked it out from there. It started as a genever  and rum drink until my friend Mr. Mustache pointed out that rum really wasn't from the southern hemisphere, Nerts!, to use his expression. So I started to consider my options and moved to pisco, from Peru. This brought me to thinking about the time The Mrs. and I went to the Columbia Room (my cocktail nerd friends just clenched their fists in a jealous rage) but Derek Brown made us a Veiux Carre using genever in place of the rye. It was fabulous.

So as a play on that I have my first real try at it. Please forgive the half empty glass in the photo, I had to decide if it was good enough to share. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free. I believe next time I will try Carpano Antica in place of the Maurin quina, although I like the cherry notes.

Northern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere

1oz Bols Genever (Smoke Glass)
1oz Pisco (I used Demonio de Los Andes)
1oz Maurin
1/2 tsp Allspice Dram
2 light dashes Aromatic Bitters
2 light dashes Peychad's Bitters
2 heavy dashed Regan's Orange Bitters

Shake with Ice

Garnish with cherry (Homemade Maraschino)

Journey to the land of Bourbon Pt.II

One of the draws of the trip was getting to explore Louisville, a city none of us really had any ideas about what it was like. We arrived Friday evening in time to take in the Gallery Crawl they have down town, so we walked down the main drag toward one of the places we had found online and were very excited about. The 21st Century Museum Hotel is a large old office building in the middle of downtown that now houses, not only a hotel but a bar and restaurant called Proof and a large gallery space that holds the owners lard modern art collection as well as hosting traveling exhibits and local art works. As we got close we could see a 20ft tall gold painted replica of Michelangelo's "David", and we knew we had found our spot. We made our way in and to a table in the bar side of the restaurant  ordered a round of drinks and appetizers  and tried to take in all of the art that was right there in the bar. Or favorite being a representation of the Satyr Pan in life size bronze as if he were a bartender serving drinks. All of the food and drinks were very well executed and the fact that they would make a sidecar with my preferred proportions, without really raising an eyebrow, was quite comforting. From there we moved into the gallery space where they were having an opening for a new set of works; some being rotated in from the collection, others by local artists who were on premises for the event. I am not always the biggest fan of modern art but there were some really great pieces from around the world and while not all of them were the most competently accomplished technically were still quite thought provoking. From there we wandered down the street and took in more of the awesome public art before stopping for a bite that isn't really worth spending time on and then, finding our way back to the hotel, crashed out for the night.

The next day we found ourselves beating a path to breakfast that took a rather circuitous route, due to my crappy memory, was it N. 6th street or S. 6th street? But we eventually found our destination, Toast, for an awesome breakfast cocktail and superb comfort breakfast. The star of this meal was the lemon chiffon pancakes ordered by The Mrs. after breakfast we walked back across the street to a shit shop that we had spotted but had been closed on our way to breakfast. This place was crazy, four or five floors of what looked to have been an old school building filled with every bit of crap you could imagine. Tons of furniture, toy collectibles, collectible liquor bottles, architectural stuff; we even found etched photo plates, it was amazing. We spent way too much time there and ended up having to forgo the trip to the Speed Art Museum and skipped to the Louisville Slugger Museum. Yes, where they make baseball bats.

I'm not much of a baseball fan these days, but I am a cabinet maker so I was interested in that aspect of it. We got there just in time for the architectural tour of the facility, which was pretty cool, and then went in for the main factory tour. That is quite a place, they still do some of the old school production but mostly it's done on CNC machines. You wouldn't believe how many suckers will pay 7 bucks to watch people make bats. They had us crammed in there like we were gonna catch a bolt in the forehead at the end. All in all an enjoyable day.

After the tour we walked back to the hotel for a little rest, knowing there would be some more serious eating and drinking in a couple of hours.

Journey to the land of Bourbon pt.1

Last week was The Mrs. birthday and she originally wanted to go to Chicago to drink herself silly and eat at Alinea. This, for a number of reasons, did not happen. We, instead, decided to trek on up to Kentucky to check out the most American of spirits, well, two of the most American of spirits; we have a real soft spot for rye, and there are some great ones up there. We put out a call to see if anyone wanted to join us and, much to our surprise, the intrepid traveler heretofore known as Ms.Furman quickly spoke up. This was quite exciting for us, since we always ask if anyone wanted to come with us and , up 'till now, no one had and Ms.Furman is someone we hang out with quite a bit but have never really gotten to know that well and after almost twenty years there are no new stories to tell between The Mrs. and I, only stories to be written. Getting to know her better on the car ride was definitely a highlight.

Our first day out we left Charlotte in the mid-afternoon, with the goal of making it to Knoxville, TN by 7pm. I had made arrangements to go to a Tiki Bar hidden in a private home there and we did not want to be late. This was a serendipitous find on the interwebs that had occurred just as we were deciding to go to Kentucky which worked perfectly into our plan. The place was amazing, the "proprietors", had been collecting artifacts for years and really did it right. The space was a 250 sq.ft mudroom that had been converted into a tiki paradise. We chatted about cocktail culture and The Mia-Kai (see previous post), where he started an east coast tiki convention some years ago, while we sipped on fruity rum-based deliciousness. After a little while a couple of the neighbors cane by to join us and, I'm guessing, to make sure we weren't ax murderers, hacking their liquor hook up into tiny pieces. The night was perfect, even if it started by knocking on a strangers door and hoping for the best.

Day two had us up and moving early, making a beeline for our first distillery of the day, a four hour drive from Knoxville. When we arrived at Makers Mark we were there for one thing, a bottle. Being one of the biggest names in bourbon we felt we knew enough about the company to skip their dog and pony show in lieu of some of the more intimate tours. So, on The Mrs. Birthday, she got to dip her own bottle in the famous red wax and then sign and date it; and then we left. From Makers we made our way to the rather generically named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD. makers of the, anything but generic, Willett line of Bourbons and Ryes, as well as a number of other mid and top shelf lines of the same. This, I'm not going to lie, is why we were in Kentucky. We love their products. Also, since they are a smaller distillery that is not on the "official" Bourbon trail our tour consisted of four people and to top it off, since they were in the summer shut down, our tour guide was the master distiller, grandson of the distilleries founder. We got a great tour and tasting, their rule is, if they have it you can taste it. So, we tasted the 23yr rye, why wouldn't you, and then proceeded to buy a bottle. It was delicious. I can imagine I'll be getting a visit from Mr. Whiskey any moment now. Sadly, we did have to move on from there and get to our final tour of the day Heaven Hill. This is a massive operation with a fairly extensive if somewhat disappointing tour, but they have a very informative visitors center for whiskey novices, it was just a little to corporate for my taste.

Makers Mark welcome sign

Dipping bottles at Maker Mark

Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, distillery building

Pot Still at KBD

This is how they weigh the barrels at KBD, to this day it gets certified every year.

Rickhouse at Heaven Hill

I'll end here for now and continue the adventure in a day or two.

City Smoke

The Mrs. and I decided to venture into uptown yesterday. We had seen something about City Smoke, located in Founders Hall and part of the Sonoma Group, so we decided to check it out. We rarely venture uptown, but a quick look at the menu online with its long list of Bourbons and what appeared to be a decent cocktail list, we threw caution and better judgement to the wind.

Well.... the music was good, a nice mix of classic rock, mostly southern tinged.

The rest, not so much.

The list of bourbons and whiskey's is impressive and, as stated, the cocktail list looked compelling. So I dipped my toe in the water and ordered their "signature" Old-Fashioned. Now, my friends, there are only 5 ingredients in an Old-Fashioned and one of those is ice. You muddle orange zest with bitters and sugar, then pour over bourbon or rye add ice and voila. I ask you, how is it possible to screw this up? I'm not sure, but somehow they managed it. It tasted like nothing. It felt like the flavor already in my mouth was sucked out and into the glass.

I want so badly for there to be some kind of cocktail culture in this city and so many people tell me I'm to hard on the bars here, but if someone can't competently assemble a mindless classic that should need no more than the ability to breathe to assemble, how am I the one in the wrong? If you won't hire someone capable of doing anything other than sling beer, Please, Please don't do anything other than serve beer.

The food was fine, but by the time I'd had my soul crushed by my drink, I wasn't pre-disposed to like anything else. For the good, their take on pigs in a blanket was good, a sausage wrapped in a potato chip. Everything else was bland. The Mrs. had a pork sandwich that was supposed to be pulled but came more chunked with baked beans that were serviceable. I got the brisket plate with fried okra which was bland; I would have been happier if it were over salted, at least that is more traditional, and grits which were creamy and pretty tasty. The meat was ok but it comes pre-sauced, this is fine, but they have three house-made barbecue sauces and tell you all about them and then you stare at the meat on your plate that is already sauced. what the hell is that about?

Normally, I would give a place a second chance because there is some glimmer of hope that it might have been an off night, I don't see that here.

City Smoke - 100 N. Tryon St. (Uptown) - http://www.citysmokeclt.com/ 

Old school Tiki goodness.

On our last trip to Florida in March, The Mrs. and I headed down to Ft. Lauderdale for a day of fun that included a trip to MoAFL. They had a traveling exhibit from the Uffizi. This is not really relevant, but I wanted to remember that it happened. On our way back to the In-Laws, we decided to take the long way and drive up Federal Hwy. Mostly, looking for second hand stores that we might find old Florida kitsch to buy and check out some of the last remaining mid century architecture left in S. Florida. As we were driving I asked my lovely wife to be on the look out for a bar, "Preferably, something Tiki." and I kid you not a mere half block later she points and says "Like That?" My reply is not fit for public consumption, but needless to say I was excited. What we had stumbled upon was The Mai Kai Restaurant. A huge throwback Polynesian temple to the Tiki of yesteryear. This my friends is not, some new fangled, ironic dump recently thrown together by a guy with too much money trying to cash in on the cocktail revival. This is the real deal.


photo courtesy of http://critiki.com/

Sadly, we were there too early, and they did not open for another couple of hours. Right then we vowed to return. And so, with the occasion of my sister-in-laws return to the states for a visit from Russia, we made the trek to Florida, but only with the promise that we could go to the Mai-Kai.

We went down early, for our 6:30 reservation, figuring we could get some drinks at the bar. Then we learned that it was half price appetizers and drinks. So we thought maybe we would just have dinner there. So we ordered a Poo-Poo platter and some spareribs. To drink I ordered a Barrel of Rum, The Mrs. a Special Planters Punch, also ordered were a Shark Bite, Zomie and a Pina Colada. They all got passed around the table as we marveled at the deliciousness. Which is no surprise, considering the pedigree of the place. Opened in 1956 during the heyday of non-ironic Tiki, the original bartender for the Mai-Kai came from the legendary Don The Beachcombers, where he worked for 13 years. With him came some of the secret recipes and the techniques made famous by his former employer. These high standards are still in place today. At a time when most places would have cheaped out long ago, the Mai Kai still does it right, with fresh ingredients and, while probably not top shelf liquor, it's not aristocrat either.


photo courtesy of http://www.atomicgrog.com/

As we sipped on our second round, mine a Shrunken Skull, we nibbled on some more appetizers and decided that, if we were there, we should get the full experience. So, we moved over into the dining room for dinner and a show.

The food is mainly Chinese inspired "Polynesian", I ordered sweet and sour pork, The Mrs. had the roast duck Mai-Kai. And I am at a loss to remember what else was ordered. I do remember my last drink was a tiki classic, the Mai-Tai. The food was good, but nothing to special and as we finished up and I sank into my final cocktail. The lovely ladies of the Mai-Kai came out on stage to dance quickly followed by the "warriors".

The show was fun. Each vignette was based on a different island of Polynesia, with a native dance and music, there was a live band which made it much more enjoyable and of coarse at the end there was fire.


photo courtesy of http://www.atomicgrog.com/

Before leaving we walked through the beautiful gardens populated by an array of tiki gods set among the plants and a waterfall and on our way out the door we stopped in the gift shop for some glassware. I picked up a Barrel for the Barrel of rum and a shrunken skull mug. Next trip we'll just hang out at the bar and take in the atmosphere,... and half priced drinks.

Mai Kai - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - http://maikai.com/  -I didn't want to waste the space here but check out the mystery drink

Home, again

So, here it is four months after my last post, Yikes.

We're back home in Florida to spend time with The. Mrs. family. Her sister is in town from Moscow, so we made the sojourn down to see her. As always there is an ulterior motive to these trips, namely alcohol and food. This means that in the two full days that we've been here we have already visited the local brewery for a couple of pints and hit the liquor store pretty hard, picking up a bottle of Willet Rye, Deaths Door Gin and a bunch of beer we can't get in NC. This is probably the first trip of two to a liquor store while we're here. Tonight we will further our booze fueled adventures with a trip to Ft.Lauderdale's Mai Kai, the last of the original 50's TiKi bars in S.Florida. It really looks promising. Full details tomorrow.

Our other vice being food, and having in our midst's a vegetarian, last night we made our way down to Sublime. Sublime is a full vegan restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale that uses some of it's proceeds to support animal rights groups. Now, as anyone knows, this is not really high on my list of things of importance, but I do like a good meal. SO, if the food is good and it supports a god cause, win-win. I am happy to report, this is indeed a true win. The food was excellent, the service was spot on and the setting was just right.

I was a little concerned when we pulled up, since the restaurant is the size of a strip mall, in which a restaurant like this would normally be housed in a small corner on the dark end of the parking lot. Inside it is a cavernous space that immediately reminded me of an all you can eat Chinese restaurant circa 1991; all earth tones and pastel lighting.

The bar menu was short, but took advantage of the tropical location, and included fresh juices and fruit. Unfortunately, almost every drink name ended in -tini or -jito, but, whatever. The Mrs. had a Tangjito, which I'm sure you can guess, is Tangerine with white rum and vegetation. I had a glass of red wine. There were also a couple glasses of beer and, by all accounts, a very tasty traditional Mojito.

To start, we ordered a plate of Broccimole, which was basically a white bean dip with broccoli and avocado incorporated into it. It sounded better than it actually ended up being but was still quite tasty. We also ordered Frito Misto, which was a plate of, what can only be described as, sweet and sour cauliflower. Fried hunks of cauliflower in sweet and sour sauce. It was absolutely amazing. We also had an amuse bouche of pesto polenta cake brought to the table, very tasty.

For the main coarse, I had a dish called Singapore street noodle, which was cellophane noodles with veggies in the sweet and sour sauce. The Mrs. and her mother each got the mushroom ravioli, Mrs.'s father got a veggie cutlet picatta and Mrs. Moscow got a "Rueben". We all cleaned our plates, and each others plates, as food flew around the booth like like planes in a busy airport. The winner, hands down though, was the Reuben. I'm not sure how anything that doesn't include animal products is that rich or succulent but, damn if it wasn't. When the waitress came back with a dessert menu, I stayed above the fray, content in my ability to enjoy whatever ended up on the table. A slice of key lime "cheese"cake was decided on and when it arrived, we all marveled, again, that it was dairy free. They are either lying or using black magic in that kitchen.

While it was not an inexpensive meal, it was not unreasonable, and completely satisfying. I hope the Mai Kai can hold it's own.

Sublime - (Ft. Lauderdale) website -http://sublimerestaurant.com/

Oh dear, where has the time gone

SO, it has been almost a year since my last confession, er, I mean post. Honestly not much happened last year. Work, work and other stuff.

But, I find myself at the beginning of another adventure and a renewed conviction to my writing, seeing as I have something to bore you with again. The Mrs. and I are in the beginning stages of planning a trip that I have been excited about since the mere mention of it's possibility and babbling on about to anyone who would listen. A trip to Russia.

Now, I have no real love or devotion to the country but when my sister-in-law and her awesome husband found themselves contemplating a move there; I, selfishly, first thought of how great it would be to be able to visit. How often do you get that opportunity? And now, it's go time.

We are planning a winter visit to be in St.Petersburg around Christmas and Moscow for New Years. I'm sure it will be a great adventure just navigating the Visa process. I have already picked up some guides and found some great resources. It may seem early to be planning trip 10 months away but I'm to excited to wait. If you would like to learn more about living in Russia you can follow my sister-in-law here.

In other news I am in the midst of my annual detox that coincides with Lent but has no religious meaning. I just need to give my liver a break. For this reason we call it Lint in our house. The prohibition will be lifted on Easter Sunday with an orgy of alcohol, food and friendship where everyone keeps their pants on.

A Sia Saide

Gin and Tonic Brunch

As I may have mentioned before, The Mrs' drink of choice is Gin, so, naturally, we own quite a few bottles. 12 true gins to be exact and this does not include the Old Toms and Genevers or Dogfish head, which we served, but is pretty bad. Most of our friends don't really give this fine spirit any thought as they are whiskey drinkers. To change this, we decided to invite some friends over for an Easter brunch that ran on Gin.

We set out the Gins (There will be a list at the bottom of this post) with two homemeade tonics, one a traditional bitter tonic and the other a lighter citrusy recipe, along with five storeboughts (Canada Dry, Seagrams, Q, Hansens, and Polar). We also had on hand a large quantity of citrus and some bitters for those who felt like experimenting. We put out small 4oz juice glasses and everyone made half drinks for themselves. This was perfect, everyone got to try a bunch of combinations without getting throughly wasted. It made a great way to try different combinations side by side to see how different tonics brought out different notes in a particular gin and vice versa. Being that our theme was gin and it was Easter I started the day with a Corpse Reviver #2 . To add to the alcohol Mr. and Mrs. Guitar brought mimosas.

The food had no particular theme. We served Fruit skewers that had every color of the rainbow, Cinnamon rolls with and without bacon inside, individual Farm fresh asparagus quiches cooked in ham cups, and Sweet potato and "Soyrizo" Latkes. In addition Mr. Chelsea and family brought Orange-Cranberry Muffins and Mr. and Mrs. Bee brought Salmon Bites. We had also planned for a Cheese plate that never got served and Absurdly Addictive Asparagus which we ended up having for dinner the next night.

All together there were 14 adults and one baby. We didn't manage to knock off a single bottle, but made a healthy dent in almost all of them. I can't wait to see everyone again.

The Gins-

Beefeater

Beefeater 24

Beefeater Summer

Bluecoat

Boodles

Citadel

Cardinal Gin

Dogfish head

G-Vine

Junipero

Old Raj

Plymouth

Whitley Neill

A Sia Saide

Where does the time go

Recently my laptop was stolen so I have that excuse for not posting as well as my work schedule being quite busy. Below is a quick round up of some of the new places we have checked out recently.

First was a trip with some friends of The Mrs. to Vida, a Mexican place in the Epicenter. We stopped in before going to see Spring Awakening at the Belk Theater. Which meant the location was good. Pretty much everything else was not. There were six of us in a relatively empty restaurant, whose claim to fame is over one hundred tequilas and sadly I am not drinking at the moment. The menu was exactly what you would expect from an upscale mexican-american place, also slightly overpriced due to location. With an execution on par with a Fridays, it wasn't great but it also wasn't going to offend anyone. There was a mix up on one order, which was taken off the bill, nice, but the missing item was brought out as we were ready for dessert, less nice. Then toward the end, our server tried chatting us up to make up and save her tip. She should have just kept her mouth shut. All in all, I would not recommend unless you are going for tequila. However, I enjoyed Spring Awakening more the second time.

Next we met the Whiskeys' for dinner at The Diamond, in Plaza-Midwood. The Diamond was an old time meat and three diner that was purchased by the former proprietors of The Penguin, who basically moved the Penguin lock stock and barrel down the block, with a new name and larger menu. It's hard to gauge right now since it is a zoo and getting a table in nearly impossible. The food was fine. I had a sloppy joe and the Mrs. a burger. It's all a little "hipper than thou" for me but, whatever.

Third on our tour of food is another place run by a former Penguin business associate, Pinky's. Opened in a former auto repair shop, on the westside, it's less pretentious than The Diamond. But, we were there early so who knows. They do have some parking issues, so be prepared. We started with an order of waffle fries smothered in melty pimento cheese, heaven. I got a fried bologna sandwich with red potato salad, both very tasty, while The Mrs. opted for burger and some sweet 'tater fries. I am so happy the world has figured out that these need to be battered to get crispy. We couldn't even finish after the basket of waffle fries. So we rolled ourselves to the car and headed home.

Finally last night, again with The Whiskeys', we finally had a reason to go to Villa Francesca. We were going to see The Princess Bride as a stage production performed at The Breakfast Club, an eighties themed night club a block down the street. When doing anything in downtown Charlotte you should always check the arena schedule, we did not, so parking was a bit of a thing. Oh well. It could have been worse. Anyway, Villa Francesca is an Italian-American place run by Yankee fans, I will forgive them. The menu hits all the highlights and adds a couple of twists. We got there before the pre-game crowd but it was full by the time we left. My veal parmigiana was excellent as was the Mrs. pasta. Both of the Whiskeys got eggplant dishes that looked great. Thin sliced eggplant, not that thick stuff you usually get that is either not cooked all the way or the outside is almost burnt. The prices were reasonable. And the staff was friendly and attentive even as it got busier. The play afterward was a lot of fun, just plain silly, I needed silly, we could all use more silly in our lives.

A Sia Saide

Kevin

Travels in the near abroad, part 1

A couple of weekends ago I got roped into a trip to Concord Mills Mall by The Mrs. As we meandered around, and I began to loose interest, my attention turned to the important things in life. This, as is always the case, meant lunch. I decided to completely dismiss all of the chain crap in the general vicinity right off the bat. This lead me to my phone, and the Urbanspoon App. With a couple of tweaks, and a few rolls of the dials, I landed on Emma's Carolina Cuisine and Spirits in downtown Concord. I have only visited downtown Concord a couple of times before and had never really had the chance to explore. So when The Mrs. was finally done shopping I explained my plan. With no resistance we headed toward Emma's. We got into town and parked, then made our way up to the restaurant making notes of what to check out when we were done. Number one on the list was what we thought was a Cuban Bakery, more on that in a second. We found our way to the restaurant and had a seat. The decor has a bit of a local "Fridays" feel with chotchkies and local newspaper clippings on the walls. The servers are all southern women who talk to everyone as if they were a regular and, judging from the conversations, most were. I had a fairly good fried pork sandwich with sweet potato fries. While The Mrs. went for the Ruben also accompanied with sweet potato fries. The fries were great. I inquired about the spirits in the name and was pointed to the bar hiding in another corner of the restaurant. I was sad that, that was all it was, but not near as sad as I was when I saw the bar while paying our tab. It's not very often you see a bar with nothing displayed, in what I will admit was a nice little bar, but Aristocrat products and a bottle of Tia Maria. It was a little disconcerting.

The first stop after Emmas was the Cuban bakery, which turned out to be a full fledged restaurant; Havana Carolina. Damn the luck. It is a cute little place with a few tables and all the feel of anything you would find back home. Most amazingly was the inclusion of a Mamey smoothie on the menu. We ordered one and then saw Cuban bread to go and topped it all off a couple of croquettes for the road. How could we resist?

Last stop in Concord was Lil' Roberts Place, a bar with a beer store in the front window. It was not earth shattering but a nice selection for a little place. I picked up a bottle of Mad Rivers barleywine and a Duck Rabbit wee heavy.

I'm not sure how often we will be making the trip to Concord but it made for a nice day and if we do make it back, there will definitely be a stop at Havana Carolina.

Final thoughts on Amsterdam

Now that I have had time to think about our last trip, and let it sink in that it will probably be a very long time before I see Amsterdam again, I have a few thoughts and experiences to share. Having been twice in one year is obviously a luxury we will long cherish and gives me a great opportunity to make observations I would not normally have the ability to.

I must admit, that even though the weather was less than welcoming, I much preferred our second visit. Perhaps it was the familiarity with the city gained from our first trip, or the Christmas spirit. But, I'm pretty sure it was the lack of other tourists. The Mrs. pointed out the other day that we did hear more american accents more this trip. I'm not sure if we actually encountered more Americans or just heard more, due to the lack of maximum occupancy in every place we went. Mind you, it was still quite busy, but not the total chaos seen during the spring. I, really, can not even imagine being there at the height of tourist season. With one exception, the service at restaurants was better. Though, with the bar set so low from our previous experience and the reputation the city has hard earned for server apathy, we had no where to go but up. The one thing missing, however, was the great throngs of people sitting at the cafe tables that spill out onto the sidewalks, streets and alleyways from every brown and eetcafe that has at least 1 sq. ft in front of it. These seas of tables and chairs come together in a way that sometimes you don't even know which establishment you are patronizing. This constant buzz from late morning late into the evening gives the city a great sense of vibrancy, that was a little lacking in the winter. On the upside the crowds at the museums were much more manageable. This time through the Rijksmuseum was more like a cultural experience and less like lambs being lead to slaughter. The highlight was the ten uninterrupted minutes with Rembrandts "Night Watch". Just us, a guard, and a painting the size of my house. on side note; upon our arrival home we watched "Rembrandt's j'accuse" an interesting look at the conspiracy theory behind the painting.

Genever, the real reason we have gone to Amsterdam twice. This trip, we not only visited our favorite 400 Sq. Ft. on the planet, we also found time to try our luck at "de drie fleschjes", which was formally the tasting room for Bootz, until their takeover by Bols. It is now a Bols tasting room with more charm and less glits, also no entrance fee, than the Bols Experience across town. I had the one drink I had been eager to try, the 6 year korenwijn, which did not disappoint. The thing I love about Jenever is that it is refreshing in the summer and warming in the belly in the winter. It is truly a magical potion. The other tasting room in Amsterdam was a sad and sorted tale. The Admiraal tasting room is the tasting room and Belgian influenced restaurant for the A van Wees Co.. Our first try found them closed due to the 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. A condition for which the Dutch find themselves quite unprepared for. Our second attempt we peered into the window to see an empty space with one bartender cleaning glasses. and a menu hanging on the wall next to the door that was not particularly inviting. Sadly, we did not brave the empty restaurant. So we headed toward our first visit to the previously mentioned, although not by name Wynand Fockink. Truly, my favorite place in all the universe. Which actually brings us to our other visit to Wynand Fockink.

The day before we were heading out of town we needed to pick up some gifts and things so we headed over to the bar to pick up some bottles for others as well as some for ourselves. While making our purchase, the bartender mentioned that the distillery was open for tours next door. "Oh really", we said; And they were doing tastings of the seasonal Christmas tipple, an orange and spice liqueur called Kerst Borrel. The distillery is half kitchen half mad scientist lab with jars of dry ingredients and tinctures lining the walls and barrels with various concoctions aging happily away. The whole distillery was, maybe, eight hundred square feet, including the gift shop area.

Other highlights included a trip to The Hermitage - Amsterdam and The Dutch Resistance Museum. Both nearly empty of people but full of enlightenment. Another day was spent in the city of Gouda for their tree lighting ceremony.

And that was that, mostly we ate fried bar food and pea soup and drank local beer. I will be doing a separate post about beer, just because I feel it needs some quality time devoted to it and I'm sure you're sick of reading by now.

But to wrap up the whole adventure, my suggestion to anyone contemplating a trip themselves, if you want to do the museums and spend a more leisurely trip, and don't mind the cold; go in the winter. If you don't mind huge crowds and love to people watch then spring/summer are fine. As for lodging we opted for an apartment rental, this trip, which was definitely the way to go. Having the ability to reheat leftovers is a big advantage. I can't wait to go back, but like I said, it'll be awhile.

A Sia Saide

New in NoDa

NoDa finally welcomes the long anticipated Jack Beagles. By long anticipated, we are talking two plus years they have been working on this place. I'm not sure it was totally worth the wait. But it is a pretty tasty place to stop by. The Mrs. and I have now been there twice and I feel like I have a pretty good feel for what they are going for. Jack Beagles is basically, a slightly upscale, dive bar, emphasis on the slightly. It is small, seating is 6 tables and the bar holds a dozen or so people, and friendly. The menu is currently appetizers, burgers, cheesesteaks and fried hot dogs. We were told they would be rolling out more items like salads in the coming weeks. I want to start by saying I love their fries. The best description is the one from our waiter the first time we went, "Ruffles on steroids", pretty much says it. The first visit we made was kind of on a whim and neither of us was starving, but they were open and I can always eat. We had some cheese bread to start and I ended up getting a burger. It was the Gunslinger which is a beef patty with hummus and pepper jack cheese. It was cooked as asked for and I liked the textures. The beer selection is solid, mostly craft bottles and some cheap american swill, the half dozen taps are outfitted with an array of quality craft brews. I had some Allagash Cruieux and The Mrs. had a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. Second visit was a dinner that ended up as a double date with a band mate and his wife who happened to be there when we showed up, I love my neighborhood. We started with some buried treasure fries, which are a do it yourself cheese fry thing. You pick from a list of stuff you want and they throw it all over fries. We ordered ours with gravy, onions, and mozzarella, trying to recreate a sense of poutine. Unfortunately with a new restaurant comes some growing pains and our server informed us he accidentally added chili. He was more than willing to have it remade but we were more than willing to eat it with chili. He gave them to us half off so all was forgiven. Main coarse for me was an Italian sausage deep fried into submission and topped with the usual suspects. The Mrs. had a competently made and cooked to order blue cheese burger. The atmosphere is laid back and they are just figuring out who they are. Which in a place like that is usually determined by who decides to take up residency at the bar. The service was friendly and, more important in NoDa, fast. But that is fast on the NoDa scale, which generally falls somewhere between slow and did you have to grow the grain for the bread before you made it to put my sandwich on. But, Jack Beagles is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Next time your in the neighborhood give it a shot and don't forget to call me.

Jack Beagles - 3213 N. Davidson St. - NoDa

A Sia Saide

Oh Crap, I'm late again

To the two people who read this drivel, I apologize for my neglect in updating. The past two months have been quite action packed and I have barely found time to sit down let alone collect my thoughts. So, with that said. I wanted to do a quick update while I continue to arrange my thoughts for Amsterdam part deux.

Since last we spoke Broken Napoleons have finished recording our first record. An ordeal I will go into further in future post. Probably when it is finally ready for release. I have joined a second band currently named The French Handshake. Come to find out that is a much dirtier name than we had originally intended. As mentioned above, The Mrs. and I made our way back to Amsterdam. Work has been a roller coaster ride of emotions and my best friends keep getting pregnant. Also, The Mrs. and I have taken a serious interest in cocktails and with it collecting vintage glassware.

Sadly, my intake of food in new and exciting establishments has been a little lacks, but I do have a review coming up soon for the latest addition to the NoDa scene, Jack Beagles.

And, since it is the new year I suppose I should be making some kind of resolution that will undoubtedly unravel in three to four weeks. One change I have decided to make, with a nudging from The Mrs., will be the addition of photography. I have never been enamored of the idea, but she assures me it will be fine. For me this has always been about words and the need for me to write, however poorly, just because I don't get to do it at work and feel the need to do so. I will not be taking pictures of food in restaurants, that is so tacky and inconsiderate to fellow diners, but will try to add the occasional photo to ad context to a post.

I guess look for more posts in the near future and I will try to keep up better. But, don't hold your breath.

Elitist East Coast Liberal Heaven and Drinking

I have now had a week to reflect on our trip last weekend to DC, where we took in way too much alcohol, way too many people and a now crushed sense of enthusiasm. Yes, we attended the "Rally to Restore Sanity".

But first, the Columbia Room. In a bit of kismet, last month, as we were making our plans for our trip to DC the latest edition of Imbibe magazine showed up with an article about the DC cocktail scene. In it we found The Columbia Room, a speakeasy style bar hidden in another bar called The Passenger. It is an eighteen seat reservation only prix fix bar. I'm not sure how it could possibly be more pretentious but, there it is. We had reservations for eight thirty and after getting to DC and doing some shopping we had completely run out of time to find food. This, my friends, I assure you is not a mistake I will ever make again. We arrive at The Passenger a few minutes early and get a drink there since they too have an excellent bar staff. I went for an Old Fashion and The Mrs. got for a variation on the Moscow Mule that I forget the name of. With drinks in hand we check the place out and look for the entrance to our destination. Finding the door that looks like a coat closet with the doormat in front of it we slurp down our drinks pay our tab and move on to our final destination. Behind the nondescript door is a coat room and hostess station. We are quickly greeted by a lovely young woman in prohibition-esque attire who shows us to our seats. The bar is located in what used to be the dressing room for the now defunct theater adjacent to The Passenger, itself a former hardware store. So, it is a small room with a bar along the long wall, a row of seating at the bar, and then a small walk way that separates that seating from a row of theater style seats. We were seated in the theater seating, which give you a birds eye view of the bar allowing us to do a play by play commentary of the action. After being seated we were brought a warm towel scented with rosemary and lemon along with a glass of cucumber infused water. Both meant to wash away the day and open the senses. The way it works is you get three drinks. The first two being the prix fix drinks along with small plates designed to accompany the drinks and then an off the cuff drink from Derek, owner and bartender, after a quick chat about your likes and dislikes, the drink menu relies heavily on the Dr. Cocktail book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails". Our first drink was the Fish House Punch a citrus-y punch that slid down way too easy. After finishing our first drink a group at the bar left and we were invited down to the bar level to get a ring side seat. Sadly, our interaction with Derek was still limited due to his attention being sucked up by a self important writer from The Post who couldn't shut up with a sock in her mouth. But our second drink was fantastic; a house creation, Sitting Alone on an Autumn Afternoon. The base for the drink was the Hibiki 12 year blended Scotch style whisky, which matched beautifully with the Apricot Eau de Vie and sage. This drink came with a cauliflower soup topped with croutons and a beet chip. The soup was heavenly but it may have just been that I was starving. For round three Derek came over and we discussed our drinking habits. I wanted something with Jenever so he cheated a little and made The Mrs. and I the same drink, a variation of the Genever Cocktail that included some citrus and gum arabic syrup and this was accompanied by a basket of truffle oil popcorn. Now, my friends, we could have been done here but since the bar was thinning out we were asked if we wanted another round. Being that I had not yet tried to stand, therefore finding out how unstable I was, "Yes I would, perhaps something Rye based" and on comes a Vieux Carre Cocktail, a New Orleans staple. And to finish the night out GQ magazines "best dry martini in the country". As you can imagine when trying to stand after all this I did so with some difficulty. Luckily, we did not drive and the Metro stop was only a block from the restaurant and the corresponding one was only a block from the hotel. Making it back to the hotel in one piece we basically blacked out for the night.

The next morning started with a little return to sender action and a nice hot shower. Then some more fit full sleep. Eventually trying to rise around nine thirty knowing if we were going to make it to the rally we had to make our move. I willed on some clothing and shuffled down to the commissary for some Pepto and ginger ale. With those in the tummy and a renewed sense of purpose we set out for the mall. It was quite brisk out which quickly set us in better spirits and smiles were restored. The walk was a dozen blocks or so and as we got closer the enormity of it truly started to sink in. I have since seen the estimates at two hundred and fifteen thousand but honestly when you are in the middle of that kind of crowd it feels like the whole world is there. We arrived on the mall minutes before it started and got close enough to see and hear one of the jumbotrons. I don't know what the people behind us did all day but we were amongst the last bit of people able to hear or see anything and there was still half the crowd behind us. So if you watched the rally or read anything about it you know what it was about. For us everyone was in high spirits and a cooperative mood we all watched out for each other and joked with strangers. It was a little difficult when an ambulance needed to get through; we all got a little closer that anyone was comfortable with. And we had one run in with the super dick mounted police. All in all, it was a memorable day that only served to fuel my delusion that the Democrats would not get pasted the following Tuesday. I was sorely disappointed.

Dinner that evening was supposed to be equally uplifting at Founding Farmers, owing to the fact that we were tired and still not feeling totally centered I will have to wait to do a proper review. The highlights included bacon lollies and my chicken and waffles. The lowlights were the uncooked "roasted veggies", barbecue popcorn, and lack of attentiveness of the staff, we had to ask for silverware after our meals had arrived. We will give them another shot next time in DC since it may have just been an off day and they came very highly recommended.

Sunday morning came with it a ritual visit to Teaism for breakfast before leaving town. Unfortunately, leaving town proved harder than planned as there was a marathon being run between us and the highway but eventually we made our way out and cruised home.

A Sia Saide

Back in effect

I realize I have been neglecting my poor blog and I assure you I have good reason. I have just been too damn busy. In the past couple of weeks we have been to see Dracula at Dance Theater, I have joined a second band while the first one gears up for recording, with said first band I played one of the worst shows in my semi-professional career, the Mrs. and I led groups on a Ghost and Legends tour through our neighborhood and last night we went to see David Sedaris. Eating out has included a trips to Molly McPherson's (Good Meatloaf), Burger Co. (counter service and an OK burger), Mac's (In slow decline), Kickstand (Pretty good burger but didn't feel right the next day, may not be related, will try again), and brunch at Bistro Le Bon (So very good).

But what I really wanted to talk about was our new obsession. A good cocktail. We have always enjoyed a good cocktail but The Mrs. recently bought the book by Dr. Cocktail (Ted Haigh) book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails". This will probably signal a turning point in the direction of the blog, at least for awhile. I have never really had an organizing principle to this thing other than self absorption and the electronic diary function. And so, my friends I will fill you in as we make our way through the cocktails and the hard to find liquors that are included in many of them.Until next time.

A Sia Saide

Trainspotting a nice cocktail and why to never start a rock band

I'm sure you have all missed me and I apologize for my tardiness in posting as of late. Friday was supposed to be a great time playing with my band on a clear cool night under the stars for the throngs of people who frequent our neighborhood on those evenings. What it was instead was a giant stressful disaster that almost ended in me killing someone. The truth is almost all musicians are quirky in one way or another and a large portion of them display this quirkiness by being completely unreliable. We should have guessed that it was going to be a disaster when the venue owner texted Joe on Monday to ask "who are y'all playing with again?", mind you this was his responsibility. We actually offered to book another band. That eventually got straightened out and all was thought to be well. So when we were loading the truck on Friday and the thought crossed our mind to load the PA we said "No, they got it". Never underestimate the ability to get screwed by second guessing yourself. We arrive on site about 6:45 for our 8:00 slot and set up. We meet the second band Prospect Rider and then we wait. "Hey, where the hell is the PA?"."It's comin'". Sure enough at 7:30 a truck rolls up with what appears to be a PA and it gets unloaded. Then the truck leaves. There is a strange collection of speakers and a powered mixer from the mid-seventies and that's it. No cables, no mics, no f'n way we are getting started on time. "They gotta get the rest of the stuff, we're right around the corner". Finally, after an hour or so and more cursing than I have done in a long time, the rest of the PA shows up. We decide, in the essence of time, to switch the set up and play our instrumentals while they set up around us. With some more difficulties and ineptitude this plan mostly works and we are off and running. We play our set and while we play there is a group from the local arts high school who dance and make the whole think worth while. Prospect Rider follow up with a great set and we retire for a good night sleep.

Saturday morning, feeling better than expected we get up and travel to the market and as we are finishing up we decide on a trip to the Frugal MacDoogles. The Mrs. has recently purchased a couple of old time cocktail books and we need some more ingredients. We have mainly been working out of Dr. Cocktails "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails". Drinking, my friends, is a very expensive hobby. We pick up some Bourbon (Buffalo Trace), Cherry Heering, and sweet vermouth (Noily Prat). I also picked up a bottle of Rogue XS for the beer cave. With that we headed home. Saturday night we had made plans to check out the Citizens of the Universe production of Trainspotting. We started with a lovely meal at Soul and since I have written about them a number of times I will forgo another round. Needles to say it was very good, as always. The production is in a small theater space in Plaza Midwood called Story Slam. It is a fairly bare bones venue but gets the job done. The set was spare but used to very good effect. The acting and directing were top notch. If you know the story line to Trainspotting, you know it is not the lightest fare, but the production managed to tell the serious side of the story while still keeping the dark English humor intact. This was helped along by a girl in the audience who was having a hard time with the bodily functions portrayed on stage and was laughing as a coping method. It was a brilliant evening with friends.

The band is playing again this Friday maybe there will be more tales of woe next week, or maybe something tasty will occur. Until then....

A Sia Saide

Chima and the art of drinking Port in Charlotte

This Saturday The Mrs. and I were treated to dinner at Chima, a Brazilian Rodizio in uptown Charlotte, by Mimi and Papa J. This was in repayment of caring for their cats, one of them being a truly demonic beast previously discussed on this very blog. This was completely unnecessary but welcomed all the same. I will not belabor the point of the rodizio style, since that is not really the point of this post, but for those unfamiliar, it is an all you can eat meat bazaar. You start with the compulsory trip to the salad bar to take the edge off and then you flip the little token next to you to have the nice men, dressed as Gauchos, with the large skewers of freshly prepared meat come by and offer their wares. Chima had an excellent selection and the quality was top notch. My favorites were the garlic sirloin and the sausage. I was tasked with choosing the wine to accompany our meal and went with a Rodney Strong Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and it was excellent. I find the Russian River Pinots to be closer to the French style; more subtle than their cousins from Napa and Sonoma.

What I found truly amazing about Chima was their port selection. The usual restaurant selection of my drink of choice consists of a Reserve Ruby and a Fine Tawny. These are fine, but not inspiring. And, I can completely understand the lack of variety since there is very little demand. This brings us to the Chima port list. it was not a long list but a very well appointed list. It started with a Fonseca Bin 27 which is a high quality NV Ruby, followed by a 10 yr and 20yr Tawny. The crown jewel of this collection was a Taylor Fladgate 40yr Tawny. I did not have the stomach to ask Mimi and Papa J to take that hit. But tucked between the 20yr and 40yr was a wine you almost never see in a restaurant, especially by the glass, vintage port. It was a Grahams 1994 to be exact. I eyed it wearily until the server came back around for our dessert orders, of which they apparently have 16. The Mrs. got the Key Lime Pie, Papa J ordered a chocolate cake and Mimi ordered something called Walnut Creme, which was amazing. I on the other hand wanted my dessert in a glass. And, so, I asked the question I have asked so many times before, about many different drinks, only to get a blank stare in return, "when was this bottle opened?", but this time was different. Our server turned to the manager, who happened to be near by, and he said to me, "we will open it as soon as you order it". Now, this may have just been my good fortune in timing but, the fact that he knew what and why I was asking and there was no long drawn out inquiry gave me great satisfaction . Vintage port is a very temperamental beast. It usually starts to hit its stride at 15 years of age and loose its luster about two days after being opened. You can possibly get a week out of it if you have a really fancy air removal kit. And so it was, the bottle was brought to the table and inspected, The manager butchered the cork, which is common and also, in a restaurant, beneficial. If they butcher the cork they have to decant the bottle, which should be done anyway but is not an operation always performed. Decanting lets the wine breath and open up. Ideally it should be decanted an hour or two before consumption and if I am ordering a bottle I will do so at the beginning of the meal and have it decanted then, for consumption at dessert. I let the glass sit until dessert arrived. And then took my first sip. It was amazing, huge blackberry and tobacco flavors burst out of the glass with little hints of alcohol and a tart finish. 1994 was an excellent year and this was no exception. Mimi asked for a sip and then wanted her own glass, so one was brought and about half way through it was mistakenly knocked over with an errant hand gesture. Without even skipping a beat our server was there and a fresh glass was brought to the table, no questions asked. It was so refreshing to see a restaurant do the little things that make a night like that worth it. I believe Chima is a chain and normally that means nothing good but the staff really took pains to make you feel welcome and cared for. If you don't happen to be a meat person or just don't want to drop a wad of cash on the table, why not stop by for dessert and a drink after a show at the Knight Theater. A glass of port is always the perfect way to end an evening.

A sia saide

Chima - is located at 139 S. Tryon St. - Uptown