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