Holiday Hangovers

I just read this article at CNN.com. Just some things to keep in mind this season before you reach for that next mug o' nog.
Personally I prefer a cup of coffee and a quiet room. Maybe a greasy cheeseburger later in the day to help oil the synapses. Anyone out there have other remedies they'd like to share?

Enjoy

Gman

Oktoberfest

It’s October and that means only one thing to me, Oktoberfest! My favorite style of beer comes to prominence during the autumnal climes signaling the descent into the dark heavy brews made specifically for the colder, tastier time of the year. But before we go galloping head long into the winter warmers its time to stop and take a look at the red headed wonders of Fall.

Beer has a season just like anything else. Before the advent of refrigeration, no brewing could take place in the summer months due to the possibility of contamination by wild yeast. The brewing season came to an end in March, hence the name Marzen beir, and the last batch of brews were stored in large casks that were laid down in caves. Traditionally these casks remained untouched for at least 30 days. Marzens are brewed according to strict German standards, called the Reinheitsgebot, that precisely define the four ingredients allowed in the brewing of beer: barley, hops, malt, and yeast. These standards have been in place since 1516.

These Marzen or March beers are heavier, darker, and feature a larger alcohol content. According to Michael Jackson of the Beer Hunter, “brews meant to last the summer (in storage) were made with plenty of barley, yielding sufficient malt sugars to ferment slowly in icy Alpine cellars.” I personally enjoy the robust caramelized taste that give the Marzen Oktoberfests their distinctive flavor.

At the Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, Just 6 breweries, Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten are permitted to serve beer. Beer is served by the Maß, a one-liter mug, and costs about 8 euros. Beer maids and waiters must be able to carry 10 of these beer-filled mugs at a time.

I have rated the Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen a hands down solid 8

From the BBOB: A Traditionally brewed beer with all the distinguishing characteristics of a great Marzen; light and refreshing with minimal caramel and sweet sugar tones. There is a veritable polka of taste oompa loomping the middle palate that finishes clean and dry. Stuff yourself into some lederhosen and grab yourself a swine hock! It’s party time in the House of Excellence.

America boasts some fairly appealing Oktoberfests. I would recommend Leinenkugels and good old Sam Adams if a good German proves hard to find, both efforts definitely above average at a square 7.

Roll out the barrel baby!

Gman

Nacional 27

Welcome back to the final review of the Cocktail Tour of 09. I am not going to say that I saved the best for last as all the stops on the Cocktail Tour were amazing; however I will say that Nacional 27 is by far one of the finest establishments I have ever had the pleasure to experience. Mixologist Adam Seeger has created one zinger of a drink menu featuring 27 of his original cocktails. I of course was after the award winning mojito mentioned in the aforementioned GQ’s top 20 top cocktails and where to find them.

I can honestly say I have never tasted anything like the mojito I was served, which appeared in a tall pint glass filled with ice and a dangerously red looking libation. Mint, pomegranate, lime, habanero, ginger, and rum comprised the best salad bar of booze I have ever had. This drink is perfectly balanced between sweet and sour and is smooth as silk. I definitely would put N27’s mojito at a 9 on the BBOB scale and seriously thinking about taking that final step into perfection with a 10. We are clearly entering the House of Excellence here.

The only reason I hesitate going all the way is due to the fact that the night in question was incredible from start to finish. My lovely wife and I partook of the four course party menu complete with mango sangria complementing the appetizers and a glass of wine especially paired with each incredibly tasty course that followed. Needless to say, when we left the place we were seriously happy. It is a rare moment in my life when I actually get to spend an evening inside the House of Excellence, normally I just write about it. At N27 excellence isn’t just a state of mind it is an every day occurrence.

Enjoy!
Gman

Trader Vic's

Welcome back to some even longer awaited reviews that finish out the Cocktail Tour of 09. Life has gotten the better of me as of late and I am seriously behind on my leisure time. The path to becoming a professional educator is not without its difficulty.

Meanwhile back in Chicago…it was late summer. The weather was beautiful and my lovely wife and I were still glowing from our visit to the Violet Hour. After spending the entire day in the Art Institute we caught the Red Line North to Trader Vic’s located in their new home at 1030 N State Street. The entry way is flanked by large dark wood tiki statues. The décor was much less subdued than I expected and modeled the open walled eating establishments I experienced while visiting Kona, the Big Island of the Hawaiian Island chain. The restaurant itself is situated around a large central courtyard boasting several tiki statues and a variety of plants. I was expecting a great deal of Polynesian flare however there was not even a puffer fish hanging over the bar. But don’t let the lack of tiki-fare get you down, Trader Vicks is an experience you have to have at least once. Vic’s is after all one of the original Granddad’s of the Cocktail Nation.

We arrived fully expecting to enjoy some exotic Asian inspired food how ever I was tempted by the current special; a large filet specially prepared in “Trader Vic's glass-enclosed Chinese wood-fire oven.” This surprisingly large oven, which the chef had to use a ladder to access, “cooks meats and seafood, smoke-kissed to perfection and allows guests to watch the cooking process.” For lack of a better term, WOW. They served one of the best filet’s I have ever had.

Even though it may be cliché I had to try a Trader Vic’s Mai tai. The claim is that Vic himself invented the drink so I had to try it. Fabulous falls short of description. A well balance of sweet and tart sensations without any bitterness the Mai Tai they served was a refreshing and delicious summer libation. I would definitely give Trader Vic’s Mai Tai a high score, at least an 8 by Big Book of Booze standards.

For round 2 I tried a Zombie and I tell you what, this undead babe can gnaw on my grey matter whenever she ambles by. The best description I can give revolves around the word ZING. At least a 9 according to the BBOB’s scale, the zombie just kills.

Enjoy
Gman

Pirate Name

My pirate name is:

Red Tom Cash

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

The Violet Hour

And now some long awaited reviews of some of the clubs visited during the Cocktail Tour of 2009. It’s incredibly hard to pick favorites but I would have to say the first stop on the tour may have been the best. However our trip to the Violet Hour was very nearly cut short by our lack of experience club hunting. I felt like the country bumpkin in the big city for the first time, and to be honest this ids pretty much what we were.

The cab driver got us to the general location but could not find the exact address. Knowing the establishment had to be around there somewhere we hit the streets. We wandered back and forth on Damon Ave for quite some time before we had to ask someone if they knew where the place was. The look on the gentleman’s face told me that this must happen to him frequently, and with a suppressed grin he pointed us to a graffiti covered building. “Just run your hand along the wall until you find the brass knob.” We must have walked passed the entrance at least three times. Reading the description of the establishment led me to believe I was looking for an ornate vintage building. However in true speakeasy style, the Violet Hour is perfectly hidden utilizing modern urban camouflage. As instructed we followed the wall until we found the brass knob and stepped out of the light into perfect darkness.

It took a moment for our eyes to adjust. As we moved from the bright evening light to perfect darkness and emerged through the heavy velvet curtains framing the entrance I literally felt as if we had been transported back in time. We were faced with an intimate room portioned off by groupings of high backed chairs which created small conversation alcoves. The bar itself took up the entire North wall. The music was enjoyable, the light low, the chairs comfortable.

The cocktail I was after was described in GQ as being the third best cocktail in the world; the Juliette and Romeo. The J&R is a gin martini consisting of Beefeaters, mint, cucumber, and rose water. I am not a gin aficionado but I can tell you this was one of the best drinks I have ever had. Smooth, tart, with essence of black pepper and hints of mint the JR is a delicious liquid paradox of unexpected combinations.

Afterwards I tried the Oldest Confederate Widow, consisting of Bombay Dry, lemon, honey syrup, Pernod Absinthe, and house orange bitters. It should be noted that all bitters and syrups are Violet Hour homemade specialties. This grand lady was served in a tall Collins glass sporting a long cylindrical piece of ice that melted slowly, maintaining the balance of the drink without overpowering or watering down the taste.

My lovely wife tried a Gilded Cage, a vodka based cocktail consisting of Tito's, lemon, egg white, honey syrup, and Regan's orange bitters. However our waitress recommended switching the vodka for rum transforming the cage into a perfectly exotic summer libation.
If you are in Chicago do yourself a favor try the Violet Hour. It is an experience you will never forget.

Enjoy!
Gman

The Rating Scale

As I face the daunting task of writing reviews for all of the excellent places, food, and cocktails I experienced during my trip to Chicago, I realize I must first back up and explain the rating scale used to assign value. Way back in the dark recesses of 2001 or so, a good friend of mine and I began to pool our individual reviews of beer, wine, and spirits each of us had been keeping track of as we wandered the saloons and beer halls of the drinking world. We called our collection The Big Book of Booze. Kevin, intrepid traveler, monk, and scholar was the one who ultimately wrote out the numbering system and coined the phrase “the House of Excellence” which comprises the top three spots on the rating scale. Since that time our quest to discover the inhabitants of this fabled house have been unrelenting if not downright obsessive. The scale itself looks like this:

1. Fundamentally Flawed
2. Awful
3. Bad, but not quite entering the realm of awfulness
4. Below Mediocre
5. Mediocre
6. Above Mediocre
7. Good, but not quite entering the realm of excellence
8. Entering the realm of Excellence
9. Excellent
10. Outstanding in its field

It should be known beforehand that I am essentially a beer man. My quest into the cocktail nation began with an exploration into the different types of beer found worldwide. I began my exploration with reviews of traditional Abbey ales as they are called, ales brewed according to traditional methods as founded and refined by Trappist monks centuries ago. One of the best known abbeys is the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Scourmont, located in Chimay Belgium. It is here that beer and cheese is still made following the specific recipes and procedures of the Trappist order. As they write at Chimay.com, “Here, in this heaven of peace and silence where since 1850 Trappist monks have dedicated their life to God, products are made which, in themselves, gladden the heart of man.”

To demonstrate this scale in action I shall provide the example of the first beer reviewed on my beer list

Chimay Ale Grande Reserve: 8
A smooth full bodied ale crafted with obvious care. Very dark and robust with a nut brown character and color. This Chimay, as there are three varietals offered, is highly effervescent like all the abbeys seem to be, and exhibits a perfect balance between sweet and bitter with essence of raisins and semisweet chocolate in the finish. Personally I found this beer gets much better the longer you cellar it. This dark lady demands special care however and is still highly temperamental even after great care is taken. While the name and reputation inspires excitement and anticipation, the experience leaves one with the all too familiar “I-have-had-better” feeling as you fumble for your clothes in the dark. Clearly approaching the House of Excellence exhibiting master craftsmanship, the Grande Reserve exudes perfection without actually getting there.
*Note as all Chimays are bottom fermented which means they continue slowing brewing over time. As such, each bottle will be slightly different with differing characteristics. Don’t let one bad brown produce an avoidance of all brunettes.

The stories of the Cocktail Tour shall follow shortly. Until then…

Enjoy!
The Gman

The Cocktail Tour of 09

Hey there fellow devotees of the cocktail nation, this is the Gman with exciting news. Tomorrow my wife and I leave for Chicago on what we are calling the cocktail tour. There are several clubs we are targeting and I will give a rundown now.

The Violet Hour. This is a nationally known club famous for the Juliet & Romeo voted third best cocktail in the country by GQ magazine. The Violet Hour is "Ground zero for cocktail culture” according to Details Magazine. Esquire considers it “one of the best bars in America,” and Conde Nast states its “one of the best bars in the world.” According to their website the architect Thomas Schlesser designed the club thusly:

“The visual inspiration for the design of the Violet Hour was drawn from the pared down styles of the early 19th century English Georgian and French Directory. The English club and the French salon were the beginning of the modern venue for socializing and drinking. The project not only uses stylistic cues from these precedents but more importantly uses spatial references such as the partitioning of space into several smaller rooms, the use of extra high wing back furniture groupings, and the breaking down of the bar into several separate lengths; all designed to create places of intimacy conducive to the art of conversation. The cocktail takes center stage in each room with the curtained partitions acting to frame the bartenders and with the high mirrored back bar cabinets acting to highlight the numerous specialty liquors and ingredients.”

Trader Vic’s. My first actually tiki bar. According to their website Trader Vic was the inventor of the Mai Tai in 1944 and introduced Americanized Polynesian food to the west coast. According to their website,

"By 1946, the world had beaten a path to Vic’s door, prompting Lucius Beebe to write in an introduction to Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink published by Doubleday that year: “Trader Vic’s is … more than an Oakland institution. Its influence is as wide as the Pacific and as deep as a Myrtle Bank punch. Vic’s trading post is long on atmosphere, and it is possible for the ambitious patron with a talent for chaos to get into more trouble with obsolete anchors, coiled hausers of boa-constrictor dimensions, fish nets, stuffed sharks… Hawaiian ceremonial costumes, tribal drums, boathooks and small bore cannon than the waiters can drag him out of in a week.”

The Chicago establishment opened in 1957. More historical information on this cultural phenomenon can be found at www.tradervics.com.

Nationale 27. This modern Latin restaurant garnered a spot on GQ’s top 20 with their strawberry rhubarb mojito. However,

"Nacionale 27's signature libation, the El Corazon, has racked in awards for its palate-pleasing blend of Corzo Silver, passionfruit, and pomegranate. The drink's peppercorn-dusted rim adds to the medley of unexpected flavors. Adam Seger put a spin on the much-loved recipe with his 'Luxury El Corazon,' which lends a touch of seasonal fruit to the El Corazon."-Chicago Sun Time

The culinary exploration of the evening will center on the Nueva Paella Fiesta as part of their weekly flavor tours consisting of a three course meal replete with specialty cocktails. Tango and salsa lessons are provided on Tuesdays and Fridays. After the food and liquid fuel we are hoping for quite a bit of dancing.

I will have reviews of each famous cocktail as well as tales of our adventures upon our return.

Enjoy!
Gman

Hey there people, Greg here to relay a special announcement. If you are the kind of person who likes a laid back atmosphere with nice beverages and a back up band, say perhaps a small jazz trio drums, piano, and bass then I have found the place for you. On the cornor of M89 and Blue Star Highway just south of Saugatuck is a little place called The What-not Inn. Every monday night the What-not Trio livens things up with really kicking renditions of the standards. Several people got up to sing, including my wife, who did a really nice interpretation of "Pure Immagination" from the original Willy Wonka. This was a dream of hers, to sing live with a band in a nightclub, so it was a really happy accident to be hungry and driving by.



The guest pianist is an adjuct here at GVSU spending much of his time as an accompaniest to the Dance classes and he has a couple jazz piano workshops as well, perhpas you know him, Paul Lavinski. Apologies to Paul if I spelled his name wrong. This is a great place. According to the drummer, "Monday nights are off the hook." Be sure to drop by and hang it up.

Tell 'em Greg sent you.

Enjoy!