Friday Five

The Week

Believe it or not I found myself back in Houston this week. Granted, Houston isn’t an odd city for me to find myself in, but it had been quite a while since I’d visited. However, despite my lengthy absence I picked up right where I left off, visiting a couple of my favorite places and battling the heat and humidity of August. There really isn’t anything you can do to prepare yourself for Houston weather, except maybe spend some time in South America. The part I just can’t get over is the the fact that it never truly cools off; I did my running in the morning and it was still 80+ degrees and 90% humidity. No, that’s not an exaggeration.

The Travel Note

My Miata is now 4 years old. I still have less than 17,000 miles on it. And that includes about 3,000 miles for the round trip drive it did to Houston, TX.

The Restaurant Cocktail Bar

The last time I was through Houston it was for the IT Grand Prix.^[1] My friend Gordo, cocktail connoisseur extraordinaire, found out about a cocktail bar named Anvil. Unfortunately by the time we landed in Houston it was simply too late for me to muster any strength to actually visit said bar. Finding my way back in Houston meant I had to stop by. Fortunately I was about a $15 cab ride away^[2] made it pretty convenient to make the trip.

The first thing you’ll notice upon walking in, besides of course the anvil logo in the middle of the wall behind the bar, is how down to earth the atmosphere is. No loud music. No TV’s. Nothing flashy. Very simple, friendly bar with a great vibe, enhanced by a great music selection. That night (among other songs) were Under the Milky Way (The Church), In Between Days (The Cure), Age of Consent (New Order) and Flowers (Talking Heads). If the drinks matched I may have found my new home.

I can assure you the drinks matched. In case this is your first time reading this blog, I informed the bartender that I wanted to start with a Manhattan, as that’s my favorite cocktail, or his take on it. He quickly informed me that you really can’t improve upon the classic Manhattan and that’s what he was going to make me. He then proceeded to take no less than three minutes to explain every ingredient choice he was making and why (and mind you there are three ingredients – rye, vermouth and bitters). He went very simple on the rye – Wild Turkey. He went high end on the vermouth (I can never remember the name of it). He went classic on the bitters – Angostura. Stirred and served up with a cherry that was house aged in bourbon and spices.

Just in case I needed further convincing, I discovered they only carry one vodka and zero cocktail olives. The way that I discovered this was a soon to become irate couple sat down next to me to order a “martini”^[3], with Kettle One and just a splash of olive juice. He then lost his mind after finding out the above facts, and proceeded to complain up one side and down the other that the martini bar couldn’t make him a “martini”^[3]. It took everything in my power to inform the gentleman that he was not ordering a martini, at least not in bar that specializes in classic cocktails.^[4] A true martini is gin, a healthy dose of dry vermouth^[5], a dash or two of bitters and a twist. No olives, and no pansy vodka. The bartender took a better tack, explaining this fact by making them their house martini, a martini made the correct way, on him. They still weren’t impressed, and finished their vodka tonics, complaining the entire time, and left.

And just in case all of the above didn’t convince me that this will make my list of top cocktail bars in the US, they also feature a great beer selection, including a cask selection. I’ve been to Houston many, many times and did not think this city was capable of supporting a place this stinkin cool. I was wrong. Anvil is the real deal.

The Five

I’m not superstitious. Well, not much, anyway. There are a couple of things, however, that might classify as superstitions. They’re basically all around sports and gambling.

1. When the Chargers are playing I must be wearing a jersey.
2. At a pai gow table I try to be the last person to pick up my hand, and I slowly open it exposing one card at a time.
3. I’d list everything I do or don’t do at a craps table but, well, this posting is getting long enough as it is and I’m not sure I have enough server space.
4. I believe in the power of the rally cap.
5. I don’t like having 13 unread messages on my phone.

^[1] In case you’re curious, the Gold Team (the one headed by Susan and myself) won.
^[2] One doesn’t drive to a great cocktail bar.
^[3] His words, not mine.
^[4] Closed circuit to Abram – Yes, I am my father’s son.
^[5] I like mine on a 3-1 ratio.

Friday Five

Editor’s Note

Yes, I am behind. To my credit, I did in fact say that I would have trouble posting over the last couple of weeks. I don’t have a good excuse for this past week, but the two prior were a bit of a challenge as Karin and I were in Australia for two weeks. I promise a posting and pictures on our adventures down under in the near future, but for right now I’m going to focus on doing a posting for this past week just to get back in the saddle.

The Week

Because there’s no rest for the weary, my flight schedule has been rather insane lately. I flew straight from New York to Australia without a stop at home, with Karin meeting me at the airport in LA. Upon our return stateside, Karin went home and I went straight up to San Jose. Despite the long flight from Australia to LA, I was able to still figure out the way to San Jose.^[1]

My week in San Jose was rather simple. It consisted of my rather typical sleeping, running, and working. However, I did treat myself to a trip up to San Francisco^[2] with the express purpose of trying Manhattans. In my favorite posting, The Perfect Manhattan, I referenced a San Francisco Gate article that talked about the history of the Manhattan and how best to craft one. In it the author listed a few bars in San Francisco that offer unique versions of the Manhattan, and I’d been wanting to take a trip up to San Francisco to do some sampling. This week afforded me just that opportunity. It was also just nice to be able to explore San Francisco, a city that I do love.

The highlight for Karin, however, came when I arrived home on Friday night. Mind you, the highlight wasn’t me getting home. Instead, it was our trip to Cucina Urbana. Having not been there for over a month I was craving a fix. We decided to stop by a cocktail bar I’d be wanting to check out for quite a while first and do dinner afterwards. Because we were running just a little late for our reservation, when we walked into Cucina Urbana I made a beeline for the hostess stand to check us in. When I turned around, Karin was engaged in a very pleasant conversation with Jerry of Jeff and Jer.

For those you not from San Diego, Jeff and Jer were longtime hosts of a morning radio show and Karin’s favorite. In fact, her devotion to the show was the specific reason she bought a shower radio. Unfortunately because terrestrial radio is going through a bit of turmoil, Jeff and Jer are no longer on the air in San Diego.

In any event, upon walking in Karin noticed Jerry in the lobby area and just simply walked up and said “Hi, Jerry”. The two of them started a very pleasant conversation, and eventually Karin and I wound up meeting both his wife and mother-in-law. I’m not normally the type to ask a celebrity for a picture, but since Jerry was so happy to be talking to Karin it didn’t seem inappropriate to ask for a picture.

The Travel Note

A few notes that I’ve collected over the last few weeks.

• Five weeks was the longest stretch I’ve been away from home for. By the end of it I was very ready for my own bed.
• To answer someone’s question, yes I did remember the way home from the airport. Although I think the car could navigate that drive on its own.
• Australia allows liquids as carryon, which worked to our advantage simply because it made transporting all our wine that much easier.
• I set a new personal record by clearing security 4 times in a single 24 hour period. I had to clear security when leaving Sydney, when I transferred to my flight to LA in Auckland, when I went to board the flight in Auckland, and finally in LA to catch my flight to San Jose. There is a special extra screening area you need to go through after clearing normal security if you’re flying internationally to the US, which is why I had to clear security the extra time in Auckland.

The Restaurant

The first place I stopped on my exploration of Manhattans in San Francisco was a restaurant named Pebacco. Pebacco is in the middle of the Financial District, with a rather small facade that belies the size of the restaurant inside. I of course situated myself at the bar and, after introducing myself to the bartender, mentioned that I heard they do a great Manhattan. With pride he replied, “We absolutely do”, and he put one together for me. The Manhattan was very good; it was well assembled, but it didn’t have quite the level of bite I was looking for. The best way to describe their Manhattan is it’s one with training wheels; if you’re new to classic cocktails and are just looking for somewhere to start, this would be the Manhattan for you. It was mellow, approachable, but still tasty.

For dinner I decided to start off with the pesce crudo. Frankly, I had no idea what it would be, but the ingredients included hamachi, basil, ginger and a little jalapeño, which all sounded good and I took a chance and went for it. I’m glad I did. The flavors all came together perfectly, and the jalapeños were sliced thin enough that they brought just a little heat to the party but didn’t overwhelm the dish. I went with the scallops for my main, which was served with corn and pearl onions. Scallops, like shrimp, are very simple to do well, but also very easy to overcook. I’d say that a good 80% of the time when I order either one in a restaurant it’s rubbery and overcooked. These, however, were cooked to perfection. The wine the bartender recommended (a sauvignon blanc) matched nicely. With great food, service and cocktails Perbacco is the perfect place to start off any evening.

The Five

Recently I’ve been asked the same questions by multiple people so I want to do another FAQ Five section. Those of you who know me well probably already know the answers to these questions, but just in case here you go.

1. Do you enjoy the travel?
   I don’t know if the word “enjoy” is the correct word. I think more than anything I have accepted the travel. Certainly there are great weeks like trips to Seattle or New York, but then there are others where I’m stuck in San Jose or Killeen, TX. I think the hardest part of the travel is simply trying to maintain friendships; being on the road so often doesn’t afford me the opportunity to visit with friends as often as I would like.
2. How do you and Karin deal with you being gone all the time?
   For lack of a better way to put it, we just do. We have spent quite a bit of time over the course of our marriage apart for one reason or another, either because of my travel or working different shifts. We make sure to spend quality time together when we get the chance, and just accept the fact that we’re apart a lot of the time.
3. Wow, that sounds so glamorous!
   I can assure you it sounds much more glamorous than it actually is. When you’re stuck overnight in a fleabag hotel room near the Houston Intercontinental Airport^[3], I can assure you it’s the farthest thing from glamour.
4. When are you going to cut back on the travel?
   It’s a long story, but for right now things will pretty much be the same for the foreseeable future. The issue is I love training, and right now doing what I love to do requires I be on the road fulltime. There may be a situation where I can start working more in San Diego in 2011, but that’s still tentative. As of right now it’s still pretty much all travel all the time.
5. Have you visited all 50 states?
   I have not. My rule for counting a state as being visited is that I have left the airport. Driving through the state counts. I have yet to visit Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia. I’m not sure about Maine; I think I visited there as a child, but unfortunately I don’t remember. Of the states listed, Hawaii is the one I want to visit most.

^[1] I went a long way for that one, Brenda. Hope you appreciate it.
^[2] Not San Fran or Frisco.
^[3] Not International.

Friday Five

The Excuse

As I mentioned before, the next couple of Fridays were going to be a challenge for me in regards to getting a post done. As it turns out, I was prophetic. Although to my defense I was at a conference last week, and as at least one reader will attest it’s hard to accomplish anything at a conference.

The Weeks

In an odd switch, I started last week at home, well at least for the weekend. While I wasn’t home long Karin and I made the best of our time together. The theme of the weekend turned out to be “favorites”.

We started off by doing dinner at Cucina Urbana on Friday night, which is officially my favorite San Diego restaurant. Having not been home in a few weeks it was nice to be able to reconnect with Karin away from everything and everyone.

Saturday was a treat from start to finish. Karin and I did dinner at Parkhouse Eatery, our favorite breakfast place. Then we took in the San Diego showing of [title of show]. I’ve mentioned [title of show] in the past – it was a small Broadway production that was a semi-autobiographical story about how they went from entering a simple contest to eventually making it to Broadway. Karin and I happened to see it on its first preview night in New York and fell in love with the show. It is my favorite musical. The cast the theatre assembled for the show was nearly flawless; they hit not only the look of each original character but also their personalities and voices. Fantastic show and Karin and I were thrilled to have been able to make it.

That night we closed it off with a simple dinner party at our house. It was a shame that I wasn’t able to spend more time with my friends while I was home, but it was still good to share some good times, good laughs and good food. And yes, dinner at home with good friends is probably one of my favorite ways to spend an evening.

The weekend could have set me for the week, but the hits just kept coming. That Sunday morning I flew up to Seattle for a conference. I may have mentioned it before, but I do love Seattle. Downtown is very accessible, plenty to do, and a great vibe. No less than two of my favorite cocktail bars are there, and my favorite (bar none) restaurant is there. It’s also a great chance to catch up with friends I only get to see at conferences. The week wasn’t quite what I was expecting (see the restaurant review below), but it still turned out to be a fantastic time.

At the end of the week Karin made the trip up to Seattle. While she was there we were able to make a trip down to Tini Bigs to meet up with Shane. For those of you who’ve read the blog in the past you may remember Shane – he’s the one who made Karin the Blue Dolphin at the end of the night last time we were there. There were four of us the first night (Neil, Susan, Karin and myself), and just Karin and I the second night. And yes, Shane took great care of us, and every cocktail he put in front of us was a homerun.

The week was capped off by a trip to Pike Place Market and Elemental. Karin loves Pike Place Market, and was more than happy to stop by nearly every stand and, of course, walk into the dog store. That night we met up with our friends Matthew and Ren for dinner at Elemental. Again, I’ve mentioned Elemental in the past. Elemental does a prix fixe menu all of the chef’s choices, and the chef is just brilliant. The company was almost surpassed by the food, which is a statement about how great the food is and not an indictment of the company.

Because this is my life, that Sunday Karin flew home and I boarded a plane for New York City. Have I mentioned before how much I’d love to live there? In case I haven’t, I’d love to live in New York City. This trip in particular was an absolute blur. I was able to meet the newborn of an old college couple friend and enjoy a great dinner with Megan, an good friend from San Diego.

In the middle of the week Abram came down for a visit. When Abram visits there’s a couple of trips that must happen. The first is to Lombardi’s, which makes the best pizza in the world. The second stop that must happen is the Pegu Club, which we visited both nights he was in town. They still do the best manhattan I’ve ever had. The bartender that took care of us was Scott, who’s a bit young and inexperienced but shows great promise.

And really, the above doesn’t begin to capture what an amazing two weeks it’s been.

The Travel Note

Two items this week.

One – I’m still a firm believer that if you don’t see a weirdo in your subway car then you’re it. On one of my trips I had a guy next to me shucking corn on the train. I figure I’m in the clear for that trip.

Two – I’m just fine enjoying a good beer from time to time. But I don’t know that I’m all that comfortable with a pilot in full dress uniform advertising a beer on his luggage. Or at the very least, he could have picked a better beer.

The Restaurant

Susan, my “conference wife”, and I have a standing date for every conference. At least once every trip we go find somewhere to have a great dinner, which affords us many things – the opportunity to enjoy a great dinner (we’re both foodies), the chance to get away from conference food (ugh), and the chance to escape the bustle that is a conference. We got a recommendation from someone to visit a place called Avila. We were both very excited to visit, right up until the point when we arrived at the restaurant to discover it had closed not 5 days before our reservation.

Because of the way the day had gone we laughed the experience off and roamed over to another recommended restaurant a couple blocks away named Joule. Joule is a Korean fusion restaurant. We wound up sampling a good portion of the menu, including the lamb dish, the shrimp, and a corn bread with gouda. We found most of the dishes good but not great, although the lamb was dynamite.

This will not be making the list of must visit restaurants. There’s a very good chance we were still a bit disappointed with Joule because we weren’t able to go to Avila, but I think we were disappointed just because we were disappointed.

Friday Five

I know I’ve already spoken quite a bit about the last two weeks, but there’s still plenty more to tell. Here’s a list of five things that didn’t make the cut above but I really wanted to mention.

1. I met Murray. Outside of a couple people that probably means nothing to anyone. Murray was recently voted the best bartender in America. Having met him I can say I can understand why. In fact, it was amazing the amount of respect every Seattle bartender had for Murray.
2. The location I was teaching at in NYC is right at the southern tip of Manhattan and on the 23rd floor. It offers an amazing view of The Statue and Ellis Island.
3. I had dinner at a great vegan place called Blossom Cafe on Columbus between 81st and 82nd.
4. It’s not the best hotel around, but the Club Quarters by Wall Street is very affordable for Manhattan.
5. Next time you see me remind me to tell you the story about the gyro guy.

Friday Five

The Week

The theme of this trip is “No rest for the weary”. Granted that statement has gotten rather weary in itself, there really isn’t a more apt description for the three weeks I just finished.

Upon finishing up in Rochester I hopped back in the car and drove back out to Burlington. The original plan was to do dinner/drinks with Abram and then do brunch with my mother in the morning. Well, I didn’t get into Burlington until about 9p, much later than I had hoped. Abram and I did track down dinner, but alas we did stay out a bit too late and we slept the entire morning away.^[1] It was at the very least, though, nice to reconnect with Abram, something we hadn’t done in way too long.

Saturday afternoon found me flying to Tampa. Tampa in July is certainly, well, an experience. It’s hot, but fortunately it’s humid as well. In fact, when I landed at 10:30 on that Saturday night it was 90°. That’s 10:30PM. 90°. There really aren’t many words to describe that kind of weather. It’s Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.

The nice thing about Tampa is the opportunity to see friends. Disappointingly I was not able to see “Anonymous” (as he comments from time to time here), but I was able to see Michael. Beyond that, the week turned out to be a pleasant one while not overly exciting.

The Travel Note

I don’t know what it is about the Burlington Airport’s TSA contingent, but they just hate me.^[2] I’d say about 3 out of every 4 times I fly out of that airport I am pulled aside for special treatment. Usually it’s just my computer bag that gets the extra attention (I often wonder if they’ve seen technology), but this time it was both me and the computer bag.

As for the bag, well they pulled basically every piece of electronics out of the bag and scanned them separately. Anyone who knows me knows that’s quite a bit. It also meant I had to completely repack my bag. Granted, the TSA agent was nice enough to offer to repack it for me, there wasn’t any way I was going to let him do that.

As for me, well they decided to frisk my pockets on my cargo shorts. In the lower left pocket I had a bit of cash and my boarding passes. The agent asked to inspect those and I of course handed them over. He took a glance at them, placed them on the table, and then continued his inspection of my pockets. After confirming I had nothing else in them, he grabbed my miscellaneous papers one more time, placed them back on the table, and said I was free to collect my belongings and move on.

Now, let me be very clear here – I’m in favor of the TSA’s job.^[3], as I’ve blogged many times in the past. But there’s a little bit of common courtesy that I think should come with the job. The agent picked the papers back up, inspected them one last time, and tossed them back down on the table before telling me I could collect them. Common courtesy here – just hand them back to me. Just sayin…

The Restaurant

475

Just keep that number in mind for a couple of minutes. I’ll get back to it later.

While I generally try to avoid chains, there are times when convenience wins out, and others where it’s just too hard to avoid a chain restaurant.. I found myself heading to Maggiano’s when I saw a new restaurant in the parking lot of the mall I was headed to named Seasons 52, which, as it turns out, is a chain. Either way, I decided trying a new restaurant was better than my original plans. I was not in the least disappointed.

Regular readers know of course I settled in at the bar for dinner. The first thing you notice at the bar is the piano player on a small platform in the bar area. The first night (yes, first night) I went there the singer was a guy in his 60’s who was both talented and very “loungey”, to coin a phrase. I love me some live music, and I was already sold on the place.

The bartender came over, took my manhattan order, and introduced the menu. He explained that the restaurant focuses on seasonal, fresh and local ingredients, and that they’re health conscious. In fact, he explained, they don’t cook with butter or oil.

Wait. Hold on. Say that again?

“We don’t cook with butter or oil.”

I’m going to pause now for effect.

It’s the butter/oil content of many dishes served in restaurants that turn what would normally be a healthy dish into anything but. As a perfect example, the night before I ordered a cedar plank cooked sea bass. The sea bass was awesome, but it was also cooked in bacon. While I do try to stay healthy, I also know that basically anything can be improved by the addition of bacon, and the word “fat” is shorthand for “flavor”. And now here’s a restaurant cooking with no butter or oil. I’m intrigued.

I start perusing the menu when I notice the sentence at the top: “Seasonally inspired cooking with every item under 475 calories”. Yes, 475 was the max calorie count of any dish on the menu.

On to the food, then. I decided to start with the arugula salad, which came with goat cheese (one of my favorite things on the planet), grilled golden beets and a light dressing. The salad also had a light curry dressing that gave the entire thing “pop”. For an entree I went for the “tiger shrimp penne pasta” which was done in a lemon basil sauce and a bit of parmesan cheese. Dynamite. The shrimp was cooked flawlessly and the dish had a ton of flavor.

The one thing that the entire meal reminded me of was this – you don’t need to douse things in heavy sauces. Food in and of itself has flavor. Let the food shine, and use spices to accent the flavor, not overpower it. Awesome.

So awesome, in fact, that I went back the next night. The place was hopping and I couldn’t find a spot at the bar. Fortunately, the bartender recognized me, came out from the bar, and informed me that a couple was going to be leaving very shortly and I could have their spot. Full marks for that!

This time around I went for the specials – gazpacho and a grilled lamb. I’m actually not a huge gazpacho fan, as it always reminds me of tomato juice. I learned that I’d just been having bad gazpacho. This was amazing. The lamb… Well, the lam was just out of this world. Now granted, j’adore lamb, so it usually doesn’t take much for lamb to be a homerun for me, but even still this was just outstanding.

Yes, it’s a chain. And I feel guilty for loving a chain restaurant this much. But I’m sorry, the food was just that good.

The Five

General nonsense this week.

1. I generally don’t do dessert. But if you offer me something with peaches, I’m going to have a hard time turning that down.
2. I think I may have mentioned this before, but one of the things I miss most because I’m on the road so often is cooking. This is why I try to host many dinner parties.
3. Only because I get asked this rather frequently, yes I do sometimes forget what town I’m in.
4. If I’m doing something where I’m trying to disengage my brain (driving long distances, running, etc) I need either a podcast or talk radio. Music just doesn’t do it for me.
5. I’m very thankful I can sleep on planes. I can sleep almost anywhere, really.

^[1] Sorry, Mom.
^[2] Or I suppose love, depending on your perspective.
^[3] I’m not just saying that to suck up to any TSA agent who might be reading this, but I suppose it can’t hurt.

Friday Five

The Excuse

Wow. Will you look at that. I have a blog!

Well, if I have any reader[s] left out there, I do apologize. I have been slacking quite a bit on the blog. I don’t really have any other excuse besides that I needed a bit of a break. It wasn’t that I planned on a break, but I really just didn’t have the desire for a while to sit down and type anything out.

Fortunately for me, and I guess you[1], I am back and ready to go. The one warning I will give you is the next couple of months might be a bit sporadic, but that’s just because of my schedule and not because of a lack of motivation.

The Week[s]

It’s been so long I actually had to go look at where I’ve been recently.

3 weeks ago found me in San Jose. Despite the fact that I haven’t been blogging in a while, I still know the way. A trip to San Jose is generally, well, a trip to San Jose. This was a huge shift in mentality after the fun week I had in New York. While it was nice to do dinner with friends, and I’m not discounting that in the least, it certainly wasn’t New York.

The following week found me back in Tampa, FL. Tampa is nice as it’s an opportunity to see friends, which I was able to take advantage of. On in particular was kind enough to invite us out for a trip on his boat, which couldn’t have been better. The weather was perfect, the sunset was gorgeous, and needless to say a great time was had by all.

Then life got interesting. Well, busy, anyway. This week I was teaching in Rochester, which is about 6 hours away from where my father and mother live. Since I was this close I had to stop by, especially since my father was hosting a “Gathering” and I hadn’t seen my mother in quite a while. The weekend was an absolute blur, seeing me land in Burlington, drive to my fathers, and then drive back to Burlington to see my mother, before driving out to Rochester. Phew! Fortunately, I did not get my annual speeding ticket in Vermont. But all was not lost; there was good beer to drink.

And in case you  didn’t already pick up on it, I was in Rochester this week. I know I’d been to Rochester, or at least the area, years ago but I have no real memories of the place. I certainly won’t have a lot of memories to leave with as it was a typical business trip, but I did get to jog along the Erie Canal. I will say this much about being a runner[2], it’s a great way to see an area.

The Travel Note

See the five

The Restaurant The Cocktail Bar

I’ve been visiting a lot more interesting cocktail bars than restaurants lately. I think a big part of that is I’ve been visiting places I know I love and haven’t felt overly adventurous in the restaurant department. That said, I have come to the realization that this fact needs to change, and thus begins my quest to find a good cocktail bar in San Diego.

A Yelp search led Karin and I here on a fateful Friday night, and while I did wind up giving the place four stars it's not quite what I was expecting. Let me explain...

My wife and I took the little hidden elevator up to the second floor to this place - you can see the sign, but it's very easy to walk right past the elevator you use to actually enter the place. When the elevator door opens you're instantly greeted by a great lounge atmosphere. There's a little dining area, nice bar and a huge patio.

There's also a stage where there was a piano player and singer playing. I dug the music (they were very talented), and I appreciated the low volume level (you could actually have a conversation), it was actually a bit too low (you couldn't understand what he was singing).

On to the main reason to come to a cocktail bar - the drinks.
I want bitter. I want savory. I want, well, I want basically the exact opposite of what this place serves. They have a huge menu of fufu drinks which Karin loved. Me - I wanted a good manhattan. We ordered, and the manhattan I got was good but nothing special. Karin loved her drink.
When it came time for the second I decided that since I was in Rome... I grabbed the menu and looked for something that I thought would be up my alley - "cool as a cucumber", which is gin and muddled cucumbers. Karin, of course, went for another fufu drink.

The following sums up the approach of the bartenders at Martinis Above Fourth: Karin's drink involved no less than four different liquors, a martini glass with chocolate sauce drizzled inside of it, and I think there may have been lemon juice squeezed fresh between the thighs of a virgin. Mine? My drink involved the following steps:

Add pieces of cucumber to bottom of glass.
Muddle.
Fill with ice.
Fill with Hendricks gin.
Shake.
Serve.

Don't get me wrong - my drink was actually very tasty. And again - my wife loved hers.

And this leads me back to the point I made at the top of this review. This is not the place I was expecting. But I had an absolute blast. And while I'm generally not looking for fufu drinks, when I am I know where to go. And I also know where to take Karin when she wants to get her drink on.

The Five

Every week I go through airport security at least once, if not twice (coming and going), and it amazes me the number of people who still struggle with this process. Granted, I’ve done this many times (no less than 50 times so far this year). But there are still simple things I see people do constantly that get themselves into trouble, or make the process more excruciating than it has to be. There are really just a few things that, if followed, will make your lives easier.

1. Accept the fact you’ll be in line for a while. There’s nothing you can say/do that’s going to make the line move faster. Just accept it and your life will be easier.
2. Wear easy to remove shoes. Granted, I do violate this one when I wear Chucks, which are a PITA to take off. But I do unlace them while I’m waiting.
3. 3 ounce bottles in a zip top bag. It’s very easy. Yes, that means anything spreadable, sprayable and pourable. The number of times I see people having those items pulled from their suitcases is innumerable.
4. Have your ID and ticket ready when you reach the front. Ready does not mean in the bottom of your purse.
5. Above all else – do whatever the TSA agent tells you. Shoes, socks, patdown, bag search, whatever it is. Arguing is only going to delay your trip through TSA, or worse. I’ve witnessed my fair share of arguments, and never once did the passenger win.

[1] Really, after all, blogs are rather narcissistic. It’s more about me, isn’t it? ;-)
[2] Can I call myself a runner now?

Friday Five

The Excuse

I’m a bit disappointed this section has started to creep back in. But I just didn’t have a chance to finish this on Friday before my flight, and Karin and I went out right after I landed.

The Week

Ah, Manhattan.

Yes, this week found me in the city so nice they named it twice – New York, New York.

Usually when my travels take me out here I warn Karin that I’m going to want to move out here. New York has a special place in my heart; I love everything about it. The culture. The food. The atmosphere. Everything. And as this week comes to an end and I’m about to head to the airport, I can say this trip was no exception – I want to move to New York.

Before anyone begins panicking and thinking we’re leaving San Diego, we’re not. I couldn’t convince Karin to move to New York if I tried. And, honestly, I don’t know that I truly want to move out here. I think in the end moving to New York for me is probably one of those wishes that’s best left unfulfilled. I can see myself getting tired of the constant stimulation you get when walking outside after a couple years. The weather would probably drain me.

But still, I want to move to New York.

As is usual for my trips to New York, I was able to see friends and family. I was able to get together for dinner with Megan and David, old San Diego friends who returned to New York. My Aunt Mary also invited me to an opening at a museum celebrating the 150th anniversary of a Japanese delegation arriving in New York City.

It was a great week.

And yes, I want to move to New York.

The Restaurant Cocktail Lounge

Despite being in New York I really didn’t do a lot of fine dining. Oddly enough, the opportunity just didn’t present itself. But what did present itself was an opportunity to visit one of my favorite cocktail bars, The Pegu Club.

I don’t think I need to cover (yet again) my love of a good cocktail nor a good cocktail lounge. The Pegu Club is the picture of the latter, and they make the former flawlessly. You can walk past the entrance to the place without realizing it^[1]; there is a very classy sign on the door and little else denoting the place’s location. The main seating area is all low tables and comfortable couches and chairs – the perfect place to relax with a good group of friends or cozy up with that certain someone. They do have a cocktail menu, but really – why? One of the signs of a good cocktail lounge is the ability to have a conversation with the bartender and ask him for what he’d recommend. After all, you’re at a good cocktail bar because you want a good cocktail made by a skilled mixologist. Let the man do his work.

Regardless of the cocktail lounge my first drink is always a manhattan.^[2] Not only do I love manhattans, it just gives me a good base to establish the level of cocktail I should expect. When it comes to the classic manhattan, this is the best I’ve ever had. First, the entire experience in crafting^[3] the manhattan at the Pegu Club is something to behold. The bartender starts with an empty glass and adds to this (in order) bitters, 100 proof Rittenhouse rye whiskey, and sweet vermouth. He then takes three ice cubes, cracking each one in half^[4], and adds them to the glass. Three more whole cubes are added before stirring vigorously. Now it’s time to turn his attention to the presentation, which involves a small bowl with crushed ice and a hole for a small carafe. Half of the drink is poured into a chilled cocktail glass, while the remainder is poured into the carafe. The garnish is, of course, cherries soaked in (I believe) brandy.

Believe it or not, there is a reason behind everything that’s done. First, the Rittenhouse 100 proof rye cuts through the vermouth and bitters more than a normal bourbon. I’ve mentioned before the reason that I like a manhattan rather than just a straight bourbon is the manhattan rounds off the edge of the bourbon. The rye leaves enough of a roughness to the drink that you know you’re enjoying something made with a whiskey, but not so much that it kills your palate. The ice cubes are cracked to encourage some melting. Cocktails such as a martini and manhattan should be about 20% water. The carafe for the “angel’s share”^[5] is so you can enjoy the entire drink while it’s as cold as possible. If the remainder was left on ice the ice would melt and thus water down the drink.

The result – the best regular manhattan I’ve ever had.

The Travel Note

I generally don’t like bragging about the upgraded experience, but this week I was upgraded both to and from Newark, which is rare. The breakfast in first class on the flight out involved cinnamon roll french toast, and the flight back was a four course meal including shrimp cocktail and a sundae bar. That is a civilized way to fly.

The Five

Not feeling very creative this week, so I went back to the Friday Five site with the questions and found this:

1. When is your usual bedtime?
   I usually crawl into bed around 10p, although I frequently watch a little TV or check Facebook before going to sleep.
2. How many hours of sleep do you need?
   7-8 works just fine.
3. Do you usually remember your dreams?
   It depends on the dreams. I often have rather lucid dreams that I do remember and frequently have a hard time deciding if it was real or not.
4. How many pillows do you sleep with?
   At home just one; I love my pillow at home. In a hotel room I usually need two because they’re rarely firm enough for me.
5. What is the wildest dream you’ve ever had?
   No comment.

^[1] In fact, when Abram and I first visited the location we did exactly that.
^[2] I’ve become so predictable that I had someone ordering for me within 3 days of meeting me.
^[3] You’ve read the description. Yes, crafting is the right word.
^[4] One of the signs of a great cocktail bar is large ice cubes. Large ice cubes melt slower and allow you to enjoy cocktails served on the rocks longer.
^[5] I don’t know that it’s actually called the angel’s share, but it should be.

Friday Five

The Week

I don’t know any other way to describe this week as compared to the last two other than “let down”. Major let down.

This week found me in Killeen, TX teaching at Fort Hood. About the only reason to come to Killeen is if you’re stationed at Fort Hood or related to someone who is. Otherwise, there’s really a bunch of nothing in the area. The heat here was rather familiar (although it wasn’t as humid as it was in New Orleans), but outside of that this week had nothing in common with last week.

I guess I can’t always have amazing weeks.

The Restaurant

This would have been the restaurant I’d have featured last week, but since I didn’t feature a restaurant I am stealing this one from last week.^[1] When in New Orleans Susan and I treated ourselves to dinner at Commander’s Palace. Commander’s Palace is one of the older institutions in New Orleans, and one of its most famous restaurants. Upon hearing I was going to New Orleans I knew I had to go there; I was not disappointed.

The restaurant has a great old feel to it. It’s huge, which a great courtyard in the middle. Upon being seated the decision for dinner was obvious – Chef’s Playground, which is a 7 course tasting menu. The items served up ran the gamete from crab cakes with caviar, to foie gras, to soft shell crab. The wine pairings were also both perfect and adventurous, including a sherry for one of the middle courses. Nearly everything was a homerun, with a couple items being doubles instead. The service was flawless and almost a little too efficient. This is one place that lives up to it’s reputation.

The Travel Note

Notice the image on the right? Is there any wonder I have a god complex at times?

The Five

We’re going to see if I can come up with 5 odd things about me.

1. I can’t do cooked salmon. I don’t know what it is about it, but it makes me nauseous. However, I love raw salmon.
2. I think most people know this about me already, but I came *this* close to going to college to become a pilot rather than an IT geek. I think I made the right decision.
3. Despite the fact that I spend quite a bit of time in front of a computer if I’m going to read a book it needs to be a real book.
4. As much as I try, I just can’t get into the NBA.
5. I’ll take a 20 minute nap over a 2 hour nap every time.

^[1] It’s not as if there was a lot of fine cuisine to be had in Killeen, TX.