In my months of writing the Dive Bomber, I've only had one instance (I know of) in which I've actively pissed off someone: an octogenarian bar owner who made some angry calls after my otherwise-glowing review of her tavern.
No, I'm not stupid enough to link to the piece in question. My editor had to deal with that "force of nature" once. I'd like to keep this job.
On Thanksgiving Day, the bars will be open. Maybe not the dance clubs, "ultra lounges" or country club-type places, but most every corner bar will be open, and we've all been in one of those. But maybe not on Thanksgiving. However, if you've ever found yourself driving or walking by one on Turkey Day, you might have noticed that nearly all of them offer a bitchin' Thanksgiving meal.
Before you feel sorry for the people who spend their Thanksgiving in a dive bar, remember that you'll be spending it with your in-laws. Who's the sorry one now?
Totino's: Perfect for the One-Person Party You'll be Having. Reportedly the best-selling "economy frozen pizza" in the U-S-of-A, Totino's pizzas take about two beers (in beer time) to cook and provide a boost of energy to prepare you for the rail gin-and-tonic you'll be ordering after you hit "Ignore" on your cell phone when you see an incoming call from a family member. G'head, have another square of Totino's. More notes: Must be cooked in a toaster oven, just like in a bar. Real ovens and pilot lights don't mix when family angst and cheap alcohol are involved.
Let's get this out of the way right off the bat: The Manhattan is a Classic Cocktail. If you are a lady wearing a stole and delicate little gloves or a gentleman in a skinny tie and a fedora, fine, but this homage is not for you. It's for my grandpa -- and probably yours, too -- who would be amused, if not bewildered, to find out his drink has become hip. No matter how long-established, the primary appeal of many of these "classic" drinks is novelty. In a few years, most of the fizzes and flips will be forgotten again. Not so the Manhattan. This drink had a loyal following long before Donald Draper ever put his pretty lips to one. It is the opposite of novelty, the old standby.
'Tis the season for the obligatory "What wine should you bring to Thanksgiving?" article. Can we talk about this for a minute? As always, drink what you like, but Thanksgiving means tons of food that are heavy on the carbs -- and you want to pair it with wine? A drink that's 12-14% alcohol by volume on top of a dish specifically named stuffing is what sends you to bed early, not the tryptophan.
(By the way, you know that's a myth, right? There's more tryptophan in eggs, spinach and cheese than in turkey. So when the conversation lags and Cousin Larry tries to show off the new word he learned, shut him down quick with an inquiry into post-quiche naps.)
Think about choosing some lower-alcohol offerings to feast with, thus ensuring you'll have room for a few more at the bar after Grandma's been driven home.
Following up on my post a couple of weeks ago about wine being fun, I decided to have some fun myself. I saw a post on the Wine and Cheese Place's blog about an upcoming tasting featuring the wines of Chateau St. Jean and Beringer. Regular readers of the Noble Writ will likely realize that these producers are outside my normal palate preferences. That we'd be tasting some high-end cabernet sauvignons from these folks moved me even further from my normal hunting grounds.
Can a bar be a dive if it has flowers planted in front and offers issues of local foodie magazines? Can a dive bomber be a dive bomber if she goes to a bar and drinks nothing but iced tea?
Yes, if I'm having lunch at Arena Bar and Grill. This tavern on the bottom level of a rambling old house on the edge of Dogtown epitomizes the all-American neighborhood bar, with friendly bartenders, regulars and a little corner in the back with a sign that reads, "The Little Kitchen That Could".
It's nice enough that my first reaction wasn't, "I need a beer to make this palatable."
On Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, Zach Dyer helped judge the Midwest Regional Barista Competition, with the winner advancing to the national competition in Anaheim in April 2010. In last week's post, Dyer explained how the competition works and described the drinks made by the finalists from PT's Coffee in Topeka, Kansas. This week, he looks at how the finalists from St. Louis' own Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company fared...
Kaldi's baristas focused their presentations on the raw possibilities of espresso, deconstructing the coffee to show its versatility. Kaldi's roaster and (for the day) barista Joe Marrocco brought his perspective as a roaster to his signature drink. Using the Costa Rica Don Mayo currently served in Kaldi's stores, he prepared the same coffee roasted two different ways to highlight the differences.
As if the holiday itself wasn't great enough, this year's Twelve Days of Halloween included some pretty fantastic beer moments. Celebrating the long-awaited opening of Foam on Cherokee Street. Sharing a friend's homebrew made with hops he grew himself. Pouring my own beer during a Mike Sweeney-led brewhouse tour at the Schlafly Tap Room. Dressing up as Fidel Castro and knocking back a few Tecates with my buddy Che.
The pinnacle of the week had to be to the autumn beer dinner at Duff's Restaurant. For nine years, Duff's has collaborated with New Belgium Brewing Co. to create a fantastic fall feast. This year -- my third in attendance -- chef Jim Voss chose to pair his hearty, locally sourced creations with selections from New Belgium's Lips of Faith series, and the results were, shall we say, freakin' exquisite.
Supposedly the world is running out of bitters. Not bitter people, mind you, but the cocktail mixer. Specifically, Angostura bitters, those that come in the ubiquitous paper-wrapped bottle with the yellow plastic cap. Just a few years ago, such news wouldn't have attracted much notice. After all, cocktails rarely call for more than a few dashes of bitters, so a bottle would last most bars quite a while. But now that classic cocktails are all the rage, bar patrons are partying like it's 1929, knocking back Manhattans and Old-Fashioneds and running down those bitters supplies.
Bon Vivant Wines, which this here publication deemed the Best Wine Store of 2009, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a wine tasting tomorrow, November 11, from 5-7:30 p.m. The tasting will feature wines from importer Kermit Lynch.
According to the Bon Vivant website, those wines will include Dom. Salvard Cheverny '08,
Dom de la Cadette Bourgogne Vezelay '07,
Graville-Lacoste Graves '08,
Foillard Morgon '07,
Tempier Bandol Rose '08 & Rouge '06,
Fontsainte Corbieres '07,
Brunier Telegramme Chateauneuf du Pape '07 and
Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras '07.
Photographer Stew Smith was there and brings back these photos from "Blood & Sand," which featured bartenders and mixologists Ted Kilgore (Taste by Niche), Jamie Kilgore (Terrene), Lucas Ramsey (Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel), Matthew Seiter (of the coming-soon Sanctuaria), Nate Selsor (Monarch) and T.J. Vytlacil (Flamingo Bowl).
Thanksgiving increases interest in food and wine pairings. Since I have fun experimenting with combinations of wine and food, I generally enjoy the conversations I have with friends and family looking to step out and try something different.
However, a significant number of conversations I have about Thanksgiving and wine are dripping with anxiety. Much comes from people on a quixotic quest for a meal of Rockwellian nostalgia, filtered through lens of Martha Stewartesque perfection. For these folks, I have learned to make only the most general of recommendations and then shamelessly pawn them off on our town's better wine merchants.
The other common Thanksgiving pressure point seems to be the guests. Frequently, it is in-laws or, even more anxiety provoking, in-laws to-be. Usually, one of the guests is into wine, and the person seeking input is not. In these instances, I advise finding out what sort of wine the guest likes and then getting something similar. Even if it doesn't work so well with the dinner, it's likely to make a positive impression on the special guest.
When I received an e-mail a few weeks ago inviting me to sit as one of the sensory judges at the 2009-2010 Midwest Regional Barista Competition, I jumped at the opportunity. At my most delusional, it sounded like "celebrity judge" -- at the very least, it sounded like a great time. Last weekend, I trained for my judging certification and then sat as a sensory judge for the first round of the competition on Saturday. Fifteen shots later, I attended the final on Sunday. Over the next three weeks, I'll relate my experiences.
This week, my cranky old cell phone died, so I joined the addict-addled world of the iPhone. And because I have to have every free application created, I joined the addict-addled world of foursquare. Because I want everyone to know how to find me. That won't be annoying at all, considering how much I like people.
Foursquare proved its usefulness within hours after I joined when I saw several recommendations for Super's Bungalow Beer Garden.
Dive bombing has officially gone digital. I hadn't heard of this joint before foursquare.
To celebrate the Day of the Dead, I watched Death Wish 3 and drank Tecate at the Tin Can Tavern & Grille. Did I honor American culture more than I did Mexican? True: I ate shrimp drenched in barbecue sauce with hush puppies on the side and washed it down with cold, pale lager out of a can. And while the Day of the dead is about remembering loved ones who have passed and communing with family, Death Wish 3 -- a wish fulfilled, stacking up a mind-boggling 75-plus bodies in its one hour and forty minute running time -- is about vengeance and catharsis. And really big guns.
If you've been paying attention over the past few years, you know how the beer selection in the St. Louis area has ballooned. (Seventeen breweries!) With so much out there, it can get a little overwhelming at times. Here are a few Must-Trys and New-&-Excitings to seek:
Ayinger Weizenbock (Brauerei Aying, Germany): Long considered one of the greats, Ayinger makes definitive German beers, so anything new from them should be snapped up immediately. Ayinger has brewed a rare style of beer that combines the fruity refreshment of a traditional weissbier with the malty, warming heft of a bock. Super drinkable. Look for the 17-ounce bottle with the happy goat on the label.
So Bombay Sapphire has surveyed "1,000 bartenders from 40 states" (according to the press release it sent out) to determine the top ten "hottest trends in mixology."
The list includes both the expected (variations on classic cocktails) and, well, the unexpected -- such as hot trend #4. What is hot trend #4? Find out the answer (and the rest of the top ten) after the jump. But first, this clip to give you a clue...
Too often we forget that wine is fun. Critics are overcritical, writers try to convey too much useful information, normal people get uptight, and wine geeks have been known to manage all three simultaneously. It can be difficult to turn these qualities off, especially after years of conditioning. Sometimes, though, we need to step back, think about what we're doing and attempt to recapture the fun.
I present myself as exhibit number one. A fundamental wine moment for me occurred in the fall of 1995. It was cold and rainy, and I was cutting class because I didn't feel like walking to Wash U. from my apartment. So I popped a bottle of wine in front of the TV to celebrate my sloth: a 1992 Jayer-Gilles Bourgogne Haut Côtes de Nuits.
I pulled the cork, poured a glass and went into the kitchen to fetch a snack. When I returned, I smelled violets. The cool, damp breeze coming in from my cracked window had filled the room with the scent of the wine. Thus began my fascination with red Burgundy. It was a moment of pure joy.
There's one in every bar, and he always manages to find me. At Just One More Time, he was 50 years old and complaining about living with his parents.
No, he wasn't taking care of elderly parents. He was crashing on their glassed-in porch, where he's got a bed and a TV. He doesn't live with his 13-year-old daughter because he can't get along with her.
"It's like Iron Chef with baristas making coffee drinks."
That's how Josh Ferguson, owner of Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company, describes the Midwest Regional Barista Competition. The competition gathers the best baristas from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to compete and share the latest in coffee.
"It brings people together to showcase their talents and come together with a community who want to raise the level of specialty coffee," Ferguson says.
The event, held at the Soulard Preservation Hall at 1921 South 9th Street, is free and open to the public. The competition starts Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. The event continues Saturday, with the finals Sunday. Twenty contestants will be in St. Louis to compete for the event's top honors. Winners go on to the 2010 national competition in Anaheim, California, in April.
My companion is not a "tea room" kind of guy. In fact, he winced a little when I suggested the London Tea Room for lunch. Still, he plays along, even when I propose ordering tea for two. Knowing that black coffee is more his style, I resist the frou-frou flavored options in favor of the London Tea Room Blend, an austere and balanced black tea blend. Upon ordering a half-sandwich and soup combo, in which bacon is featured both on the sandwich and in the soup, he seems a little more at ease.
In fairness to this downtown establishment, the elegant, light-filled space is about as unfussy a place as you can imagine. There isn't a doily or floral print in sight, and the young, black-clad staff is easy-going, yet eager to please. On a day like this one, I don't want to be anywhere else. It's cold and spitting drizzle outside, and the realization that winter is on its way is finally sinking in. Who knows better than a Londoner how to cope with miserable weather? Perhaps that's why the soups are homemade and the tea is strong.
St. Louis lost one of its beer legends this month: Henry Herbst was St. Louis' preeminent beer historian and collector, an invaluable repository of our proud past. If you've ever been to the Missouri History Museum or waited for a table at the Schlafly Bottleworks, you've enjoyed pieces from Henry's collection. As I wasn't fortunate enough to have met Mr. Herbst, I will let others eulogize the man. What I do know is what the man's work has meant to my city.
Is there anything sadder than an old bar in a strip mall? What about an old bar sandwiched between upscale rescale shops in a strip mall, with only a battered Chinese restaurant to keep it company? That's Sappington Lounge, which looked so forlorn from the outside that I thought it was closed until I noticed the front door cracked open.
Inside, the story changes. A packed bar filled with gray-haired men laughing, talking and acting as if they've known me all my life once they learned my name, which was within seconds of me taking a seat.
If you've visited a Starbucks this month, you've seen the huge displays announcing the (much anticipated?) arrival of the company's new instant coffee, Via. Starbucks claims Via is so good that it tastes just like real Starbucks coffee.
Or is it that real Starbucks is so bad that it tastes just like instant coffee?
Cheap shots aside, the intention to make instant coffee palatable is a noble one, so this weekend, I decided to try some Via for myself.
The cloud of existential funk that hangs over the jury-duty holding pen on a Monday morning is like a thick, black fog. Not one person wants to be in that room, least of all the people who work there. The sighing. The grumbling. The bitter, blank staring. The announcements over the p.a. followed by a slow, morose death march to the door by those who have the chosen numbers. At noon a stern voice announces, "You are now released for lunch -- you must be back in this room by 1:15."
The Civil Courts building is at 10 North Tucker Boulevard. I quickly index my options: One place is eight blocks away, too far; another is closed on Mondays. As I walk toward the exit, I hear a security guard direct someone to a nearby hot-dog stand. By God, if I'm going to spend the day locked in an airless room, I'm sure as hell gonna eat good for lunch. As I emerge out the east side of the building, it shimmers and glistens like a mirage just one block away: the brand new Citygarden.
Last week's post on oatmeal stout mentioned the lovely ale style Kölsch. The Beertender was inspired to give it its proper due, especially now that it's available year round.
Kölsch rhymes with Grolsch (unless you pronounce the o-umlaut the way they do in Germany, in which case it sounds something like kerlsh). The similarity, however, ends there. Sure, Kölsch is bright yellow like a pale lager, but the taste is something else entirely. The more delicate flavor profile of Kölsch causes many to doubt its designation as an ale, but both ales and lagers can occupy all points on the flavor spectrum. Kölsch shows its ale colors when the top-fermenting yeast and pale malts imbue the brew with a subtle fruitiness many describe as vinous. Combine this with a healthy grain presence, gently balancing hops and a dry finish, and you've got one crisp, flavorful beer.
A point comes in many wine lovers' lives when they are unable to find a bottle they really want in their local wine shops. It might be a wine from the birth year of a special person, a bottle enjoyed while traveling or just something about which they've read that simply captivates their imagination.
The simple fact about wine distribution is that far from everything is available in any particular market. While we St. Louisans are relatively well placed in a large metropolitan area spanning two states, there are times when ordering a wine from another state is the only way to get it.
I approached Pepper's Bar and Grill (near Bevo Mill, not the place on Locust) on a cold, rainy night to see a woman sitting on the front stoop. She wore shorts and a t-shirt and was talking on the phone. She jumped up as I neared the door, smiled at me, opened the door and promptly let it slam closed in my face.
Gut Check is thrilled to welcome back one of Riverfront Times' most popular columns, Drink of the Week -- and to introduce its new author, Alicia Lohmar.
I had my first cocktail on a trip to Paris with my dad when I was sixteen. We were at a restaurant he called Pots and Pans because it had cookware hanging in the front window. While we waited for a table, the hostess brought us little juice glasses with what looked like pink Kool-Aid in them. My dad explained that it was kir, white wine with crème de cassis in it. This didn't mean much to me, but it was cool and sweet. It was summer, and we had spent the day walking around the city, so I drank it quickly. I was surprised when I stood up, and the room wobbled.
That is a Drink of the Week -- a drink that makes an impression, that marks a time and place.
No matter what the calendar says, summer ended for me on Sunday, September 27, at around seven in the evening. It was at this time that dusk turned to dark, the wind picked up and the Kölsch keg blew.
My friend Joe has a sweet draught system in his house. It's a small True cabinet with a two-tap tower that sits right next to his kitchen table, which means on nights when he and I are sitting around shooting the proverbial poop, we don't even have to stand up to refill. Jealous? Me, too.
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