Food & Drink

Drink of the Week: Duchesse de Bourgogne

Tara — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:33:25 +0000

Duchesse de Bourgogne

I've had my first Duchesse!

At The Refug e that is...

This yummy goodness reminded me of a New Belgium's Old Cherry at first, but after half a glass I realized it was kinda like a Lindemans Framboise Lambic - only less concentrated and sweet. Which was perfect because sometimes raspberry or cherry lambics can be too rich for me.

Anyway, I'm happy I came across the Duchesse de Bourgogne because I like a little fruity ale from time to time. It makes me feel like a lady in this manly man beer world.

Beer Gurus CLICK HERE for the stats.

Image courtesy of The Perfectly Happy Man

Fun Dive Bar: Red Jack in San Francisco

Tara — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:03:57 +0000

When I caught up with my old fraternity friends for the night of my birthday, Red Jack was the meeting spot. It's a tiny little dive bar set in the North Beach/fisherman's wharf area. They had a jukebox going and lots of fun games to play like Connect All 4, Jenga and darts. The bartender was super cool and dealt with our rowdiness very well - he also made some strong pink lemonade Jolly Rancher type shots! We had the best time. Thanks Red Jack for making the night fun!

Here are some pictures from the night:

Darts

Connect All Four More fun....
The Red Jack Saloon / 131 Bay St San Francisco, CA 94133 / (415) 989-0700

The New Candy: 5 Hour Energy

Tara — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:52:33 +0000

5 Hour Energy

Without fail, every single time I pop open a 5 Hour Energy, someone around me tries to grab it outta my hand. Its like a kid going for a popsicle from the ice cream truck. People seem to lose all control around these little shots. Two weeks ago in Las Vegas, we had a bunch of them in our room - as party favors for guests - they were all gone 1.5 hours later with people asking for more. Yup, there's definitely something about them. Now I'll have to play by the old school rule: If you don't have some for everyone, you can't have some yourself.

Photo courtesy of 5 Hour Energy .

My Favorite Neighborhood Bar - Glow - Is Now On Facebook

Tara — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:08:18 +0000

Glow in San MateoPaul - the owner - said I could make a page for my favorite neighborhood bar Glow, so I did. I’m hoping this page will become a home for happy, fun memories we’ve all had at that joint. Plus it will help advertise the awesome drink specials and infused vodka flavors of the week. So if you have been to Glow or want to know what’s up with the place – check it out on facebook!

Glow 76 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 579-6160

New Pub Alert!

Tara — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:52:54 +0000

Bangers Freehouse & GrubName: Bangers Freehouse & Grub
Location: 236 S B Street, San Mateo, CA
Drink: Fine brews from around the world
Eat: Burgers and Fries

We stopped in and had the Ommegang Witte (New York), Chimay Red (Belgium) and sweet potato fries with blue cheese dressing. Very tasty. Great service - the staff even showed us around Azuli Lounge and the patio. It's open now, but look for the Grand Opening on August 1st!

Drink of the Week: Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale

Tara — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:37:35 +0000

Hitachino White Ale I'm totally into white beers. They're always light and refreshing, reminding me of sunny Saturday afternoons. So when I was out and about with my drinking team TEAM BUZ (don't worry, I'll introduce the team to you very soon), I asked for a recommendation from the Monks Kettle bartender - he said to try the Hitachino White Ale. Now its my new favorite!

Stats for all the beer gurus:

Malts: Pilsner, Wheat
Hops:Perle, Strian Goldings
Adjuncts: Coriander, Orange peel, Nutmeg,
Alcohol Vol: 5.0%
Color: Light Golden

Wanna try one? Bevmo has them for $4.99 / 11.2 oz or simply head on over to Monk's Kettle 3141 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 865-9523 .

Image provided by Kuichi Brewery.

B&TD Review: Emmys Spaghetti Shack and the 500 Club

Tara — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:27:00 +0000

Luckily, we have some great local friends who show us around the peninsula. They have given us so many pointers - like where the good neighborhoods are, what festivals to attend and all the cool bars/restaurants to check out. That's how we ended up at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack and the 500 Club last night. Good food, good times and great company always make for an awesome night!

Emmy's Spaghetti Shack
Atmosphere: Small and intimate - there were only 10-12 tables in the whole place. It really felt like someone was cooking right out of their own little kitchen. There was so much to look at on the walls and ceiling, a hodgepodge of items from music posters to women's cooking aprons. The room definitely kept us occupied while we waited for the yummy food.
Service: Great! Even though we had an incomplete party the hostess/waitress made sure that as other groups walked in, we were first to be seated when our friends arrived. While we waited for our table we grabbed a drink at the small bar - bartender was patient and super cool to us. Drinks came fast and just like we ordered. At dinner our waitress was very attentive. Never felt like I needed anything which is always a good sign!
Music: DJ spun some old school music in the background - top 40 songs from every era (it reminded me of the Bungalow 8 show on Sirius radio).
Favorite food: Absolutely LOVED the Strawberry and Mozzarella with Hazelnuts Salad. For dinner we had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Gorgonzola Sauce and Asparagus - AMAZING.
Not so much our fave:
Garlic Bread - I could have made it at home (and I don't cook).
Meatballs and Spaghetti -Meatballs were HUGE! It was good but not great.
Favorite drink: Shack Mule - Lotus (vitamin B-12) Vodka, fresh lemon and lime juice, ginger syrup and a splash of soda for $9. They also offer 40 oz beers - remember Mickey's back in the day? The special we thought was funny (besides the 40 oz beers) - shot of Jim Beam and a 7 oz bottle of Miller High Life for $7.
Pros: Delicious food at affordable prices. Atmosphere completed our experience. We left entertained, full bellied and still had money left to grab some drinks afterward!
Cons: Parking, what parking? Good luck finding a spot. Also, get there before 7:15pm or you will be waiting for hours.
Recommendation: This place is a must-see for anyone looking for a unique experience.

Emmy's Menu for March 14th, 2009

500 Club
This place won Best of the Bay Best Dive Bar 2008, so it's no surprise that we had fun there.
Atmosphere: Like any little bar in the Mission area, it was super tiny with 3-4 booths/tables along one wall, bar along the other side. Everything (including the fireplace) was definitely well-worn. We liked how they attempted to add some girlie flare with the miniature crystal chandelier above a table in the back and child-like tiara above the girls bathroom. None of which went with the rest of the decor ha ha ha.
Service: Bartender was quick - gotta love that!
Music: Old school classics from the 80's.
Favorite drink: Full bar with your usual suspects for beers.
Pros: Fun, relaxed atmosphere with a good crowd. Cheap drinks and decent music - enough to keep me in the bar.
Cons: Cash only. Parking was a little hard to find.
Recommendation: Definitely wish I had heard about this bar before our TEAM BUZ (my drinking team) event last fall, they would have loved it! We will definitely bring our friends here when they are looking for a cool dive bar.

Image from Yelp.com - thanks Terry C.!

Have I introduced you to my friend MappyHour?

Tara — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:28:00 +0000

Meet my best friend. Very Best. MappyHour has shown me the most awesome places to be between 5-7 pm. Annnnnnd maybe where I shouldn't be (ha ha ha). Mappy will let you pick a city on a map, then bring up all the locations that serve booze, food, etc. in that vicinity. Basically, any joint that can host a happy hour. Now you get it... MAPPY HOURS! How do they find out about all the happy hour specials you ask? Well, people like you and me type the specials into the site when we come across them. Genius I tell ya!

My friends told me to keep Mappy to myself, but I can't keep it a secret any longer! I need to spread the word- cause Mappy is still lookin' sparse on the specials. So what are you waiting for?! Get out there and make your next happy hour happier!

Psssssst! Unthirsty.com has a similar concept. Unfortunately they have been having a lot spam issues lately so they had to turn off the ability to add happy hour info - but they are hoping to solve the issue very soon.

Drink of the week: Moscow Mule

Tara — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

I recently had one of these at a my last happy hour when it was held at a place called Swig. Loved Swig and the Moscow Mule went very well with the fireplace - kept me nice and warm.

Here's how Swig made the Moscow Mule:
2 oz. Vodka
1 tbsp. Lime Juice
Ginger Beer

Directions:
Add Vodka and lime juice to a chilled beer mug with ice. Fill with Ginger Beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Check out The Art of Drink for more information on where the Moscow Mule came from, along with ingredients on how to make the perfect one. Mmmmmmm I want to make my own!

Image from The Art of Drink.

Drink of the week: Cucumber Mojito

Tara — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:36:00 +0000

One of my all time favorite drinks is a Mojito. Now normally, I wouldn't touch rum as I'm a vodka girl but when you add sugar, lime juice and mint leaves - it's my weak spot. Make one with a sugar cane stick and I'm on cloud nine!

So when I discovered they could make a Mojito in other flavors with infused vodka instead of rum, I had to try them! Cucumber is by far my favorite. It's so crisp and refreshing.

I've enjoyed the best Cucumber Mojitos at Zengo in Denver and at my favorite neighborhood watering hole Glow in San Mateo. In fact, the ones at Glow are so delicious that I need to go there almost every week to get one - yay for Mojito Fridays!

However, if it's just a true mojito you're looking for then try them at Nikki Beach in South Beach Miami. It's the birth place of my mojito obsession. Mmmmmmm yummy sugar cane sticks. Another favorite is Firefly in Las Vegas. They seriously have some of THE BEST mojitos out there! **I highly recommend the blood orange**

I'm always on the hunt for more great mojitos and I've heard these places in SF make amazing ones as well, so I think I will visit these hot spots in the coming weeks: Rye, Havana Restaurant. And please, if you know of any tasty ones, don't keep it to yourself- share!

Image from tim prendergast.