LStaff's Profile
Linchpin white IPA
> I haven't tried this beer myself, however, nor any other white IPA.
I'm hoping this trend fades away before I actually get around to trying it..... ;-)
American Craft Beer Fest -- what are you looking forward to?
If attending the day session on Saturday, you would have to get there at least an 1 - 1.5 hrs early to be anywhere near the front of the line. Two years ago, I was there an hour early and probably 100 people back - beer events have gotten even crazier in the last two years - and this is the first time this session has sold out (5,000 people I think).
Those first 15 minutes of the fest while everyone is trying to get in are the best - and that's when I go after the beers I really want to try. Once the lines get deep for beer, then I just pick the shortest line and take whatever interests me at the end of it. I am trying the Fri night session this year in hope that its more mellow and lines to get beer aren't too long - after the last Sat. session I did two years ago, I was about done with the fest due to crowding and long lines for beer.
I'm not a rare beer chaser, so I will probably drink a lot of local beer that I haven't had in a while, new upstarts, and hop bombs (if any).
Lunch places in Waltham
Have you tried the desi fried chicken at the Indian Food Bazaar? I've been curious about it since they opened, but fried chicken hasn't been on my diet.
Also for bbq, blue ribbon (although consensus here is that it has fallen off I'm not in total agreement with it) is a quick drive down high and cherry streets.
Lunch places in Waltham
Chile rellenos at Bison? I didn't even notice them on the menu since I haven't looked at the food menu in years - I just order a burger and/or the spicy carolina wings - imo, that's what they do best. Love the baked beans and mashed potatoes there too. Not all things are great there - not a fan of the bbq, so I stick to the things I know are good.
Personally i find it funny that you give thumbs down to WC (deserved imo) and Bison, but recommend Carl's. TEHO I guess...
US Craft Beer influence on British Beer Styles.
De Ranke XX Bitter was available in the states since 2001-2 or so - and Poperings Hommelbier before that (but both predated the widespread us of the belgian ipa designation), Houblon Chouffe and Urthel Hop-it are from the 2005-6 timeframe (IIRC, Hop-It came first). I think LeFreak came out in 2007 sometime?
US Craft Beer influence on British Beer Styles.
It's a pretty well known thing that importers directly influence foreign brewers to make beers they think can sell in US. Aventinus eisbock and Uerige dopplesticke are two that I know were requested to be made for the US market by its importer. When I visited Cantillon in Brussels, the owner told me that he scoffed at the request for kegs of his products, but was happy for the sales. Many belgian brewers wouldn't keg their products as bottle conditioning was preferred, but many succumbed to importer pressure when Belgian beers started to get popular in the US. BUnited is famous for these kinds of things - now they are shipping in beers in large tanks and doing their own "experiments" and racking them off into various kinds of bbls for aging.
US Craft Beer influence on British Beer Styles.
Just because craft breweries are making more flavorful beer than the big lager producers, doesn't mean they are not immune from taking advantage of current trends. IMO, there are many parallels to industrial lager makers in craft beer marketing - just that the audience doesn't believe they are being manipulated by the marketing. Collaborations, non-traditional ipa's, sours, bbl aging, expensive large bottle formats, exclusivity of limited/rare releases, etc - are all examples of craft beer marketing trends. Only a small subset of breweries seem to set the trends, others follow them.
Best Fresh Bagels In Boston?
Its not about warmth, its about texture. They seem to get hard on the outside (instead of crispy) and the insides dry out and turn bready.
IMO, you might as well buy a box of Ray's if you have to toast a bagel back to life.
Where is the best thin pizza in Metro West
We tried SH in Belmont this weekend based on recs here. I thought it was just ok - better than bertucci's and flatbread, but missing some details that would make it great. I thought the sauce was really bland and the crust throughout most of middle was soggy/limp, even when it first came out - which could have been a product of being busy and rushing out pies. And no Heady Topper :-(
Best Fresh Bagels In Boston?
I think Bruegger's makes an adequate bagel - but they seem to shrink in size and expand in price everytime I go (about twice a year).
Best Fresh Bagels In Boston?
Eh, I have had awesome bagels in NY/NJ area that lasted longer than the trip home with them. Not looking for them to last hours, just long enough to get home and eat them.
Californian Burritos
+1 on the carnitas burrito at El Pelon. Hold the lettuce though - and easy on the rice....
Diva Indian Bistro
Eh, I ate there a couple of weeks before closing -and it was just as good as previous visits.
Best Fresh Bagels In Boston?
I think rosenfelds are good while they are still warm - but even the short 15 drive back to my house turn them into little round bricks.
Californian Burritos
IMO, many burritos fail in the area due to not seasoning or cooking the meat (and/or beans)correctly - you need high heat to get some carmelization on the meat to make it tasty. Then its usually placed in a warming tray full of water furthering the blandness of it all.
Anna's seems to be a benchmark around here for some reason, and they are the biggest offenders of the above - and also often fail to cook the black beans enough - and they don't take the time to drain the meat/beans while making the burrito, leaving it water sogged.
Saturday night dinner near Norwich, VT
Haven't eaten there in a few years, but I've had some very good meals at the Norwich Inn. The dining room is a bit formal, but the pub is a throwback to an era gone by and would fit your casual requirement.
Best Brewpub in America
All "best of" lists/popularity contests based on subjective opinion, are all pretty much arbitrary.
After squeeking by a brewpub that's been around for 10 minutes, I think CBC can take this thing. (Just don't post this on the Chicago board)
Speeds to become Super Dog
I'm going to start up a hot dog cart and call it Nathan Pink's Famous Super Duper Weenie Gold Coast Dawg.
Done with Chez Henri
>we assumed this was so we would know how much tip he was due if we had not had the vouchers
I don't see a problem with this in the groupon era...I am sure many that utilize them don't think of tipping on the pre-discount amount.
>I want to point out that we gave him a15% tip of the after-tax amount,
Before or after the voucher discounts? ;-)
Sunday Lunch in Watertown
I've been going a couple times a year for the last 4-5 years, and have never had a bad meal there. Sure, there's nothing that's going to excite a jaded chowhound -especially when they know the ch approved flavor of the day, Strip T's, is around the corner - but they make solid, straight forward food on a consistent basis in my experience. Love the house dressing there - so light with a nice garlicky flavor - and I can never get enough of those roasted lemon potatoes.
Beats Demo's for sure - and for some things, like roasted lamb, better than the Greek Corner imo.
Summer Beers 2011
Sierra Nevada summerfest has been quenching my thirst very nicely the last couple of weeks. Here's to reasonably priced, well made, fresh craft lager - we need more.........
How many WW pts for LE'S beef pho? [moved from Great Boston Area board]
How many points for tendon and tripe? :-)
Bad beer trends.
Here is my list:
Collaborations/one-offs/specials etc that lead to undeveloped recipes, high prices, poor concepts, lackluster execution, and mediocre beer. Collaborations are like an all-star jam - seems like more fun for the participants than what the audience is experiencing - do you really need 7 guitarists on stage? Yet the newbies that have been around craft beer for 10 minutes hold them in high praise due to their rareness, tradeability, and bold flavor (see below). The concept of connoiseurship is lost on these people.
Use of flavoring agents - maybe I'm a bit of a traditionalist, but I think it takes more talent to develop interesting and unique flavor profiles from 4 ingredients than to add flavorings (whisky bbl, coffee, chocolate, fruit, other odd ingredients) pre or post fermentation. Sure you can get a maraschino tasting beer by adding maraschino cherries, but can you elicit those flavors out of a few basic ingredients like Bass did at one point?
Thick, cloying, high abv beer that samples well when ice cold a few ozs. at a time at a tasting or beer fest, but not drinkable beyond half a pint once it warms a little. Suits craft beer marketing schemes more than it does the drinker.
Ticking/trading has corrupted craft beer. Unrealistic prices due to buyer not caring about the experience it gives, only its trade value, or tick. When it costs you $15 to ship a bottle somewhere, do you really care if a 22 oz bottle costs $5 or $10 as long as you are getting the same value back in trade? But if a beer drinker wanted to enjoy it regular basis, they would go broke. See above re: one-offs.
The beer press has lauded high end craft beer and become the lapdogs of craft breweries - unwillingness to talk about obvious bad beer is the same as lying by ommission - the craft beer industry no longer needs to be handled with kid gloves and would be stronger today if they hadn't in the first place.
Too many high abv beers at beer bars for ridiculous prices. I hope everyone has a designated driver, because all its going to take is one high profile case to get lawmakers to start cracking down on abv.
Overcrowding of single big bottle formats that are increasingly squeezing out shelf space for reasonable priced cases, 12 packs, and 6 packs of flagship type beers. For example, my local stores all seem to have room for 100's of stale bombers and 750's from Stone, Firestone Walker, Pizza Port/LA, Cascade, etc- yet few have room for a six pack of local Ipswich oatmeal stout - which is probably the best stout available in New England right now - and sells at the stores that do carry it.
Beer geeks who think all this experimentation is pushing the boundries of craft beer - sorry - its all been pretty much done before by the english and the belgians - all this is doing is pushing the boundries of craft beer marketing.
Too many under capitalized breweries jumping into the large bottle format game due to the high prices that they get - yet most of these (that I have tried) are inexperienced production brewers putting mostly mediocre product in a bottle and selling it due to one time buyers and an increasing new audience. What happens when craft growth rates slow - the bottom will drop out for these upstarts.
Freshness issues still plague the craft beer industry.
I'm sure I could think of more if I had the time...
Killington in June - Do restaurants shut down?
I believe Choices is open all year round - about the best you can do on the access road that time of year I would think. http://www.choices-restaurant.com/choices/default.asp
Killington locals on this forum will definitely be able to tell you which will be open in June.
http://www.killingtonzone.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1&start=0
Good price for lamb?
I believe costco's boneless leg of lamb is currently less than $6/lb. (either 5.99 or 5.49) - about 3-4 lbs per package.
sichuan gourmet, framingham. vegetarian options?
I believe the menu says 'made with pork, as required' or something to that effect. I took it to mean 'don't even ask us to make it without pork'.
Killer Roast Lamb Sandwich - Greek Corner Cambridge
I thought I edited the baked lamb dinner to say roast lamb dinner, but it didn't seem to take.
Need fresh yeast
Really the argument for or against dry yeast these days comes down to the strain of yeast you want to use and the style of beer you want to make. Most dried yeasts are very comparable to its fresh counterpart of the same strain these days, but there is a limited variety of dried yeast strains compared to fresh.
And I'm really looking for the difference between dry and fresh when it comes to baking, not compared to homebrewing.
Town Diner Anti-Customer Service
I guess you have never heard the phrase - two in hand is worth four in the bush ? ;-)
