I drink beer on days ending with "y"

Had Hoptimum on tap last year and thought it was fairly good. Last week I bought a 4 pack of bottles and was rather underwhelmed.

I went to the very first Baja Fresh store on the very first day it opened in 1990, a few doors down from where I worked at the corner of Wendy and Kimber drives in Newbury Park Ca. In fact the owner (if I remember correctly his name was Jim) came in and asked if he could put his menus on our counter. I said "Sure" and he invited me to come on over for a comped meal.

The food was GREAT back then, and actually stayed pretty consistent for a long time. I now live in Las Vegas, and the Baja Fresh's I've visited here are just not the same.

An amusing side note: Those menus used to have slogans around the outer boarder such as "No MSG", No Refrigerators" and the one which was only on the first few versions of the menu "No Rap Music". I swear it on my life, lol.

A not so amusing side note: That Baja Fresh was a number of years later moved to the other side of the 101 Freeway, and then eventually last year that location was shuttered.

I never understood the practice of listing the desserts on the main menu, and then the waiter taking the menu away after ordering the main course. I don't always know what I'm going to want for dessert before I even eat dinner, and I'm certainly not going to memorize all the desserts beforehand either.

Laziness has a lot to do with it too. I work at a major hotel on the Las Vegas strip and every day see and meet people from all over the world. 99% of the people complaining about having to walk from one place to another are Americans. 99% of the people I see walking around with Super Big Gulps are Americans. 99% of the people I see waiting with their car idling for a parking space so they don't have to walk and extra 30 seconds are Americans.

In contrast, I've been to Europe 8 times and usually spend a month or two per visit. Most people there are much more active. My last visit there was for a duration of two and a half months, and during my entire stay there I saw probably as many obese people in that entire time than I do in a few days here in America.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a proud American and I don't enjoy badmouthing my fellow citizens. But honestly, it's quite a wake up call when you go abroad and notice the differences in cultures.

It's not just about the junk food we at here and the amount, it's also about getting off our lazy rear ends and living a healthier lifestyle.

Good example Jim. Goose Island was acquired by InBev and thankfully they do still put out some nice beers, BCS probably being the best of the lot.

I agree, it's going to be interesting to see how things pan out over the next few years. A lot of craft breweries have opened in recent years and at the moment it shows no sign of slowing down. There have been some real gems among those newer breweries, but unfortunately there have been quite a few mediocre to poor ones as well.

"there's no doubt they are beginning to turn out some beers that stand up well next to some "craft" product "

Which beers of InBev's and compared to which craft beers? There's nothing under the InBev umbrella I'd say is comparable to the better craft offerings. Maybe the lower echelon of craft beers perhaps, but nothing InBev puts out is up there with Russian River, Founders, Three Floyds, Hill Farmstead, Cigar City, Bells, Firestone Walker, Alesmith and too many more to name them all here.

"The notion that "quality" beer is not made with those grains is nothing but buying into the PR hype..."

Corn and rice can be found in some good beers, but not many and not to the degree they are used by many of the brands under the InBev umbrella.

I was given one by a friend and still felt ripped off.

If I recall correctly, one year Taco Bell won for best tacos, lol. The "Best of Vegas" list is good for a laugh and nothing more.

Great write up and photos QAW! I appreciate your insight here. This looks like a place I'll have to check out sooner rather than later.

Funny you mention this place. I just ate there a couple of hours ago for the first time.

First of all, the location...it's in a somewhat run down cluster of businesses right next to an overpass and within shouting distance of the strip clubs. I don't see how they're going to survive here, let alone thrive but I do wish them well. Inside, things are slightly cheerier. A clean decor greets you, along with the friendly folks. You order at a small podium and then take a seat, and the food is brought out to you.

I ordered The Trio. For $13 you get sliced brisket, pulled pork and sliced pieces of hot link. All were bathed in a sauce and served in a basket along with a small bun, and choice of one side which was baked beans, and a soda.

The brisket and pulled pork were average. There was a bit too much fat on the brisket, and the sauce gave them both (especially the pulled pork) a rather mushy consistency. The hot link pieces fared better, as they held their snap even though doused in the same sauce. The baked beans were good, and had pieces of slightly charred hot link included. Actually I thought the baked beans were the best part of the meal, the hot link next and the brisket and pulled pork the least enjoyable.

All in all, the visit didn't make me want to hurry back there anytime soon. If I do go back, I'd ask if they'd serve the meats minus the sauce. Still, I'd rate this as one of the better barbecue options in Vegas, although as we all know there isn't much in the way of quality choices here to choose from. If I had to pick between here or John Mull's Meats I'd take John Mull's, even though it's a lot longer drive from where I live.

They'll give you a whole unsliced hot link, without the sauce, if you ask. That's the way I always get it when I go there.

For starters, give reasonable value in return for their customer's money. There are plenty of businesses which make money that don't resort to gouging people. Not a difficult concept to understand.

Greed and stupidity go hand in hand. As long as there are people willing (ie: stupid enough) to throw their cash into a machine or pay ridiculous amounts of money for a meal the greedy casinos will be more than happy to accomodate you.

Being that the Super Bowl began very early on a Monday morning (I'm in Europe at the moment) I only had one beer. A Westmalle Dubbel, and it was delicious.

Who said they were surprised? I've lived in Vegas for about 14 years, most of them working at one of the major strip hotels. Believe me, I've had a first hand look at how these places try to squeeze every last dime out of their "guests". The last thing these greedy joints care about is giving you value for your hard earned money. Javier's is a prime example of that.

Max Jacobson felt the same:

http://vegasseven.com/dining/2012/11/...

Also, I have to disagree with fishyak earlier in this thread and agree with Jacobson. The food is absurdly overpriced.

I picked up this gift pack about a year ago at the St Sixtus abbey for 25 euro. I'd had all the Westvleteren beers before, including some various vintages of the 12 up to fifteen years old.

After picking up the gift box I went to the St Bernardus Brouwershuis bed and breakfast for the evening, where as part of the deal for staying there you are provided with refrigerators full of complimentary St Bernardus beers, including the 12.

I decided to do a side by side tasting of the Westvleteren and the St Bernardus, both as fresh as they could be. Overall they were quite similar as expected, although also as expected the Westvleteren had a smooth as silk mouthfeel which the St Bernardus couldn't quite match. Also, the Westvleteren's flavor profile opened a bit more than the St Bernardus as the beer warmed.

If you're lucky enough to buy the Westvleteren directly at the abbey it's really not an expensive beer. But as most people aren't able to do so, then the St Bernardus is a great option, although I do prefer the Rochefort 10 over the St Bernardus but just behind the Westvleteren.

Oh, and anyone who says the Westvleteren is not a good beer needs to have their head examined. Not to your taste? Ok, fine. But not a good beer? That's absurd.

I dropped by Made in Italy today for a margherita pizza. It was my first time there, and usually when I visit a pizza establishment for the initial time that's what I get.

My first impressions of the place itself... it's in a poor location. In a standard small strip mall, however a lot of the other places there were vacant. It's set back from the street, and completely blocked from view by another building. There's a tiny black and white sign by the street itself which simply says "Pizza". Honestly, if I wasn't specifically looking for this place I never would have known it was there.

When I entered Made In Italy I was the only customer there, and it stayed that way the entire time. I was greeting warmly by the owner and his wife, ordered the pizza and sat down at a table. About 10-15 minutes later the pizza arrived. It looked, smelled and tasted very good. The crust was perfectly cooked, with just a bit of char on the bottom, yet still was slightly chewy. The ingredients were also of very good quality. Overall I'd still rate Settebello as my favorite in Vegas, but this Made In Italy pizza was certainly one of the better pizzas I've had here.

Overall I was quite pleased and will definitely be back again. My only concern would be about their location. Hopefully they will be able to overcome that obstacle and have a successful business for a long time to come.

I'm not real high on the other Shiner beers I've tried so far, but their Holiday Cheer is an interestingly different and pretty good take on a seasonal beer. The brewery is just outside of San Antonio so it should be easy to find around there.

Stille Nacht by De Dolle is my favorite. I also like N'Ice Chouffe, Gouden Carolus Christmas, Delirium Noel and St Bernardus Christmas too.

If I'm drinking a rather unremarkable beer then I don't mind pairing it with cheese. However if it's an excellent beer that I really want to fully taste and enjoy I won't let cheese get anywhere near my mouth.

Of the larger stores in town, I'd definitely go to Total Wine. Better selection than Lee's, better pricing on most items, and MUCH friendlier service.

Of the smaller stores in town, I'd visit Khoury's fine Wine and Spirits on Eastern Ave. Can't vouch for their bourbon or rum selection as I am more of a beer and wine guy, but the service there is the best in town.

With all due respect, I feel Du-par's pancakes, located in the Golden Gate hotel/casino downtown are heads and tails above Original Pancake House pancakes.

http://www.eatinglv.com/2010/06/du-pa...

Last Saturday I stopped by John Mulls and got the three meat/ two side combo. Brisket, ribs and hot links, along with potato salad and baked beans were my choices. The brisket was fine and tender, though nothing amazing. The hot links came bathed in a BBQ sauce and were pretty darn good, and the ribs were great. As Janet mentioned they were served dry (which I prefer) and I alternated between eating them that way and dabbing a bit of sauce on them. The potato salad was ok, and the baked beans were very good.

Even though John Mulls is quite a distance from where I live it will probably be a semi-regular stop whenever I'm in a barbecue mood. It's definitely on the better end of the barbecue scale in Vegas.

The websites "ratebeer" and "Beer Advocate" have lots of reviews on this beer:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/two-brothers-prairie-path-ale/2903/

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/...

Naturally the reviews vary quite a bit, but maybe they will be of some help to you. Cheers!

http://beerpulse.com/2012/04/lagunita...

Thanks so much for the tip shamu, I'll definitely be making a stop there soon!

Why not just buy 5 Settebello pizzas?