Road Tips

Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ - Battle Lake, MN

Last fall, I wrote about the side trip I made to Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ outside of Battle Lake, MN here.  I had met the owner, Tim Nanson, at the River Rockin' Ribfest in Davenport earlier in the summer.  I was on my way to Fargo in the middle of October, so I wanted to stop in and have dinner at his place.

Being that Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ is smack-dab in the middle of the western Minnesota lakes region (see map), they cater primarily to people who have summer homes in the area.  They go to a limited operation schedule after the end of September.  It so happened they were closed that night when I got there.  I was bummed. 

During my recent trip up to North Dakota, I decided to stop in at Elmer's and surprise Tim and have dinner.  I made it around 6 p.m., but it turned out that I was the one who was surprised.

Oh, Elmer's was open, but I was greeted by this message on their marquee out front.  New ownership.  Hmm...  I wonder what happened to Tim?  And closed on Tuesday?  It was a Monday night so I was lucky.  Geez, I would have been pissed had I come all this way out of my way on a Tuesday night.

I went in and was greeted by a cute little blond girl who showed me to a booth.  I noticed immediately the decor was a little more bright than when I was there last fall.  I said to the girl, "So, Tim doesn't own this any longer?"

She said, "No, my older sister, Mary, owns it now."

I asked what happened to Tim and she said, "He moved back out to California to be closer to his family."

Mary Wilson, who worked with the original owner, Elmer Neumann, when he first moved to the Battle Lake area from Texas, bought the place from the Nanson's earlier this year.  She also worked there when Tim Nanson ran the place.  She has a partner in the business, Matt Oothoudt. 

When Mary first opened this year, she had Elmer come back in and help her get started, showing her smoking techniques, changing the sauce back to Elmer's original recipe and just making sure things were going OK.  She also changed the decor a bit, repainting the walls to a lighter color and making the place a little more presentable.

I ordered up a beer and took a look at the menu.  In addition to the various barbecue items, they'll do steaks and burgers at Elmer's.  Well, I wanted barbecue, but I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted brisket or ribs.  Suddenly, I found on the menu where I could order both - the combination platter of a quarter pound of brisket and a half rack of baby back ribs with a choice of two sides for $15.95.   Sold!  For my two sides, I took baked beans and onion rings. 

When the platter came to me, I was a little underwhelmed with the portions of meat.  The half rack of ribs was actually only about 5 or 6 bones, and the quarter pound of brisket was only three slices.  They were very good, though.  And the sauce was very good, as well.  Except they only give you a small container of sauce - they don't keep it on the table.

I liked Tim Nanson's sauce, but thought it could have had a little kick to it.  I bought some of his sauce at the ribfest last year and I did some experimentation.  I added a tablespoon of garlic powder and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne to the sauce.  I thought it picked it up tremendously.  Well, Mary Wilson's sauce, supposedly the original Elmer's recipe, was even better.  It was much more thick than Tim's sauce.  It did have that nice little after kick to it, and had a distinctive black pepper taste.  And it was served warm.  Maybe that's why they didn't keep any on the table. 

The baked beans were OK, but were better when the sauce was added.  And the onion rings were also, OK.  Nothing special.  Actually, they were a little cold when they came out. 

I saw that they sold the sauce in pint, quart or gallon sizes.  I asked the waitress if I could get a quart of the sauce and she said it was no problem.  Well, the problem was that she came out with a styrofoam quart cup of the barbecue sauce with a plastic lid on top.  Since I was traveling and had another 1800 miles to drive that week, I thought, "Oh, great.  One sudden stop and that's going to be all over the car."  But when I got to the hotel that night, I went to the front desk and had them use packing tap to keep the lid on.  There was no spillage and I transferred the sauce to a quart jar when I got home and it's resting comfortably in the refrigerator. 

Being that Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ is about 35 miles off the interstate, it's definitely out of the way when you're going from Minneapolis to Fargo.  I don't know if I'll be back through, but I wanted to try it at least once.  But if you're in the western Minnesota area on vacation, and you don't mind a little drive, Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ is worth the trip.  Based on the amount of people in there on a Monday night, they must do some pretty good business in the summertime.  

Summerfest 2007

I was in Milwaukee recently to call on a couple dealers, but my ulterior motive was to take in some time at the 40th Annual Summerfest along the lakefront at the Henry W. Maier Festival Park.

I hadn't been to Summerfest for about three years.  We used to go pretty regularly for a number of years when my cousin, John Wehrle, lived in Milwaukee.  But since he's moved to St. Louis, we don't go as much as we used to. 

We'd go up and stay at his place and we'd go down to Summerfest with him, sometimes from the time the gates opened to the time they closed the park.  He always had tickets in advance, so there was no waiting in lines when we got there.  Thanx again, John!

My first stop was to the Marcus Amphitheater to see if there were any Roger Waters tickets available through the box office for his performance that evening.  Nope - sold out.  There were some unsavory scalpers hanging out asking outlandish amounts for tickets they held.  I was going to wait to see if anyone dropped their prices.

In the meantime, I went to the top deck of the Water Street Brewery building to survey the situation.  It's on the southern side of the Summerfest grounds, just north of the Marcus Amphitheater.  It's always been kind of the "center of the universe" or the central meeting place in the past.  I had to go up and have one of their Oktoberfest beers and see what was going on.

Being that it's near the south gate entrance to Summerfest and next to the Marcus, there's always a lot of people watching that can be done from the top of the Water Street Brewery.  Here's a picture of people coming in to Summerfest at the south gate.

Having picked up a Summerfest guide on the way in, I noticed there was a Pink Floyd tribute band playing at the M&I Bank Classic Rock Stage - a Chicago area band called Think Floyd USA.  Since Roger Waters was playing at the Marcus that evening, the stage area was packed with Pink Floyd fans. 

Instrumentally, they weren't too bad.  The musicians weren't much to look at, except for the three backing vocalists they had out front and center, which I thought was rather weird.  But when they did the classic Pink Floyd song "Pigs", I knew why the girls were out front.  The guy who did the singing - the lead guitar player - butchered the vocals so bad that I had to leave.  It was such a horrendous rendition that I would have been embarrassed to call myself a Pink Floyd tribute band if I was with the group.

I stopped off at the JoJo's Martini Lounge - the former comedy tent - to see the end of a set by another local band, Hot Sauce.  I've seen Hot Sauce a number of times in the past.  They're kind of a brass/show band and they do a good job.  It turns out that Hot Sauce played the wedding reception of our former neighbors, Eric and Molly. 

I then found myself at the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard watching a "world music" musician by the name of King Ibu.  It was OK, if you're into that African/World Music.  And judging by the size of the crowd in front of the stage, not many people were. 

I walked up the main concourse of the Summerfest grounds stopping to look over the new Miller Oasis area.  They've moved the stage area back, made it bigger and added a couple of large screens on either side of the stage so people in the clear back can see the performance - especially when a headliner is playing late at night.  That's one of the pet peeves I have about Summerfest.  They have a number of permanent benches in front of the stages.  When the stage areas get packed late at night, people stand on the benches.  Even taller guys like me can't see the performers on the stage if we're stuck in back.  That always irritated Cindy, who's a little shortcake.  I've always thought they needed to raise the stages by three or four feet.  They obviously didn't with the new stage at the Miller Oasis.

I stopped by the Lakefront Brewery booth on the fest grounds to see if they had their Cream City Pale Ale.  They didn't.  They had three or four different beers that I didn't think I'd like, so I hiked on over to the U.S. Cellular/Leinenkugel stage area. 

This was one of my favorite areas to come to for a number of years when Leinenkugel was the sole sponsor of the stage - known as the Leinie Lodge stage.  Leinenkugel beer is still served at the little beer area, but it's mostly their Honey Weiss and their new Sunset Wheat - two beers that I really don't care for.  I still miss their Northwoods Lager.  I opted for an original Leinie's. 

Most of the beers at Summerfest were $4.00 for a 16 ounce glass that was filled to about 14 ounces.  The "special beers" such as at Water Street, Lakefront or the specialty beers at the Leinie Lodge were $4.50 or $5.00.  It wasn't that long ago that $5.00 would get you a couple beers and change.

Playing at the U.S. Cellular stage was a non-descript band from Minneapolis called The Abdomen.  Two brothers and a sister.  They weren't bad, but they weren't tripping my trigger - kind of laid back rock.  I decided to walk next door to the Potawatomi Bingo Casino stage and see what was going on there.

In the past, the Potawatomi stage has usually been the place for the great blues artists to play.  I've seen some great acts there over the years - Sonny Landreth, Robin Trower, The Radiators, and Los Straitjackets to name a few.  However, they've turned the stage into mostly Country and Western.  The band playing - Great Guns, a local band from Milwaukee - was definitely C&W.  OK, off to another stage. 

Walking up to the Zippo Rock Stage, I noticed a large crowd gathering for the 6:30 show.  A local band by the name of Beatallica came on and began to play their interesting blend of music that married portions of Beatles tunes with those of Metallica.

Actually, they were pretty damned good.  They were all dressed in these fluorescent trimmed marching band jackets and just tore up the place.  Their first song "Sgt. Hetfield's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was a take off of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", only using Metallica lead singer James Hetfield's name in the title and lyrics.  It was kind of funny to see the middle-aged people who must have thought they were coming to see a Beatles tribute band get up after the second or third song.  They had one song, "Sandman" that was a mix of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and the Beatles "Taxman".  It was very cleverly done. 

I would have liked to have stayed more than the half-hour I was there, but I still had Roger Waters on my mind and I had to hoof it all the way back down to the south end of the grounds to check out the ticket situation with the scalpers.

On my way down, I stopped off at the Miller Oasis as a band was playing a rendition of Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69".  They were doing a pretty good job at it.  So I stood there and watched them for a minute.  The band - Dot Dot Dot out of Chicago - had a girl guitarist and a girl bass player, along with a male lead singer who appeared to be more effeminate than the two girls.  They then did a Madonna song - with the guy singing - and I started to walk toward a beer tent.  Then when they started in on Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", they completely lost me.  It turned out were nothing more than a glorified wedding band.

Then passing by the Harley Davidson Roadhouse stage, I was completely appalled to see a D.J. playing dance mix music!  What the hell is going on with Summerfest?!  The only time you'd see a D.J. would be after 9 p.m. on the Sentry SportsZone court for the kids who would hang out there.  But a D.J. on a music stage?  Is this what Summerfest has come to?

By the time I got down to the Marcus, the Roger Waters show had started about 20 minutes prior.  The remaining scalpers still had tickets, but they were still wanting $75.00 for $30.00 bleacher seats.  I didn't need to see Roger Waters that bad.

I went back to the Water Street Brewery and had a beer, then wandered back over to the Classic Rock Stage to catch some of the Family Stone Experience - three members of the original Sly and the Family Stone, only without Sly Stone.  In the long run, they were about on par with the tribute band. 

I decided to go back up to the Miller Oasis and see how close I could get to see Heart who was headlining there that evening.  But I took this picture of the Milwaukee skyline from the lagoon just on the east end of the Summerfest grounds.  It was a nice evening.

As I feared, when I got up to the Miller Oasis, the place was packed.  I stood over to the side of the stage toward the back and was able to see part of the stage through all the people standing on the bleachers.  This is a picture of the band playing.  Had it not been for the new screens on either side of the stage I wouldn't have been able to see the band up close.

I stuck around for about five songs, then decided to head back to the hotel since I had a couple appointments scheduled for the next morning.  As I was walking along to get to the shuttle bus area, I passed the Potawatomi Bingo Casino stage and it was packed as country artist Clay Walker was playing.  And the Zippo rock stage had Jackyl playing when I passed there.  Didn't care to see either one. 

The next day, I got down there just after the Summerfest grounds opened.  I got up on the Sky Glider to take some pictures.  This is a shot of the main concourse looking north.  As I said, it was early and there was a threat of rain, so that kept the crowds down.  Which was fine with me.

Here's a picture of the Harley Davidson Roadhouse area with the downtown skyline in the distance.  You can see the rain clouds off in the distance.  I remember asking my cousin John what happens when it rains at Summerfest and he said, "It goes from the World's Largest Music Festival to the World's Largest Wet T-Shirt contest."

Here's every band's worst nightmare.  When you're playing and there's more people on stage than there are in the crowd.  This is a band whose name I didn't get - they won a local "Battle of the Bands" contest. 

But on my return trip on the Sky Glider, they had a few people in the seats to see them.  I don't really know if they were all that good or not.  I never really stopped to listen to them.

Here's an aerial shot of the new Miller Oasis stage area.  They moved the stage back about 75 feet and eliminated the walkway behind the stage.  Historically, the Miller Oasis would get some of the bigger crowds and it caused bottlenecks with people trying to walk along the concourse.  This gave them more room, but it just means more people can pack in the place.

This is the Potawatomi Bingo Casino area from the Sky Glider. This used to be a small tent years ago.  Sprecher Brewery also used to be the sponsor for the stage when they put up the permanent structure.  Like I said, they used to have a lot of blues musicians play in the place, but it's mostly country and western now. 

For a number of years, a lot of the blues artists that would play in Davenport at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival would also play at Summerfest.  We would pass on going to the blues fest and come up to see a lot of the same bands in Milwaukee.  But this year, the only person to play both Summerfest and the blues fest was Bruce Katz who was opening later this evening for Buddy Guy.  There weren't very many blues artists at Summerfest this year.

Here's the main gate of Summerfest.  It's only $8 bucks to get in if you get there between noon and 4 p.m. during the week.  Then it goes up to $15 bucks.  There are a number of promotions and ways to get discounted tickets. 

After I got off the Sky Glider, I went up to the Water Street Brewery to get a beer.  I found the upper deck to be completely empty.  This had to be a first in all the years I've gone to Summerfest the deck was empty.  I enjoyed a couple beers up there in complete solitude.  It was kinda neat.

I went out and walked around one last time.  I came across the "sandwich board" at the Chipotle Rhythm Kitchen stage that showed our friends Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls playing the next day (July 4).  It would have been great to see them play, and I could have easily stayed in Milwaukee just to see that, but the 4th of July gets to be sort of crazy at Summerfest.  Too many people.

I did catch a band called The Breakfast Klub, a local Milwaukee band that played a mix of 80's and 90's type of dance music.  The lead singer, who called herself Miss Honey (right), looked a helluva better than she sang.  The band definitely didn't hold my interest, but Miss Honey was fun to look at.

It had been sort of sprinkling for a good part of the afternoon, but around 2:30 it started raining pretty well.  Not a torrential rain, but enough to make everything - and everybody - damp.  I had hoped to be able to catch some of the great troubador/comic Pat McCurdy at the Potawotomi stage (after they finished with bingo at 3:30 - no shit!).  But even though I would have been dry in there, I just decided to head home and beat the rush out of town for the 4th of July.   

I don't know - Summerfest just doesn't have the same feeling to it like it did a few years ago.  Since longtime director Bo Black (above) was forced out four years ago, Summerfest just isn't the same.  Black oversaw the explosive growth of Summerfest during her nearly 20 year tenure as director of the festival.  Earlier this year, Black suffered a stroke at her home in Scottsdale, AZ.  At Summerfest, they had a big "Get Well" card for people to sign for Bo at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel booth.  It was already full five days into the 11 day run.

A lot of very good regional and national bands that used to play on a regular basis at Summerfest haven't played there since Don Smiley took over at the director of the event.  Smiley has gone on record saying that he wants to make Summerfest smaller - attendance-wise.  Attendance at this year's Summerfest totaled around 892,000 - about 81,000 a day on average.  Smiley has been quoted as saying 72,000 a day is his ideal goal for Summerfest, giving more "elbow room" to people coming to the event.

And with the lackluster bands that I saw on the side stages during the time I was there, he's certainly doing a good job of keeping the crowds down.  I heard a lady remark at one of the stages, "These are a lot of the same bands that you can see any weekend around Milwaukee." 

No more will we see annual performers like Deluxury or Those Darn Accordions.  Perennial favorite The Love Monkeys used to headline at the Miller Oasis for thousands of people.  They were relegated to the small JoJo's Martini Lounge venue at Summerfest this year.  Pat McCurdy would play every day at Summerfest - sometimes doing two shows a day.  He'd always do an "R" rated show every night at 10:30 at the old comedy tent.  He only played 4 times at Summerfest this year. Even the BoDeans didn't appear at Summerfest this year.  A lot of the better regional bands aren't playing at Summerfest.  It's obvious they're not spending a lot on music, especially with a lot of musical acts I saw.

Summerfest would probably be a large time if you'd never been there before.  But after seeing all the changes from what it had been and what it's become (more corporate and less free wheeling), it just doesn't have the same feeling.  Still, it's unique and certainly a major destination for music fans.  Like everything, things change.  You just have to take the time to get used to it.  I'll probably go back again someday. 

As long as they're still serving beer...          

XM-Sirius Propose A La Carte Programming

The proposed merger of satellite radio providers XM and Sirius took another turn on Monday as they jointly announced an a la carte plan for subscribers offering either XM programming, Sirius programming or a combination of the two. 

The proposed merger of both companies would offer consumers the choice of lower-cost service by picking and choosing programming packages, and/or individual channels. 

The proposed merger has faced stiff federal approval, but recent developments have analysts more optimistic the merger will eventually go through.  The new a la carte plan will definitely help. 

Right now, both XM and Sirius offer 170 and 130 channels, respectively, for a $12.95 monthly fee.  Under the a la carte plan introduced on Monday, both services will offer a basic a la carte package starting at $6.99 a month that offer 50 channels per service, with optional channels available at 25 cents each.  Premium packages with talk shows, such as Howard Stern; and sports such as Major League Baseball and the NFL, will be available for an additional $3.00 a month per package.  Full premium packages from both carriers would be available for $6.00 a month. 

Both services will offer a second-tier a la carte plan of 100 channels, with cross-breeding of XM and Sirius programming for a monthly fee of $14.99.  Both services will offer an "Everything" for one service and "select" channels for the other service.  The monthly cost of that will be $16.99 for "Everything XM and Select Sirius"; and $14.99 for "Everything Sirius and Select XM". 

There will also be a la carte package services that cater to family programming (while blocking adult oriented programming), music programming, and news, sports and talk show programming on both XM and Sirius.  Those package will range in price from $9.99 a month to $14.99 a month.

I've been holding off getting either an XM or Sirius satellite receiver just for this situation.  There's a number of programs on XM that I'd like to have, but there's a number of things offered on Sirius that would be great, as well. 

But here's the real catch - Offering an a la carte line-up will require existing Sirius or XM customers to purchase new equipment.  And most of the packages will not go into existence until up to six months after the proposed merger.  That's why I'm in a holding pattern.   

I keep getting e-mails and phone calls from friends who ask me, "What's the best deal?  Who should I go with?"  Even though it's still less than a 50-50 chance the proposed merger will go through, industry analysts now think that the a la carte schedule proposed by XM and Sirius will soften the federal government's hard line stance against the merger by showing the average consumer some savings and a choice as to what they would like to listen to.   Both companies are hoping to clear procedural hearings by mid-September, giving more hope the merger will eventually go through.  Stay tuned... 

Firehouse Brewing Company - Rapid City, SD

I just went on a lengthy trip to the furthest places in my territory - most notably North and South Dakota.  I rented a mid-size Toyota RAV 4 SUV to carry some samples in - too many things to carry than the ROKNROL Impala could handle.  As you can see from the picture I took when I pulled into the driveway on Friday night, I put on just under 2300 miles for the week.  A lot of driving, but I saw some neat things and ate at some good places along the way.  I'll be sharing some of those places with you in the coming days.   

One place that I'm really excited to tell you about is the Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown Rapid City (see map).  I had a long day of driving from Dickinson, ND to Rapid City, stopping to see some sights along the way and wandering a bit, so when I pulled into the hotel in Rapid City around 8:45, I just wanted to throw my bags in the room and go get some dinner.

I'd read about the Firehouse Brewing Company when I was doing some pre-trip research in the days leading up to the long drive.  It turns out it's the first brew pub in the state of South Dakota.  Opened in 1991, it's housed in the original fire station in downtown Rapid City.  There's a lot of fire station memorabilia throughout the place, including the original fireman's pole leading from the second floor of the building. 

I got in just after nine p.m., hoping they were still serving food.  They were.  I sat at the bar and grabbed a beer menu.   They were extremely busy that evening, and even with three people behind the bar it took some time to get waited on.  I finally got someone to come over and I ordered up their Eagle Pale Ale - an American style pale - and I asked for a dinner menu. 

The Eagle Pale Ale was somewhat flat.  Definitely not as hoppy as I would have liked it.  It was OK, but I should have ordered their Chukkar Ale, an English style pale that was described as being more of a traditional pale ale beer. 

The menu was quite extensive.  They have specials through the week and that night it was all you could eat barbecued pork ribs for $13.95.  I saw a lot of those plates going out to people as I was looking through the menu.

They had everything from pasta to Mexican, to steaks and burgers, to sandwiches and salads.  It was pretty impressive.  A couple three things caught my eye.  One was the Souvalaki - a marinated pork tenderloin smothered in grilled onions, mushrooms and peppers served on rice.  Man, that sounded great, but I knew with the cooked onions and peppers, I'd be up half the night. 

They also had something they called Rancher's Pie - they take their homemade mashed potatoes and layer them with beef chunks and veggies, then cover with parmesan cheese and then caramelize the cheese under a broiler.  That sounded wonderful. 

Another thing that I looked at was the Italian Sausage Ravioli - sausage stuffed ravioli's in a marinara blended with red and green peppers.  Man, my stomach was doing back-flips when I was reading that.

But what I went for was something that television personality Rachel Ray had when she visited the Firehouse Brewing Company a few years ago for the Food Network's Tasty Travels show that she hosted.  I'm not a big Rachel Ray fan, but this sounded good.  They called it "Spontaneous Heating" - the brewpub's own gumbo concoction made out of Andouille sausage, buffalo sausage, shrimp, seafood, and chicken, simmered with Firehouse Brewing Company's own Chukkar Ale.  They served it in a huge bowl on a bed of rice. 

At that time, I also ordered up a Chukkar Ale, but the bartender pointed to the board on the wall and said, "We don't have Chukkar Ale this evening."  I was sort of incredulous they wouldn't have the Chukkar Ale on tap that night, but, nope, they didn't.  So I ordered up the Brown Cow Ale.  I hoped it would be more flavorful than the Eagle Pale, but I was equally disappointed.  It, too, was flat tasting and didn't have the "pizazz" one would expect from a roasted brown ale. 

When my dinner showed up, I knew I was going to have trouble finishing the meal.  It was a HUGE bowl of their gumbo on top of a bed of rice.  The gumbo sauce was rich and thick.  I asked for a bottle of Tabasco to go along with it and immediately poured some on without tasting the gumbo.  A guy and a lady sitting near me looked at me when I did that and the guy said, "Are you sure you want to add more Tabasco to that?  It's plenty hot on it's own."

I assured him that what may be hot for them was pretty mild to me.  Besides, I like the taste of Tabasco in my gumbo. 

From the first bite, I was hooked.  It was unbelievably great.  I've had gumbo in New Orleans, and I've had gumbo in some of the best Cajun restaurants around the Midwest and Las Vegas.  But I have to say this may have been the best damn gumbo I'd ever had in my life.  Actually, it was more like jambalaya than gumbo, but I wasn't going to quibble as to what it was called.  It was just damn good.

It was so good that I finished the whole meal.  I couldn't believe I ate the whole bowl of food, but it was just so freaking great that I just couldn't stop. 

After dinner, I went out to their beer garden to check out a reggae band that was playing.  The Firehouse Brewing Company regularly has a number of bands playing during the summer months and that evening they featured Yabba Griffiths, a Jamaican-born reggae artist who is now based out of Chicago.  I grabbed one their Firehouse Red beers, an OK red - the best of the three beers I had that evening, but still not the best red I've ever had - and sat and listened to Griffiths and his band play three or four songs.  For a Wednesday night, they had a pretty substantial crowd there to listen to the band.  And the music was very good.

For dinner and three beers, the bill came to just under $30 bucks before tip.  I wasn't too enamored with their beers, but I have to say that was one of the finest Cajun meals I've had for quite some time.  Who would have thought it would have been in Rapid City, SD?

I was driving across the vast spaces of South Dakota the next day thinking about the meal I had the night before.  My stomach was doing jumping jacks as I remembered the taste sensations from the gumbo.  I'm hoping I can start doing some business out in Rapid City - even though it's an 11-hour drive one-way from the Quad Cities - just so I can go back out and have more of Firehouse Brewing Company's Spontaneous Heating.  It was that good.   

When The Sun Shines Through the North Window

Summer is actually my favorite time of the year.  I'd rather have it be 85 and humid, rather than 20 and snowy.   I know a lot of people disagree with me, but I love summertime. 

For about two months from the end of May until the end of July, the sun rises early enough in the morning that it actually shines in the north windows of our house.  It's pretty neat to see the sun shine coming in my office window at 6:15 a.m.  It's sort of mentally invigorating. 

We've had a lot of hot weather this summer, but we've also had our fair share of rain making everything nice and green and really helping out our garden and plants.  On the 4th of July, we had 4.5 inches of rain.  Five days later, we had 3 inches of rain.  And a couple days after that, we had another half-inch. 

This week, alone, we've gotten over 5 inches of MORE rain.  After being rather dry in May and June, the water table in the ground is very high, but the hot weather is still baking the top layer.

With all that said, and more for the entertainment of my sisters who like to see what we've done with the yard each year, I've taken some pictures of our yard to show how our flowers and plants look this year.  If your "give-a-shit" factor is low for this, you have my permission to skip the rest of this entry, provided that you promise to come back and visit again on Monday.

First of all, here's our back berm loaded with perennial wild flowers and a few bushes.  Cindy thinks it's a jungle, but I think it's kinda neat. (As always, click on the picture to get a larger image.)

And here are our tomato plants this year.  We had some decorative brick left over from our landscaping from last year and I wanted to make a border for the small garden we have.  I was actually going to use wood barriers, but Cindy said, "Why don't you use some of that brick that's out back?"

Duh!  So I did.  It took me about a half hour to do.  It actually turned out pretty well.  We only did a couple of tomato plants this year - one plant of Better Boy tomatoes, and the other just cherry tomatoes.  We had so many tomatoes last year that we were sick of 'em by the end of August. 

We're hoping they're more manageable this year.  We've gotten some of the cherry tomatoes and, so far, they're great.  I picked a couple of the Better Boy tomatoes last weekend.  I've been on the road all week so it will be interesting to see how they look when I get home.   

Here's part of my herb garden along the back of the garage.  We have regular basil, lemon basil, lime basil, oregano, garlic chives, and dill weed back there.  I also have an old tub by the back of the house that has parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme growing in it.  By the way, you may be able to see my small red pepper bush growing in the pot in the background.

Here's the back of the house with all the petunias, the baskets and the herb tub.  I got the idea for the herb tub from my brother-in-law.  The lady across the street was throwing out an old wash tub on her curb one day and I asked her if I could have it.  She said, "Sure, as long as it doesn't come back to me!"  Now we cut off herbs and take 'em over to her. 

We've had one helluva time getting anything to grow around and under our big maple tree up front.  One year, Cindy planted over $120 worth of begonias trying to emulate something she saw when we were out in Omaha.  But the maple tree just sucked the water out of the ground around it and the begonias just never grew.  So, she decided she was going to plant perennials and ground cover and it's turned out great.  There's a little color to it in the spring, but for the most part, it's just cover for the summer months.

One of our north side window boxes with the sun shining on it on an early summer morning.  Like I say, this is my favorite time of the year.  I like to get up first thing and walk around the yard and look at all the plants.  Even though I may have done the same thing the night before, I always seem to find something new or different during my morning walks around the yard.

We lost nearly every one of our rose bushes that were planted on the side of our garage.  We had a couple of cold snaps in the winter, but we had them covered up sufficiently.  However, we had a warm March and the rose bushes began to bud out.  Then in early April, we had three or four days of a hard freeze and I was told by a guy at a greenhouse that's probably what did 'em in.   This is a picture of last year's rose bushes.  I didn't even bother taking a picture of the rose garden this year.  We've sort of let it go to hell, although Cindy been trying to weed it out now that she's feeling better.

We did have luck with the rose bushes close to the house on the east side.  I'm thinking that the warmth of the house along with the morning sunshine probably helped those roses out.  Here's a nice close up of one of my favorite roses.  Notice the navy blue tinge along the outer sections of the petals.

Here's another one just getting ready to open up.  I really like the yellow ones, but I had a couple favorites that we lost in the rose garden.  We'll have to start from scratch next spring.  I'm bummed because some of those rose bushes were getting to be big and tall. 

Here's a couple shots of the back berm.  With all the rain, the grass in the yard just greened right up - almost as green as it was when it first came back in the spring.  And the flowers and plants in the berm have just gone nuts, too.  Like I say, Cindy thinks it's a jungle, but I think it looks pretty cool.

Here's the east side of the house with all the flowers and plants.  We actually did lose a couple rose bushes along this row, as well, but they weren't as established as the other ones that lived. 

Here's a close up shot of the window box on the east side.  Cindy does a great job with the flowers in these boxes.  We didn't have the window boxes when we moved in five years ago.  I thought they'd look pretty neat, so I designed them and got all the cedar wood planks to build them.  Cindy's dad came down and we built them, painted them and hung them over a weekend about three years ago.  Actually, they're over-built - but that's the way Cindy's dad is.  The house would collapse, but the flower boxes would probably still be intact.

And here's a picture of the front of our house with the wild roses and Cindy's flowers that she planted up there this year.  I know most of the people in the neighborhood think we're nuts, but they sure do complement us on how great things look when they stroll past the house and we're out in the yard.  It's a hobby - an expensive hobby - but I really do like how the flowers and plants look.  I'm sure we'll keep doing it for a number of years.         

Joe Senser's Grill and Bar

Joe Senser (left) is a former football player with the Minnesota Vikings.  His professional playing career spanned four seasons and he had some marginal success while playing tight end.  These days, he's more well known as being the color commentator for the Vikings radio network, and for owning Joe Senser's Grill and Bar with four locations around the Twin Cities.

Joe Senser's was named as one of the 25 top sports bars in America by Sports Illustrated.  (To see my post on the ones I've visited, click here.)  Each location has a number of large screen televisions and all the sports packages available via satellite.  They also have pretty good food for a sports bar, actually some of the best food at any sports bar I've been to.  It's definitely a step above chicken wings and burgers you'll find at the majority of sports bars.

Oh, the menu at Joe Senser's has chicken wings and burgers.  But they also offer a number of eclectic appetizers such as Bacon-wrapped Tenderloin Bites, Margarita Chicken flatbread and something they call Homestyle Pizza Spirals - sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella wrapped in a twisted pieced of dough.  They're very, very good. 

They also feature a number of steaks and chops, including Maple Mesquite Pork Chops - pork chops glazed with a maple syrup and cooked over mesquite.  Those are great, too.  And they also serve good ol' Minnesota walleye - either broiled or pan-seared with parmesan cheese.  Also very, very good. 

And surprisingly, they also have some very good pasta dishes.  Their seafood fettuccine alfredo is very good, but I really like their Shrimp Carbonara - chunks of shrimp along with cheese stuff tortellini in a white cream sauce, along with Applewood smoked bacon and topped with generous amounts of mozzarella cheese.  Then it's baked until the cheese is melted across the top.  Oh man!  My stomach is doing back flips just writing about that.

The other thing that makes Joe Senser's unique is the amount of imports and micro-brews on tap and in bottles.  The selection would rival what one would find at self-proclaimed "beer bars". 

On my last trip to the Twin Cities, I stayed at the Hampton Inn just across the parking lot from the Joe Senser's in Bloomington (see map) and I decided to go there for dinner one night.  And I ordered the Shrimp Carbonara.  And it was typically outstanding.  I'm watching four or five Major League Baseball games on a number of televisions, the NBA playoffs are on a few others, a cold beer is in front of me, and I'm having a great meal.  It doesn't get much better than that when you're on the road.

Joe Senser's also has some pretty good lunch specials during the day.  One day I was in there, they had an outstanding meat loaf lunch special; and another time I was in there for lunch they had a hot beef sandwich - a heaping amount of slow-cooked shredded roast beef served on a large slice of homemade bread and covered with a wonderful gravy.  It was just killer.  The only problem is that they don't have it every day.  I'd go back every day I was in the Twin Cities for lunch if they had the hot beef sandwich available each day. 

Most places that I encounter that classify themselves as a sports bar usually only has three or four television sets, a normal selection of domestic beer with a couple three imports thrown in, and mediocre food at inflated prices.  Joe Senser's is the antithesis to that stereotypical sports bar.  Good food at good prices.  The beer selection is eclectic and cold.  And there's a lot of entertainment to choose from on the multitude of televisions. 

As you can probably tell by now, I really like Joe Senser's.  It's one of my all-time favorite sports bars.  It's a must stop when I get to the Twin Cities.

Tumea and Sons - Des Moines, IA

With a large Italian community in Des Moines, there's a number of very good Italian restaurants in the city.  I've been to a number of them, but the one that I had never been to before is Tumea and Sons.  And I've heard it was the best of the best in the city.

Tumea and Sons is located south and east of the downtown area (see map), not far from Principal Park.  It's housed in a non-descript building with a large parking lot and a Bocci Ball court in back.  Tumea and Sons hosts a number of Bocci tournaments when the weather permits. 

Joe Tumea came to the U.S. from Italy in 1960 and worked as a tailor at a men's clothing store.  He met his future wife, Lucretia, who was also working as a tailor at the same store.  They married in 1967 and produced four sons.  Eventually, Joe and Lu opened Tumea and Sons in 1998 using a number of old world Italian recipes, as well as their own interpretation of dishes they had at other Italian restaurants.  The Tumea family are all involved in the day to day operation of the restaurant.

I was in Des Moines recently and decided to see if what people had told me about Tumea and Sons was true.  I got to the restaurant around 8:30 and there weren't many people in the place.  I took a seat at the bar and got a menu.  The menu was pretty extensive with a number of appetizers, salads and anti-pasto to get you started.  Entrees included chicken, veal, pasta and seafood.  There was a lot to choose from. 

All the pasta entrees are served with a red sauce and it's $2.50 extra to request a cream sauce with the meal.  So the $10.50 fettuccine dish becomes $13.00 dollars when you order it alfredo.  Add seafood to the dish and it's another $3.50.  Still, $16.50 for a plate of seafood fettuccine alfredo is pretty reasonable.  I've paid significantly more for a similar meal. 

And that's what I ordered - the seafood fettuccine alfredo.  A dinner salad with homemade Italian dressing came with the meal.  I didn't ask for the wine list because I felt like drinking beer with my meal that evening, so I don't know how extensive their wine selection is. 

When the seafood fettuccine alfredo was brought out to me, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a healthy portion of food.  The pasta was perfectly cooked, there were generous portions of seafood scattered throughout, and the white cream sauce was very delicious.  It was quite a meal.  But, too much food.  I couldn't finish the meal, it was so large and very rich.  And very, very good.

Tumea and Sons also features a number of homemade desserts including tiramisu, cannolis and and cheesecake.  It was tempting, but I was too stuffed from the meal. 

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 to 2 each weekday, and for dinner from 5 to 9 each evening (10 p.m. on Saturdays.)  They're closed on Sundays.

I don't know if Tumea and Sons is truly the best Italian restaurant in Des Moines, but it's definitely in my excellent category.  I would have no problem recommending Tumea and Sons to anyone visiting Des Moines, and I hope to make it back sometime soon.     

The John Deere Classic

The annual John Deere Classic golf tournament is going on this weekend at the TPC at Deere Run course in suburban Silvis, IL.  The weather conditions for the tournament have been absolutely perfect with highs in the 80's, low humidity and moderate winds.  With as much rain that we've been getting lately, the course is in great shape. 

With Nathan Green the leader at 12 under par, the cut was at 2 under knocking the tournament's big names - most notably 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson (right), and former P.G.A. and British Open champ John Daly - out of the field for Saturday and Sunday.  Even last year's champion, John Senden, played horribly on Thursday and Friday and missed the cut by eight strokes.

Now, I'm sure even the most seasoned golf fans would be asking, "Who the hell are Nathan Green and John Senden?"  But that's the nature of the beast for the John Deere Classic.  Historically, it's held the week before the British Open and right now the vast majority of the top golfers in the world are over in Scotland getting ready for that tournament.  In fact, Johnson was the only golfer ranked in the Top 50 in the world who came to Deere Run to play.

Well, it should be said that Johnson considers this his "home" tournament, having grown up 90 miles away in Cedar Rapids, IA.  And he is on the board of directors for the John Deere Classic, so it would look pretty bad for him if he didn't commit to play here.  But Zach missed the cut, so he's undoubtedly on a plane to Scotland as I write.

But that leaves a bunch of no-names playing today and tomorrow.   

That's the trouble with the John Deere Classic.  They just don't get a lot of the big name guys to come to the tournament.  I understand the tournament is run in a first class way, a lot of the golfers believe it's one of the better run tournaments on the tour, and there's a lot of community support behind the tournament.  Lord knows how much money the John Deere Classic committee spends on the peripherals to pull the tournament off.

In the past couple of years, they've chosen to make the tournament a novelty act by inviting Michelle Wie to play in the Classic.  Wie, the teenage golfer who is more hype than hope, was invited again this year, but begged off about a month ago citing a wrist injury that has hampered her game this year.  Many of Wie's critics and golfing colleagues have openly questioned her injury, especially with the way she's been "re-habbing" the injury. 

Last year, Wie pulled out of the John Deere Classic when menstrual cramps combined with dehydration from the upper-90 degree temps got her a ride in an ambulance from the course.   Golf purists have railed against men golf tournaments inviting Wie to participate.  Even though I'm not a golf purist, I also wasn't too enamored by her being here when I wrote this blog entry last year.  Her presence helped add some spectators to the gallery, but it also turned the tournament into a two-day circus. 

If that's how the John Deere Classic has to operate to survive, then I'm not interested.  Yes, it was great to get the reigning Masters champ in the field, but if Zach Johnson wasn't A) from Iowa; and B) on the board for the John Deere Classic, he would have more than likely skipped this event, as well.

Still, I'm impressed with the way the community gets behind the tournament.  Seasoned golfers and casual fans still turn out in droves.  One can almost imagine what it would be like if the big name golfers showed up on an annual basis. 

But for now, the JDC is still a small-time tournament in a small metro area, trying to show the world that's it's big time through and through.  But it's not and I doubt if it ever will be.      

John's Grocery - Iowa City

An Iowa City institution, John's Grocery at the corner of Gilbert and Market streets (see map) is one of the most unusual stores around.  It's been a renown source for cheap beer for thousands and thousands of University of Iowa students over the years.  And in recent years, it's transformed itself into having one of the most eclectic selections of beer and wine not only in the state of Iowa, but perhaps in the Midwest or even the United States . 

Housed in a building that was built in 1848 in the old Czech immigrant area of Iowa City, the grocery store was purchased 100 years later by John and Erma Alberhasky.  (Here's a picture of John seated behind the deli in the late 70's.) A classic corner grocery store in a neighborhood just to the east of campus, the Alberhasky's continued the tradition for residents and college students living in the area. 

As time went on, the Alberhasky's went away from primarily being a dry goods store and offered deli items and, most importantly, beer. 

Affectionately known as "Dirty John's", the nickname isn't because the store is dirty or dusty.  As the story goes, in 1957 John's Grocery was one of the only places in Iowa City where you could buy a Playboy magazine.  One day, a stack of Playboys were stolen by a group of Central Junior High students and passed around to classmates.  When confiscated by school officials, the principal at Central Junior High called over to John's Grocery to see if they sold Playboys.  He said that he did.  The principal then accused Alberhasky of selling the magazine to minors.  John vehemently denied selling the magazines to the under-aged boys.

Alberhasky remembered receiving a stack of new Playboys earlier in the day and went to see if they were still there.  Nope.  Alberhasky explained to the principal that they were, indeed, stolen and he would have to make sure they were placed in a more secure area in the future. 

From that point on, teachers and school officials at Central Junior High began to refer to John Alberhasky as "Dirty John".  Even the nuns at nearby Mercy Hospital called him "Dirty John".  I understand Alberhasky took the nickname as a badge of honor.

Today, John's Grocery is run by John Alberhasky's grandson, Doug (right), who worked in the store while growing up.  Doug has overseen a number of changes to John's Grocery over the past few years, first by creating a wine department staffed by local wine expert Wally Plahutnik.  And then creating one of the most comprehensive selections of beer anywhere in the United States.   

At any given point, John's stocks over 2000 different variety of beers from over 40 countries around the world.  They feature over 130 different Belgian ales, alone.  They also keep over 100 different types of beers in kegs in the store, as well.  If a beer is available through one of their importer/distributors, they'll have it. 

After an extensive remodeling of the business in 2002, John's now has an enormous "beer room" along with a cold storage walk-in"cave" that keeps the beer at cellar temperatures.  Doug Alberhasky, known as the "Beer Guy", said that even with the new space they're still busting at the seams with the selection of beers they have.

The wine department was also expanded and is now housed in the main part of John's Grocery where the beer used to be placed.  (The beer department is now in an area called "The Annex" which was an old house attached to John's Grocery.)  They now feature over 1500 wines to choose from.  While I value Wally's expertise, I find him to be somewhat abrasive, arrogant and dismissive - very much the quintessential wine snob.  Still, they have some of most interesting and value priced wines available anywhere.      

John's Grocery has been featured in a number of articles over the past few years touting their beer selection and their promoting of beer tastings and festivals in the area.  John's Grocery will also ship beer all over the United States - where it's legal to do so.  They've been getting the word out that they'll ship Bell's Brewery beers to Illinois residents who can no longer get the beers in the state due to a problem brewery owner Larry Bell has with an Illinois state law that ties micro-breweries with distributors.  (Read about that here.)

In addition to the wine and beer departments, John's Grocery also maintains a little deli area that offers sandwiches, meats, salads and cheeses.  In the wine department, an assortment of eclectic cheeses from around the world is offered, as well.  And they continue to stock most of the basic necessities you'd find in most major grocery stores.

On my last visit a couple weeks ago, I picked up a couple sixers of Bell's Pale Ale to add to my collection.  Every time I go in, I feel somewhat obligated to buy something from John's Grocery.  Whether it's a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer, I want to support the Alberhasky's and show them in my own little way that I believe in what they're doing.  And based upon the amount of customers in the place each time I go in, I think they've found the right formula.   

John's Grocery is worth the visit if you go to Iowa City.  Whether you've never been there before, or if you frequented the place while a student at the University of Iowa, you'll still be amazed at the selection of beer and wine they have at John's.  And, undoubtedly, you'll wonder, "How in the hell do they squeeze all of this in here?"

The Beer Fridge - 2007

With the hot weather engulfing the Midwest over the past few weeks, I've had a few people ask me, "What's in the beer fridge this year?"  Given the beer fridge post from last year was one of the most viewed entries ever on this blog, I decided to let you have a peek again this year.  (Some of these I don't have in the fridge because of space considerations, but they're sitting close by.):

Bud Light - My choice of beers to drink like water on hot days.  See my "The Case for Bud Light" post here.

Miller Light - I only keep a few around for the hard core, non-Anheuser-Busch fans that come over.  Plus I keep some around in case Brad, our neighbor from down the street and the local sales manager for the Miller Beer distributor here in Davenport, stops by.   

Esser's Best - See my recent post on Esser's Best here.

Bell's Pale Ale - One of my favorite beers to drink any time of the year.  No longer available in Illinois due to distribution problems, but is now available in Iowa.  Woo hoo!!

Lone Star - The "National Beer of Texas."  I like to get a couple sixers of Lone Star from time to time.  It's more like Old Style than anything.  Actually, G. Heileman Brewery bought Lone Star in the 80's, and both Old Style and Lone Star were absorbed by the Stroh Brewing Company a few years ago.  Both are now owned by Pabst and Lone Star is contract brewed at a Miller brewing plant in Fort Worth, TX.

Anchor Steam - Owned by Newton, IA native and Maytag Company heir, Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewing has been a staple of the San Francisco area since the late 1890's.  The beer is brewed in an old world way using no cooling during the process.  A rich, full taste and a deep amber color make Anchor Steam one of my favorite beers to drink. 

James Page Voyageur Extra Pale Ale - Brewed at the Stevens Point brewery in Wisconsin, James Page Voyageur Extra Pale Ale is a full-bodied beer with some good flavor to it, including a hint of caramel.  While I can't call it my favorite Pale Ale, it's still not too bad.  I found this when I was up in Minnesota recently.

Otter Creek Pale Ale - A Vermont craft brew that was recommended to me by a colleague, Otter Creek is brewed by the same people who make the Wolaver's Organic beers.  The Otter Creek Pale Ale has a golden amber color with a very forward taste of hops that is refreshing and flavorful.  The hops Otter Creek uses are grown in Washington state's Yakima Valley and shipped across the nation to be used in the brewing process.  I found a couple sixers of this stuff on my travels through Illinois a while back.  Not bad beer. 

Great Lakes Brewing Burning River Pale Ale - One of my all-time favorite beers.  As you can see from this list, I like Pale Ale's and the Burning River Pale Ale out of Cleveland is one of the best around.  Great Lakes Brewing Company is probably the most environmental minded brewery in the U.S.  The name "Burning River" comes from when the formerly notoriously polluted Cuyahoga River caught on fire in the late 1960's.  Great Lakes Brewing is a socially conscious company and champions a number of causes in the Cleveland area annually.  Very tough to find outside of Ohio, but I did find some in Chicago recently.   

Capital Special Pilsner - My favorite beer in the whole world.  Capital Brewery's Special Pilsner has a smooth and flavorful taste.  It's great with a big steak or with a juicy hamburger hot off the grill.  It's tougher to find in stores these days, but I bought a couple cases up in Madison when I was last up there. 

Capital Bavarian Lager - The flagship of the Capital Brewery line up of great beers.  This German-style Lager is lighter than the Special Pilsner, but more bitter than most other American Lager's giving it an outstanding taste and finish.  I like this one a lot, as well.

Capital Winter Skal - I talked about Capital's Winter Skal during my entry on Woodman's here.  It's an outstanding seasonal beer made only in the winter months and offers a strong hoppy bitterness that is even good tasting in the summer months.  I got a case of it up in LaCrosse when I was up there last, but I'm down to just a six pack left. 

Old Style - I like Old Style.  If I want to drink a lot of beer I go for either a Bud Light or an Old Style.  I buy 18 pack cases of bottles when I go to Sal's in the Chicago area.  It's a good ol' Wisconsin beer, even though it's no longer brewed by the G. Heileman brewery.  (All Heileman beers are now brewed by Pabst Brewing.)  I also have a case of the commemorative Old Style 2007 Chicago Cubs bottles, just because I thought they looked pretty cool. 

Smithwick's - Ireland's oldest beer.  This full-bodied red ale has been brewed since 1710.  Guinness bought Smithwick's (pronounced SMID-dicks or SCHMId-dicks) a few years ago and has been importing it into the U.S. for about 4 years.  I like it a lot. 

Point Special - Brewed in Stevens Point, WI since 1857, this venerable beer has stood the test of time and continues to be one of the state's hallmark beers.  A cold, cold Point on a hot afternoon is a pure treat, plain and simple.  To commemorate the 150th year of brewing Point Special, the Point brewery has come out with a series of bottles depicting the labels from Point Special bottles over the years.     

Special Export - I call Special Ex "The Poor Man's Heineken".  It has a lot of the same taste qualities as Heineken, only at a significantly lower price.  You can't find Special Ex bottles in Iowa any longer (only Special Export Light), so I try to get some when I go into Chicago or up to Wisconsin. 

Abita Restoration Ale - The Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, LA wasn't as devastated during Hurricane Katrina as their counterparts at Dixie Brewing were.  They were back up and brewing beer by the end of 2005 while I understand Dixie is still rebuilding and hopes to have product again by the end of this year. 

The Abita Restoration Ale is a tribute to the reconstruction efforts going on in New Orleans and percentages of the profits of the sale of the beer goes to the New Orleans relief effort.  Restoration Ale is a complex beer with parts of lager, pale and pils hops added for a robust flavor that works.  Surprisingly light tasting for as much that they're adding to it. 

LaGunitas Pilsner - Brewed in Petaluma, CA, LaGunitas Brewing Co. makes a number of craft brews that are available in nearly 20 states across the nation.  Iowa isn't one of them.  Their Czech style Pilsner isn't as good as Capital's Special Pilsner, but it's not bad. 

Barley Island Blind Tiger Pale Ale - Barley Island Brewery is located in Noblesville, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis.  On the advice of a dealer in Indy who told me, "If you like Pale Ale's, you'll really like Blind Tiger."  I picked up a six pack of this in Indy at a liquor store and it's not bad beer.  The beer is based on a Prohibition-era recipe that gives it a smooth taste.  In fact, the term "Blind Tiger" comes from when "Speakeasies" during Prohibition would put a stuffed tiger in the window to signify when they had beer. 

Barley Island also has a brew pub and I'll have to check that out the next time I go out to Indianapolis. 

Great Divide Denver Pale Ale - I'm not big on Colorado brewed beers, but Great Divide Brewing's flagship beer, the Denver Pale Ale, is big on taste and full bodied.  I was pleasantly surprised by this beer when I was out in Denver last fall.  I was able to find a couple six packs of it when I was at Friar Tuck's not long ago. 

Boulevard Pale Ale - Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Co. makes my favorite Pale Ale.  Great taste, strong finish, wonderful with any meat dish, especially with beef.  Wonderful stuff.

Summit Extra Pale Ale - An extremely forward tasting Pale Ale, St. Paul's Summit Extra Pale Ale has been brewed since 1986. If you like Pale Ale's, but would like to have something a little more hoppy and bitter, this is the beer. 

Boulevard Irish Ale - I fell in love with this seasonal beer from Boulevard a couple years ago and I always have to buy a couple cases when it becomes available in February each year.  Irish Ale is a copper colored beer that has a smoky coffee and caramel flavor to it.  More of a sipping beer, it's good with food of all types.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - One of the best Pale Ale's out there.  Since 1980, Sierra Nevada has been brewing their Pale Ale and it has become one of the most highly regarded beers in the country.  A seven time Gold Medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.   

Berghoff Pale Ale - I used to like Berghoff beer a lot, but the Huber Brewery in Monroe, WI either changed recipes or they've forgotten what brought them to the party.  Probably the least favorite of the Pale Ale's I have in the beer fridge, I'll probably use this for cooking brats.

Berghoff Lager - Same with the above, there's some changes going on with this beer, as well.  What used to be one of my favorite beers in the world, Berghoff Lager has changed over the past couple of years.  Even if you go to the Huber Brewery site, you'll see that it's under construction, as well.  I'm still a little miffed that Huber decided to discontinue their wonderful winter seasonal beer - Berghoff Hazelnut Winter Lager.  That was a great winter beer with a touch of hazelnut in the taste. 

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale - Called by many as the best Pale Ale in the nation, Indiana's Three Floyd's Brewery is fast becoming known as one of the better craft brewers in the nation.  Located in the far SE suburbs of Chicago, I've wanted to go to their brew pub during my trips to the city, but have never found the time.  The Alpha King Pale Ale has a rich flavor and smooth aftertaste, wonderful with all different types of food.  Boulevard Pale Ale may be my favorite Pale Ale at this time, but Three Floyd Alpha King is fast becoming a favorite. 

Sol - My favorite Mexican beer.  Light, good flavor.  A wonderful year round beer especially when served with Mexican food.  It reminds me of drinking on Isla Mujeres.  And the good thing about it, it's now available in Iowa.  But I still buy it at Sal's in suburban Chicago because it's appreciably cheaper there than here in Iowa.   

Tecate - Cindy likes Tecate a little more than I do.  A good full bodied Mexican beer, it works well with spicy foods. 

Dos Equis Amber - My second favorite Mexican beer.  A very German-style Mexican beer with a full-bodied taste cuts right through the hot and spicy Mexican food that I love so well. 

Dos Equis Lager - In my opinion, not quite as good as the Amber, but a good Mexican beer, nonetheless.  It isn't quite as hoppy as the Amber, and has a nice smooth taste.  You can drink this beer with or without a lime. 

Capital Fest - Capital's summer seasonal beer that's available from May thru July.  Capital imports genuine German malts for this beer giving it a full body and a complex, yet smooth, taste.  Damn, Capital makes some great beers. 

Michigan Brewing Company Mackinac Pale Ale - Brewed in Webberville, MI, just outside of Lansing, I was drawn to this beer by the label (left).  Since we'd been up to Mackinac Island and have driven across the Mackinac Bridge, I got to looking at the label.  I thought I'd give the beer a try.  More of an American Pale Ale than an English style, the Mackinac Pale Ale has a medium body to it with a very fresh finish.  While not as flavorful as I look for in a Pale Ale, it's still a pretty good beer. 

Pabst Blue Ribbon - I keep PBR around the house for my buddy, Randy Brekke, who comes over from time to time.  That's about all he drinks.  But, then again, Pabst is making a comeback at college campuses across the nation because it's cheap beer.  And it's really not all that bad.  I only have it cans now, it's not available in bottles in stores in Iowa.  At least I haven't found any in bottles.  I'll have to pick some bottles up the next time I go up to Milwaukee.

Just recently, my friend Shawn Eldridge brought over a couple bottles each of the New Glarus beers he thought I'd like - the Totally Naked seasonal beer, and the Stone Soup seasonal beer.  I've never been a fan of the New Glarus beers, but when he was over one time recently, he said I may like these two.  I'll definitely give them a shot.

He also left a couple bottles of South Shore Brewery's Cream Ale brewed in Ashland, WI.  I'm not a big fan of Cream Ale's, but I told him I'd give it a try.

Sitting on the deck and enjoying a good cold beer is a great way for me to unwind at the end of the day.  It's one of the major reasons I love summer so much. 

Hebrew National

The people at Consumer Reports recently rated the best hot dogs of 23 different well-known brand names.  Their top-rated hot dog were the all beef wieners from Hebrew National.  I don't know if the Hebrew National hot dogs are the best, but they are very good.

I've wanted to conduct my own hot dog taste test at some point in time - boiling each hot dog in water with beef broth and placing each in a Sara Lee Gourmet Hot Dog Buns for uniformity.  I have access to about eight or nine different types of specialty hot dogs that I've picked up in my travels and I'm not certain my body could take the punishment.  Although I love hot dogs, I don't eat them as much as I used to.  And at my age, it's probably a good thing. 

Still, I don't quite know if Hebrew National hot dogs warrant the crown of the best hot dogs in America.  They are pretty tasty for hot dogs, but I've always been a little leery of Consumer Reports rankings.  So, I take their hot dog rankings with a grain of salt.

Hebrew National was founded in 1905 by Romanian immigrant Isadore Pines.  The full name of the company was Hebrew National Kosher Sausage Factory, Inc. and the Pines family made their kosher sausages, hot dogs and meats in lower Manhattan.  They supplied the meat to countless Jewish delicatessens through out New York City.  Over the years, the Pines family changed the way they did business to cater more to the suburban family by packaging meats and selling them in meat cases in grocery stores. 

In 1968, the Pines family sold their company to Riviana Foods, which was taken over by Colgate-Palmolive in 1976.   

In 1980, Isadore Pines' grandson - Isidore "Skip" Pines - bought Hebrew National back from Colgate-Palmolive and took the company to a more healthy path, both financially and in terms of more healthy recipes for the way the make their hot dogs.  He pushed the company to make the Hebrew National hot dogs the original way with no artificial flavorings or colorization, and with no by-products or fillers, effectively minimizing the "modern way" of how most hot dogs were made at the time. 

Pines looked to acquire other food businesses and manufacturers, and in doing so, he changed the name of the company to National Foods.  He moved the operation from New York City to Indianapolis in the late 80's, establishing a non-kosher line of meats called National Deli.  That move soon proved to be the downfall of the company.  Eventually, Pines was forced to sell the company to food giant Con-Agra.  The Hebrew National brand name survived and now the hot dogs are made at a Con-Agra plant in Michigan.

When boiled in water, the Hebrew National hot dogs have a big, beefy taste, but not the salty aftertaste you'll find in a number of other hot dogs in most grocery stores meat cases.  (I usually stay away from the ones that have a lot of sodium in them.  Most of the gourmet hot dogs I've gotten have minimal amounts of sodium.)   

The Hebrew National hot dog is not very big - it's rather skinny compared to the hot dogs like the ones from Vienna Beef, Usinger's or Fairbury Meat's Tom Boy hot dogs.  They fit perfectly in most hot dog buns with plenty of room to spare for condiments. 

Although they have great flavor, I don't care much for the smallish nature of the Hebrew National hot dogs.  They're just not that substantial of a hot dog and sort of get lost in the bun.

Since they're owned by Con-Agra, you can find Hebrew National hot dogs at most grocery stores in the Midwest.  They're also the hot dog of choice at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the Omaha Royals, the AAA affiliate for the Kansas City Royals; and also the home of the College World Series. 

It's that time of year when families or friends are grilling on the deck and if you're looking for some hot dogs to grill, pick up a pack of Hebrew National dogs and see what you think.  They're good, but in my opinion, there's better ones out there.         

Schlafly Tap Room - St. Louis

I was driving to St. Louis a couple weeks ago to have a meeting and dinner with one of my dealers in town.  Driving through Peoria, I noticed my "Low Tire Pressure" light came on.  I reset it, thinking the tires were running at a different RPM because of the rain-slick roads.  When it came on again about five miles later, I thought I'd better pull over and check it out.

I pulled over to a convenience store/gas station and, sure as shit, I had a tire that was rapidly going flat.  Thinking that I'd rather have AAA fix the tire, considering that I was in a dress shirt and slacks, I pulled the car into the parking lot of the Par-a-Dice Casino and called the road service.  As soon as I got a hold of AAA to come out to fix the tire (I DO pay a lot for AAA's services), I called my dealer and told him I'd be late.  He begged off for the meeting and dinner, knowing full well that I wouldn't be in town until about 8 p.m.

After getting the tire repaired at a local Goodyear store, I was back on the road and knowing I'd have a free night in St. Louis, I began to wonder where I'd have dinner that night.  Dinner at one of the great Italian restaurants on The Hill is a good option.  I thought about a great steak at Citizen Kane's.  I thought about getting Mexican food or just a good ol' St. Louis style pizza.  And I remembered there's a couple of good restaurants near the Hampton Inn Union Station where I was staying at that night.

Pulling into the hotel, I was still wondering where I was going to eat.  I wasn't overly hungry.  But I was in dire need of a cold beer and something good to eat.  After I got into my room, I looked at one of the in-room guides and my eyes caught an ad for Schlafly's Brewery Tap Room.  I'd always liked Schlafly's beer and I knew their brewery/brew pub was nearby.  I did a quick Mapquest search and found that it was less than four blocks away as the crow flies, easy walking distance from the hotel (see map).  But also knowing how dicey the neighborhood could be after dark, I decided to drive over. 

There's only two cities in the United States whose names are truly synonymous with beer - Milwaukee and St. Louis.  While Milwaukee has a number of brew pubs throughout the city, St. Louis only has a couple brew pubs - Morgan Street Brewery located in Laclede's Landing; and Schlafly's.  That's it in St. Louis proper. 

Now, there is a rich history of breweries in St. Louis and I always thought Schlafly's was one of those old time St. Louis breweries that went out of existence, but was brought back by entrepreneurs when the microbrewery craze hit in the 1990's.  In doing research for this blog entry, I found that was not the case.

Tom Schlafly (right) was a lawyer in St. Louis who was instrumental in getting Missouri laws changed in the late 80's to allow the existence of brew pubs in the state.  Schlafly teamed with Dan Kopman, a local brewmaster who worked in breweries in the United Kingdom, to open the St. Louis Brewery, the corporate parent of Schlafly's beer.  Their goal was to bring back the German-styled brewing tradition that St. Louis was known for before Anheuser-Busch became the literal 800-pound gorilla. 

Schlafly and Kopman bought a nearly 90-year-old building north and west of historic Union Station.  The building had been empty for nearly 20 years.  Prior to that, it housed a printing company for nearly 65 years.  They set about to attain their goal of becoming the first brew pub in Missouri.   

Schlafly's Tap Room brew pub opened on Dec. 26, 1991 and Schlafly's served only two beers - their Pale Ale and their Hefeweisen wheat beers.  Immediately, Schlafly's was a hit among beer connoisseurs looking for something more interesting to drink than Budweiser or Michelob in St. Louis. 

Schlafly's offers six year-round beers to choose from, as well as over 30 seasonal beers brewed at different times of the year.  Most of their seasonal beers are cask-conditioned double-fermented draft beers, hand-pumped to the bar from Schlafly's cellar which is constantly at 55 degrees.  Schlafly's offers their Pale Ale as a cask-conditioned beer on tap.  It's good stuff.   

Even though it's not in a great neighborhood, Schlafly's Tap Room has adequate - and safe - parking directly behind the building.  As you walk in from the parking lot, there is a bar to the left that features pool tables and dart boards, along with televisions.  There's also the Schlafly gift shop located in that area.      

The Tap Room is toward the front of the building and to the right.  There is an outdoor seating area that is open when the weather is nice. 

I really wanted to watch some baseball while I had my dinner, but the game room part of Schlafly's doesn't serve food.  And the Tap Room doesn't have televisions.  So, I sat at the bar with my newspaper and ordered a Pale Ale and a menu.  The Tap Room was dimly lit and even though they had a number of large windows on the east side facing the street, and on the north side that faced the outdoor dining area, it was still pretty dark in the place.  That's OK - it gave it kind of a nice, intimate feel even though it was a pretty large room. 

The menu was pretty extensive featuring a number of appetizers, salads and sandwiches.  However, there were three or four entrees that caught my eye.

The first was a traditional British steak and mushroom pie - steak slices, onions, carrots and mushrooms cooked in Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout beer - and then topped with either a choice of a puff pastry or Schlafly's beer biscuits. 

The second one was the Tap Room's Fried Steak - breaded fried steak topped with gravy and served with a side of their fresh mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans.  That sounded really good.

The other thing I saw was the chicken andouille pasta - grilled chicken breast chunks served on a bed of linguine with andouille sausage in a cream tomato sauce.  Given the amount of great Italian restaurants in St. Louis, I thought it would be blasphemous to have Italian food in a brew pub.  But it still sounded delicious.

But what I went with was the Tap Room's weiner schnitzel - a pan-fried breaded pork cutlet topped with a spinach, gouda cheese and bacon sauce; served with fresh mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage.  That sounded like it could be a real spot-hitter.

Since all the food at the Tap Room is made from scratch, prepare to wait at least 20 to 30 minutes to get your food.  Just sit back and enjoy another beer while you're waiting for your food to show up.  I guarantee it will be worth the wait.

When the bartender brought out my weiner schnitzel, the breading looked like it was severely overcooked.  It was pretty crunchy and dark.  But when I cut into the pork cutlet, it was very moist and the taste of the breading was far from burnt.  It was very good.  As were the mashed potatoes and the red cabbage.  Along with my dinner, I got one of Schlafly's Pilsner beers - a very nice mix of German and Czech heritage flavors that went perfectly with my meal.

My meal and three beers came to about $28 bucks.  And even though I felt the bartender could have been a little more attentive, I gave him five bucks as a tip.  The place was about 1/3 full - a lot of that was one table of about 20 guys - and the ornate old bar only had six or seven people around it. 

Schlafly's also has a second restaurant location at their brewery in the southwest part of St. Louis (see map).  Called The Bottleworks, it features a significantly different menu than the Tap Room.  As with the Tap Room, the Bottleworks offers lunch and dinner seven days a week, and they also have live music from time to time (as does the Tap Room).  And brewery tours are available at The Bottleworks.

Schlafly's beers are available at bars and restaurants throughout the St. Louis area.  Their beers are available in a number of stores in the area, as well.  But because their bottled beer isn't Pasteurized, it can't be out in extreme heat for very long.  It's best to buy the beer cold and get it into a cooler on ice immediately.

Schlafly's beers are very good, and the Tap Room is a very good place to get a meal in St. Louis.  Although it's not in a great neighborhood, it's still safe enough to visit the place at any time.  I would certainly recommend a visit to Schlafly's Tap Room during a visit to St. Louis.   

Mississippi Valley Blues Fest - 2007

The 23rd annual Mississippi Valley Blues Fest was held last weekend at LeClaire Park, which is right next to - and sometimes in - the mighty Mississippi River.  The weather all weekend long was just perfect.  Temps in the low 80's, low humidity, light winds.  The Mississippi Valley Blues Society couldn't have asked for better weather.  And because of that, they had great crowds all three days of the festival.

Once again, the MVBS' entertainment committee did a pretty good job of pulling in a number of great performers, but also offered some of the same "head-scratching" acts that left a lot of people wondering what they were doing performing at a blues festival. 

I will have to say they started out the festival with a bang on Friday night.  Even though I wasn't there to see him play, I was told Damon Fowler put on a high energy show.  But the next guy up on the main stage absolutely blew the crowd away.

Albert Cummings' main job is running a family construction company that specializes in building houses and remodeling homes.  His hobby is going out with his bass player and drummer and playing some SCORCHING blues.  I'd heard and read about Albert Cummings in the past and he was one of the top people on my list that I wanted to see at the fest this year.  And he certainly didn't disappoint. 

Cummings' 90 minute set started off with high energy and the level never came down until he walked off the stage.  Cummings played his guitar with authority and passion - so much to the point that he literally made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on a couple occasions.  It was an amazing show. 

Chubby Carrier played Cajun music on the bandshell next.  I've seen Carrier play about three or four times before, so I wasn't eager to see him play all that much.  But what was more interesting was running into a group of old friends from my hometown of Newton, IA who came over to the festival with their wives.  We stood near the beer tent before, during and after Carrier's set catching up on old times.  It was great fun for me. 

Actually, the one person they came over to see - as did a number of others in the crowd - was Robert Randolph and The Family Band.  Robert Randolph got his start playing pedal steel guitar in his church band in New Jersey.  Backed by a brother and two cousins, Randolph is also an accomplished guitar player and singer. 

Randolph's music is sort of a cross between gospel, funk and blues - delving more into the "jam band" style during a large part of his show.  This didn't sit well with a lot of the hardened blues fans in the crowd, but it pleased the younger people who the MVBS was trying to lure to the festival with Randolph's music.  Randolph was good, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by his overall performance. 

Saturday was a beautiful day - clear skies and temps in the lower 80's.  I came down in the middle of the afternoon to see Kelly Richey, a high-energy female guitar player from Cincinnati.  Once again, I'd heard and read about Richey and really wanted to see her play. 

She put on a great show.  Not only is she a great guitar player, she's a great showman - or is it showperson?  She deftly played the guitar behind her head and didn't miss a note.  When she left the stage, she left those in the crowd howling for more. 

I left for awhile and then came back later in the evening to see a couple of acts.  Over in the tent, blues great Watermelon Slim and the Workers were entertaining an overflow crowd.  Watermelon Slim (aka Bill Homans) is a Viet Nam war vet with a genius level I.Q.  He plays the harmonica and a table top dobro guitar.  He uses various objects to play the slide on the guitar - things like salt shakers, miniature liquor bottles, spark plugs, even a smooth rock that he said he found on the ground. 

And he put on a GREAT show.  Over the years, there are many people who have played in the cramped and hot tent who I felt should have been on the main stage.  Watermelon Slim is another one of those performers that had me wondering why they didn't do just that.   

Unfortunately, at the same time Watermelon Slim was playing in the tent, the Jackie Payne and Steve Edmondson Band was playing on the main stage.  I caught about 45 minutes of Watermelon Slim before I grudgingly walked over to the bandshell to see Jackie Payne and Steve Edmondson. 

Jackie Payne (left) is a long time blues singer from Texas who now lives in the Bay Area in California.  Steve Edmondson's dad, Travis Edmondson, was half of the old folk duo Bud and Travis.  Steve (below) traveled on the road with his family and learned the guitar from his father.  He certainly plays a blistering style of blues.

Playing along with Jackie Payne and Steve Edmondson was the legendary New York blues organist, Bruce Katz.  Katz (left) was scheduled to play the tent stage on Sunday and he sat in with the band and played his Hammond B3 organ and electric piano to perfection.  He's a great keyboard player and really added a great dimension to an already terrific band. 

I was told by a friend that I was not to miss the Jackie Payne/Steve Edmondson performance, and I have to say he was right.  They put on a great show and had the crowd jumping and dancing. 

Saturday night's headliner was the Blues Harp Blowout, a show featuring three great harmonica players - Mark Hummel, James Harman and Paul Oscher.  You know, I really appreciate the expertise involved in playing blues harp, but I don't think I could sit and listen to 90 minutes of nothing but harmonica music backed by a band.  I left after the first song. 

I found out the next day I wasn't alone - 30 minutes after the show began at 11 p.m., well over half the people in the park had left, as well.  The MVBS had the same problem last year keeping people in the park for the "headliner".  Hell, Watermelon Slim would have been a better headliner than the Blues Harp Blowout.  Oh well...

Sunday was also a gorgeous day - a little warmer and more humid than the previous two.  But a nice breeze coming off the river made the weather very enjoyable in the park.  I was sitting on my deck at 2:45 and my buddy, Randy Adams, called me up.  He said, "Where you at? You're missing a kick-ass performance down here!"

The person he was talking about was Doña Oxford, a piano playing dynamo of a woman.  After I got down to the park, I was told by many people that I missed a helluva show.  I was told Oxford was "Marcia Ball with an attitude."  Sunday's first show of the day have historically been killer performances.  I should know that by now.

Actually, I wanted to come down to see the great guitarist, Tom Principato who played on the main stage at 4 p.m.  Principato is from the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia area and has been performing for over 40 years.  He has played with a long list of blues greats, including a stint in the great band The Assassins with blues legend Jimmy Thackery. 

And Principato didn't disappoint, either.  Backed by a bass player and a drummer, Principato also had the great blues organ player Tommy Lepson playing with him for the show.  Principato and Lepson played off each other without effort and put on a fine show.

As I said earlier, the Bruce Katz Band played in the tent on Sunday late afternoon/early evening.  The tent was about a third full - disappointing considering the great job Katz and his band did.  Once again, considering Memphis blues/soul singer Ruby Wilson was on the main stage, they could have very easily juxtaposed the performers.  I caught a little bit of Ruby Wilson and the performance was more of what you'd see in a lounge.  Katz and his band put on one helluva show - very worthy of playing on the main stage. 

Closing out the festival on Sunday night on the main stage were Little Charlie and the Nightcats.  Fronted by the wonderful showman/harp player/singer Rick Estrin, and featuring the guitar work of "Little" Charlie Baty, these guys put on a high energy show and had the crowd jumping and dancing. 

I've seen Little Charlie and the Nightcats a number of times in the past, but hadn't seen them perform in person for about 13 years.  Estrin looked a little more gray around the temples from when I last saw him in person.  But he still exhibited the stage presence he's always possessed in the past. 

And Charlie Baty's guitar work was still top notch.  Playing an old style Gibson guitar most of the night, Charlie showed many in the crowd why he's the king of "jump blues" guitar.

Estrin and Baty have been literally joined at the hip for about 25 years.  The band members backing them may have changed, but their music is still as great as it was when I first saw them nearly 21 years ago at a small bar in Des Moines. 

The crowd on Sunday wasn't near as good as the previous two days.  Because the 4th of July comes on a Wednesday this week, a lot of people who came in from out of town undoubtedly had to scoot back home to go to work on Monday morning.  Still, I was told by a MVBS board member they had more people on Friday and Saturday this year than they had for all three days of the fest last year.  (Last year, the weather was unbearably hot.)  And a lot of beer was sold, which helps out the MVBS' bottom line.

Once again, some of the acts that played the main stage were a little more "funk" and "soul" than blues.  And a couple guys that I felt should have been showcased on the main stage were stuck back in the tent where the sound and sight-lines aren't as good (and it's appreciably hotter in the tent).  But it was still a good festival.  I know the entertainment committee for the MVBS does their best - especially when not a lot of performers are traveling these days, and the fact that coordinating the effort to get so many performers to come to a festival in the Midwest around the 4th of July is a pain in the ass.

There's always the on-going discussions by the blues "purists" that attend the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest each year as to what is and what isn't the blues.  I say to them, "You're already here.  Just shut up and listen to the music."  Pleasing everyone is so difficult to do.

But I'd have to say the top performances I saw were from Albert Cummings, Watermelon Slim and Bruce Katz.  Those three alone, back to back to back, would have worth the price of admission for the full weekend.

Also, by the way, I have to give a shout out to MVBS president Ric Burris who got me a pass to the V.I.P. area up front for the shows on Saturday and Sunday.  Thanx again, Ricardo!