A Meal to Die For

Jason's entry only focused on one aspect of Victoria's Gastro Pub of Columbia, while I can't help but add how every bit of the meal last night was extraordinary. They really out do themselves there, every aspect of the meal was eloquently plated with mouth watering uniqueness. We met Jason's childhood friend Eric there, and let's just say the meal was on him and no expenses were spared. Everyone needs this kind of meal at least once a year. We had four appetizers and yes the duck fat fries covered in gravy and cheese were the best! The mussels and asparagus fries were up there too.

We each had our own beer sampler, they have hundreds of beers on tap so the sampler was the way to go. Each of us got a different sampler which consisted of five small glasses. I got "The Lighter Side" selection and they were all amazing. Now next time I go there I'll know which beers I love.

We then ordered three entries. We eat and drank slowly as we had great conversations, so the ability to keep eating rolled along smoothly, which is strange for me since I usually get full pretty quickly. I got the grilled lamb with cilantro yogurt cous cous and the boys each got the flat iron steak with sausage glaze served with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Their meal was outstanding and my lamb was not too shabby.

We even got desert, I guess when the food is this good you can't help be devourer it. We shared a praline chocolate layered cake and a fancy bread pudding. Both were very good. The whole meal really ranks up there with one of my top meals ever, I highly recommend Victoria's Gastro Pub.

http://www.victoriagastropub.com/

Party On!

You know you're at a great party when good conversations, fun activities, booze, and tons of food continue to flow throughout the event. Don threw a party Saturday in Joe and Kaitlyn's honor. All the locals were asked to bring a dish or a pop up tent. The food was literally different every time you went for seconds, since more and more folks kept showing up with dishes. There were four beers on tap and mini bottles of champagne that I could not resist. After living here for the past 5 years I now know most of Don and Joe's friends, so the hugs didn't stop for me. Not to mention the fact that my whole family was there including all my local cousin's and old friends of the family. It was such a wonderful gathering. There were probably around 150 people in and out of there. The only down side was the pool was too cold to get in to, but in a couple weeks in should be perfect. Great party, Don!! Remember me when the next one comes up.

Good Beer. Really Good Beer.

I like beer.  Beer with personality.  Beer that's not afraid to claim its heritage.  Give me something dark, rich and meaty over anything associated with football and being a real American any day.  I don't want bubbly water with real beer flavor added.  If I'm going to drink a beer I want those empty calories to be meaningful.  I'm not drinking it because I'm thirsty.  I want real flavor.  I want an experience.  I want the type of beer you drink, not because you're thirsty, but because you're hungry.

The short list of favorite varieties would consist of Bocks, Doppelbocks, Stouts, Brown Ales, Porters, Dunkels, Pumpkin Ales, Winter Ales, Hefeweizens and other assorted wheat brews.  That's just what I can think of.  I'm sure there's more that I'm missing.  Give me a Newcastle, a Lancaster Milk Stout, or a Shiner Bock anytime and I'm happy.  I once brewed (the only beer I ever brewed) a Banana Brown Ale that was pretty delicious.  

I don't do this anymore because it became more of a torture than a pastime, but I used to love going through all the high-priced specialty beers you find shelves and shelves of at decent liquor stores.  I can't bring myself to pay $12 for a single beer except on very special occasions.  Which I have done, though rarely, and had some wonderful beers.  I had a beer in France made by the Amsterdam Brewery Company called the Maximator.  A bock with an alcohol content of 11.6%.  Wow!  Talk about a heady drink.

It warms my cockles to know there is so much beer out there I haven't tried yet.  It's like a liquid candy store for grownups, where all the sugar has fermented into cold (and warm) alcoholic bliss.