Text 27582, 119 rader
Skriven 2009-08-18 09:22:30 av hap newsom (1:124/311)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: RE: more trip 45
========================
Hola Michael!

-> Katie Down's is a waterfront tradition, which, along with
-> the neigboring Ram, I always look forward to. It's both a
-> bit costlier than the Ram and also a bit more divey. But
-> it has steamed clams, as well as things Annie can eat. An
-> order of crabcakes was half the price of the crabcakes I
-> am used to; but it also contained less than half the crab.
-> The frying was well done, though, and the bread cakes were
-> set on a good-tasting sweet red pepper puree. Annie liked
-> the dish; Hap and I focused our attention on a couple pounds
-> of steamed Manila clams; good and plain, plain good. Hap is
-> a proponent of west coast steamers, whereas I find them to
-> take a back seat to the easties. I told him that someday I'd
-> convince him, if it took a couple plane tickets to do so.
-> 
I have no objection to east coast 
clammage...I just don't understand why
they have to dump two cups of sand
on every cup of clams! Once on a trip
back east, My Father in Law took me 
charter fishing for fluke in Long Island
Sound...a fair day of fishing...but no 
catching....and on the way home
(we went with three of my FIL's 
brothers) one of the uncles suggested
stopping for steamers...so we went to
this "Favorite super good place" which
was right across a canal from Guy Lombardo's
home (as if that makes clams better somehow).
Well the brought out a bucket (yep a gallon bucket!)
of clams....and they were the sandiest things
I ever ate! It was like getting a mouthfull of sand
and then drinking clam nectar! I did my
best to be a good guest and ate my share
bravely.....I'll bet I crapped adobe for a week!
One of the things at the very pinnacle of my
list of dislikes...is eating sand....I'd forego clams
altogether if I had to put up with that much sand
again!

-> On the bus Friday, some lady we got into a conversation with
-> had said that Katie's pizza was the best in town, and Annie
-> wanted to test this assertion: a personal pizza with red
-> sauce and extra cheese, very brown and appetizing-looking,
-> was deemed good but hardly the best in town. Hap and I
-> confined our attention to a pitcher of Mac & Jack's porter,
-> which was satisfying if a little burned tasting and a little
-> vegetally tasting at the same time. Oddly, the second glass
-> didn't taste so good as the first.
->
Her claim that Katie Downs pizza was so good
was surprising to me...Farrelli's has more of a 
New York style of pizza and it actually tastes
like "New York" pizza that you get at most 
pizza joints on Long Island at least.
 
-> In a discussion with one of the waitresses we determined
-> that 1. if we'd showed up half an hour later, we'd have been
-> able to get twice the clams for the price; and 2. there was
-> a place at the other end of town, Steamers, that might have
-> razor clams. We debated either 1. staying there and getting
-> happy hour steamers or 2. checking out Steamers. We did #2.
-> There didn't seem to be any. 
->
Curse that waitress....we coulda got another
couple of pounds of clams EACH....phooey!
 
-> Instead of going back to Katie's, we decided to self-cater
-> and so headed to Metropolitan Market, where a free wine
-> tasting was in full swing. Except the ABC people were there,
-> and I was denied the pleasure owing to having left my
-> passport home; I stood there and schmoozed the manager,
-> Hap's buddy Kelly, while Hap and Annie tasted fruit-forward
-> quaffs of various sorts. No great loss, thought I, looking
-> at the list. I picked up a half pound of smoked mussels, a
-> promising-looking Snake River Farms American-style Kobe
-> chuck roast, and a bottle of wine. The market had no problem
-> taking my money without ID.
->
The mussels were gooood, nice and rich 
tasting with that buttery goodness of the 
innards! You missed nothing on the wine
tasting...all were way too sweet for me,
Anne had a great time though! (grin)
The chuck was goood as well, nicely 
prepared and tasty indeed...we never
did crack a bottle of wine while you were
here though! 
 
-> A friend of Hap's had bequeathed him with a case or two of
-> beer, among which were the evocatively named Fat Tire and
-> Skinny Dip, from the New Belgium brewery in Fort Collins.
-> These beers are less characterful than their names, and I
-> don't see that they deserve either the opprobrium nor the
-> praise that factions of beeries garner them with. They
-> were fine but hardly more so.
->
Free beer always tastes pretty good! 
And at least none of this was "light" beer!
And we did manage to avoid opening the 
Ichiban beers...so you surely came out on
the positive side! 
 
-> The mussels were delicious; last time they'd been not quite
-> clean; this time, pretty much perfection. I separated the
-> chuck roast into three steaky things and pan-broiled them.
-> Major yums, the Kobeness of the beef manifesting itself in
-> a sirloin-like level of tenderness and the depth of flavor
-> that I love chuck for.
-> 
mmmmm'mmmm gooooood! 
Come on back anytime!
Hope you made it to the Sheraton 
easily!
chat with you soon!
hap 
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