Text 23404, 67 rader
Skriven 2012-04-06 22:08:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip report 507
=======================
No booze licence, so Alex took us to the Yucca Tap Room, a
former dive bar that now caters to the beer sophisticate
crowd. Alex had a Saison of some kind (I don't like that
kind of stuff and didn't taste it); Bill found the closest
thing available to Miller; on a flyer I tried Lips of Faith
cocoa mole (New Belgium), which in fact tastes rather like
Mexican chocolate (a good thing) het up with 9% alcohol (a
better thing). Notes of allspice, cinnamon, clove, a hit
you over the head chocolate presence, in a glass of malty,
not very hoppy, thick, sweetish liquid. In this case, the
alcohol was necessary to balance what otherwise would have
been a milkshakelike dessert. Note: the Tap Room is in two
parts: half of it is still a dive bar. You'll be able to
tell the difference I imagine.

Back to the room for a few Milwaukee's Bests. Bill, bless
him, had bought a 30-pack of the Premium version for our
delectation.
--
The hotel's breakfast buffet was varied and pretty tasty,
with an omelet station and carved ham loaf on request.
I tested the sausage gravy, which was rank with herbal
extractives, mostly sage, and passed. A big plate of
bacon and decent though greasy sausages; spicy homefries
with onions and peppers; and a fairly expertly made
spinach, bacon, and jalapeno omelet, over which I ladled
a couple ounces of quite spicy salsa. I'm not so much into
eggs, but the guy manning the station had looked so forlorn.
The fruit on offer was the usual Hilton fruit. Pastries
were less interesting than usual. We sat in a booth
overlooked by a disconcerting huge closeup of a thistle
plant that seemed like a looming space alien presence.

San Francisco Giants @ Chicago White Sox at Glendale with
Alex and Bill and also Professor Jan, whom I've known for the
longest time but whom I generally see in Singapore and such
out-of-the-way places. A warmer day and a less attractive
ballpark: they seem to have designed it to simulate the
major-league experience, including bad parking and a hugely
loud PA system. The good thing is parking was free. We spent
most of our time chatting through what turned out to be a
not greatly played game, especially by the Giants, who
dropped it, who cares what the score was, if the company and
the beer are good. They had Odell's 90 Shilling on tap for a
buck more than Butt Light.

After discussing dinner possibilities, Jan volunteered to
pick up steaks from the commissary, while we scouted about
for something to drink. She found a bunch of nice 14-ozers;
we found a half gallon of Speyburn 10 at an advantageous
price; it turned out to be the bargain of the trip.

The Scotch was exceptionally smooth and fairly savory, a
little grainy for my preference, but with nice spice and
vanilla, good with the steaks, which I coated with some
kind of maple rub plus onion powder and garlic, making a
not unpleasantly (to me) sweetish dish. I admit to having
smelled and not tasted the maple rub beforehand and not
realizing that sugar made up a sizable proportion of its
ingredients. I cooked the steaks in a range of donenesses,
including one extra-rare for me. Unfortunately, Alex had
managed to snag the second wellest-done one, so I felt
sorry for him and gave him a third of my rare one.

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 And Still Here. Join Us: www.DocsPl (1:123/140)