Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot Pt. 1

Sierra/Dogfish Life & Limb

Over the weekend, the P90 family made the trip out to Delaware for Dogfish Head’s Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot (WoCAaW). Somehow, Mrs. P90 was on the Facebooks when Dogfish announced the special tours (more on that later) and managed to score two tickets.

If you are not familiar with WoCAaW, it’s Dogfish’s annual celebration of all things beer and a thank you to the folks who spread the good word about Dogfish. Interesting tidbit I picked up over the weekend – Dogfish does very little traditional marketing and relies mostly on word of mouth and events (think pint nights) to spread the word.

So back to the festivities. Day one of WoCAaw took place at the Dogfish Rehoboth Beach Brew Pub and focused on some special Randall concoctions and limited release beers. I’ve included a picture of the menu below.  The wife, girls, and I headed over the pub around 4:00. It was packed, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. We got what we now call the "kids table." It’s the furthest back in the room near the stairs and kitchen. We've been placed there the last few times (with kids in tow). My guess is they put people with kids there to keep them out of the way. I’d probably do the same thing.

WoCAaW Menu

We started off with the 90 Minute IPA pulled through the hop randall and the Dogfish/Three Floyds Poppaskull (Belgian Strong Ale brewed with cardamom and aged in brandy barrels). Both were delicious. Not sure how I went so long without having a beer through the randall, but the hop aroma is amazing!

Next, we had my most highly anticipated item of the weekend – Burton Baton pulled through a randall stuffed with hops, oak chips, and vanilla beans. Words can’t describe the aroma of this drink. It was nothing short of amazing. We also had the Dogfish Sierra Life & Limb from cask. Being the product of two of my favorite breweries, I want to love the Life & Limb. It’s too sweet for me though.

Burton Baton Randall

As for the food, we were pleasantly surprised. We’ve been let down by the food at Dogfish on our last few trips, but this time it was pretty good. Mrs. had the veggie burger and I had the indulgence burger (topped with cheddar, bacon, and an onion ring). We’d get either again.

And because the girls behaved through dinner and allowed us to indulge in and enjoy our adult beverages, we finished the evening off at the Blue Scoop opening day. Beer. Ice Cream. Yum.

Fare (not so well) Michael's Pub

I’m generally of the same mindset as HowChow, in that if you don’t have something nice to say about a place, don’t say anything at all. I’m changing my tune for a minute - especially since the place in question is already closed.

Michael’s Pub closed earlier this week and I say good riddance. I wish Michael’s would have been decent. It was walking/stroller distance to my house and could have been good for a casual dinner and a beer. A place we could take the kids.

It was not. It was a filthy dump surrounded by an ever expanding cloud of cigarette smoke and f-bombs. It could be counted on for requiring me cringe while the clientele smoked outside and cursed while I tried to enjoy pizza and/or Rita’s with my kids.

Michael’s may have been great once upon a time, but it was horrible by the time it closed. From what I can tell, they never cleaned their draft beer lines (let alone their restrooms). Every beer I ever had the misfortune of drinking there was stale and flat. I will not miss it. The fact that they considered smokers to be their niche says it all.

And I’m cracking up that there is now a wordpress site devoted to saving Michael’s. I think the phrase is something, something too little too late. How about instead, we focus on getting a decent restaurant into the King’s Contrivance Village Center.

So this is me hoping that the village center concept isn’t dead. It’s one of the most important pieces of Rouse’s vision. It can be what ties a neighborhood together. And King’s Contrivance has one of the better village centers.

Yes, I’m still annoyed that Harris Teeter opens to the parking lot and not to the courtyard like the rest of the stores. But at least we have the best grocery store. We also have Master Barber where Mr. Lu has been cutting my hair for close to 20 years. We have Rita’s and Greenberries. And we have a good slice of pizza and a great little beer and wine store.

Now please, give me a half-way decent restaurant. I’m not expecting Victoria, Facci, or Iron Bridge. I am expecting some place that is willing to at least put in an effort.   hocofood@@@

Fever Dream

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a whiskey tasting event I attended at Quarry Wine & Spirits. While there, we tasted a great gin from Montana. I was also reminded of the various "artisinal" tonic waters out now. We didn't buy the gin - it didn't blow my mind. However, we lucked out in that the grocery store next door carried Fever Tree Tonic Water. It's a good deal more expensive that Schweppes or Seagram's, but it's much better.

For G&T's, the P90 family enjoys Broker's, Tanqueray, and Dogfish gins.

Unipig?

What is this? Some kind of cross between a unicorn and a pig? A unipig? I don't know, but I can imagine that this sparkly meat would be delicious after 12+ hours on the smoker...

Out of Gas (station tacos)

Today, I finally had the R&R Deli "gas station" tacos that HowChow has been raving about! I’m sorry to say, but it took a taco-themed episode of Mexico: One Plate at a Time and a wrong turn leaving a birthday party to remind me to try them. I’m happy I finally did.

I tried the barbacoa (lamb), carnitas (pork) and al pastor (also pork). The barbacoa was just ok. It was a little tough and dry. Next, I tried the carnitas. They were good, but not great. I make some pretty mean carnitas (starting with my smoked pulled pork) based off carnitas I had from a street vendor in Playa del Carmen. These are a cubed pork with great flavor, but still a little dry. So far, not blowing my mind. Maybe they were having an off day?

Finally, I tried the tacos al pastor. They are outstanding! I’m a huge fan of tacos al pastor and they’ve been hard to re-create at home. Zapatas in Harper’s Choice has great ones (and not to get side-tracked, but they have amazing huevos rancheros). These are just as good. They are tender, a little sweet, a little spicy, just perfect really. In fact, the only thing that could make them better would be eating them on a nice beach with my feet in the sand. And of course, with a cold beer or Paloma.

I’ll be back at R&R very soon to try more of the menu. Next up – the lengua. Sure, I’ll happily make a stock out of animal joints and bones, but generally I stick to the more “suburban” cuts of beef, lamb, and pork. A little tongue taco should be just the ticket to get me out of my comfort zone. Who knows, I might be posting about the menudo before too long...  hocofood@@@

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The Great Fish Debacle

Why wouldn't a fish need a castle?

A few nights ago, my wife called right as I was leaving work. “We have a situation,” she says. “The girls really wanted to see sharks and turtles so we went to the pet store and bought fish and an aquarium. I did everything right, but the fish are dead in the bag!”

Aside from the fact that fish are neither turtles nor sharks, we decided that the best plan of action would be for me to swing by the pet store on the way home, buy some “replacement” fish, and smuggle them into the house.

Rolling with my best James Bond, I slipped into the house and carried the fish upstairs. After dinner, the girls were very excited as we netted the fish and placed them in their new home. Never afraid to overstate the obvious, my 2 y.o. proclaimed “Those are my fishies. He’s orange.” Meanwhile, our 4 y.o. pulled up a chair and proceeded to stare at the fish for about an hour.

Amidst the piscean excitement, I gently reminded them that they already have a (totally kick-ass) pet – Daisy the dog. My 4 y.o. responded by saying “I like Daisy, but I really wanted a pet for my room.” Whatever. That's a battle for another day.

After all of the naming was done, we ended up with Tiana and Prince Naveen. What a surprise… I was hoping for Belle & Sebastian or at least something ironic like Jaws and Flipper. Someday I will get to name someone/something. I’m not holding my breath.

Fast forward to last night. 1. We notice what looks like white mold growing on Tiana. This isn’t good. 2. Naveen is pulling a Nemo and seems to have only one functioning flipper. Also not good. Probably good we didn’t name him flipper.The cruelty of the irony would be too much.

As I was putting the girls to bed, I noticed that Tiana was no longer of this world and was now stuck to the filter. I informed my wife and we agreed that I would sneak in after the girls went to bed and “rescue” her. Hopefully she will meet her prince in the fish after-life…

Playing the role of James Bond for the second time in 36 hours, I slipped on my LED-fitted baseball cap (perfect for walking the dog after dark and dealing with under sink plumbing issues) and set about my mission. Setting about my work, I discovered that Nemo had set out upon his journey to the continental shelf that is fish heaven. No one caught me in the act. I’m clever like that.

My wife informed the girls that the fishies were sick and daddy took them back to the store so they could get better.

Now we set about treating the aquarium for ick and try again in a few days. Here’s hoping the third time is the charm.

The good news is that if it turns out that Snakeheads are a real threat, they can all be sent to our house. We'll kill them quickly...

And here’s School of Fish performing Three Strange Days!

Beer for Breakfast for Dinner

Once upon a time I was the king of dark beers and winter beers. November would roll around and I would buy a six-pack of each and every winter beer I could get my hands on. When I was the king of winters beers, the Harpoon Winter Warmer was the pride of my court (refrigerator). For those not familiar, the Harpoon Winter Warmer is a mild ale spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tastes change. This year, I didn’t drink a single Guinness and bought just one six pack of mixed winter beers.  Part of that six pack was a single bottle and it has sat un-opened in my fridge since November. But last night, as the girls celebrated Fat Tuesday and pancakes for dinner, the Harpoon seemed like the perfect accompaniment. And sure enough, Harpoon Winter Warmer is the perfect pairing to cinnamon pancakes and migas (scrambled eggs with crumbled tortilla chips). Finally - a beer for breakfast!