Jay About the Burlington City Marathon

So this year my special lady decided to train for and then run a 1/2 marathon. That is 13 miles. Also known as early onset of insanity! Not sure how she was able to train given her 3 ongoing projects which she works very hard on and the constant project known as me. But she did. I have been in Burlington now for 8 years and have never seen even 1 second of the marathon. Shoot, we used to live about 200 yards from the course and never bothered to check it out. But with my wife in the mix we rolled down to take it all in this past weekend. First off the scene was electric. There were something like 8000 runners and a ton of spectators and this was like how you remember parades as a kick. People lined the course cheering and clapping and the whole downtown had a positive and energetic vibe. It was very cool. I staked out a spot near mile 3 and later at mile 9 on Pearl Street to check it all out. The fastest runners were really moving. I was also impressed by the 98 year olds and the 300 lbs folks out doing what I would not have a prayer of completing. There were all shapes and sizes. My lady did a stand up job... she ran a solid time and was not at all busted up afterwards. I was very proud. We then had a very nice time with her race partner and a couple friends drinking beers down at the waterfront. A very nice day all around. Especially for my lazy ass!

Monday, we took a quick trip down to Stowe to get out of the house for a bit. We had lunch at a place called Frida's. It was actually pretty good as Vermont Mexican goes. The margarita is made with lime juice rather than sour mix and was ok. We also each had a 3 taco plate. My lady had carnitas, pollo, and fried cod. I had carnitas, pollo, and rabbit. Rabbit can go very right or very wrong but this was quite good. All of the tacos had nice flavor. Not a ton of heat but the hot sauce at the table fixed that. The rice and beans were also very well cooked and very good. It was an appropriate amount of food for lunch, pretty decent food, and a reasonable price. Service was a little overwhelmed but they got a weird crush of customers at 3pm. I'd give it 1 2/3rds thumbs up.

Lakers in 6. Not sure the Celts have quite enough left in the tank. But, I have been surprised by them throughout the playoffs so who knows.

BP... booo. Obama... booo. Seriously, we are going to give Israel crap for this blockade and the casualties on that boat? These Palestinians launch rockets into Israel all the time. They did it today. Nobody seems to think that is f*cked up but if a civilized Israel tries to stand up for itself they have a diplomatic disaster on their hands. North Korea is sinking ships with torpedos... no problem there. Iran is slapping the U.N. in the face w/ a nuclear program... no big deal. But Israel kills a few agitators who attack them on a ship and all hell breaks loose. Sure, why not.

Speaking of oil leaks... I need to go, there is one happening right now here in Burlington!

Jay About the Farmhouse

OK, so we had a night out with a few friends to celebrate the engagement of LB^2. Where to go? Well, why not the town's newest culinary hotspot... the Farmhouse! After a couple nights dabbling there with the extended beer menu and a few apps we were expecting pretty big things. It is always important to remember that when first opening restaurants tend to have a few issues, and that is ok if they are addressed quickly. So how was dinner? To start it was air conditioned (solid as it was record temps and muggy outside), and we were able to get a seat in short order. The beers came at a decent pace and as usual they were solid. We started with a couple of apps towers featuring beef tartar that was not a big hit, a ham and eggs on toast that was pretty good, the blue cheese and garlic toast which was good, the goat cheese balls which were ok, and a chicken pate. Unlike my last experience, the toast was limp and everything seemed a little less than fresh. No real fans. The apps were not bad but they were not that good and they are VERY small. OK... let's move to the main course. There was a bit of a ruckus when our legal representative started breaking down the possible price discrepancies that could arise when breaking down and reconstructing the burger on the menu. There is no clear base price. It ended up ok but leave it to someone much smarter than I to even notice. I just waved in the house burger. It was pretty good. Well cooked, bacon was not too soggy, pickles were crunchy and flavorful, tasty bun. I liked it. My special lady had a turkey burger which she also enjoyed. Service at this point was fine. I will point out that it was very loud and you really had to concentrate to hear anyone more than 2 seats over (KB). So that should be taken into consideration. I think it is better outside but there was no way we were making that trade last night. The heat also did a number on the different aioli sauces... Overall I think it is a fine place for a loud beer and burger with friends grunting, swearing, and talking about stuff you don't really care to hear. The food needs to be better and bigger portions and/or the price needs to come down. 1 1/4 thumbs up early but I still prefer Bluebird?

Was still fun!

Show us your teats!!!

So there have been increased rumblings about the state of the Burlington downtown and the undesirable presence on the main drag, Church Street. Having worked here the last several years, it has been pretty apparent the growing number of ya-yos that now threaten to turn our main tourist/retail hub into an on-going episode of Cops! 2 recent incidents finally brought our plight to the fore. The first was a bit of vandalism. Burlington has a program called "Cows Come Home" in which local businesses sponsor artists who design cow sculptures for the downtown area in an effort to stimulate tourism. Well, some punks decided they wanted to trash someone else's hard work. Hey, I am all for fake humping the cows after a few late night drinks but destroying something that does not belong to you is f*cked up. The second little gem was the proposal to put in a halfway house for real scumbags right off Church Street. That has naturally gotten local business folks a little irritated. Well, when you provide to much government assistance you get the assholes who take advantage. If you are a crazy,homeless (by choice), dirtbag... why the hell would you live in cold Vermont? Oh yeah, because we invite you here and make it a welcoming place. The police just sit there and watch these clowns make a scene that naturally makes most people uncomfortable and not just a little nervous. I am not looking for a police state by any means but when you have a shirtless, 2 toothed, meth dealer screaming at his smoking pregnant girlfriend and then anyone else in the vicinity... get them off the street. F*ck your stupid waste of time "click it or ticket" program.

OK, on the greener pastures... The Farmhouse is an offshoot of the wildly popular American Flatbread that just opened here last week. It already has generated tons of buzz and a line out the door at the opening bell. Being right down the street, a few work cronies and I rolled in for a 2 night stand on the first 2 days it was open. First off, other than the McDonald's floors they never replaced... the space is very nice, open, airy, and allowing for plenty of cafe style energy. The beer list is intimidating w/ about 20 interesting specialty beers on tap and many more in bottles. The Hill Farmstead Abner IPA is rock solid and was a favorite of our group. The English Oil Can? Well, it tasted like an oil can and left the same way! The menu is still getting going but we rocked a few odds and ends. A couple guys had burgers and said they were very good, I am reserving judgement until I try one myself. We ate some apps that were pretty ok. The beef tartar had nice flavor but its texture and room temperature were a bit off putting. The goat cheese baskets were like little cheese balls of delicious. The roasted garlic blue cheese toasts were small, a bit of a flavor challenge, and well... ok. I like them but I like blue cheese. It was not a universal love around the table. All of the portions were pretty small and expensive but the food did taste good and seemed to be well executed. Service was typically slow for a new opening. Lots of servers standing around looking confused. I expect that to get better. The manager cruised around talking to all of the patrons and being quite friendly both nights. I give it 1 1/2 early bird thumbs up and look forward to my first full on dinner tomorrow night!

When a weekend is not a weekend

Yeah, I don't feel particularly relaxed this week. After a week travelling we settled in Saturday for a full day of digging into rock and clay, mowing the lawn, and some other landscape projects. How did I wind down on Sunday? Painting out mudroom and then some weeding. Sure, why not. I mean not like it was 70 degrees, sunny, and perfect for golf or a hike, or anything besides f***ing digging and painting!!!!!

Anywho... we took out pizza from Marco's on Rt. 7 on Friday night. I was a shell of a man after the Boston trip. The pizza was fine. Like most places around VT the pizza was doughy and undercooked and gave me a little something to think about later. Poo. It is like they are doing it on purpose. They know that everyone loves pizza and the options are limited so people will come back. So for fun the pizza sauce has a laxative in it or something. I am serious. Think about the last pizza you had in VT. I bet you shat yourself later. Ok, toughguy, play it cool.

Can we give the Boston Celtics some props. I really am sick about hearing about Lebron and or the Magic. Maybe he should join the Magic so they can suck together?

OK, I have to go get a pizza, I am feeling a little backed up today.

**was this post the most gross I have put together? Was that English?

No rest for the weary/wicked

So we had an event Friday, concert Saturday, Mother's Day Sunday, then I travelled to NYC Mon./Tues. I am here today cranking, then Boston tomorrow and Fri. I am a little frazzled. Quick post though. Rodrigo Y Gabrielle, if you can check them out... do! Great concert, unbelievable talent and energy, hot female guitar player, cool lighting, the whole thing was sick. 2 thumbs way up. Iron Man 2, eh, pretty ok way to spend some time on a cold rainy Sunday night but did not blow my mind or anything. The first one was better. I ate at PJ Clarkes twice on Monday. Think that was probably enough. Dos Cominos in midtown, a little salty but still solid. Good margarita. Our waiter looked like the lead singer from Queens of the Stone Age. Big win for the Celts last night. Lebron looked hung over. Tomorrow could be something. Flying in and out of La Guardia really is better than JFK. The airport seems cleaner. Duane Street hotel, pretty clean, convenient if you are downtown... like staying in a small Ikea. OK, that is it...

Wow, today was like a spikey yo-yo

We just sat here and watched the Dow plunge almost 1000points before settling at just down 348. 30 year treasuries were up over 5 points, now just 3+points. Obama is on tv every f*ing day. Where was he today? Maybe he was overseeing the hood being placed over that busted oil pipe in the gulf. No? Oh, probably in Greece then... No? Nice work today O, you really showed up at a good time.

I caught a cold the other day. Can you believe it? Springtime, it is warm, and I have a cold. Oh yeah, and a sunburn, and was sore from soccer. I am a sad sack my friends. It even messed up my Cinco de Mayo. No tequila for this guy. My lady and I did make a really good chicken dish with a chili paste she made awhile back. Smokey, spicy, delicious! I will give her props, A-bird has a ton of chainsaws in the air and she is managing them all. Very busy but still very professional and hard working. i would have lost my shit.

Here is a little tidbit, if the Cavs win their next game, Lebron does not get an MRI on his elbow, if they lose he does. Classic cop out. Kobe-beef played the whole season w/ a busted finger and a f*d up back. I don't care if David Ortiz had a big home run last night, the night before he left a whopping 7 guys on base. He has sucked all season, let Lowell play.

Speaking of sucking... this post fits that bill. I am frazzled. I need a shot of olive oil... wait what? Oh, screw you Greece!!!

Weekend Warrior!

It was a really nice weekend up here... to celebrate? My special lady and I worked! She ran 11 miles on Saturday and then spent the majority of Sunday working on an event before joining me for a rousing trip to Lowe's to explore flooring and paint prospects! I have now spent what feels like a majority of my 30s damned home improvement stores! Know what would improve my house right now? A bulldozer! Of course on Saturday I was mowing the lawn, scraping paint, and doing other odds and ends around the house. I was able to read a little bit in the sun on Sunday and that was pleasant. We also made a quick stop at the Flatbread Factory on Rt. 7 in Shelburne (or South Burlington... it's pretty close). I was a little wary as I thought they were trying to rip off the success of the American Flatbread franchise that has been so successful here in VT. But you cannot judge until you get in the mix. First off, it was bloody hot in there! The space itself was pretty solid though, it had a very nice sports bar type feel. Dark wood, accessible bar, open seating, and a huge TV! They were also rocking about 10 beers on tap from the old standard Bud Light to new standards like Dogfish 60min. IPA, and a few local micros tossed in for good measure. The beer was nice and cold. Good start. The menu is nothing to gush about but again, think sports bar. We shared a house salad and a red marguerita pizza. The salad was not bad. Seemed pretty fresh, the dressing was a nice tangy lemon thing but was a little heavy handed (apparently common occurance in this town). The "flatbread" was good not great. The dough was similar to what they sell frozen in grocery stores for do it yourself pies. I tend to like it. The pizza was salty, but ok. The mozz was good, the basil was pretty fresh. The service was very good, they were trying but not in your face. And it was cheap. Overall I give it 1 1/2 thumbs up for what it is, an easy place to grab a beer some chow and watch a ballgame.