Actually Not a Dilemma at All?

So I cruised into the recently opened Doughnut Dilemma this morning looking for a coffee and maybe treat myself to a doughnut. There were only 2 other people there and at least 4 employees so it was not busy. The guy behind the counter fumbled around for a bit as I perused the doughnut selection.He then presented me a tiny "large" coffee cup about 1/4 filled. He said it was almost a small and I could probably have it for free, the beans were doing something, they literally had no more coffee. At that point I cut him off and told him I was all set and took off. I have had doughnuts from the place and they are expensive but pretty good. That said, they are not open Mondays, sometimes open, sometimes closed on the weekends when they attend the local farmer's market, and I have had issues getting coffee before. The sheen appears to have worn off and the place is often empty. It is a tough location but I think they need something besides just a diner counter w/ nice doughnuts? So it will probably be another couple weeks before I venture back in there... the dilemma easily solved for now.

Jay About Catching Up

Hey we made it onto a website... check out the Prohibition Pig accolades page! What have I been up to lately? Actually quite a bit, but hard to find time or motivation to write about it.

For instance, a couple friends and I went up to Jay Peak to see Widespread Panic play. Hotels were pretty nice, very fun venue even if acoustics not great, super chill place to see a concert overall. We even learned a couple tricks but I don't want to give them away... suffice it to say, if you are going to a concert there, get a Stateside room. The water park is fun too. I enjoyed to waterboarding experience of La Chute. I even had fun trying to surf and nearly getting a concussion. When you see the overweight 65 year old woman who has trouble walking but floats effortlessly on the indoor wave it looks so easy! She is a ringer!!!! I have to imagine she may have even been attached to ropes from the ceiling it was that easy for her. Meanwhile, I was on my feet for 31 seconds before I face planted and lost my trunks. No one even laughed... they looked mad I was taking up their wave time. It is like the looks I get when I hit on 16 up in Montreal. Daggers.

I also went down to see college friends in NYC. I stayed a night w/ my buddy at the Baccarat Hotel. Swanky. Excellent service, super high tech (the TV is IN the wall mirror), and just super nice. Yeah, they thought we were 3 gay dudes staying there but whatever. Asked if we needed tickets to a show. The trundle bed was very comfortable. We then went to the premier of Ted 2. My buddy worked on the movie. I thought it was funny, even better than the first one. I enjoy toilet humor. Not ashamed to admit it. My GPS also took me all the way up Broadway to Hastings on the Hudson. What a journey. Neighborhoods I had never seen nor hope to never see again.

On a sad note we will soon be losing one of my favorite local spots Archie's. Heard the owner is ill and needs to sell. Great spot for kids and excellent burger fare. Will soon be home to a Dunkin Donuts. I have no ill will towards Dunkies but will miss Archie's.  Also closing down is San Sai. Best sushi in Burlington by a mile. Location was tough and no one ever ventured down there. Locals are not that into foreign food here in VT. Tourists never seemed to know it was there. If the Tavern can manage to always have a crowd but San Sai is never busy you know you live in a shitty food town. We do what we do (pub fare) pretty well but a very narrow scope. Also heard Tilt may be changing hands or closing. I like that spot as a place to escape when I am out doing chores on the weekend. I hope they stay open. A new pub will be opening near the Shelburne Meat Market where the old Town Tavern floundered. I hope they do a better job w/ the space... that corridor needs a place to have a burger, beer and watch a ball game. Besides the bowling alley of course.

So there you have it... if my kids stop peeing the bed, eating possibly poisonous berries, screaming in my ear, messing up the house, eating paint chips, playing w/ knives, somehow getting poop on their face, refusing to wear pants, I may try to keep this blog a little more current.

One last review, Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice is an excellent bedtime book. Currently is my favorite and the kids dig it too. So whoopy once, whoopy twice, whoopy chicken soup with rice!!!

Hey, it's a poop story!!!

I work in a 7 person office housed in a large multi-use building. There is a Psychoanalysis practice across the hall and a couple marketing type places down the hall. I woman came into the office the other day and announced, "Uh, I was across the hall and I came out, somebody "diaree-ered" in the hall and I wasn't sure who to tell?" Um, sure, we were probably the best option. Well, someone or something did diaree-er in the hall. It was like a crime scene all over the floor and down the stairs to the first floor. Maybe somebody had there dog in and there was an incident. Doesn't really matter, it was super f*d up. Why am I involved in so many poop events. Does anyone else seem to be at the nexus of all things poop? Damn! 

I honked at a hippie in a vanagan (that VW van right?) who was sitting and gawking at an intersection this morning. After getting stuck in the middle of the intersection and then attempting to back into a line of 6 cars behind her, said hippie decided to get out of her car and yell at me for honking at her. She said it was inappropriate. What is a horn for if not alerting other motorists to potential driving situations what is it for... telling people you are horny? I would argue the honk was VERY appropriate. Did I mention Miss Vanagan had already been passed by another motorist for going too slow on my rural road? I was actually quite dumbfounded, so much so I neglected to unleash my usual angry double bird response. I just shook my head in a disapproving manner.

I am having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. Apparently that happens, even in Australia.

BTW, finally had some food from Butch N Babes in the north end. It was really very good and deserves a much better post so it will get one at a date in the very near future. But go there, it is a nice space, good drinks, and good food.

Jay About Bluebird BBQ

It is funny, I love BBQ, and I tend to like the Bluebird group's offerings. So why is it I have never been to the BB BBQ joint over on Riverside? Well, it is just such an off the run location. After we had kids it became even harder to justify going to Riverside. I had also heard not great things, mostly having to do with a little much salt. So how did I finally get there after all these years? Well, my wife read that kids eat free and as my folks were in town and we needed to be out of my house for a few hours late one Sunday afternoon... well, f* it, let's check it out!  As usual, my special lady was spot on. We cruised in around 5PM and the place was lively but not packed. There was a party in the side room that looked fun and there were families everywhere. They sat us in a back room giving us plenty of space. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. There were a ton of things we wanted to try so we went w/ several small plates, dinner for 2, and a couple extra sides.

The buffalo chicken on a biscuit was one of the big hits. Great flavor, well cooked chicken, delicious pickles and a sick biscuit. I liked the asian inspired pulled pork bun sandwich. We all thought the sweet potato pierogies were tasty. The pulled pork was pretty good and they have nice sauces to add flavor. The brisket was tender and delicious w/out having too much fat or gristle. The ribs W/ a maple BBQ mop sauce were great, lot's of meat, w/ a little extra vinegar sauce they really popped. The sides were good as well. The beans had nice flavor and were not mushy, the coleslaw was excellent, and the braised greens and ham almost made you think you were eating healthy. The beer list was pretty solid as well.

I thought the whole thing was pretty great as a stand alone and when you factor in the kid friendliness of the place... well sir, that is 1 3/4 thumbs up and covered in BBQ sauce!

Jay About Taverna Khione

Hey Jay... what the f*** have you been doing?!  F*** you!!! Whatever I want!! And by that I mean cleaning up after my punk kids. Well, last night they were w/ my folks so my special lady and I went for a date to the new Greek place in Shelburne. The last place that occupied the Cafe Shelburne space was a bust, a Greek joint?  Tough sell, but we had high hopes as we both like Greek food and feel like the area needs an infusion of ethnic fare. The first tentative steps were tough. I may have parked in a handicap spot... it was raining and hard to see what the sign was referring to. Also, at 7PM on a Thursday there was no one there. Uh oh. The new owners did do a nice job freshening the look up. It no longer felt like my Grandmother's favorite brunch spot but like a more updated and contemporary but very casually comfortable dining establishment. Service was new car smell as to be expected. Our guy did not tell us the specials even though we were the only people there. He also neglected to tell us they had beer. He also did not know other pretty relevant points to the menu but it is still new. How about the food? Excellent.

We started with stuffed grape leaves that were delicate and featured a tasty sausage filling that was not at all greasy. They sat on a nice fresh tasting yogurt sauce. So far so good. The Greek wines were very unfamiliar to us and our server was little help. The white my wife tried was not great but we settled on a big fruity red they considered like a house red. It was nice and approachable. Next up was the pistachio crusted feta with honey drizzle. What a treat. I would eat that shit all day long and double on Sunday! We also nibbled on grilled octopus that was solid and came on a fava bean hummus type spread that was delicious as well.

We finished up sharing a baked pasta dish w/ cinnamon tomato and ground beef and bechamel sauce. Whoa! Glad we were sharing as it was a decadent delight. Nice flavor, nice consistency, nice presentation.

Finished up with a Greek after dinner drink that was very much like Sambuca and was a nice way to finish. We took a desert home and I will not even get into it, was not the highlight of the evening.

By the time we left there were a few tables full and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We thought it was great and with tighter service a real solid addition to the scene, 1 1/2 thumbs up with upside. I fear the unrefined palates in Shelburne who love the dumpster fire known as the Bearded Frog will not accept a small reach out of their dining comfort zone and that could be a real challenge but if you are looking for a good meal that is not the same old same old... give these guys a run, it is more than worth it!

Hey, is winter finally over?

After waking to snow last weekend it is nice to finally have sun and 60s even 70 degree temps. Of course one of my kids (or the other) has been sick for 285 straight days so it still sucks in the Bird household. We took the kiddos to La Villa early the other night for a dinner out. Yikes!!! While the people were very friendly and the place is set up to handle families they were not ready for our cranky brood. Spilling water, screaming, not sitting down, tossing food... we pretty much hit for the cycle. The other patrons were not impressed and I wished I had a hole to crawl in. Good times.

We signed up for the new HBO Now. It is not bad. Streams faster than actual Apple movies, not as fast as Netflix. It has also crashed several times on us in the first week. That said there is quite a bit of content. We watched The Way Way Back the other night and it was a nice little movie. Sam Rockwell is great. It is a little slow going but gets to a nice tempo.  I also have gotten in that show Silicon Valley. I like T.J. Miller... funny guy.

What the f*** is up w/ Gotham on Fox. It is on, then off, then on, then a long hiatus for no reason?  Hard to stay on board.

One thing I am on board with is Berkshire Mountain Distillery which we checked out while visiting the in-laws a couple weeks back. Cool building, Great tasting with a bartender who was friendly, knowledgeable, and put down a solid pour. There are plenty of things to like but the premixed gin and tonic was surprisingly delicious and refreshing. I hate most tonics so I hate mote G&Ts but this one is good, not too sickly sweet. The barrel aged bourbons are also nice. The Founder's was a little too heavy on the coffee for me but the Sam Adams Utopia was pretty solid as was the Hopzilla.  The highlight for us was the Ethereal Gin series. They make a new recipe for each bottling that is then destroyed so no too are alike. All three we tried were excellent with different herb and citrus notes. Great product. If you ever find yourself down in the Berkshires, check this place out. http://berkshiremountaindistillers.com/home/

We also went over to Big Elm Brewery around the corner. Fun place, the beer isn't great. The stouts are good and the imperial stout is actually an excellent motor oil of a beer. Again, it is a fun place to hang, taste some beer and maybe grab a bomber of six pack of cans for the beach.

Big Night Out

So my lady and I stepped out the other night for a fundraiser for CarShare VT. www.carsharevt.org I am pro my car but the fewer ya yos out there on the road the better. The organization also provides a valuable service for folks that need transportation but can't afford their own car or taxis everywhere. The event was a dinner at Pennycluse. Interesting as it is a pretty solid breakfast lunch spot not known for dinner fare. Good reason. The food was fine but not really as good as what I might make at home actually. The event was fun though and the restaurant had pretty good pacing and a nice space.

The big hit was our after party drink at the Lamp Store over by the OP. It is a speakeasy type space filled with vintage lamps for sale and a pretty awesome old school bar. It was not too busy and a very chill vibe. Plus I was able to get a nice pour of Fernet Branca neat. It was a little like getting a drink at the Lamp Shop on Pine Street... except it was open.

We have been watching the first season of Mash on Netflix lately. Great show. Very edgy even now.

I generally really hate fruit beers. Number 9 sucks, even with whisky in it. But this little gem is absolutely delicious and LB is spot on, superb summer sipper... if we actually ever see summer. It snowed up here again yesterday. http://21st-amendment.com/beers/hell-or-high-watermelon/