Jay About the end of another year

How stupid does Nostradamus look now? End of the world in 2000, yeah we are about to roll into 2011 and we are still limping along. In your face dead weirdo! So, it appears everyone does year end lists and I am just a follower so how about I do a list or two?

Top 5 area chow spots

5. American Flatbread. Hate to say it but they have a great beer selection and consistent "bread"

4. The Alchemist. One of the better brewpubs I have ever been to. Great beer, cool vibe, and solid everyday burger-type fare.

3. Bluebird Tavern. They just changed chefs which makes me nervous but to this point the food is inventive, flavorful and always prepared w/ great care. Heavy but delicious.

2. L'Amante. Good food, good service, good drinks. Best Bolognese in the area hands down.

1. Hen of the Wood. I don't care what anyone says it is still the best restaurant I have eaten at in VT. Try the short ribs. Or anything else for that matter

Top 5 Youtube videos

5. Annoying Orange- the one w/ the leprechaun. Pisses everyone off, I love it

4. Panda Cheese Commercial. That panda is not to be trifled with!

3. Drinking Out of Cups. Lighthouses rule

2. Porkchop sandwiches. Oh shit! Get the F*** out!

1. Crazy Whale Guy. 34K views and I am 30K of those. You want me the have a mutha f*in' heart attack?!

Top 5 things that really annoy me.

5. Prius drivers. Kind of speaks for itself no?

4. Pakistani cell phone customer service.

3. colin cowheard on ESPN radio. If I ever meet that dude in person I will punch him in the face

2. ONSTAR radio commercials. "Oh no I have just shit my pants on Rt. 100. OK, relax sir, we will send the police. WWWAAAHHHHH. Shut the f*** up sir!"

1. Air travel. I really hate JFK and everything about getting on (or actually not getting on) a plane these days.

Top 5 things that happened to me in 2010.

5. I made it to 1/30/10 in decent health!

4. That bowel evacuation in the weird Puerto Rican bar was pretty fun, but having a coconut drink and watching the sun set over the ocean was a little better

3. Swimming in a warm lake on a 90 degree day in Maine was fantastic

2. Sitting on a back deck overlooking the Tetons, or in the hot tub w/ snow falling (in summer) in Montana, or watching grizzlies in Yellowstone were all really fun.

1. Everyday w/ my special lady just doing our thing. Each one of those days is alright w/ me.

So good luck and good health to all 5 of you reading this in 2011. I will toast a champer or two to you tomorrow night (and maybe tonight too!).

Jay About the Holidays

Whew... we are right in the middle of the holidays and I am about to explode! I am taking down somewhere around 10000000 calories a day, enough to feed a small town (or Kathy Bates). Between beer, cookies, quiche, wine, ham, candy, etc... I might explode Aliens style at any moment. So I am not really at liberty to go into all of the holiday doings but here are a few quick hits. My favorite gift was the travel bag my wife gave me (narrowly edging out the sponge my in-laws left in my stocking). My least favorite was the 200th wine stopper. Can't ever have enough of those right? Wrong! You can have enough... that number is 1. I cursed out a dumb driver in the Madeiras parking lot the day before Christmas. That was fun. I really got in the spirit! Want a professional gift wrapper for next year? Sign up early, I really had some gems this year. Blind 2 year olds have an easier time w/ tape and colored paper than I did this year. 3 great office additions, a grabber I use to annoy people who are "working", a flying cow slingshot, and a panda that poops jelly beans. Pretty solid stuff.

I have taken in a few off the run movies the last 2 weeks.

The Book of Eli. Denzel doing Denzel thing is never a terrible thing. These days it is not a great thing either. This one is good on HBO which you have already paid for. If I rented it on Pay Per View I might have kicked my cat out of misplaced anger. 1 thumb sideways

John Q. All Denzel all the time for this guy. Actually a pretty ok movie. Definitely another bonus on HBO and I bet an in the park homer if watched on a plane. A little preachy but I liked it. 1 thumb up.

Wall Street 2. Not bad, not great. Shia Laboof plays a great hedge fun douchebag. It was actually the part he was born to play. He needs a much bigger motorcycle helmet. This one merely made him look like a bobblehead. Michael Douglas looked a bit... well, weathered. 1 thumb sideways.

Well, as I just had a hamburger melt w/ fries, chicken tenders, and artichoke dip for lunch... I need to migrate south w/ the rest of my whale brothers!

Jay About Puerto Rico

Just got back from a week w/ my special lady in our 51st state... Puerto Rico! We like the Caribbean and this seemed like a pretty easy trip to take a bit of the edge off the holidays and to burn a few vacation days before I lose 'em! We started w/ a couple days in old San Juan, spent a night in the jungle in the middle of the island, and then relaxed on the beach at Rincon for a few days. It was a fun trip and we had a nice time. PR has a few hits and misses as you may expect. It is not particularly close to the U.S. mainland but unlike other islands it really is alot like Florida. The roads are mostly paved and in pretty good shape. There are McDonalds, and KFC shops everywhere. Cell service is really good. There is a ton of litter and it is all derived from shitty US companies!! A few quick take-aways... We went into a Walgreens one day and I have never seen so many people in a pharmacy before. Seriously. We noticed the same thing at various times throughout the week. The parking lots would be packed and people were jammed in there like it was a mall or something. So if you are a Puerto Rican kid, apparently you stocking will be filled w/ shaving cream, soap, vitamins, and a VHS tape of Beauty and the Beast. Item numero duo... the food sucks. It is mostly fried and really not good. We had one pretty solid meal all week, Tapas in Rincon was pretty good and they had a nice setting and excellent service. We also had a pretty good meal at a small place off the side of the road in Rincon w/ a big pig on the sign. They had slow roasted pork w/ rice and beans and sweet plantains that was really good. Oh yeah, La Bombonero in Old San Juan was really good. Try the rice and beans w/ the ham croquettes and a fresh squeezed OJ... you will not be sorry, or hungry. Otherwise we had a shit ton of fried plantains, fried jalapeno poppers, fried meat rolls, french fries, fried grease. The best part is that everyone has a "homemade" fried plate but suspiciously they all look exactly the same? You can also get nice fruit that is really cheap from road side stands.

Our hotel situation was much better. Our first stop was the Gallery Inn in old San Juan. It was a cool place. Very eclectic as it is put together by a wacky older artist lady. Plants, parrots, and odd art are everywhere. But it is comfortable and has lots of cool spaces, a nice honor bar, and we had a great room w/ a view of the ocean. We then stayed one night at the Casa Grande Mountain Resort. It was very quiet and clean. The food was nothing special but not terrible... except this weird desert thing that looked like jabba the hut. That was kind of weird? They also had directions to a hiking trail that did not actually exist? It was supposed to be a kilometer 5. Well there was a KM4 and a KM6, between them? An old guy sitting at his house/bar and a drive way w/ a horse some chickens and a horror movie house. Ok, next up was over on the western part of the island Rincon. We stayed at Tres Sirenas which is a cool place w/ like 4 rooms right on the water opened by some new yorkers. It is clean comfortable and the service was very good. The beach is great for swimming and they make a nice breakfast brought right to your room every morning. There is no other food or booze there but we had a kitchenette and there are other places that are great for a quick bit or a rum punch right down the beach. That was my favorite place for the week.

Couple other quick notes. I got shat on by a bird in old San Juan. Good luck? F*** that and f*** that damn bird. Old San Juan was pretty cool and surprisingly very clean and tidy. The fort was pretty neat and they had some fun bars. We did not stay up late enough for the real action which starts around midnight? Rincon was itself kind of shitty. I thought it would be a cool surfing town but it was really just a dumpy one horse town. On the north and south ends there were some pretty mellow and cool bars and restaurants on the beaches. So get a car and explore a bit. Surfers are really in shape and pretty good looking. I can't surf. The ocean is pretty cool and there are some great places to swim as well as some pretty gnarly breaks.

I like warm weather. JFK sucks. It really sucks. My wife is a good travel partner. What is the Puerto Rican equivalent of Montezuma's Revenge? I have that!

Vacation next week

so I don't imagine I will be making any posts. I will be getting my drink on, my eat on, my groove on... probably not my tan so much?! Good luck finding something super awesome to read next week!!!!!!

Jay About Patriots

So Monday night I was lucky enough to get down to Foxborough for the Pats-Jets showdown. My last experience w/ a live football game was at the old stadium and to be fair... it was so shitty I thought I might never go back to a live football game. This time though we had a ride and the stadium is so much nicer. Real seats as opposed to concrete. Few assclowns around me that were looking for a fight. The view was great. The one downside was impossible to control, is was butt-ass cold. I mean it was like 15 degrees and windy. I was bundled up and we had a warm beverage so no problem. A couple other things about Gillette stadium... the surrounding area still sucks. The parking situation and the in and out is beyond terrible (it took us about an hour to get out of the parking lot and we left before the game was over). The food is not terrible but it is not great. I had a chicken wrap that was bland but ok. We also had a couple mini-pizzas that had ok toppings but the crust was gross. The bathrooms were pretty good size and clean for a stadium. The jumbotrons are amazing, they are huge and ridiculously clear. The field was in good shape and the game itself was fun... for a Pats fan. The J-E-T-S like to talk alot of shit but they do not rush the QB well and Sanchez sucks. He just does. A couple brain farts from some of the worst teams in the NFL does not mean you are a "winner" and the Patriots exposed this. They do have some decent players and the Patriots defense is shaky enough that at any time they could implode and give up 56points so I am not crowning them Super Bowl champs yet. They did look awfully good Monday and have beaten every good team in the AFC.

Here is another thing. Peyton Manning has been terrible and everyone is giving him a pass. "Oh, Peyton doesn't have a good team, oh he doesn't have good receivers like Brady does." Blah blah blah. Manning has a great receiver in Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon was a pretty high draft pick. They have had other decent guys at various times during the season. Brady? Ok I will give you Wes Welker but the other guys? Deion Branch? He hasn't been good for 4 years. Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate, Alge Crumpler's corpse, Aaron Hernandez? Yeah, that is a real murderer's row. The running game? BenJarvus Green-Ellis? Who the f*** is that guy? Seriously, the Patriots are just a good team and Brady makes them all better. Peyton Manning makes opposing corner backs look better. But he is still better than Sanchez!!!

Jay About a few things here and there

The holiday season is ramping up and it feels like an odd one. Things are getting better I think but people still seem pretty freaked out about the uncertainty out there... and there is alot of that. Nervous energy. Anyway, we had our regular cosmic wine tasting put on by the good people at Daedalus here in Burlington. It is a really fun event at the Firehouse gallery and if you are able to check it out you should. Actually, scrap that, it is already pretty crowded. Don't go! It sucks really bad and you won't have any fun!!! I think the Firehouse smells like feet!!! Anyway, we stopped over at the Farmhouse for a quick burger before tasting 70 wines. A guy was walking out as we walked in and commented on exit, "I don't know why people go here, it is overpriced and the food is germane." Well, it is funny because he misused the word germane... it means "being both pertinent and fitting". The intent was quite fitting however. The place is always packed but everyone I know says the food is not that great and overpriced. It is not particularly pertinent though. How superfluous! We waited a half hour and then another hour before we got our entrees which were nothing special. Fries were good but the burger was only germane, and $13! Beer is good but sheesh. And it was totally packed there.

Next up, we went to the tasting. It was good not great as well. The wines overall were alot thinner and less interesting than previous tastings. They cannot all be winners of course. The one real bright spot was the champagne table. They had a real champagne and a brut sparkling wine that were very dry and quite refined. Then we rocked a pink sparkling wine (pinot) and a kava and they were also very good. Of our case of wine (great prices) we ordered 6 champers!!

To close the night we went for a night cap (mind you it was only 9:30) at the 1/2 bar. It was quiet and very relaxed. This was where I had the real highlight of the night, a shot of the "local" rye whiskey Whistlepig. It is only bottled in Vermont, so it is not really local. The stuff is really expensive, like $65 a bottle which is pretty egregious for whiskey. The shot was $14! I got it for the table so we could all try it though. It was great. The color was nice and it had a slightly sweet smoky bourbon flavor that then tasted like melted butter before disappearing in an unbelievably smooth finish. Worth $14 for a small glass? No. $65 for a bottle? Yeah, maybe.

Thank goodness, it is the weekend. I am tired and need a long rest tonight!

Jay About Mendon!

That's right, Mendon! The Puma clan was visiting family in southern VT this weekend and through a somewhat fortuitous set of circumstance, we were able to meet them in Mendon VT, between Rut-Vegas and Killington. Pickings are pretty slim down there but we decided to check out a decidedly kitchy breakfast place called VT Sugar and Spice. I gather that it was an old sugar house turned tourist trap and restaurant. Well, it was pretty good I don't mind telling you! It was the Sunday after a Thanksgiving weekend so we were all still pretty full on triptophan and a little logey all the way around but no reason not to press on and continue to fill our faces! We rolled up to the place and it was a nice looking wood planked building w/ an open and very un-pretentious floor plan. We waited a bit with the other tourists browsing through coonskin caps, various Vermont magnets, t-shirts w/ moose on them, and keychains w/ your name... oh yeah, and pillow pets. It's a pillow, it's a pet... it's a pillow pet!!! OK, time to head up to the dining area. We a nice spot in a corner w/ plenty of room and got to ordering. Lot's of pancake options including sausage wrapped in pancakes! My buddy got that (w/ pumpkin pancakes), he said it was pretty good. I decided to go w/ the stack of 4 large blueberry pancakes and an egg on the side (money call). The pancakes were good and they were slathered in creamy melted butter which was nice. The star of the show was the syrup which was real and tasted pretty good as well. My special lady went with the Mendon Miler meal which was about as good for your heart as running 105 miles! Poached egg, on Canadian bacon, on a shit ton of cheddar cheese, on an English muffin. Oh yeah, and a side of delicious crispy home fries. Very good, very filling. Overall the company was great, the food was good, the service was friendly and professional, and the prices were more than reasonable. If you find yourself out Mendon way and want an all day breakfast treat... check it out!

I'm Mo Greene!!!

As a Red Sox fan am I enjoying the Yankees and Derek Jeter contract negotiations? You bet I am!!! I know a guy, that knows a guy, that makes shit up... who recently sent me a recent transcript of the action!

Brian Cashman (Yankees GM): Hey D-Money! Another great season chief, I know there were some ups and downs but let's get you some money buddy!

Jeter: Thanks Brian, appreciate the support, you know I love the Yankees. This should be pretty easy.

Cashman: Definitely. We know you had a bit of a tough season but as the captain we want to overpay as usual w/ our bags of money... how does $60 million over 3 years sound big guy?

Jeter: Uh, well, as an "icon", I was thinking I was worth a little more than that? We were thinking $180 million over 5 years?

Cashman (choking and spitting out coffee): $180MM? Not for nothing D-money but last season was not a humdinger for you and you are getting a little older, no?

Jeter: Well, yeah but you guys are rich... and I am a big party of the brand...

Cashman: Well, yeah, but we are already offering well over what anyone else would pay for your production...

Jeter: You overpay shitty guys all the time... Pavano, Javier Vasquez, Granderson...

Cashman: Not 180mm!!! You sucked last year and you are going to be, what, 50 years old next year?

Jeter: Hey, cool down, you are going to pay that douche A-Rod 40MM when he is my age and people hate him. Shit, you told me yesterday you took a dump in his locker?!

Cashman: Lesson learned, we f**ked up w/ that jerk. At least he can take HGH and hit. You hit like my 8 year old kid last year and we could have had a stump get to more balls in the hole last year?

Jeter: Whoa! Who do you think will play shortstop for you next year, or bring chicks to the stadium?!

Cashman: For $20 and a bus pass we can have Ozzie Smith un-retire and play better than you. Plus you are getting married, chump!

Jeter: Screw you, I am signing w/ the Red Sox!

Theo Epstein: HAHAHAHAHAHAH... You Suck!!! We will stick w/ Mark "error" Scutaro. At least that guy can hit a fast ball. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Cashman: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Jeter: You guys are dicks. I am going to have sex w/ my hot actress girlfriend.

Minka Kelly: Oh, sorry, Derek, did I not mention it? I am now going w/ Kevin Youkilis, he has a really cool goatee?

Seriously... Don't mess w/ pandas!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWywHqHCrSA

Jay About NYC, yeah you know me!

Had a bit of a work trip this past week that took me to the bright lights of New York City. Being a country mouse I can barely manage you know! It was a pretty fun time though and we did get some pretty solid business done. My highlight was walking into the ladies room at JFK, that was kind of weird. The great thing about NYC is the culinary options that we just do not have in VT. Sure we have great produce and some interesting things going on here but there are just some things you need to travel to the city for. Night one we hit up the Striphouse in midtown. It is a pretty cool steak joint w/ old school (60's) naked ladies on the walls. The service is spot on. Spot on. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and take care of every detail. We had a bunch of appetizers high lighted by the beef jerky which had a ton of flavor and was actually quite tender and the duck fat roasted potatoes which were... well, shit... they were roasted in duck fat! For the main course I went a little pedestrian w/ the 12oz. fillet but I really was not in the mood for meat sweats. As is the wine (which was very good) gave me a pretty serious hang over. 1 3/4 thumbs up. Fun place, and very good food.

I feel a little bad because my hang over kept me from really enjoying Nobu Nextdoor the next day. It was pretty good but I was a little iffy. The black cod was great and the yellowtail tuna with jalapenos was off the hook. There was a beef carpaccio that was also very good. The sushi itself was good, actually not great? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was better than the crap we get in Burlington, but nothing mind blowing. I have an incomplete rating, user error!

Dinner Thursday night was at a hip joint L'Esquina downtown. You go into a tiny dirty diner and give your name to the weird guy at a back door w/ a walkie talkie. If you are on the list, you get to go into the basement! I was not sure what our reservation was under so it took me 3 names to pass muster. The guy held the list closer than Obama's nuclear codes. Once inside you go downstairs and through the kitchen (where you are warmly greeted by the kitchen staff) and into a dark vault looking dining area and bar. It is a really cool space. One concern is that there are "fire" bucket of water hanging from the ceiling. It has "incident" written all over it. We got there and sat at the bar which has about 250 tequilas on hand. Only one way to get rid of my hangover... drink it to death! I had a tequila and coke drink which was a bit odd. One funny thing is that the the bar quickly filled w/ over dressed model wanna-be's and ultra New York cool guys, aka douche-bags. After a little wait we sat down at a pretty cramped table. Our waitress was pretty butch and was definitely in charge. She got us sorted out quickly. Drinks flowed and the food came out in a great progression. It was pretty good, again not great. I thought the ribs were solid and I really liked the chile releno which featured the biggest pepper I have ever seen. It looked like one of those frogs in the amazon smothered in cheese and rice! The different empanadas were also pretty good and the pulled chicken taco was solid. Great vibe, great service, good drinks, good food. It was fun, 1 1/2 thumbs up... 2+ if it were in VT. I grade on a sliding scale, when she is made my wife says that about me too.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!!

Jay About Wizards

Yeah, I will admit it... I took my special lady to see the new Harry Potter movie this weekend. She loves the books and movies and compared to alot of the garbage out there, I can say I think they are ok too. This one is the first piece of the last book, which is a 1000000 page epic. Like the book, this movie gets a little slow but overall the 2.5 hours went by pretty fast. I think they did an ok job w/ the story considering how intricate the book gets. Overall I'd give it 1 1/2 thumbs up and say it is worthwhile checking out on the big screen on a cold November afternoon.

I was also in NYC this past week and will have a couple longer reviews coming post haste!

So abara cadabara... I am out!

Jay About... Uh Oh... I don't like the look of this!!

http://7d.blogs.com/blurt/2010/11/superchef-flies-to-bluebird.html

If you have read this blog before, and I assume since I know all 5 of you and I know you have read my posts before, you know that I am a pretty big fan of the Bluebird Tavern. Or at least... was!!! As you can see from the above link, the chef is leaving for potentially greener pastures. The fear I have is that this is like so many band breakups, these are often simply lightning in a bottle and while the 2 parties may be ok in solo projects, they are never as good as they were in the original band. Phil Collins and Genesis, Paul or John and the Beatles, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 (oh, uh, maybe not so much on that last one). What are the odds that both places are as good as they were when working together? Not great. Aaron Josinsky will open some place in a crappy location like Milton and will have a gross space that is filled w/ "flare" and terrible service headed by an asshole bartender who can't make a decent Manhattan. The Bluebird meanwhile gets a chef who somehow managed to get serious consideration for one of the world's top food competitions yet could not make a decent meal w/ wonderful local ingredients at the Daily Planet. Seriously, his stuff at the Planet was just not very good... or imaginative. I think his sous chef must have been amazing for the run up to the Bocuse d'Or.

I hope it all works out, I really do. I want there to be a thriving food scene here in Burlington. I like the Bluebird Tavern. But I am pretty nervous as to how the whole thing might turn out. Like the Monkees sans Michael Nesmith!

Jay About the House

I just completed a 4 day weekend that I crafted around Veteran's Day and it was pretty ok. I slept in every day (think 10am), I watched a couple movies, read a book, did some stuff around the house, drank a couple beers. I did not actually know what day of the week it was on Saturday I was so blissfully ignorant! A couple quick notes... we had dinner at L'Amante Friday night and they really fell down. Our waitress was young and a bit of a train wreck. She brought me the wrong meal (after a very long wait) and then brought the correct one which apparently was salted pasta. No comp ted drink let alone meal. I think when you f*** up you need to make amends, especially to a good and regular customer such as myself. Booo L'Amante. We also had lunch at 2 Brothers in Middlebury which was about as gross as you might expect. It is cheap and not too awesome pub food. I would avoid it. On the plus side they town built a new bridge to ease traffic in and out of the downtown/college area. One of the old watering holes Mr. Ups, is now directly under the bridge... like a troll. Do you ever really want to eat in a restaurant under a bridge? In Vermont? Me neither. Trolls.

I read a Stephen King short story the other day Morality. It is as expected, pretty f*** up. It is not a horror story and it is not gory, just pretty odd. Give it a read some time, it is pretty short.

Jay About the HJ House

Boy... getting a little long between posts these days (long... hahaha). But here we are and I have a new review! A Japanese restaurant opened up here in Burlington and the boys and I decided to give it an early run for lunch, we are hip like that. It is in a bit of an odd spot. It is across from a regular spot of ours the Green Room so it is solid for take out after a beer or two but... it is in an old AG Edwards retail shop on a side street w/ no way to really tell where it is if you are not looking for it (not a recipe for success in Burlington). The space inside looks like a regular cheap Chinese restaurant. Hey, what do you know... that is what the menu looked like too! So ok, it is a Chinese restaurant masquerading as a Japanese restaurant... I don't have a major problem w/ that, I am a progressive kind of guy. What about the food? Well, I suggest calling ahead, there are only one or two people working so any order takes forever. We were there 30+ minutes waiting for Chinese take-out. At least it would be fresh and hot though. Not so fast tough guy! It was kind of cold. I had cucumber rolls, they were ok at best. Next up, the lunch special #8, tender ribs and rice. One thing I will mention is that my buddy's comment was "what kind of animal's ribs do you think these are?". Good question T-Pain, and one for which I do not have an answer. The rice was pretty good, and the random chicken wing it came w/ was actually very crispy and pretty tasty. I'd give the place 1/2 a thumb up, they have some work to do.

Jay About Umphrey's Mcgee

Been a big week for ol' Jaybird... between work outings and my oh so busy social calendar I have been out pretty consistently this week. Last night my special lady and I went over to Higher Ground to check out Umphrey's McGee. We knew them as a jam band often featured on the jam station or somehow connected to Phish/The Dead. Well, I will tell you one thing, this was the heaviest jam band I have heard. They were definitely more Allman Brothers but more Chicago blues than dirty south. The band went into all sorts of musical space but they managed to consistently rock. We really enjoyed a techno jam that was really out there. I don't know the tunes by name so I won't even pretend to tell you what they were. It was a fun show and even though we were both wiped we had a good time. They played from 9-12 so it was a full evening. One downside was that the concert was full of stinky teenagers and college kids. Nothing is worse than some punk high school kid w/ BO bumping into you repeatedly because they cannot handle those 2 Keystone Lights they took down before the show. Unlike a cool guy like me that can handle almost 4 Switchbacks before I start to repeatedly bump into you. Yeah, how you like me now?! One bit of controversy was the mash up of Journey (Don't Stop) and Rush (i forget the name of the tune). I liked it... my wife not so much. She thought it was cheesy but I liked the cheese. I'd give it a thumb up w/ upside potential as it only cost $20 and I was tired.

Whine and Cheese Pairings

"my child says that they want to go back to that 5000 square foot 8 bedroom place we had no right to ever live in. They miss the indoor lap pool! What should I tell my son Bank of America, what should I tell them when they are crying?!"

"We recently had to move to a 3 bedroom condo after being evicted from the mcmansion we had been living in but not paying our mortgage on for the last year. Where should I store my Harley that I stopped making my payments on? Answer me that Wall Street Fat Cat!"

"Sure, I don't pay my mortgage because I feel like I don't have to... but it is really because the bank tricked me. How? Uh, because they didn't tell me that I need to save money or only buy things I can afford. Their fault."

"I never even questioned my ability to afford a $1million home on a $40K/year salary. Why should I think about my personal finances... that is the bank's job!"

-pretty sure these are "actual" stories from the New York Times. Or, something very close!!!

Jay About the Kitchen Table

The Birds don't do Halloween so let's just get that out of the way. Well, sometimes we do but I could not find any cool Power Ranger outfits... I like the green one. So, on Saturday my special lady and I worked around the house and then headed for a romantic dinner at the Kitchen Table in Richmond. We had not been there for awhile and thought... hey, what the f***?! It was great. Seriously, it was really good. The service was courteous, friendly, and pretty polished. The drinks were solid, the wine list pretty good, and the food was well executed comfort fare. We started w/ a cocktail, I had a nice Manhattan and A-bird went with a champagne/ elderflower thingy she really liked. We shared a salad of mixed greens that had tasty poached pear with tangy chevre and very nice candied nuts (hahaha... nuts!). For our entrees, My lady had a steel head trout that was excellent portion size and cooked just right. It tasted great and was not at all fishy in an unpleasant way. I had a braised short rib Shepard's pie that was off the hook. It came in a piping got cast iron bowl. The ribs were just a little fatty and fell apart on the fork. The mashed potato was delicious and the roasted veggies were exceptional. I crushed it and then sopped up the remaining broth w/ some bread. Desert was creme brulee. My only complaint w/ the dinner was that the top of the brulee was a little sticky and not as crackly and brittle as I might like. The custard itself was fantastic w/ a really nice and fresh vanilla flavor. The bill was a little steep but fair. Overall I would give it 1 7/8th thumbs up, we really had a nice time.

Jay About the end of an era

So we went to Bistro Sauce the other night and it was a little sad. Sauce has been a pretty pleasant, comfortable, generally tasty place since we moved to the Charlotte/Shelburne area 5+ years ago. Well, Sauce has been sold and officially closes tomorrow. Sure it will re-open in some other form possibly in December but it won't be the same. What I can definitively say about Sauce is that the people were always friendly, and I never had a bad meal. The food was inconsistent towards the end ranging from good to ok. At then end of the day though you could roll in there pretty much anytime, have a beer, and just relax. This differed from the stuffy atmosphere that pervades the Bearded Frog's dining room. One thing I'd like to see in a new joint is possibly a bigger bar area where you could sit solo and eat. It was a little jammed as Sauce had it set up. For my last meal I had a very pleasant parsnip soup, some caesar salad (only ok), and we shared an order of the short ribs which were slightly overcooked but still pretty good. I give it a long term 1.5 thumb rating and will miss it.

Few other things... It is IMPOSSIBLE for Lebron James to be assessed an offensive foul. Funny since he runs over 3-5 guys a game. BTW, suck it Miami!

First B-ball game last night and my nickname for the season is going to be "StormCloud"... cause I MAKE IT RAIN!!!! Bricks that is.

Hey how about that Charlie Sheen? Think Emilio Estevez may be able to seamlessly slip into that stupid show 2 and a half men? Hahaha, coke and hookers Charlie, come on!

I may have better material later this week but after 3 days I feel like the Yankees, old and tired. HAHAHAHAHAHA

Jay About Church and Main

Yeah, this is a bit of a delayed post but Friday I was hungover and we were away for the weekend at the in-laws so I was a bit out of pocket. I did have a great round of gold Saturday in arctic conditions... anywho...

Thursday night we had some "big hitters" up from New York and decided to take them to the just opened Church and Main restaurant which is surprisingly enough, located on the corner of Church Street and Main Street in Burlington (the old Smokejack's). Now, it is never a good idea to go to new joints up here. The service is generally confused and slow, the food is sloppy, and the whole thing is generally found somewhere between work in progress and disaster. So why would I take NYC banker guys there knowing this? Because those punks took me to PJ Clarkes for a "fancy" dinner the last time I was in the city. Payback motherf****s!!!

Well, first off the new space is actually pretty well put together. The decor is like most mid-scale in the area but they did move the bar out of the odd nook it used to fill and into a more open space along the wall in the front of the room. We had a decent size party of 7 and were seated in the VIP booth. Apparently VIP stands for Very Impish People as we were jammed into a pretty small table. There was barely any room for the food and the wine was place on another table we had to reach over to. The waitress came over and through slightly broken English took our drink order. This is where we pitched her a slider for strike two... the first bottle we ordered was apparently no longer available. This was supposed to be their first night open to the public... probably should not be running out of wine? Anyway, we ordered a few others and they were all not bad, ranging from nothing special but nothing terrible to pretty good.

For chow we ordered a bunch of apps. The calamari was rubbery. The fried pickles were spears which is odd but they were ok. The lobster risotto was ok, the olives ok. The cheese plate was ok... needed a menu so we could tell what we were eating. The fried rice and cheese balls were pretty good. I liked the tuna tartar tacos. Some folks thought there was too much shell but I found it to not be a problem and it tasted good as did the fish.

The menu is still a little raw. There was not one main course I was particularly interested in. For medium plates they had fried chicken and waffles. I should have ordered that, people really liked it and it looked solid. They also have lots of burgers... thank goodness, there are not enough places locally that specialize in burgers!!! Well, I am the sucker and ordered one. It was a little rare but the bun was good, the meat was ok, and the blue cheese and fried onions were good. I liked it fine. For desert I had grapefruit sorbet, it was nothing special.

Overall the choices are unspectacular but the space is ok, the food is ok, the service was fine, and the prices are like old Smokejacks. Like the previous incarnation it will most likely be put begrudgingly into the rotation. I am hoping brunch will be a hit, 1 thumb sideways... pending!

How about a weiner post?!

Works for Brett Favre! Pretty big story brewing about how old Brett the then QB of the J-E-T-S was sending provocative voicemails and even a text of his rod and tackle to a former model then employed by the J-E-T-S. Did he do it? Do I care? I understand the implications of a man putting unwanted sexual pressure on a female co-worker and that is NO GOOD... but if that was the case wouldn't said employee go to the employer, or the police, or at least a reputable media outlet. Nope, some blog or TMZ or some shit. It is kind of funny but when you walk around w/ a GPS/camera/telephone/computer/tractor beam beam in your pocket, you sort of lose the whole privacy thing. I for one say kudos to Brett, I love taking a picture of my junk then texting it to people. I am sending one to my folks right now! Don't worry, they don't know how to open text messages!! just kidding. They can open them.

Yeah, this was a dumb post. I have been busy at work and didn't really do much this weekend. We went to a fundraiser, it was fine but nothing really to report. I brewed some beer... that was pretty cool, should be ready in a few weeks. Felt alot easier the second time. Like sexting.

We did watch the Blind Side this weekend and I'll tell you what... it was not too bad. My special lady got pretty choked up. She loves sports movies w/ a warm heart and ranked it ahead of Remember the Titans and not far behind Hoosiers. Pretty lofty praise! I would tend to agree but there is a pretty big jump to get into Hoosiers territory. I'd give it 1 thumb up, wished I had seen it on an airplane. While taking a picture of my 2 iron for a text on the jet way.

OK, pretty sure I beat that horse to death... see you next time!!!

Jay About TOSCA'S

Sorry it took so long to get to this. This week has been a giant kick in the nuts for me. Anyway, my special lady and I followed up our lovely dinner at Tourterelle's w/ a driving adventure up to the north country this past weekend. It was wet, soggy, and cold so most outdoor activities were a little distasteful but we did want to get out of the house. We took a drive up to St. Albans and then headed east to Montgomery Center. It was a pretty nice drive and we got some serious leaf peepin' in. In Montgomery we were shit out of luck w/ our initial lunch choice (because they were only open for dinner), so we settles for TOSCA'S at the Trout River Traders. Now, there were people in there but it was far from packed. We were a little nervous when the waitress came to our table and was incredibly flustered (and had a little trouble w/ English). No problem, we ordered a couple beers. We ordered Spaten... but it was not the German pilsner we expected. It was more like a brown ale, still tasted pretty good. As for lunch... our waitress forgot my soup but the other waitress hooked us up. It was a delicious leek soup. Really very good. We also each had a grilled cheese and ham sandwich. They were pretty good but they were huge. A little heavy handed on the ham. I thought the sandwich was pretty good though and was really nice dipped in the soup. The bill was pretty reasonable. I wish the cook had not come out of the kitchen... that was not super awesome. Overall I'd give it 1 thumb up. I would not head there as a destination again, but if you are in the area it is a good spot to stop. We have been in for coffee and snacks before. Good for that as well. On that note I need to sign off... I need to go punch someone in the head.

Jay About Tourterelle

Big weekend for the Birds, a couple nights out and some new fodder for the blog. Our culinary journey began Friday night w/ a trip to Tourterelle on Rt. 7 in Fair Haven. I have probably driven by this place 1000 times and never given it a second thought. My wife said she had eaten there in its previous iteration and it was ok. So here we were meeting friends at the not so little "French country restaurant". It is actually a pretty big space inside w/ several dining rooms laid out like a large house. They were all clean and nicely set up. The bar in the entry hall is fair size and comfortable with great overstuffed leather bar stools. We arrived first and ordered a drink. My special lady had a girly pomegranate something or other that was pretty good and I had a Hendrick's martini which was solid. The rest of our party showed up and it was on to the dining room. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and polite. We started with a bottle of red (ok), and a bottle of white (also ok), and a few starters. The bread was warm and the herbed butter was great. As for entrees... charcuterie was good but not exceptional. I did think the pate was pretty good. The calamari was a big hit. They were not rubbery and the cornmeal crust was light and delicious... not overpowering the squid w/ too much grease as is ofter the case. For my money, the belle of the ball was the escargot. They came served in a popover filled w/ garlic butter and butter nut squash. F-ing A they were good!!!

The entrees also did not disappoint. I sampled the steak frites, the steak was well cooked and had a nice soy glaze. The frites were also crispy and delicious. My special lady had the turkey that was pounded flat and breaded. It was very good and the accompanying hen of the wood mushrooms were also very good. I had the coq au vin and it was also solid. The chicken was well cooked and succulent. It also came with a fantastic sausage, and off the hook spaetzle. It was all great. Dessert was also good but had a hard time keeping up. The pumpkin cheesecake was very good, the beignets were decadent, and I don't even remember what was in the crepe but it was good!

It was a really fun evening w/ a great group of people and a great meal. The space was nice and the prices reasonable. 1 3/4 thumbs enthusiastically up.

Tomorrow... We journey to the north lands... Montgomery Center VT!!!!

Well La Te Da!!!

So I did forget one little gem from last weekend... the good folks over at the Bluebird Tavern have opened up a little coffee kiosk on Church Street in Burlington. It had previously been a Klingers and was then a grilled cheese sandwich stand. These previous iterations had varied levels of "success". The Bluebird joint has pretty typical Bluebird style, classic, not too overly made up, almost bordering on elegant? The kiosk has a few pre-made sandwiches, a couple other light snacks, and french press coffee and espresso. We had a ham sandwich and a coffee. The coffee was good but a little gritty from the grounds that leaked through the press. The sandwich was pretty great. Thinly cut ham (not too much) and delicious salty almost whipped butter on a very nice baguette. All in a little paper wrap. It was really quite good. Nice work Bluebird, I have a restaurant crush!!

On the flip side you have 56 and Main (or whatever it is called). The folks trying to re-open the old Smokejack's are still nowhere. So they missed the summer and now they are missing the very busy and lucrative leaf peeper season. At least you still have the brutally cold winter?!

I have told this joke to a couple of co-workers but do you think when Obama has his exit interview w/ Rahm Emanuel he will say... "Wham, Bam, thank you Rahm!!!". Hahahahaha

And yeah, the picture above is of Wang Chung who has absolutely nothing to do w/ anything. So everybody Wang Chung tonight!!!!

Jay About "The Town"

Pretty big weekend for the Birds this weekend. We went out downtown 2 straight nights, dinner club, hung w/ my parents on Sunday, and banged out a bunch of errands on Saturday. We went to the Farmhouse a couple of times... The beer is still great, the place is always busy, the food is ok at best. I had a burger and the "medium" was well done. The cheese plate is pretty nice, nothing special. I guess you go for the scene. The back beer garden is pretty cool for hanging out. We also had lunch on Sunday over at the Bistro Sauce in Shelburne and they have turned it around a bit. I had a pretty solid eggs Benedict. My special lady had a good quesadilla. The grits were pretty good and the home fries were great. Bloody Mary? Not so much.

The big event was a night at the movies on Friday, our movie of choice (after the ladies shot down Wall Street II)? The Town! It looked ok, it had good reviews, solid cast... what the hey. Well, we had a beer and headed to the show. It was kind of weird but they only had one movie preview over at the Roxy theater. I like previews? The movie itself? Well, I think the positive reviews may have overstated its case a bit. I will give Ben Affleck credit for his first shot at directing and even acting in this one but it was like Heat lite. Actually Heat luke warm. 1 thumb up. Blake Lively was also good, Hurt Locker guy was not so good and Jon Hamm was so stiff he could be used by pirates to dispose of rif raf (get it, plank, wood?).

Here is a little bonus review... my special lady was out of town last week so I watched MacGruber. Do not spend any money on this piece of shit. Seriously. When it comes out on Cinemax 5 go ahead and give it a run, after a 6 pack of beer. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and spend 2 hours watching porkchop sandwiches or county law on youtube!

Wall Street 2 has me all atwitter

But not nearly as excited as I am for Titanic II: Titanic Strikes Back!!!

Oh no, The FDA about to ok Freak Fish!!!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503891676987232.html

Well, we are all pretty much f*cked now. Next thing you know we will have sharks taking helicopters out of the sky and fighting abnormally large octipi!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa7ck5mcd1o

Jay About the Windjammer!!!!!

Oh yeah!!!! Just when I was starting to lose inspiration, a chance opportunity slaps me in the face with pubby goodness! After attending a charity event at Higher Ground I was in desperate need of food and a friend mentioned the Upper Deck pub at the Windjammer which happens to be a place I have heard about on the radio a million times but never even thought about stepping foot in... until now. We rolled in and it was pretty busy for a Wed. night around 8PM. We headed straight past the fancy pants downstairs and up to the Upper Deck (haha, upper deckers are funny). The ground rules were set by DG early for the 2 of us who had never been here... stay true to the classics, away from the specials, and don't get cute. Makes sense. The space was pretty bright and open if a bit dated. There were a few tables (in a nautical theme) around the perimeter with a large square bar in the middle of the room. We ordered up a round of beers from our friendly waitress and then over a game of phone Scrabble I was forced to play we set to work on the menu. I opted for the buffalo chicken tender sandwich which was as expected... good not great but with managed expectations it hit the spot as pub fare often does. The French Dip looked pretty solid and got a good review and the nachos looked like the mini volcano model from the Brady Bunch... they were massive. Overall the scene was decent, there were girls in the place, the food was fine, the beer was pretty cold, good service, reasonable price, plenty of TVs to watch a game. I'd give it 1 3/4 thumbs up for drinking beers, eating wings, and watching a ballgame. We didn't even make it to the famous boat shaped salad bar!!!! Boo-Yeah-Shaka!!

Jay About Tired-Town

Yeah, I haven't posted this week, I admit it! It has been pretty busy this week between work and other obligations. A few quick hits though... Congrats to JL and SH on this past weekend's nuptials. Really fun time at Basin Harbor Club. It turned into a beautiful sunny day so the ceremony was very nice and then we rocked out into the wee hours. Sunday was a bit of a struggle. Basin Harbor is a pretty old Dirty Dancing type place but it was clean and comfortable and had plenty of things to do. One odd thing, we woke up in the middle of the night and there was the overwhelming aroma of bacon. Bacon.

Pretty good showing for the Patriots this weekend, the offense looked downright scary and the defense held its own. The J-E-T-S on the other hand? S-U-C-K-E-D!!! Not much O from that group.

Tonight I am off to a fundraiser for the Hicks Foundation which is raising awareness of seeking to eradicate cervical cancer. The website also has a funny name. http://www.freepap.com/

Check it out.

And w/ that I am out, maybe I can pull my shit together and come up w/ something more clever tomorrow?

Oh No!!!!

Tom Brady was in a car accident... we need to start a vigil immediately! Oh, it was merely a fender bender and he is ok? No matter!!! Keep you fingers crossed, that guy needs all the luck he can get!

Jay About Books on Tape!

So we spent our annual Labor Day long weekend up in lovely Belfast Maine. I could review it but they are places we have gone before and that I have written about before so instead I will espouse the virtues of my first ever book on tape 1776. I have never listened to a book on tape before but it was a pretty decent way to spend a 6 hour car ride (in which your cat is leaking out of every orifice).

So go ahead and sing this one to the old Duran Duran standard... "Girls on Film"

Books on Tape

I put the disc in the car, it fits so fine

6 hours in the car, yeah we gots some time

soothing words from author McCullough

He is one smart fella

I can tell this story is gonna be mighty fine

Books on tape, books on tape, books on tape, books on tape

1776 and the Constitutional Army is a formin'

General Washington will soon be to Boston stormin'

with a dirty rabble of underdogs

Counting on storms and river fogs

But freedom is the word the Redcoats will be mournin'

Books on tape (10 whole CDs), books on tape

Books on tape (over 8 hours), books on tape

Into New York and we are getting badly

GW is starting to act a little madly

but then we get to Jersey and start to represent

beating down the Hessians that to Britain had been lent

Now we cross the Delaware and things are going radly

Books on tape (it's a real epic), books on tape

Books on tape, (my cat just pissed himself), books on tape

Books on tape (cheap it's from the library), books on tape

Books on Tape (we might rent another), books on tape...

Something in the Air

Funny, I was talking to a friend the other day and they mentioned that in times of stress there is necessarily the increased sense that one has to look out for themselves. This manifests into scheming, and backdoor meetings and quiet arrangements. It tends to make everyone really uneasy and bread a bit of distrust. You can't help it, fear has crept in. I suppose what makes it funny is that when the chips are there really is very little moral high ground. We tend to loosen our standards. I had thought that one of the things about Obama that was a huge positive was that he had an air of confidence. He seemed like a leader, and someone who could inspire confidence even in difficult times. Hard to find that kind of person. Well, it turns out he is not that guy. His administration is not inspiring confidence. In fact people seem to be getting more nervous. The media feeds this fire. So does Congress and the Chicken Little Fed. There is a very uncomfortable breeze blowing. More like stagnant air. I would like to think a few strong words, and gestures will help us, we all want to believe and be hopeful.

Right now though, Cimber has presented the petition and the angry mob is circling.

One bit of light reading... my wife and I made a pizza on the grill last night which was outstanding. It gets really crispy. She came up with the great idea of rolling the dough w/ a rolling pin rather than stretching it out by hand. Great consistency. Big fan, 2 thumbs up!!

Jay About a Hangover

So the bar/lobby of the Burlington Holiday Inn? 2 resounding thumbs down! We had a business dinner last night and that was our last stop. Very possible that was a bad call? Dinner was at the Green Room and that was also a stinker. They required a deposit and made us utilize a fixed menu. That turned out to be ridiculous as the place was only half full. Of course that was a half too many... we sat at 7 and did no see a beer for about 30 minutes. We did not eat until after 9pm and did not get out of there until after 11! The food was also a disappointment. I liked the spicy humus alot and the quesadila was ok but the duck tacos were a dud and the lobster risotto just didn't really go anywhere. To make matters worse there were more than one stomach issues this morning that were no doubt the result of the duck. This time I was not alone!!! So all in all 1 thumb down, it really was a bit of a bust.

What is it about golf that is so frustrating? Every other activity in the world works on a progression... you repeat the motions and and learn the steps and soon you are getting more comfortable with the activity and eventually you get better. Golf on the other hand, you play and play and you sort of get better but just as you get your irons down your putter goes to shit. Then you fix your putting and the driver sprays balls all over the course. You get that fixed and just when you are keeping the drive in bounds... f*ing can't hit it out of the sand. I really like to play and it is fun to be outside hitting balls and all but sheesh, I am just not good!

Hey, did you see Tiger got divorced? That means there is now a single super rich Swedish model out there! Sure you inherit an insta-family but think of the cool golf gear that must be laying around the mega yacht!!!

Jay About Kids stuff

So we had our good friends the Pumas up and they brought their wonderful little girl J_. It was alot of fun as usual. Somewhat removed from our "usual" tricks though we were a bit more restrained and went to bed kind of early, woke up kind of early and did some kids stuff. We had a very nice Sunday brunch at the Shelburne Farms Inn and then went down to the barn. It was pretty cool, they have a bunch of chickens, pigs, sheep, cows. There are learning tools and cheese making. It was raining a little but we still had a fun time and the baby seemed to have a ball. Brunch was solid. I had an eggs benedict w/ lamb bacon, and a cider Bearnaise. It was good.

On Saturday we wandered around Burlington and had a quick drink and a couple of "breads" over at American Flatbread. The "bread" was good but the real star was the bloody mary. It came w/ a salad. Seriously, besides the standard stalk of celery there was a regular olive, a blue cheese stuffed olive, a pickled brussel sprout, a pickled fiddlehead, and a just plain pickle! Plus it comes w/ a 12oz beer back. Very solid. The baby liked the gravel, she have it two handfuls way up.

Last little tidbit. We wrapped up the weekend w/ a viewing of Inception... I do not want to give anything away but I thought it was good. A very enjoyable rainy day Sunday film. Best seen on the big screen I think. Ol' Leo Decaprio is really coming into his own. 1.5 thumbs up!

Jay About the Joys of Home Ownership

So we currently have a mudroom with no floor and no siding, an entryway with a rickety walkway and only half landscaped, a basement from the Blair Witch Project, a 1st floor bathroom that doubles as a bidet when the toilet on the second floor is flushed... and last night I come home and my special lady points out some discoloration on the floor by the bathroom. In fact, the wood floor is damp. In point of further fact... the wood is now rotten!!! F***!!!! Yup, after a pain in the ass week and a pain in the ass month (and w/ guests coming for the weekend), we have what appears to be a pipe leaking somewhere in a wall that will now have to be torn apart. None of this work is anything we are capable of doing ourselves. Why or why would anyone be dumb enough to buy a house?!?!

Jay About the Bobcat

When you don't have weekend plans here in the summer it is really very pleasant. You can wake up at a reasonable hour, do some work around the house, hike, golf, the world is your oyster. So what did the Birds do this weekend w/ a little time on their hands? Well, a few things. Friday I bailed out of the office at 5pm and rolled over to Bistro 156 to wait for my special lady to get in town. It was nice outside on Church Street but I always feel weird sitting out there by myself like some crazy gawker. At least over at 156 I could watch Sportscenter. The bartender was cute and efficient... giving me a very nice pour on my bourbon. The place was pretty empty but it was early. The one thing that made me nervous was that everyone seemed new and had no idea about the menu, the food, the wine. Not a good sign. But I didn't eat there so no issue for me. Next stop was Finnegan's. Not much to say about that, cheap beer, cheap clientele. I like dive bars so it was cool.

Last stop was dinner at the Daily Planet. Service was ok but boy the food is just not good. I made a critical error in ordering frog's legs. My wife immediately gave me a disapproving head shake and she was right. The meat was bland and a little slimy and the breading was gross. I had a burger w/ blue cheese and mushrooms for my entree. It was overcooked, dry and not very good either. Plus I got terrible heartburn during the night. Too bad, it is a nice setting.

Saturday was pretty solid. We woke up and ran some errands and then went for a leisurely hike up Mt Abraham which was packed. Afterwards we cruised of to the Bobcat Cafe in Bristol for a beer and bite. I had 2 beers, a smoky peaty Scotch Ale which was a little heavy handed and a brown ale which was one of the best brown ales I have had. It was not too malty or nutty and had a little bite that I like. For food we had deviled eggs which were good but could have used a little seasoning, easily remedied w/ a little salt and pepper. We also had a fish cake that was off the hook. Excellent flavor, great crispy crust, and a very nice peanut sauce. We then rocked a corn chowder which was a little thin but had really good flavor. They should skip the fried oysters though... just one component too much and they got soggy. We also had a small basket of wings. The chicken was really good and the flavor and heat were nice. The sauce was a bit grainy but I chowed down and enjoyed them. I like the Bobcat, pretty solid place, 1 1/5 thumbs up.

Sunday I went to Home Depot. BBBOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Quick note to the Fed, Congress, and the Prez

SHUT THE F*** UP!!!!!!

Seriously, every time you open your mouths to try and "fix" something, you make it much worse. Our economy has been starting to come around, but could you leave it alone and allow it to flourish? Nope. Through a series of politically driven nonsensical moves and blind fear you have driven us to the abyss. The one thing you learn about in any beginning econ. class is that good news, bad news... either can be digested by the market. What kills a market is uncertainty. That is exactly what we have right now. There will be winners and losers but you should be a guide, confident and quiet. Not the asshole yelling fire in the theater. Please, please, please... stop talking!!!!!! Don't you have a vacation coming up or something?

Jay About the VT Fresh Network Forum

So my special lady has recently joined the VFN and had the opportunity to work on the most recent event this weekend at Shelburne Farms. I grabbed a ticket and perused the event w/ our pals the K-Dogs. We rolled in around 5:45 and had some time to wander the courtyard and sample some of the local cheese, smoked meats, and other smaller apps while knocking down an Otter Creek. As a bit of background, the Vermont Fresh Network has gotten in the local foods mix and attempts to bring together local restaurants and local farmers to present fresh locally harvested options to the drooling masses... or something like that! http://www.vermontfresh.net/about_us/

We are lucky here in VT as there are quite a few interesting local chefs willing to really feature local ingredients and with our rich farming culture, there is no real shortage of these (in the summer at least)!

Anyway, back to the food. We wandered around and had some bread and cheese from the Red Hen, Dancing Cow and Doe's Leap. Lot's of blues, and a surprising amount of aged Goudas. All pretty solid. There was a brief period of rest while the keynote speaker and a secondary speaker did their thing. I like to eat, I do not like to sit in a hot room for lectures. We loitered outside in the courtyard. The one real criticism I have of the event was that they closed the bar during the speech. Not for nothing but that is the ONLY time you really need the bar open!! Anyway, we spent the time chatting and scoping out our first dinner options.

The grounds are essentially a big Victorian farm. There were food booths set up around the perimeter of the inner courtyard and inside what used to be the farm. There was one bar inside, and one out. We had a great vantage point. All of the table/booths were local chefs partnered w/ local farms. We positioned ourselves to hit up a few favorites before lines formed; Bluebird Tavern, Hen of the Wood, and Bistro Sauce among them. Our bad boy loitering paid off for us early. The chefs were not supposed to serve food until the speakers were finished but the Bluebird folks were a little ahead of the curve. Lucky for us! We circled like vultures and then... BAM! we scored the best food of the night, a delicious pits w/ tender beef, a wonderful sauce and just great flavor. That was the big winner and we did not have to wait at all! There were a ton of chefs but some of the highlights were the veggie lasagna from Sauce if you are a weirdo and don't like meat! The little beef balls and beet salad at Hen of the Wood was good. I liked the rabbit balls at Verde, but hey... I like rabbit balls!!! Over at the Pitcher Inn they were serving up a pork something or rather on oiled and toasted baguette, that was good. There was pulled pork at a couple places that were solid. The blueberry meringue cookie at I think bearded frog(?) was light, melt in your mouth delicious! The misses? Well, Leunigs had a mini beef wellington was not great. The pastry was super dense and kind of chewy. Uh, I also was a seller of the elk, a little too gamey.

Overall, I thought the food was great and I am an idiot for not taking notes so that this would be a worthwhile post! The takeaway is that the Fresh Network is doing some interesting things and we should all support our local food sources. That and Bluebird Tavern continues to hit it out of the park! 1 7/8ths thumbs up for the event.

One last little tidbit. We had a beer and a "bread" over at American Flatbread last night. The special meat pizza must have had smoked mozz and leftover sausage, heartburn city! I liked the Deadhorse IPA. My lady ordered 3 beers and they were out of all of them. One beer I had was their own Zero Gravity... "The One". If you see this beer, DO NOT ORDER IT. It sucks, bad. A rare total whiff for Flatbread.

Anyway, I am sure my lady will give me a disappointing headshake and correct my many omissions and mistakes, alright!