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!!!!!!