Seriously Burlington.... Seriously?!?!

I am very pro business, and very pro growth. That said, the wounds of 2008 are still fresh and we need to learn from such disasters. One of those lessons is that there is such a thing as too much development and too much leverage. Like anything in this world, moderation is often the best path to happiness. So here in tiny Burlington, VT several money men have seen decent demand (in this case for housing), and are going to crush it into the ground! I was just watching the BFP round table discussion w/ Don Sinex on his overly ambitious mall project. Now, that mall has been a train wreck over the last decade and is currently about 50% dark, although due to various paper means they will claim it is leased up at closer to 75% I would guess. So what should we do? Add housing, offices, and more retail!  There are only about 45K people in Burlington and 250K or so in the metro area. We have another dead mall 5 miles away and various retail in the for of box stores and strip malls less than 10 miles away.  The last thing we need is more retail. Office space? Arguably one of the weaker sectors in the city w/ somewhere in the neighborhood of 9% vacancy rates. Better add more space to a city that has had stagnant population growth for decades!!! We do have very tight housing. That is soon to be squeezed as this project adds 200+ units, the old BTV college property developer has proposed another 600+ units, and there are projects ongoing up at UVM and smaller ones in South Burlington and in the North End as well. Hey, what could go wrong w/ a little extra housing? Well, according to 2008 Miami that would be a massive drop in the value of downtown property that then spreads to the surrounding suburbs. Unlike Miami, nobody in London or Dubai wants to drop a million bucks on a Burlington condo so they can party on the weekends!!!

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/05/23/table-don-sinex-talks-mall-revamp/84770708/

The fallacy in these plans is that new construction will result in growth. Jobs bring growth and not retail jobs at a Target Express. We need tax reform and easier permitting to bring real business to Vermont from other tech or industrial corridors. But forget that, according to old Don, "the ladies that live in the mall condos can bring their kids to the new preschool space and then go ahead and do their shopping in the retail space." The apron store will be on the 3rd floor, next to the place where "the ladies" can eat bon bons and watch soap operas. This plan cannot fail!!!

**numbers are very loose, not to be used for professional purposes, and pulled from http://nedderealestate.com/chittenden-county-commercial-market-update/

as well as Wikipedia for general city stats.

Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

Gosh darned union beaver labor!!!!

http://www.wcax.com/story/32044112/collapsing-beaver-dam-ruins-property-in-fairlee

Jay About... Eagles of Death Metal

I am an unabashed fan of sleazy, funky, heavy rock. The Stones are best when they slink into the mud. I easily can get behind the Sunset Strip scene from the late eighties when Cinderella danced on the edge between honky tonk and metal. Guns n Roses often nails it. So do Queens of the Stone Age. Out of that family tree comes Eagles of Death Metal... and they also very often nail it. When I saw they were coming to Burlington after the tragedy in Paris I scooped up tickets immediately. Finally it was show time last and I dragged my buddy JG over to Higher Ground to check it out, I have never seen them live.

So to be fair the place was only partially full for the opener Thelma and the Sleaze and it was like 80% dudes. Not sure what that says but my wife said it did not surprise her. Anywho, Thelma and the Sleaze rocked out pretty damn hard. The lead singer/guitarist wore a gold skin tight one piece and worked the crowd well. Musically they ripped w/ a sound that was like a coked up Janis Joplin fronting Kyuss. They were cool, I got myself a signed CD post show. The crowd was a little indifferent which was too bad. Made me nervous for the main event, seemed like maybe a bunch of gawkers just checking out the aftermath of a horrific event.

Not the case however! When EODM came onstage the place filled up and the energy level also turned up big time. If the previous bandleader worked the room, Jesse "Boots Electric" Hughes absolutely owned the f*ing place. Was he tuned up on blow, meth, just nicely baked? Don't care. That guy prowled and preened, and strutted all over the stage in a manic energy... pouring sweat and sex and just ripping it on the mike and the guitar. I was bummed that Josh Homme is not touring w/ them but the drummer Jorma Vik was hammering the drums and pretty competent all around. The rest of the band rocked and the place was LOUD. It was assaulting your brain loud. They played a mix of new stuff, hits, and a few fun covers. Nice solid set. They then had a huge encore w/ a dueling guitar (and bass, and drum) solo, more full band hits and of course a ripping "I Want You So Hard" that was a nice finishing move. 100th show on the tour and first back in the States... these guys really brought it.  Emotional, heavy, fun... 2 thumbs up.

Hey, I have a few things, including Taverna + Lost Nation mashup

A few of us hooked up sitters and cruised over to Taverna Khione in Shelburne for a dinner pair up w/ Lost Nation Brewing. It was a fun time. After making them move tables around and throwing a beer on the ground it was time to get down to business. First course was the standard pan seared feta crusted in sesame seeds and drizzled w/ honey paired w/ the Petit Ardennes. We usually get the feta and it was a little overdone but I attribute that to trying to bang a bunch out all in short order. It was still delicious and went well w/ the Belgian session ale which has had a new infusion of hops in the recipe that cuts the bready mouthfeel and makes for a nice fresh opener. Next up was a octopus and clam salad paired w/ the Wind. The clams were a bit gritty but the flavors were wonderful and the dressing was light and well structured. A really nice dish. The Wind is a Gose that is one of my favorite Lost Nation offerings and a great summer beer in general w/ coriander and salt that is a little sour but great to crush on a hot day. So far so good. The entree was a coriander encrusted pork (chop?) over a Greek grain and pickled cabbage paired w/ the Saison Lamoille. The pork was flavorful and juicy and the cabbage and grits like grain mash was an understated match of texture and flavor. Another nice dish. The saison was ok, not great. Hard to nail those... this one didn't have the wild yeast zing I like in my saison/farmhouse beers.  Finally there was Greek ice cream w/ a grapefruit drizzle paired w/ the Mosaic. Not much to say here other than all a great pairing and f*ing delicious. Several folks noted how surprised they were that a beer and dessert would pair so well together.

I am worried about Taverna because the populace surrounding Shelburne seems to have a pretty unsophisticated palate. The chef could do himself a favor a be a little more friendly and welcoming but he is not making it hard for diners... the food is well proportioned and very well prepared and cooked. Forget what you think Greek food is and give it a run, if you like delicious fresh fare you may very well enjoy this restaurant.

As for Lost Nation... it took me awhile to get on the bandwagon but beers like the Wind and Mosaic have me in the mix. They have some really nice beers that are lower on the ABV side and provide a nice counterpoint to some of the double IPA monsters that dominate the scene. I still haven't been to the brewery and need to make the trip.

OK, on to Some other random stuff... I had no idea Donald Trump had comic book writers now working on foreign policy for him but the search for the Teseract makes a lot of the current political scene make a ton more sense?

" Trump opened his speech Wednesday vowing to "shake the rust off America's foreign policy" and said he would outline a vision for a U.S. foreign policy "that replaces randomness with purpose, ideology with strategy and chaos with peace." " -CNN.COM

Apparently Prince was killed by the Illuminati? Weird. It is a shame, my special lady and I peg him as a sure fire top 5 most influential performer from the last 30 years right behind Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the Boss but your cultural ties may flip flop those 2. Maybe throw Billy Joel in there too, go ahead and check out his portfolio. Plus he married the Uptown Girl for f*** sake.

I didn't love Batman vs Superman but I liked it. Sue me. People are way to fired up over that movie, it was too long but pretty entertaining.

What is with this cold and snow?!?! It is almost May. Why do I live in VT? Seriously...

Wednesday!!!

Well, well, well...

Date night Saturday w/ LB Squared and boy, it was quite enjoyable. The destination was the 'Noosk and we hit up a few spots. 45 Oak was our first stop for a pretty well made cocktail and a chill uptown-ish vibe. We then cruised over to Misery Loves Company for dinner. It was really quite good. That place consistently does it right and the vibe is very cool. Plenty of energy but not frenetic. One shrimp app was a little smushy but the fried chicken was crispy and well seasoned while the meat stayed nice and juicy. The oysters were a nice manageable size and very fresh. The scallop crudo was a nice fresh fish dish as well. And the fried oyster ssam (lettuce wrap)? If you don't see that on the menu and immediately order it... don't come on this blog again, don't even walk down the same side of street as I am.  We wrapped up at Waterworks for a beer. Pretty busy in the bar, it is a great space. Nice little evening.

I should do a write up for a recent trip w/ the wide to London but I need to shake off the kid induced fog for that kind of focus. Those little angels are slowly killing me (it is a race between them and Bullit Rye).

Pretty funny how the New York sports teams suck so bad they focus on taking shots at the Red Sox over a couple throw away stories. NYPost writing tear down pieces on Robert Kraft trying to recoup what is his from that D-Bag Goodell, and then some little puff piece on Fat Boy Sandoval maybe not starting at third if he can't shape up. That is no story, he sucks.

Speaking of A-holes... if Congress does not grant hearings to the Supreme Court nominee (regardless of who they are), they should be voted out of office permanently. This political quagmire has got to stop. A new president will not be elected until 11/8/16 at the earliest. So we won't have a Supreme Court Justice for the next 8 months? That is 17% of the presidential term. When can we start calling the next president a lame duck, February? And the bullshit about letting the people decide? They did decide, in 2012 when they elected the current president. The real nonsense is both parties were on the other side of the argument when GW was in office and have all flip flopped like the two faced pieces of shit they are. These politicians are dishonest morally corrupt assholes. But I suppose we have been given the representation we deserve.

BTW, I do hope to slip out for that new Batman movie and will get out a review. Am I a comic book movie nerd? Maybe... F*** You!

You Know What? F*** You Maglianero Coffee

I have not watched that show Girls on HBO in a couple years. I happened to flip onto an episode last night and there was a little bit on a hipster coffee spot in the city. It was pretty funny and by now a pretty tired joke on the cliche of coffee baristas as the biggest D-bags in the service industry. Like many stereotypes... this one is largely accurate. In an amusing twist of fate I happened into our local hipster coffee spot Maglianero. It s a warmish day and I was into a walk. I found a random punch card in my desk and stuffed it in my pocket (why not, I like the potential for free shit). So I roll in and peruse the scene. A bunch of folks in intentionally over priced shabby clothing sitting on a Mac Air designing some website nobody will ever look at (just like this one!). I was called up to the counter and ordered my coffee to go, slapping down my punch card and a fiver. The woman at the counter said, "Oooh, I am not sure we even have that stamp anymore?". Then the smug creeped up from behind the drip machine to hit me over the head w/ a steel chair of douchebaggery! "Yeah, have you been around in the past 5 years? We haven't had that card forever. Are you from out of town?". WTF? I was in shock. I pride myself in usually reacting to these situation w/ a terrible response most likely punctuated w/ a very personal and derogatory response and/or a loud F-bomb. But the woman who was waiting on me was so nice. There was also a nice woman behind me patiently waiting for her order. I also was unsure if I would catch the wrath of the 2 "artists" not working at the coffee counter who looked at me w/ obvious disdain. Now to be fair, I am local, I work down the street. The coffee shop has also only been open for 3 years so I am not sure where they accepted these special cards prior to that. 3, I was not dressed in a particularly aggressive manner (backward ball cap, guess khakis, boat shoes no socks, Metallica T) and was using my please and thank yous so I am not sure where the attitude was coming from. Whatever, I composed myself and shook it off.

My server was still very nice and asked if I wanted a new card or to put my phone number in the system (which she said was much more complicated than the punch card). She then asked I-willed Jerry if my 4 existing stamps could be transferred. To which he replied, "Sure, do you think you will be back to Burlington in the next year or so?" I am actually furious typing that sentence so you can imagine how mad I was at point of sale. This tall goofy f***stick w/ his manicured boyband beard, shitty $600 sweater his mom bought him, was here trying to pretend he was not as obviously bald as he is and sniping at me for no reason other than I had an older punch card? F*** Him!!! I was about to explode. My random insult generator was scrolling, my command of all the curses in the the English language was on point... I was ready!!!! But then I looked at the sweet person just trying to sell a coffee in front of me and I said, "I, try to get here when I can." At which point I gave her my info for the system, and took my coffee.

Why is it that there is always some A-hole at these "up market" coffee shops who thinks $8/hour and a knowledge of beans gives them license to just troll the very people they depend on to pay for their f*ing 1 gear bicycle? Well, that guy got me again. The coffee is not really even that good. Joke is on them, I won't be back for who knows, maybe a year. And I certainly will forget to enter my card info. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go meditate.

Why Cam Newton Sucks

****Warning, this is a sports related post!!****

I really dislike Cam Newton as a football player. To be fair, I don't know him personally so all I can base this vitriol on is what I see on TV. That said, I have disliked this guy since he was primping for the cameras at Auburn. This has nothing to do with him being African American. It is because he is an asshole. Hey, Ben Rothsjkhskjhfkjdkjsfburger is white and I think he is a dick too, and a rapist. The problem with Cam is it is always about Cam. His first statement before ever stepping onto the pro filed was how he wanted to be an icon. He wears goofy outfits, and has his whole superman thing. He does his dumb dances and mugs for the cameras. It is all about fun for Cam. That is great, you should have fun, it is a fun job. But dancing after every single play you make makes you look like a clown. I am sure Brady and Manning are having fun. I bet Montana had a ton of fun, so did Staubach and Starr. Let's get race out of the way, Warren Moon was a great QB and he never dabbed after his million touchdowns. They took it back to the huddle and got ready for the next series. Every now again one of these guys had a truly pivitol moment and then they really let their emotions show, but since you only got a few of these outbursts they meant that much more because you knew how fired up the guy really was. Cam might as well be playing wide receiver because he acts more like one of those dough heads. Guys like Terrell Owens are a good comp.

So yeah, he acts like a total asshole but the talent more than makes up for it right? Not really. He had a pretty good season but that Panthers played a historically bad schedule. Green Bay was the only team that had a winning record at the time they played during the regular season. Every other team was below .500 at the time of the game (The Seahawks and Redskins managed to get in the black later in the season). In the playoffs the win over the Seahawks was ok but a middle school team could have beaten the Cardinals. With no pressure on him at all Carson Palmer was throwing the ball up for grabs all over the place. So Cam was able to ride his awesome defense to some pretty optimal opportunities on offense. Still, it was a pretty good season against pretty bad competition.

So this guy says people don't like him due to his race and because they are scared of his incomparable skill set. Well, it is actually very comparable. There was a guy named Randall Cuningham that everyone forgets about. He was a dynamic athlete w/ a big arm who didn't always run but certainly could and did when it made sense. I will exclude 1991 because Randall was hurt and only played 1 game, but once Cunningham took the starting role in his third season this is a comparison of both guys first 5 seasons as starters...

	pass yards/game	attempts/g	TD/game	int/game	rush yds/game	rTD/g	Rate+
Newton ('11-'15)	234	31	1.5	0.82	41.1	0.55	102
Cunningham ('87-'92)	216	31	1.6	0.89	43.2	0.31	110

Hey, that looks pretty similar? I suppose you could compare the stats to another mobile QB like Steve Young but then Young was so much better (and had better weapons) it is not really a fair fight. As I recall though, people really liked Cunningham until the fact he did not perform well in the post season overwhelmed the things he did in the regular season. Point being, Cam is not so special, he is another in a long line of mobile QB's that looks pretty good for a few years and then move to the has been file. Go ahead and write it down, this guy will be doing the Michael Vick backup gig in 4 years. 

So, Cam, you better hope Carolina continues to load up talent around you particularly on the O-line and defense so you can push your 15 minutes of fame to 20. I can't believe I will be rooting for Peyton HGH Manning this weekend. Shit.

Jay About Bistro de Margot (and Wilco)

It was a big double date this past Tuesday w/ my special lady and LB squared. Tuesday is a tough night but we were committed! First stop was the newish Bistro de Margot. This used to be L'Amante and had become such a go to spot for a decent date or work dinner the new French iteration had some wood to chop. We were a little worried when we popped in as the place was pretty empty at 6:30pm. As the evening wore on they did fill up but unlike L'Amante it was an older crowd who gravitated to the dining room as opposed to the bar. The space was nice but we agreed they could stand to turn the lights down just a bit. The service was solid w/ the added touch of a table visit from the chef which always goes a long way. We were started w/ an Amuse Bouche of cold shrimp in a sauce of lobster, Pernod, and brandy. It was ok, not great. Sauce sounded good but was a little thin and the shrimp seemed a little old. The bread was plain old O Bread and was also nothing special. As we got into the meal things picked up. My Carrot ginger soup was silky and carried nice fresh garden flavor. My main course of seared duck breast was also delicious. The duck was medium rare indeed but the flavor was nice and the bird was quite tender. The reduction was also very flavorful and the side veggies were perfectly cooked. My lady had the sea trout which was also well cooked and very fresh and flavorful. The meal was good. It is definitely a bigger experience as there seemed to be apps or big plates w/ very few light dinner options. So it is a very nice date or somebody else is paying work dinner, maybe take your folks if they are in town kind of place. I did have a solid cocktail and the wine list was nothing special but the bottle we had was taken down in short order. 1.5 thumbs up.

After dinner we made a quick stop into Vin next door. They had a wine tasting class finishing up otherwise there was only 1 other patron while we were there. Not much else to say as we ordered straight forward stuff. Well stocked bar, with a nice wine list and not enough beers. It is a nice space but an off the run location which will be tough to maintain...

The concert was our last stop. LB sent me a review from a die hard fan and it was amusing. It should be noted that the concert was at the Flynn Theater. I enjoy seeing shows there but it is certainly more conducive to seeing a jazz or small acoustic set versus say a large arena rock show. You have a seat and while the nearly 100% white preppy middle aged crowd stood... there was not much dancing and it is not really encouraged by the staff. Beer is also cut off early and not allowed in the concert hall itself. That said, after a meandering tune up w/ the new album Star Wars the band got into its back catalog and really turned it up w/ such faves as Handshake Drugs, Heavy Metal Drummer, and I'm the Man Who Loves You. They did a far out encore of Spiders then went acoustic for a fun long second encore where the band was very tight and hit some high notes. The review we read said the energy seemed lacking and Tweedy may have been a bit irritated or something but other than maybe not being psyched about playing a couple heavily (on the web) requested slow songs I took his attitude to be more bemused than anything. I have seen these guys a few times and always enjoy the experience. This was no different. Fun time.  http://wilcoworld.net/#!/

Overall 2 thumbs up (added points for getting out mid week)!

Hello Old Friend

My kids are not worldly. To be fair they are only 3 and taking them places is a gamble in the best of times due to their unbridled energy. They loved Archie's when it was in the old location (now a Dunkin Donuts) in Shelburne. When it closed they couldn't understand the whole situation and felt really bad that Archie was sick. When the sign came up that Archie's would reopen in a new location just across the street they were pumped! To be fair my lady and I were enthused as well. Archie's had been a family friendly place that served delicious burgers at a reasonable price and without pretension. So how is the new spot? Well, Archie himself is just consulting in order to get a couple newbies up and running in the spirit of the original. We popped over last week after school at like 5pm on a Wednesday. Totally packed with a line to the door. Uh, no thank you. I was tooling around yesterday (MLK Day) around noon and looking for a place to take my kids solo where people might not mind how poorly they were behaving. Seriously, it was ugly for a bit in the morning. Hey, how about new Archie's? It was open and looked not as busy. We cruised in and it was perfect. There were a few families and some guys taking a break from work. We got in ordered and got a booth out of the way. The scene is similar and the space is really not much bigger than the old one, although the kitchen looks larger and that seems to be reflected in a more expansive menu. So how was the food? OK. The burger was a little smaller and a tad overcooked. The fries were crispy and good and the chips actually were fresher than they had been at the end of old Archie's run. There are a couple more local beers on tap which is nice. Prices were still reasonable. Overall it was a good experience and I am pretty happy to have them back. Can the new iteration reach the old one's lofty peak? Not sure but it remains one of the most reliable family joints in Shelburne so that holds some value.

BTW, we got done music class Sunday at 5pm and headed for some chow at Pho Hong in the North End of Burlington. pretty busy (at 5pm?!) and closing. Winter hours, they close at 5?! Who the f*** stays open all afternoon then closes just before dinner? Ok, f* it! We went over to Bluebird BBQ. Great place for kids. 1 hour wait. WTF?!?!?! At 5PM on a Sunday? The parking lot was only half full? Next stop, Tiny Thai. Line out the door. Shit, this was getty serious and the kids were getting impatient. Finally, Misery Loves Company. Boom! They had 3 kids of chicken which were all delicious, the fried chicken w/ honey butter was sick. $5 Heady Toppers and a DJ spinning at a reasonable volume? It was great. MLC does it again!

Oh yeah, GO PATS!!!

1... BILLION DOLLARS!!!!!

Muahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Marry New Year!!

Beef Jerky Time!  Well, this is some kind of f*d up way to start a year, huh? Stock market in the shitter, China's economy even worse, North Korea claiming to be testing an H-Bomb, Iran and Saudi Arabia battling, and that is on top of all the crazy stuff we already had going on?!

On the bright side, I have been cleaning up vomit for the last 24 hours, including a projectile that got all over me and the couch. It is really hard to clean puke. It gets everywhere and smells really bad. It is so gross in fact that when I got poop on my hand while trying to help my other kid wipe her tush it really seemed like no big deal?! My little girl weighs about 29 pounds and seriously her poops are bigger than mine. I am sure I have mentioned that before but it still blows my mine. She is also a champ getting potty trained at the moment. My son gives 0 F***s. Maybe even less than 0. If you could find someone more enthusiastic about the world I will give you $10 though. Poop, pee, and puke... the three P's that are currently ruling my tiny world.

Speaking of giant steamy turds, Donald Trump is visiting Burlington, VT tonight. The event starts at 7PM but the first person in line showed up at 4:30AM and when we cruised by around 2PM there was a line around the block. The Flynn Theater seats 1400 people, there have been 20,00 tickets released and we heard a guy in the line say he just logged on and tix were still outstanding. Nothing could go wrong there right? I spoke to a relatively intelligent guy I know (full disclosure, he is from the South), and he said Trump is tapping into the National conscience, he is saying what everyone is really thinking but afraid to say. That is a terrifying thought. I certainly am a believer that we are too politically correct and people are afraid to have difficult conversations on current topics but keeping all Muslims out of the country or building a wall between us and Mexico, and some of the other nonsense? Crazy talk. Of course the real comedy is that if it comes down to Trump and say Bernie Sanders it is not a slam dunk either way. How have we gotten here? Every election I say, this is the worst it has ever been. 2 GW Bush wins? He was a train wreck. Obama had hope but not much else and while he has gotten some good things done it has been a shaky presidential run. But who did he run against? Mitt Romney? That guy sucked but looks like a white knight compared to this current shit bag of crazy. Cruz and Rubio don't believe in science. Jeb Bush hands out baby turtles to remind people how he turtled once the race began. Chris Christie is fat. Fiornia can't run a food truck. Ben Carson is like Dr Nick on the Simpsons. Hillary can't stop lying and playing into the crazy lady narrative. Bernie doesn't buy into Capitalism... which only happens to be one of the central cornerstones upon which we built this country. And then you have the Donald. A huge blustery horse's ass. I suppose when you live in a place where some talentless f*sticks like the Kardasians dominate every news outlet in the country on a daily basis this is what you should expect?

1 quick review. The Little Garden Market in Charlotte gets fresh oysters for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. I always think about it and this year ordered some. The owner is a super friendly guy. He shucked 'em, wrapped them for transport and gave me some house made Mignonette sauce. The oysters were delicious, fresh, a little briny but not too stank. It was a nice little treat. If you like oysters and live in the area maybe give your holiday a little boost next year.

OK, one more... I liked the new Star Wars movie. I liked the pace, I liked the story, it was a fun movie. Is it as good as Empire? No, nothing is or probably ever will be so if you set your bar at a reasonable level it is a pleasant way to spend a couple hours.

Ok, time to go see what weird body excretion awaits me at home!