Beer – Page 8 – mmm-yoso

Urbn St Brewing Co (El Cajon)

October 13, 2015 Cathy Beer, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to see what mmm-yoso!!! is writing about today. Kirk is under the weather and Ed (from Yuma) is otherwise occupied (in Yuma) so Cathy is writing this short post.

There are five different locations of URBN and the one closest to home is this one, URBN St Brewing Co, in El Cajon.This is the building from the parking lot. The front door is on Magnolia at Main (the North West corner, next to the Starbucks).The 'windows' are the roll up garage door kind, so everything is exposed. You can see the bar area has plenty of taps. The side televisions are beer menus.Once inside, the industrial hipster brewery look is obvious.The Mister was here to try some of the house beers ($7 for an URBN flight) (of four): Saison (bright and light in flavor), Unite (a red Belgian rye, brewed in collaboration with Twisted Manzanita Brewery (located in Santee)), Brown (graham cracker with chocolate undertones) and Triple Brown (strong coffee notes). Each beer was unique and fresh in taste. We enjoyed all of our choices.

The menu at dinner is straightforward, with pizza and salad being the primary choices along with four appetizers and desserts.The URBN salad (small, $7). A nice mix of greens topped with gorgonzola, pears, a walnut brittle and a light vinaigrette. This could be a meal for one (the bowl is deep), but we shared. It was very fresh and flavorful.None of the preselected ingredient pies appealed to us, so we chose to 'Craft Your Own'. We chose a Small, White with parmesan/garlic/evoo ($10) then added Ricotta ($2) and artichokes ($2).

That small pizza is on a regular size cookie sheet (half sheet cake size)! More than enough.

The flavor combination was just right, with the garlic and olive oil complimenting -and not overpowering- the Ricotta or artichoke hearts. The crust was more cracker-like than the edges, which I don't normally like, especially when cold..but this pizza never got to the point of being leftover…

URBN St. Brewing Co. 110 N. Magnolia (at Main) El Cajon 92020 (619) 328-6922 Website Open Sun-Thurs 11:30-10, Fri-Sat 11:30-midnight

Bruges: The Wednesday Market, De Halve Maan Brewery, Dumon Chocolatier, and the Memling Museum

September 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Cheese, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Travel

It was on our only full day in Bruges where we really got to enjoy the city a bit. Earlier in the morning, on a weekday, we took a walk around Market Square. Even in the drizzly mist we were able to appreciate the Belfort (Bell Tower) which has risen over the square and Bruges since the 14th Century. We wandered around the courtyard and down some side alleyways.

The buildings lining the square, housing various restaurants and tourist focused businesses are built in Neo-Gothic style. This square is considered the heart of Bruges and was once the economical center as there was a canal that came right up to the square.

It was Wednesday…usually market day, but there were bleachers set-up so we saw no market stalls. We did hear a bit of noise from the nearby Burg Square.

I guess the market had been moved here on this day to accommodate whatever event was happening in the Market Square.

It was still early; before 8 and the market didn't get going until 10am, so we just walked along the booths….

And vehicles…..we called this one the Cheese-mobile…..

I love the way this pooch manages to keep dry….under the table and in a box….

While checking out some of the cheese and charcuterie we had an idea…..

We'd ask the wonderful Caroline, who ran our little two room B&B if we could use the dining area and self cater lunch!

As we crossed over one of the canals, I saw a statue that looked familiar. It was Saint John of Nepomok! Remember him from my posts on Prague?

They call Bruges the "Venice of the North", so of course I had to include a couple of canal shots.

We headed back to the B&B and breakfast was served downstairs. It was quite a nice spread.

I'm not quite sure what it was…perhaps the sickly sweet smells that all the shops had; but I'd been avoiding waffles. I know heresy….you're in Belgium and no waffles? Until this morning. Caroline made us fresh waffles, her own secret family recipe and they were delicious.

Light, crisp and creamy, not too sweet…..just perfect. I loved them…and she made me another!

We had discussed having our own self catered lunch in the dining area with Caroline and got the green light. So we headed back out. On the way out, we passed this doorway. I stopped….this was the back entrance to the Old St John's Hospital. Which is now the Memling Museum. We hadn't visited any museums in Belgium and this one had artifacts and displays of medieval medicine as well as art. This is our kind of stuff. And we really enjoyed the Memling.

Our favorites? Well here goes….

Jan Beerblock's painting, The Wards at Saint John's Hospital.

The painting is full of different vignettes of what patient care at St John's Hospital was like, from the Nuns that served as Nurses, to the fact that dogs were welcomed in the wards.

The ambulance? Well, it was a man powered sedan chair…..

Which I believe was this sedan chair…..

While checking out some of the displays, I heard the Missus go, "oh my….check this out. Those are some awesome stones" (it's not what you might think by what she said). Holy smokes! Check out those stones….kidney stones. My goodness, can you imagine the pain?

I'll not go into any great detail of how the stones were removed, but in case you're morbidly interested, here's an interesting link.

The main attraction of the museum is probably Hans Memling's St John Altarpiece. Dedicated to the Patron Saints of the hospital, this work was displayed on an altar situated at a height and distance so all beds in the ward could view this painting.

We then quickly returned to the market which was just starting to get into full swing.

We made our purchases, returned to the B&B, placed them in the fridge and headed off. It was still a bit too early for lunch, so we decided to grab….well…should I call it a "brunch beer"? At De Halve Maan Brewery.

You might recognize the names of the beer brewed by Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan….Staffe Hendrick and Zot. I went with the Staffe Hendrick Quad, the Missus a Brugse Zot.

I found the quad to have kind of a burnt sugar fragrance, though slightly boozy and mildly sweet. The 11% ABV sneaks up on you. Strangely, I recently had a SH Quad at Iron Pig and unlike my experiences with other Belgians it held up pretty good and tasted quite similar to what I had here.

They also have tours at this brewery but we decided not to take it.

De Halve Maan Brewery
Walplein 26
Bruges, Belgium

After our liquid refreshment, we headed to a quite busy shop on the same street.

Dumon Chocolatier is quite popular.

So we decided to add to the collection of chocolates for my MIL.

Dumon Chocolatier
Walstraat 6
Bruges, Belgium

We meandered a bit, then headed back to the B&B. Caroline had kindly set aside some plates and silverware for us and we had a nice light lunch.

After cleaning up, we headed upstairs for a nice afternoon nap…..

Thanks for reading!

It’s Back to the Routine – Tiger! Tiger! and Toronado

September 3, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Salads

**** Both Tiger! Tiger! and Toronado have closed

I'm not quite sure why it took so long…..check that; I do know why it took so long to get back into a nice routine after our trip back in May/June. We ate so well that coming back was kind of a let down. But it seems like we've finally gotten back into a routine and Tiger Tiger and Toronado have again taken their spots in our rotation.

In terms of the beer selection Toronado is a favorite of ours.

I really enjoy Belgian's and they always have La Chouffe and a couple of dubbels/tripels so I can get my fix. Or perhaps a Pliney the Elder. The Missus can always find something She enjoys like a nice Flanders Red, a sour, or even like the 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon (you can now get cans at TJ's) which she loved.

But for some strange reason, She enjoys the jukebox here as well. It took a bit of time, but it's become a favorite of Hers.

Personally…I just want to see what's posted on the (e)ATM(e)…..

Toronado
4026 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

Tiger! Tiger!:

Well, I pretty much covered it before, so this will be mostly photos.

The first time we had the chilled melon soup, it was fantastic.

It was during the recent hot and muggy weather…..this was so refreshing. While follow-up visits weren't as good, it was still quite nice.

The Octopus Sandwich sounded interesting, but we didn't enjoy the bread and it was way over-dressed.

But the octopus was really nicely prepared, soft and tender and full of flavor. The next time around, I decided to order it without the bread and they served it as a salad. It was delicious.

Those pea shoots added so much texture and flavor. Unfortunately, we had this again recently and it was missing the pea shoot and the octopus was tough and rubbery….we didn't recognize the folks working in the kitchen, so I'm wondering if it was the 'B' crew?

One item that has been consistently good is a vegetarian offering (are you reading this KenB)….yes vegetarian. It's the Pickled Squash Sandwich. I know. It sounds odd. But take a look at this and tell me you don't want to eat it.

Some other stuffs…..

Like I said…..we've never really had the time to make it to the regular menu…..

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Hope you're having a great week!

Saturday Stuffs: How does our garden grow, having a “beery good time”, the Missus’s favorite cheese, and other stuffs…

August 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Cheese, yoso-silly

Just a couple of things for a beautiful San Diego Saturday….

It seems that the recent hot weather really helped our peppers.

For some reason; like last year the peppers aren't as "hot". Don't get me wrong, the ghost peppers were still pretty darn hot….but it wasn't anything like our first years. I thing there's some cross pollination going on with our Padron Peppers.

Speaking of Padron Peppers. A couple of times a week we get a pretty good haul….

Like everyone else in SoCal, we've been reducing our water usage….so far so good…drip hoses and such….it seems the okra don't really mind…..

And it seem we have cut our water consumption by 30% or so…. Our front lawn is taking a beating though….

Some stuff from the beer vault:

I won't bore you on descriptions and such….but here's a few more beer photos.

I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks that Stone is kinda just resting on their laurels?

As Tony Montana said….."Say Hello to My Little Friend"…..

A few weeks back, I went into the back yard to check things out before heading off to bed. I noticed this hard working little fellow….building what seemed to be the world's most ambitious web. Since then, I'd check every night to see if the spider was out there spinning his web. If I saw a work in progress, I'd grab a beer from the fridge and just sit and watch…..

Sort of like the "fish tank effect" I guess….. Impressive work ethic…. I'll enjoy it for as long as he's around.

The Missus's favorite cheese:

I've never really posted on it before…it's been something we've kind of enjoyed inhouse. But we do love our cheese. We usually have a variety on hand, 5-6 for a light nice spring-summer-fall meal. Anyway, the current favorite of the Missus who enjoys a fairly ripe cheese is the Harbison by Jasper Hill Farm.

The flavor is pretty ripe. And it's quite unique in terms of cheeses we've had in that's it is wrapped in strips of spruce.

Bread is a must and it's quite good with a nice "sour"…….

I hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Westvleteren 12 at Saint Sixtus, Saint Bernardus in Watou, and Dinner at Cafe de la Paix (Poperinge)

August 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Our destination after Ghent was a bit different. We always try to plan one interesting "detour" during our trips; whether it be spending a night sleeping in a tent (5-star tent, mind you) in the Sahara, visiting Hiroshima, hiking the Great Wall form one province to another (not as hard as you think), or doing a hike (nee death march) after spending almost a sleepness night on the way to Sapa. It's never anything too wild; but just enough to keep the Missus happy and push me ever so closer to the precipice.

This objective; at least on this leg of the trip was to have what many consider the best and undoubtedly one of the most coveted beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. I'd already tried a bottle in Antwerp and really didn't care for it, but there's nothing like having it at the source, which is the Abbey of Saint Sixtus. Our destination was the village of Poperinge, close to the Border of France. It was an interesting train ride; most of the folks got off at Ypres, the stop before Poperinge, probably touring WWI battle sites. We got to the village and found our way to the hotel. Our room wasn't ready, so we dropped our bags off. We asked about renting some bikes. Saint Sixtus is about 4 miles from Poperinge and other than driving, the bicycle made the most sense. Unfortunately, it was the weekend and all the rentals were closed……however, the really nice guy pulled some strings and we got our bicycles and instructions on how to get to Saint Sixtus…..along with the typical, yet somewhat ominous "you can't miss it!"

So here's the deal; the Missus recalls with such nostalgia, of riding Her bike around Beijing while in High School and College….everyone rode a bike it seems. It was such a big part of Her youth that She and I really looked forward to this. However, there was one interesting twist to all of this. I hadn't ridden a bike and even when I did, I never rode it very much, since I was in Elementary School. To put things into perspective; the last time I rode a bike Gerald Ford had just become President of the United States. Soon after getting the bike, my Mom had to sell it to buy groceries and pay bills.

Remember that old adage, "you never forget how to ride a bike"? Well, it's mostly true….I did pretty well; only falling three times….. The Missus had thought this was going to be a hoot until She saw a guy laid out and in pretty bad shape after crashing his bike in Ghent. Now She wasn't so sure….until She got on the bike. I swear I hadn't seen such a look of pure joy on the Missus's face since we first brought Sammy home. It was pure bliss for Her….meanwhile it had started raining and I was chugging along.

She would stop on occasion and take photos of the beautiful farmland while I caught up; "hurry up…hurry up….you're so slow…."

The fellow below seems to be asking me; "well, who's looking like the jacka$$ now?" After all, it seemed like the hardest part of this whole bike riding thing was getting started and…well, the other real important part…..stopping.

Eventually, we saw a little sign pointing down a side road which said "Saint Sixtus"…..heading down thru the fields of hops, this area produces 80% of the hops for Belgium, we eventually came to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus.

And here we were. One quick note….this is Trappist Beer; brewed in a real Monastery, by real Monks. This is not the Stone Brewery Tasting Room and Restaurant, if you know what I mean. You can't taste beer here….you can order cases of Westvleteren, if you're lucky enough to call and make an appointment and drive to the Abbey to pick-up your beer at the scheduled time. You have limit as to how many beers you can order and from what I heard even provide the vehicle license plate number.

Unless you need a case of Westy; I'd suggest going across the street to the café owned by the Abbey; In de Vedre.

I was actually relieved to be able to park the bike and have some liquid refreshment.

The interior is quite large, very comfortable, the staff was efficient and welcoming…….

And yes; there's Westy on tap. We started with the 12 and the Blonde.

So, is the 12 the best beer I've ever had? Hard to say; I did like it, it's a quad, 10.2 ABV, but not unpleasantly boozy. There's some spice and chocolate tones and I like the "texture" as it rolled over my tongue. It was a zillion times better than the bottle I'd had. The blonde is nice; yeasty-grassy, with mild fruitiness. The Missus enjoyed the blonde but the 12 is not Her thing.

We both enjoyed a nice snack; the House Pate made with Beer….man, it was delicious.

We were probably hungry which clouded our thoughts, but man that bread was really great as well.

For dessert, I got the Westvleteren 8; which I enjoyed more than the 12. It was less boozy, had that wonderful texture and head, a bit more hops to it, and almost a bit of burnt candied sugar in my mind. I'm far from a beer snob; but this was really good.

As I was working on my beer; folks started arriving. Many of them little groups of folks on biking tours….probably biking-beers tours?

The gift shop was also doing some major business. You can buy bottles and smaller packs of Westvleteren Beer in the Café gift shop……if you're lucky. We saw four folks run out of a mini-van and charge into the gift shop looking for some "Westy to go"……

In De Vrede
Westvleteren, Belgium

We made it back to Poperinge without incident. It was the weekend and traffic was quite sparse. The Missus decided we should "park our bikes" instead of returning them….just in case, you know….. We found that our room was actually a couple of blocks from the hotel. It was quite a nice room….very comfortable.

Sometimes there's no phrase more beautiful than "shower and a nap"……I was fairly soaked from the rain on the bike back from the Abbey……..and in need of a nap as well.

After the nap…..guess what? The Missus wanted to ride somewhere. So we headed off in the somewhat opposite direction from Westvleteren to Watou, which was a pretty sleepy little village.

Now, Watou is a village of about 2,000 people….but they are also known for….you guessed it….a pretty famous brewery; St Bernardus. We had thoughts of visiting the brewery, but instead decided just to stop in one of the cafes.

The Missus wanted something light so She had the Watou's Wit Biere which is produced by Waotu's other brewery Brouwerij Van Eecke. Very easy to drink, citrusy, quite light.

I had a St Bernardus Watou Tripel.

Nice texture, a bit sweet….but not in the same class as Westvleteren……that's fairly immediate.

After our visit, we made it back to Poperinge without incident….for some reason, I did hit a curb and fell….but it was flat on my back so no harm was done. It was starting to come down again as we got back into town. We returned our bikes and passed this bar named…..San Diego! Go figure……

For dinner, I decided on a café in one of the hotels around the main square named Cafe de la Paix.

05312014 1356

The place was fairly quiet……..a few parties of what seemed like locals arrived…the Staff knew them all.

It was coming down pretty hard outside, so we were glad we made it here without getting soaked.

Upon being seated we were brought an amuse….which we both loved……meat in an aspic, chilled and refreshing. I suddenly recalled reading about a local dish called Hennepot.

I wanted something a bit lighter after all those high ABV beers I'd had during the day; so I went with a Omer Traditional Blonde.

On the way to dinner we passed a beer shop….in the window was something that caught the Missus's eye…in a very strange way. She loved the label……with this Nun on it. She described it in a fairly particular way. Looking over the beer list; I mentioned that they had this beer on the menu……so when the Server came over the Missus excitedly told him, "I'll have a SLUTTY NUN!" He raised an eyebrow quizzically and I ordered the Poperings Nunnebier……sigh.

I'll let you decide about the Missus's description……

So the nice woman working here came to take our order and we had another funny encounter. The Missus was famished and actually wanted some meat for a change. So She asked about the sirloin; whether it was grass fed, where it was from…..you know. The woman laughed and pointed in a direction and said, "our cows live there….and you ask so many strange questions." It's a different way of life, food is not the commodity stuff shipped thousands of miles away……sourcing locally is not an advertising point, but the way things are here.

Meal came with meh frites (man, this was Belgium…I expected more) and a nice salad. The beef was cooked a perfect medium, a bit more tender than I expected, considering it was grass fed, and full of flavor.

After our amuse; I just had to have the Hennepot….I was told it was rabbit, chicken, and veal, though it all had pretty much the same texture.

Not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but the gel/aspic on this makes the dish. I'm told it's one of the oldest local specialties. It's tangy, sour, and so refreshing. It was 90+ this morning when I started this post….I'd have loved to have this for lunch today.

Cafe de la Paix
Grote Markt 20
Poperinge, Belgium

It was indeed a fairly rainy day……

But our room was nice a cozy and had that appliance we had so many times on our trip that we actually bought….a Nespresso. So we enjoyed our short stay……

And tomorrow would be yet another day……

Thanks for reading!

Ghent Day 1: ‘t Vosken and Dulle Griet

August 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Having put away a couple of beers, we thought it would be a good time to grab a bite to eat. We headed back up to St Bavo's Square. Right next to the Dutch Theatre is a brasserie that was recommended to me for typical Ghent style Flemish food named 't Vosken. The place was pretty crowded; though most of it were tourists having beer on the patio.

The menu did indeed have some dishes we were interested in.

I started with a Palm Royale; fairly sweet, apple/pear thing going….not too boozy, pretty light and easy to drink.

I ordered the House Rabbit; which came which was a nice braised rabbit. The sauce was obviously beer based and it reminded me of carbonnade.

The rabbit was decently tender and the dish came with frites (not very good) and apple sauce which went well with the rabbit.

The Missus chose Ghent's signature dish, which originated in this city; Waterzooi. 't Vosken only serves the chicken version. The dish really looks strikingly different from other Belgian type braised and stewed dishes we'd had so far.

The color comes from the combination of egg yolk and cream used to add texture to this broth…..it was originally a very simple stew, I was told that "waterzooi" basically means to "boil in water". The Missus really enjoyed this.

We finished up with a Rodenbach Grand Cru…..a favorite of mine with nice stone fruit flavors that we love in Flanders Reds. The Missus loves Her Flanders Reds….

‘t Vosken
Sint-Baafsplein 19
Ghent, Belgium

Lunch was fairly heavy so we walked back to apartment.

There was quite the shindig going on at the Groentenmarkt and band playing, folks having drinks….notice the singer in the band is using a "cheat "sheet"!

One of the vendors had this beautiful looking dog……

When I bent over to pet her, she turned over submissively…..so she got a nice belly rub….

After our nap, we headed back out. We'd be eating in that evening, but decided to take a pre and post dinner walk. By this time the day trippers seemed headed back to Brussels or Bruges……

After returning and having our dinner….cheese, bread, and some charcuterie we headed back out and had a nice walk. The Town Hall was lit up nicely. The building itself is kind of odd as it looks like several buildings of distinctly different styles were grafted together. Somehow, in Ghent, it just seems to work.

The Belfry and the Dutch Theatre looked quite dramatic at dusk…..just like a movie set.

And that party at Groentenmarkt was still going strong. Different band, but maybe, the same folks were still hanging out?

On the way back, we stopped in at what is probably the Missus's favorite bar in the world; Dulle Griet.

A combination of locals and tourists, this slightly dumpy and divey joint, with somewhat grumpy staff and a beer list of over 250 was just the right fit for us. We just felt at home.

We quickly noticed that there were several people walking around with only one shoe on. Apparently, if you order a "max beer", which looks like a liter, you need to leave a shoe as collateral. It is then hoisted in a basket to the ceiling. To prevent folks from stealing the glass perhaps?

I guess once you pay your tab, you get your footwear back.

And then there's our infamous "Duchesse" experience. The place had Duchesse De Bourgogne on tap, the Missus's favorite. So we ordered it….well, we tried to order it. The woman kept going "huh?" So I showed her the beer list and she went "oooohh, Doo-Chezz….doo-chezz….ha-ha-ha-ha, snort, snort." She then pointed us out to the other server and they giggled and snorted, I guess we were the big joke of the night. Anyway, this was the best "Doo-chezz" I've ever tasted….slightly pruney, balsamic like tones…the temperature was perfect. Much better than what I've had back here in the states….even on tap. We'd noticed that something is lost when beer is transported.

My Bornem Trippel seemed so mild in comparison…..

We loved this place…….even though we were now known as the "Doo-chezz" couple.

Dulle Griet
Vrijdagmarkt 50
Ghent, Belgium

And we sure were enjoying Ghent!

Ghent Day 1: Tierenteyn-Verlent, Kaas Mekka, Yuzu Chocolatier, and Gruut Brewery

July 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Cheese, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Travel

If you'd ask the Missus and I what our favorite city in Belgium was, the answer would be unanimous. It would be Ghent. Unpretentious and quite easy to like and navigate, not quite as touristy as Bruges, we loved the vibe that this city of 250,000 gave off. Ghent is but a 40 minute train ride away from Brussels. And like Bruges, Ghent has those wonderful canals as well.

It's just not crawling with all those tourists……

And a strange thing happened to us here….in a way, we even forgot we were tourists. That part of the brain which dictates the places to be and the places you need to see got shut off. Instead, we just enjoyed the city. From the time we caught Tram #1, getting off near Het Gravensteen (The Castle of the Counts), walking to our apartment near Vrijdagmarkt, we felt so at ease.

The city is full of "market squares". Indeed, we were staying one block away from Vrijdagmarkt – Friday Market Square. Having stowed our stuffs, we headed out, down the street to Groentenmarkt – Vegetable Market, which ironically has the ever bustling Meat Market right next to it.

The interior of the structure is quite impressive; the place was built without nails, and hams still hang form the ceiling……this was once the only place in the city where meat was allowed to be sold. These days it's a bustling restaurant.

Right across the way is this famous shop.

Tierenteyn-Verlent is known for their mustard and has been selling it since 1790. I read that it is still made in the basement of the shop.

It's some heady stuff. Guaranteed to clear those sinuses and quite good as well. We bought a small jar, but it cracked before we got past Bruges.

Luckily, I've got some great friends and Candice bought us a bottle when she returned from her trip to Ghent.

Tierenteyn-Verlent
Groentenmarkt 3
Gent, Belgium

We were having so much fun that I totally forgot to take photos until we were close to City Hall. Along the way there's a little portal and a street; Werregaren Straat, walking down the alley, the faint smell of urine in the air, you'll be on "Graffitistraat" – Graffiti Street.

This is Ghent's solution to Belgium's strict laws on graffiti; it is basically illegal and the penalties stiff. Ghent has designated this street as an expression free zone for Ghent's graffiti artists.

Some of the creations are quite amazing…..

We passed many landmarks along the way, like Saint Nicholas' Church which was built between the 13th and 15th century. This is considered one of the "three towers of Ghent".

Most of the grand historic structures in Ghent are in the area of Saint Bavo Square.

In retrospect, we should have been better at playing the tourist, but we were just enjoying the city.

South of this area, down what seem some rather small streets is Ghent's shopping area, full of interesting shops. We saw this one; named Kaas Mekka.

This was cheese heaven. We couldn't help but purchase some for our next two dinners.

Delici-yoso!!!

Kaas Mekka
Koestraat 9
Ghent, Belgium

Exploring further down the street we started coming across crowds of people….apparently there was some kind of major sidewalk shopping festival going on.

A very festive kind of vibe going on…….even a band or two along the way.

It looked like some folks even brought their own chairs and sat outside restaurants and bars….enjoying the sun and a nice beverage (and a nap?) or two.

It was in the area right across the river that we found the first spot I wanted to "hit". We were on the hunt for chocolates for my MIL and I'd heard some great things about a shop named Yuzu.

This shop is the result of former archaeologist Nicolas Vanaise's passion for Japanese and Middle Eastern Culture and chocolate. The flavors presented are a product of his travels. This was by far the best; and most interesting chocolate we bought on this trip…..flavors like Whiskey and Cuban Tobacco…..

Yuzu
Walpoortstraat 11
Ghent, Belgium

This made a nice addition to the "collection" we put together for my MIL.

Right around the corner from Yuzu was another one of my target destinations. Even among the beer-focused Belgians; Gruut Brewery is unique. Before hops were used for beer making, a mixture of spices were used instead. This medieval mix was called gruut; the namesake of Gruut. Annick De Splenter is the owner and brew master here.

The place looks quite low keyed from the outside, but was quite busy. There was one large table of folks who were obviously on a "beer tour" and each beer was introduced and explained to them in detail. Meanwhile other folks were reading, chilling, just hanging out, and having a nice time.

We basically tasted everything before deciding on what we really wanted. My favorite was the Amber; which had some caramel tones, and a touch of sweetness. The beer has a really nice tongue coating texture and there is even a mild bitter finish so you're not really missing the hops.

It was a nice beer and we ended up buying a four pack to take with us back to the apartment.

Two ambers and two of the Missus's favorite.

The Blonde, which was very drinkable, light, fizzy, with an interesting herbaceous finish. Nice beer for a hot summer day….I'm kind of wishing for a pint of this today since it's been really humid here in San Diego.

They gave us a couple of Gruut Coasters when we bought our beer.

One quick thing. If you visit Gruut and are male, make sure to drink enough beer so that you'll be able to visit the restroom. The urinals are quite "unique"…..

"Feed me, Seymour - Feed me all night long…….."

Gruut Stadsbrouwerij
Grote Huidevettershoek 10
Ghent, Belgium

As you can tell….we were having a blast!

Thanks for reading!

Happy 4th!

July 4, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, yoso-silly

Hope everyone is having a fun and safe Fourth of July!

Like most holidays, the Missus has to work, but today she'll be home at a reasonable time. For the first time since we got back from our trip, I've got a day with no plans and no "honey do's".

So it's been nice hanging out with Da' Boyz and I even have some time to do this…….

And basically just hang out and do a bit of work in our garden, which is starting to shape up.

I think the Missus will be happy with dinner tonight….I even got Her current favorite beer.

Be safe and have a great 4th!

A & R Grill in Yuma

May 19, 2015 ed fromyuma Beer, Burgers, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

It's about time for Ed (from Yuma) to post about some place Yuman. So today, Kirk gets to explore, and Cathy gets to rest, but as always at mmm-yoso, there is food on the menu.

Clearly the flavor of the year in Yuma is BEER. The newest player in the craft beer pub game is A & R Bar and Grill located on 4th Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets. They play the game pretty well:

The place has a clean, fresh decor, offset by plenty of sports memorabilia. Of course, flatscreen TVs, tables of various size, and a bar fill the smallish space:

The changing tap list is a little more limited than Pinthouse, but most folks have no trouble finding something interesting and tasty:

Tina was especially amazed by the grapefruit ale, which was remarkably refreshing and perfect for a hot day in spring:

Also interesting, though I thought less impressive, is the spicy Mango Margarita:

The menu includes tasty appetizers and salads, like the Caesar salad with chicken:

or this quesadilla with pulled pork,: but most of the menu is fairly standard bar food sandwiches, accompanied by decent french fries or with a salad or onion rings for little more legal tender. Usually, the cooks at A & R prepare the sandwiches just right and the bar clearly sources quality ingredients, making the resulting sandwich plate a cut or two above what one would expect:

I loved this pulled pork sandwich (here with a side salad, $2 more). Though not at all smoky, the pork was moist and tender and its flavor came through the sauce and accompaniments:

This chicken sandwich is a pretty standard version, but tasting of the grill and accompanied by very fresh lettuce, tomato, pickle (and cheese if you wish):

The french fries are also good, again better than one would expect.

When I ordered the turkey sandwich, the helpful and friendly waitperson said that I needed to order it with all of the accompaniments – bacon, spinach, cranberry, Swiss cheese, and tomato:

It was generally tasty, and I was happy to see that the turkey slices had been grilled, but I was a little disappointed that the chef had not spread enough the cranberry sauce.

I was also personally disappointed in the fish tacos, mostly because all of the sauces supplied were pretty spicy, but the fish filets seemed to me to need a little bit of more neutral crema help. Your results would probably differ:

In contrast, the sausage sandwich, which comes with grilled onions and two different mustards, is pretty impressive:

Made on premises, the sausage is robust with a complexity of flavors that I prefer to the old school Kamman sausage, the local favorite.

Tina and Greg both think that the sausage plate, with two large sausages and fries is even better than the sandwich, though I like me my carbs:

I realize that hamburgers don't break any culinary barriers, but A&R make very tasty burgers. I haven't tried the peanut butter and jelly burger that some folks on the Internet rave about, but this standard cheeseburger with extra crispy fries was very good. The smoky char of the patty (cooked a perfect medium rare), the melty cheese, and the super fresh condiments were all spot on (fries were good too):

Even better is the mushroom burger –with a side salad in this pic:

Inside:

I can't add much to that picture. I also couldn't add much to the A&R burger, the star of their burger selection, here shown with the ordinary onion rings:

The tomato, cheddar cheese, and bacon show up on a lot of pub burgers, but not usually paired with grilled onions, spinach, and a fried egg:

Overall, I like A&R Grill. While I don't frequent the place late at night (these days, I don't frequent much late at night), the service has always been friendly and competent; the owner (manager?) pays attention and is concerned; and the place is pretty friendly and low-key. The food is cooked to order and sometimes takes a while to prepare, but that's what beer is for.

A&R Grill, 712 S 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364, (928) 783-0260

Tianjin Baozi/Jian Bing Shop Coming to San Diego, Half Door Brewing Company, and the Missus’s Favorite Beer and Snack

May 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Chinese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, yoso-silly

Here's a variety of items for a beautiful May Tuesday.

Tianjin Baozi/Jian Bing Shop replacing Mercury Grill:

Candice recently mentioned at baozi shop was coming to San Diego in this strip mall. I finally saw a sign a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, it was written in Chinese. So I drove by with the Missus who told me the sign mentions Tianjin Baozi, one of my favorite things and Jian Bing a dish that takes the Missus back to Her days in Beijing.

Sad to see Mercury Grill close. But I'm really excited to see this.

Man, first Dumpling Inn expands (yawn) and then Myung In opens (meh…plus/minus). Now this. I guess when it rains it pours.

8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Half Door Brewing Company:

Speaking of Candice. We decided on grabbing a beer a few months back and she suggested Half Door Brewing Company.

Located on Island Avenue in East Village….I really wasn't too sure

But I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the slightly sour, not too dry Berlinerweiss. A nice middle of the road version. I loved the set-up…in an renovated older building…I gotta find out a bit more about it. The place is owned by the family who owns The Field, so I may drop by and have the Fish and Chips one day.

In other words; I'll be back.

Half Door Brewing Co
903 Island Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Speaking of Beer:

We were speaking of beer, right?

The Missus's current favorite is the Chili Pepper Spicy Ale form Six Rivers Brewery. It's actually quite good with rich, gamey, stuff like duck rillettes or confit. It's no lightweight, you get a bit of citrus, then boom……nice serious heat. It's not that great with spicy food as the heat from the food nullifies the beer.

The Missus has also developed a fondness for Lays Creamy Forest Mushroom flavored potato chips. I got this as an impulse buy from Balboa Market. It does have an interesting cream of mushroom flavor……nice and savory and the Missus has taken to it.

What we didn't take to was the Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout. We like our chili beers and this one; while a decent stout, good coffee flavors really wasn't true to Sriracha.

Kind of weak and wimpy. Too bad, the Missus loves the Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar with Chocolate.

Can't win 'em all.

And finally:

I often have folks send me…ummmm…."interesting photos". Like this one.

?????

Hope you're having a great week!