At Home in the Northwest

A light drizzle dances in the sky. Not even enough to consider rain as it dusts your eyebrows with the faintest amount of damp. Seattle - the land of the freshest seafood, organic markets, a thousand coffee shops, local microbrews, artisanal wineries; so much vibrancy within the depths of the wintery gray.

I booked my flight two weeks prior, to surprise my sister for her bridal shower hosted by our aunt Leanne. I was never really invited so I suppose I am somewhat of a party crasher, although most everyone seemed pleased to see me. As the plane descended into SeaTac airport I wished my farewells to the sunshine and we ducked under three sturdy layers of cloud cover.

Surprisingly the air was mild as I exited the terminal. At 48 degrees the Pineapple Express was cruising through, much to the dismay of skiers, where rain in the mountains was on the forecast for the weekend. Leanne picked me up and we made our way to her home in West Seattle. If I were to give myself a second chance in Washington, West Seattle is where I would plant my roots. Everything you could possibly want is within walking distance of this city community. From Leanne's house she walks to the Metropolitan Market, the local movie theater, and a wonderful selection of restaurants that range from an Italian tattoria, a tiny Thai restaurant, incredibly authentic sushi, Northwest cuisine, cafes, bakeries, coffee shops and of course, numerous craft beer bars and alehouses.

After preparing what we could for the next day's bridal shower, we decided to celebrate girls night out and dine at Circa, one of Leanne's favorite restaurants. It was a short walk from her house and the night was comfortable. We found two seats at the bar and gazed over the menu as we chatted. I couldnt believe the menu items, everything looked fantastic...and certainly not overpriced. I forget how good food can be without breaking the bank. Quite the opposite in Florida, where it seems we spend a small fortune for a mediocre meal. I finally settled on portabello mushroom ravioli with braised local kale topped with shaved Parmesan. Good choice, I might add. Leanne ordered the special, halibut with a butter caper sauce and garlic mashed new potatoes. After dinner drinks at The Cask. A hole in the wall that you would walk right by during the daytime without a second glance. At night, however, the cozy dark atmosphere is inviting. As we entered, a few tables looked up at us, it was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. We settled in at a small booth and marveled at the draft beer selection. Leanne decided on a Kona Longboard Lager and I went for the Lost Coast Barley Wine. A delightful welcome home evening in one of my favorite cities in the world.

The next day we busied ourselves tidying and prepping the last minute menu items. Leanne had been marinating chicken, olives and raisins for an orzo salad for three days now. I worked on a potato dish with capers, tomatoes and rosemary. Leanne turned her focus to her cake; a complex multi-step process with lots of "meanwhiles" included in the recipe. Martha Stewart does not let you take the easy street. The frosting turned out beautiful. White, white egg whites with a shimmering gleam that gave it the appearance of a snowy ice tundra. The best part about it however, was the bride/groom topper.

If you know anything about the McCausland girls, you will know that we had a capacious affinity for Playmobil toys. We had a Playmobil person for every occasion; skiers, pirates, race car drivers, knights with swords, cowboys and Indians mounted on horses, as well as all kinds of accessories ranging from a deserted island to a pirate ship to a Victorian house that was as tall as my sister. Needless to say, Leanne wanted to incorporate the Playmobli bride and groom as the cake topper. She searched high and low to track down the discontinued bride and groom set.

Later in the afternoon after our chores were complete, we took a walk down to the Met Market, a Seattle area based grocery market. On my connecting flight through Minneapolis, I had thumbed through Cheese Connoisseur magazine, stumbling across an article on the Metropolitan Market's cheese selection. The Market specializes in both local and world cheeses with knowledgeable staff to assist you in picking the perfect cheese for the perfect occasion.

I wandered around in awe, as I was reminded of the pleasures of a good market. I had Super Bowl snacks on the mind for the following day, so I had the deli clerk thin slice Angus roast beef and Prosciutto di Parma. I also picked out a chevre goat cheese and a hard Asiago with rosemary.

I made my way over to the wines and was delighted to see their selection of Northwest wines was more than three bottles. Quite the contrary. They had an entire section dedicated to the heavier Washington reds; Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs as well as the Oregon Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris. I must have spent a half an hour just in the wine section before I picked out Fidelitas 2008, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain, a small family owned vineyard concentrating on Bordeaux style red wines and Barrister Cabernet Franc 2008, 88% Cab Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauv from the Columbia Valley, 93 points. Perfect accompaniment to my Super Bowl appetizer lineup.

The shower was beautiful. 14 of my favorite ladies all in one room, enjoying each other's company, good wine and fabulous food.

My Super Bowl snacks turned out wonderfully. Leanne had some cherry preserves that we spooned over the goat cheese and I put together these incredibly simple and light "meat logs" for lack of a better term. I suppose "roast beef rolls" sounds a bit more appetizing, so that is what we shall call them.

Roast Beef Rolls

Serves 6

1/2 lb thin sliced roast beef

1 ripe avocado

1 Gala apple or other semi sweet variety, peeled and sliced thin

finely chopped fresh spinach

dried oregano

dried rosemary

Scoop avocado into a bowl and mash with a fork, at salt to taste. Lay out a slice of roast beef on a cutting board and put a spoonful of avocado on the roast beef. Place one slice of apple on the avocado and sprinkle with spinach, oregano and rosemary. Roll the beef into a tight log. Continue until you have used all the roast beef. Serve on a platter.

Sunday Morning Goulash

Cheers to Dave, the breakfast guy. I have long since given up on breakfast. Something always goes awry, the eggs are overcooked, the bacon is burned, the hash browns are soggy. It's simply not my department. Dave on the other hand cooks breakfast like a champion. I inherited a skillet last night. Dinner at Bill and April's, it came to pass that they had two of the exact same skillet. April had been borrowing my 9x12 in casserole pan for quite sometime now. In what I consider a fair exchange, I offered her my 9x12 for her extra skillet. This morning was the first test and it was one of the best breakfasts I have had in quite some time.

Dave's Goulash

Serves 2

2 tbsp butter

2 small russet potatoes, cubed

1/2 onion, chopped

2 eggs

4 tbsp buttermilk or cream

1/2 lb cooked ground turkey

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat skillet over medium heat until warm. Melt butter in skillet and add potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onions and cook until soft, 10 minutes longer. Meanwhile, whisk eggs with buttermilk in a bowl. Straighten onions and potatoes so they form a slight bowl in the pan. Pour egg mixture into the middle of the onions and potatoes. Top with ground turkey.

Turn on oven broiler and put the skillet in the oven. Bake for 5-7 minutes until eggs are almost cooked through. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil for an additional 3 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and top with sour cream. Serve immediately.

Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms and Baked Fennel in Cream

So I'm learning Italian. Don't ask me why. It's like learning Turkish. The language is only really valid in one country in the world. Why not French? I could get along in Montreal, Marseilles or Martinique with that handy language. Or Spanish? Nearly our second language...is it official yet? I haven't checked. I wouldn't be surprised. Not to mention the great country of Spain with its delightful Rioja's and all of that heavenly cured jamon serrano. Or what about Argentina and its beautiful Malbec's and seductive tango? Honestly I'm not sure why I am drawn to learn Italian. I suppose there is just something about the way the speak, the rhythm and sing-songy tone that allows the speaker to sound like a musical symphony each time they open their mouth. But more than just the language, the pure essence of la dolce vita, the sweet life, that everything in this moment is important, nothing else matters.

I suppose it's just a small cry to get myself back there one of these days. If I learn the language, I must go. Simple as that.

In the meantime I will take advantage of sampling my way through the Italian wine section at Decanted, the wine shop in which I call "my office" and exploring the cuisine of traditional Italian fare.

Friday nights have become kind of a ritual stay-at-home-and-cook-a-good-meal night. I have come to rely on a few select cookbooks and online resources. I now know how to read a recipe and can tell if it will turn out ordinary or extraordinary. I feel drawn to Italian cooking and most of my recipe selections are based around Italian ingredients.

Lesson 1 in Italian cooking: It's not all meatballs and marinara

The following recipes are traditional Italian (except for the Bechamel, which is of course French, but we will discuss that later). The pork part of this recipe I have made before. My aunt Leanne and I attended a cooking class in Seattle one rainy autumn night. Sabrina Tinsley, owner of La Spiga Italian restaurant in Seattle hosted a delightful class with traditional fall recipes of her husband's native Italy. There was so much I didn't know at the time about cooking pork. Rule #1, dry your pork throughly. Rule #2, lightly dust the pork with flour and pat off any excess, do not overcoat. Rule #3, cook the pork fast, sear on both sides and then only a few more minutes is needed until you have perfectly tender pork medallions. That's all that is needed, otherwise you will end up with shoe leather. I avoided pork for too many years because of just that, over cooked meat, dried out and tough as cardboard. Using a quality cut of meat such as tenderloin also helps. As always with cooking, I must have something to sip on, so I opened a bottle of Spanish white wine, Castello do Papa Godello. Godello is the grape and it's somewhere between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. There is a slight butteryness with fairly high acidity. We ordered it a few weeks ago at I.M. Tapas, a Spanish restaurant in Naples, and it paired wonderfully with the olives and cured ham we ordered. It is best drank with food.

This recipe calls for wild mushrooms, however I just used baby bella and white buttons. It also called for 2 tbsp fresh parsley and I substituted dried oregano. For so few ingredients, this recipe is bursting with flavor.

Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms

Recipe adapted from La Spiga chef, Sabrina Tinsley

Serves 6-8

1 2.5 lb Pork Tenderloin

Flour

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Sauce

1 1/2 lbs Mixed Wild Mushrooms

1 cup Chicken Sock

2 cloves Garlic, sliced

2 tbsp dried Oregano

For the Sauce

Slowly heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil with the garlic slices in a saute pan. When the garlic begins to sizzle add the oregano and saute on medium high for 30 seconds longer. Add the mushrooms and do not stir for several minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Saute the mushrooms until they are almost cooked through, about 10 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes longer or until the mushrooms are completely tender. This may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

For the Pork

Cut the pork tenderloin into equal sized medallions. Salt and pepper the medallions and dredge in flour, removing any excess by patting the pieces with your hand. Heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan until very hot. Brown the medallions on each side, then, without turning down the heat, add the mushroom sauce and cook until the pork is desired temperature and the sauce has thickened a bit.

To serve, transfer medallions to a serving platter and pour the mushroom sauce over the top.

For the second course I prepared a baked fennel dish. For those of you unfamiliar with fennel, it is in the anise family, that black licorice flavor that is found in ouzo. But if you cook it long enough, the flavors subside and you don't even notice any licorice. I think it's fantastic. There are two ways to cook this dish, one on the stove top and the other baked in the oven. I find the oven version to be easier, set it and forget it.

Fennel Baked in Cream

Serves 6-8

1 1/2 lbs fennel (4 medium sized bulbs), stalks removed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2" wedges

2 cups heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2

1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, toss together fennel, cream and 1 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 3 qt baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake for 60 minutes.

Uncover baking dish, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until fennel is tender and Parmesan has browned, about 30 minutes.

The third part of this dish was two beautiful artichokes I picked up on a whim at Fresh Market. I grew up eating artichokes, Dave had not had one until we met. I think they are one of the best foods in the world. We also grew up dipping them in mayonnaise.

I decided it was time to grow up, to branch out of dipping our artichokes in a prepared condiment with a snap lid. I'm all about making everything from scratch. I decided to make a butter based cream sauce, and what better sauce than Bechamel? I know it's not Italian, and I'm sure there is an Italian version of this sauce out there somewhere, but this was convenient. I will list this simple recipe, however, Dave has this thing about French cooking. I should have never told him it was a French sauce. Instantly he regarded it as bland and one dimensional. You can try it if you like, I thought it turned out great. But really, if you are going for an Italian meal, don't invite the French.

Steamed Artichokes

Trim the stems and cut about 1/4 inch off the top with a serrated bread knife. With scissors trim the remaining leaves to remove the spikes. Place artichokes in a large pot filled about 1/3 with water. Boil artichokes for 45 minutes or until the leaves pull away from the base easily and the ends are tender. Check pot occasionally to make sure the water has not boiled out.

Bechamel

Makes about 1 cup

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 cup milk, plus more if sauce is too thick

pinch of nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until medium golden brown (the more you brown it, the more the nutty flavor will intensify). Pour in half the milk, stirring vigorously until smooth. Stir in remaining milk, season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Served with dinner was a Sangiovese blend from Chianti Classico, Castello D'Albola. Fairly high acidity, medium oak and low tannin made this wine pair wonderfully with the pork. Rated in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2010 with 90 Points.

Chilean Sea Bass with Roasted Mushrooms on Three-Cheese Polenta

Well, I know that it has been entirely too long since I have written a post and I probably have lost interest from most of you. But I am here to make amends and give it another go. Now that we are settled into our new house in SW Florida, I feel like I can make my comfy little office and accommodating kitchen into a somewhat professional working space worthy of le blog superiore. Or at least have further motivation to cook some great meals and write about them. I feel terrible that I have missed many opportunities to post some fantastic blogs about outstanding meals I've done in the past months. I will try to make up for a small percentage of my slacking in this blog by posting this incredible meal that came out of my kitchen during the first week of our residence.

My dad, good ole Paul, came to visit us over New Years. As a great big thank you for his generosity and thoughtfulness for bringing a bottle of 1994 Quilceda Creek Cabernet to share, I decided to cook us all a dynamite dinner. I wanted to cook fish, however, I was having a hard time coming up with a method of preparation that wasn't too light or salty. I have a great recipe for a Spanish style topping with capers and green olives, but I knew the salt would completely ruin the taste of the wine. As I wasn't absolutely sure how a 1994 Washington Cabernet was going to hold up, if it was past its prime or big and bold, I decided to stick with my intended white fish with heavier accompaniments. This recipe out of Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home cookbook (with some minor tweaks) was easy, if a bit time consuming, but had all the components of what I was looking for. A simple tomato based red sauce with roasted mushrooms and a creamy cheesy polenta.

I went for the gusto and splurged on some Chilean Sea Bass, one of my most favorite fish. Our neighborhood fish market, Paradise Shrimp Company, had huge fresh steaks that just looked too good to pass up.

The dish was a wild success and the wine paired famously. Probably in fact, one of the best bottles of wine that I have ever had. Thanks Dad!

Chilean Sea Bass with Wild Mushrooms on Three-Cheese Polenta

Recipe from Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home Cookbook
Serves 8

Tomato Sauce
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, minced
5 Plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Roasted Mushrooms
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Sea Bass
olive oil for brushing
8 Chilean sea bass filets (7 oz each)
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Three Cheese Polenta
6 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup diced Brie cheese (all rind removed)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup stinky cheese (stilton or bleu)
1 cup heavy whipping cream


Preheat oven to 500 degrees

To make Tomato Sauce, in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns light tan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and canned tomatoes with juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in the basil, remove from heat and set aside.

To make the Roasted Mushrooms, in a large bowl, combine all of the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, and then arrange on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until well browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the Roasted Sea Bass, brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the fillets on the pan without crowding. Sprinke each with 1/2 tsp of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bake until slightly browned and just barely firm but not cooked through, about 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven to 400 F.

To make the Three-Cheese Polenta, in a heavy 4 qt saucepan over medium hight heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the salt. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. Adjust the heat so the polenta doesnt splatter, then cook, stirring frequently until all the water is absorbed and the cornmeal no longer tastes grainy, and the mixture is creamy, 18-20 minutes. Add the cheeses a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the mixture begins to firm up, stir in the heavy cream. The mixture should be pourable. Remove from heat.

In a baking dish large enough to accomodate the polenta, or in two smaller dishes, spread the polenta in an even layer. Scatter the mushrooms evenly over the polenta. Using a wide metal spatula, lift the fish fillets from their baking sheet and arrange them over the mushrooms. Evenly mask each of the filets with the tomato sauce.

Bake until heated through and bubbling slightly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Hey everyone! Ive been struggling to keep up with blogs, which is a good thing in the sense that Im finally busy. When I started this blog I had way too much free time on my hands. These days Dave and I are working on real estate transactions, I get home at 8pm and simply whip together a quick pasta dish (nothing worth blogging about) and I have been focusing on writing three blogs a week for the wine shop. It doesnt really have much to do with food, other than serving suggestions, but I do write about beer and wine!

If you're interested in following our wine and beer blog for Decanted, the web address is www.decantedwines.wordpress.com

For now I am going to put things on hold at Wine Glass Beer Stein, but I plan to re-launch once things settle down here a bit. I tend to feel guilty these days writing about food when I should be learning about my financial IQ and investments! Once I get those investments in place, THEN I can concentrate on the delicious things in life.

Thanks for following, I'll be back soon!

Winging It

If I had any idea of the exact measurements of this recipe then I would put it in recipe form for you. But I just kind of threw stuff together so I will give you the general idea and you can get creative on your own.

Dave brought home one of those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store the other night. We had a good amount left over so I decided I wanted to make some soup, but wasn't in the mood for plain old chicken noodle soup. I wanted kind of a Mexican, Asian spicy soup with rice noodles because it's been hot outside lately. So here's what I did.

Chicken Noodle Soup with an Asian Flair

Serves 2-4

For the Broth

1 Whole chicken carcass

1 cup chicken broth

Water

1 onions, chopped into large pieces

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp Better than Bullion or 1 chicken bullion cube

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Chipoltle chili powder

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Pinch of Red pepper flakes

Additional Chicken (optional)

2 chicken thighs

1 tbsp Olive oil

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder

1 tsp Dried basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Soup

Chicken from the carcass

1 tbsp Better than Bullion or 1 bullion cube (more or less to your taste)

1 lemon

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 can sliced water chestnuts

4 oz Asian egg noodles

2 cups Baby leaf spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sprouts, cilantro and hot sauce for garnish

Take a large soup pot and place the chicken carcass in the pot with 1 cup of chicken broth and top with water until the chicken is covered with liquid. Add 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, the bay leaf, chipoltle chili powder and cumin and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 45 minutes to an 1 hour, until the chicken is falling off the bone. Near the end I put some red pepper flakes in the pot to give it some spice.

I like a little more chicken in my soup, so if you like, take two chicken thighs, place them in a baking dish, brush them with olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper, cumin, chipoltle chili powder and basil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees. Let the chicken brown, while basting it as the juices start to develop, about 45 minutes. Cover the chicken with foil and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes until chicken reaches 165 degrees, using an instant thermometer to check. (You can skip this step if you feel you have enough chicken from your carcass)

After your carcass is finished boiling, place a colander into another pot and drain the broth from the soup pot to remove the solids. The vegetables will be all mushy and you wont want to use them. Put the chicken on a plate to let it cool before removing the meat from the bone. Put the liquid back in the big pot. Add salt and bullion to taste, juice of 1 lemon, and the onion and garlic. Bring it back to a boil, put the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Add the can of sliced water chestnuts and all of the chicken and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Use Asian noodles as directed on the package, adding to your soup pot or cooking separately. If you cook separately, put the noodles large serving bowls, add the baby leaf spinach on top of the noodles, spoon broth and chicken over the noodles and spinach, then top with spouts and cilantro. Add red pepper flakes and some Saracha hot sauce or Cholula and maybe a dash of soy sauce.

I've been really into Rose lately, and not the sweet stuff. We just got the new 2009 Charles & Charles Rose in the shop. It is flippin awesome. It's made by Charles Smith and he is partnered with Charles Bieler www.bielerandsmith.com. If you can find it anywhere in your neck of the woods (probably can find it somewhere in Washington, since it's Washington wine), you need to try it. It's 100% Syrah, not sweet at all, nice tannins and as they describe it...like a swimming pool filled with watermelon Jolly Ranchers. And the best part of all is that it's only around $15!

Paired perfectly with the spices in the soup. Delish!

"Coldest Beer on The Island"

Out and about on a Monday night. We found ourselves at Ft Myers Beach, the hub for spring breakers and white tourists with those freshly flushed faces and spots of bright pink where sunscreen was overlooked. A kind of low brow Key West, a party town on a budget. T-shirt shops line the boardwalk and blast island tunes late into the night. The tattoo parlor is conveniently located on the main strip, just in case you want to document your vacation permanently. It's a far cry from the bustle of Highway 41; commerce, strip malls, shopping, young professionals sporting button downs and ties, Mercedes and BMW's buzzing by. Hardly anyone lives here full time, all of the cottages that line the lengthy barrier island have For Rent signs posted in the yard. Here you are in vacationland. It's always nice to head down and pretend we are on our own mini-holiday, people watch and sip cold beer.

We end up at Yucatan Bar and Grill, a converted Pizza Hut turned into a full-on tiki bar with rattan wall coverings and a solid teak and holly bar that's the center of attention. The fact that it was a Pizza Hut in a previous life is not entirely evident off the bat, but is increasingly apparent as you look up at the unique high rise boxy ceiling. They have disguised it well.

We meet up with Dave's parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin's boyfriend and daughter, and grandma for dinner. The energy from not seeing the Northern family members in quite sometime is full on. They are down for their vacation, spending their days at the beach or at the pool with fresh tans and casual Florida attire. It's contagious, the relaxed mentality of one on break from life. We almost forget that we have jobs to go back to in the morning.

After we all satisfied ourselves with some fresh seafood, the girls decide to go shopping and the boys (and me) decide to cozy up to the bar and listen to some live music. Yucatan offers "The Coldest Beer on the Island", a digital thermometer inside a keg as you walk into the bar. It reads 28 degrees F. Their personalized beer, Yucatan Red is a house specialty and served in a pint glass bearing the name. As with most red ales, this one has almost no hopiness and goes down easy. They also had one of my favorite beers which is found all over Florida; Key West Sunset Ale. It is produced by the Florida Beer Company based in Melbourne, about 300 miles away from the famous Mallory Square. The name and the enticing label help to make this beer a hot seller. It lets the drinker embody a sense of place. Sunset Ale is on the lighter side for a pale ale, not a lot of hop flavor, but just enough to compliment the maltiness of the grains. Living in Florida, craft beer and micro breweries are almost unheard of. You have to go to specialty stores to find a major brand from the Northeast or the West Coast. I get excited when I see Red Hook, the Budweiser of craft beer in the Northwest (not that it tastes like an American lager, but that it's mass produced and found everywhere... just to clarify).

Glancing at the imported beer list, I was thrilled to see that they had Kalik lager, The Beer of the Bahamas. After months of drinking solely a light lager, you tend to long for other flavors, but that taste has been ingrained in my memory bank. It has actually been roughly a year since I have had a Kalik and boy did it taste good! Even though it is a light lager, please do not categorize it with an American lager. It has a distinct flavor, a little nutty and no stank or skunky taste whatsoever. Entirely refreshing on a hot, humid island day. And the best part of all was it was only $3.50, compared to $6 in the islands.

Uncle Steve and Mike kept us company for quite sometime at the bar. The musician was playing Jimmy Buffett covers, James Taylor, Neil Young, The Eagles, and all kinds of songs you know by heart. The ambiance was laid back but lively. This was the kind of place that I could be a regular at. We met "the band" as we were leaving for the evening. He had taken his break and was walking his over sized yellow lab out front. Randy Johnson (no, he is not a tall, lanky red head with a mustache and a mean fastball), was from Alabama, down for a few months trying to make a few bucks in this beach town. He asked where he could look to play next season when he came back, so we gave him some ideas in our neck of the woods. He was grateful and we wished him luck.

Life is not so bad living this close to the beach, but we need to make it a point to get down there more often. It is so easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle of urban life and the quest for the almighty dollar that you forget there is a laid back lane with live music, good people and cold beer.