Green fairy beer?

I'm starting to really like these New Belgium folks. This microbrewery from Fort Collins, CO has been on my short list ever since I tried their Fat Tire on draft at the Embassy Suites near the Denver Airport. It was good enough to make me leave the free happy hour Miller products and go to their bar to buy my beverages...

And with their recent expansion into the Chicago market, I've learned there's lots more to love about NB. Their 1554 is a great, dark ale with a a fantastic mouthfeel and very low levels of smoke on the malt. The Mothership Wit is a great Belgian-style White beer in a Wheat beer style. Pay attention to the pouring directions on the bottle for the full effect!

But this post is about their latest (or at least the newest to me) beer on their menu -- the Springboard. This is a great summer beer with some exotic herbals in it. In fact, don't tell anyone, but it's got Wormwood -- the fun mythical ingredient in Absinthe! I can't wait to pair this up with a few shots of Mezcal and a hot day... I'll be channeling Carlos Castenada in no time!

Tough times for restaurants

It's been a rough couple of months for Fox Valley restaurants. Two relatively new restaurants, Fahrenheit and Hunter's, have closed their doors in the last two months.

Fahrenheit was the highly anticipated, and highly-hyped gourmet restaurant opened way out west at 64 and Randall. Even Chicago magazine and Phil Vettel hopped on this bandwagon, but their glowing reviews couldn't overcome the high prices and meager portions of food plated there. Not that it didn't have potential -- it just wasn't the right fit. Maybe we'll see something like it in the new 1st street development.

Hunter's was quite another story. We only visited there once, but the service was not very good, the place was tiny, and the food was not that memorable. When I saw the "Friday Fish Fry" signs go up, I knew it was history. Let's keep our fingers crossed neither one of these places opens as an Italian place. How about some great Southwestern Seafood or something?

Speaking of that, if you haven't been to Bien Trucha in Geneva yet, you really should try it out. Find it on Yelp.com, get there early, the place is tiny -- and beware -- the portions are on the small size there, too. But prices are not very big either, which means you can try lots of different things. Avoid the "guacamole of the day" -- we haven't really liked any we've tried yet -- but definitely try the Ceviche. And get a margarita -- fantastic!

New Gibby's Logo

What do you think?

Gibby's Diner

Just when you thought it was safe to go out and eat! Here it is -- Gibby's Diner in NY state. Check out the link in the title above for a review...

Gibby's Second Annual Tiki Party

Tiki Party invitations are going out via email... Mark your calendar - June 14th!

Lowland Single Malt - Glenkinchie

Another one minute review. This time, it's Glenkinchie, a Lowland Single Malt, now being served at Gibby's. Had some on Saturday, in fact, to toast Eight Belles' tragic death at the Derby.

But I digress...

It's hard enough to find a lowland single malt, but Glenkinchie is worth the look. I found this at Binny's.

It's a complex enough whisky. Much more so than a comparable 10 year-old highland, like a Glenlivet. There's a hint of citrus, and more than a little peat. Nowhere near an Islay level of peat, but more noticeable than the Glenmorangie I normally quaff.

Surprisingly, Michael Jackson gave it a 76. I think it's much better than that score would seem to indicate.

More on Glenkinchie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenkinchie

I need a vacation

I found these photos while stumbling around the net... (click on the title of this post to see the rest of the story)
Kind of reminds me I haven't had a vacation in a while. And of course, I still miss my pool in Florida.
Exactly why was it I moved out of Florida?