Logic & Sanity

Pomegranate Tea

Am I the only one obsessed with POM's iced tea?

Sobe LifeWater

Am I the only one addicted to this?

Avra

Took a friend out to Avra Estiatorio tonight. The place was packed, which is pretty amazing for a wednesday night. Unfortunately, when restaraunts start to boom they try to squeeze in as many tables as possible and cease being cozy, thus losing their appeal. Sure, the swordfish was killer, and my friend raved about the salmon (and she's a picky eater!), but who wants to eat in a cafeteria like setting?

Hudsontini

Gersh Kuntzman (owns the lastname to kill for!) of the NY Post, reviews the water from the Hudson river (filtered, ofcourse):

Even with anything bigger than .01 micron filtered out, the mighty river has a lush essence of brine, with complex notes of walleye and a disarmingly viscous finish.

What? No slight vanila overtones? No lingering aroma and flavor of the urine that lasts 10 minutes on the palate?

How to beat a hangover - Russian style!

If you manage to get home without event, there are a few traditional Russian hangover cures for the morning-after that have been popular for centuries. The most popular is the brine from either pickles or Russian sauerkraut (called rassol in Russian) as it contains the necessary potassium and magnesium. Another handy liquid is kvass, which is a brown malt beverage made of fermented rye bread.

Many Russians believe that it’s better to fight fire with fire and sip warm beer from the night before, but there is the risk of getting carried away and continuing the previous night’s debauchery and spiralling into the vicious circle of a zapoy, or drinking binge.

For the more ambitious, there are also Russian hangover cocktails that juggle the classic ingredients like eggs, spices and tomato juice. For one, known as “Sick head,? the directions are as follows: you have to cover a glass with a thin coat of vegetable oil, break one egg into the glass, a pinch of salt, and red and black pepper. Pour in two tablespoons of vodka and mix well. Close your eyes and nose, forget what is in the glass, and gulp down the contents. After the procedure the victim should lie down and rest with a cold towel over the forehead.

Read the rest. Traditional hangover food is also mentioned.

New Castle Brown Ale

I am always up for trying new beers, so when the bartender, at one of my regular places offered me a bottle of the New Castle Brown Ale - I couldn't resist. New Castle is an English beer, and it being european I instantly upped my expectations. Unfortunately, the beer was unexciting and tasted like water from a dog bath. Yes, I am aware that this beer has a following and there are plenty of positive reviews on the internet, but it just didn't do much for me. Surely I wouldn't pick
Bud, Coors or Miller over it, but the fact that I even have to resort to such a comparison speaks for itself.
I wish I had some Grant's Perfect Porter left.

“Right on the money…rich, medium-bodied, amazingly chocolaty.?—Good Beer Book

So, I watched my cousin's dog, while he was in L.A. for two weeks, and as a thank you he signs me up with Beer of the Month Club for two months. I check out their website, and it looks like a rip off - they send you a twelve pack a month for $29.95, but since I ain't paying - its cool. Got my beer on friday. They sent Saranac Pale Ale and Stout & Tan and Grant's Scottish Style Ale and Perfect Porter (3 of each kind). Saranac's stuff I had in Albany, while in school, its very decent. Grant's Perfect Porter, however, is not just decent - it's excellent! Highly recommended if you can find it (brewery in Yakima, WA).