Area Dogs Thankful for Generous Grandma on Christmas Eve

No one tell Kat Alex got a Christmas Eve porterhouse bone.

Music Monday: Clarence Carter–Backdoor Santa

Back by popular demand is Clarence Carter with what has to be the best Christmas song ever.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

This face is about to go into my face.

via IFTTT

Music Monday: Clarence Carter ~ The Feeling Is Right

 

On the next Music Monday….

Music Monday: John Hiatt–When My Love Crosses Over

 

On the next Music Monday….

Vermont 2014: Days 3 & 4

Vermont 2014 Days 1 & 2

Music Monday: John Grant (featuring Midlake) I Want to Go to Marz

Holy crap!  John Grant and Midlake.

On the next Music Monday

TWIB Notes

Well it wouldn’t be a Summer of Steve weekly feature without it first missing several weeks in a row.  I’ve finally taken a break from drinking to sit down and update my progress in destroying most hepatic function.

Obviously much booze was consumed in Seattle.  I had my fill of Manny’s Pale Ale and several nice beers from Maritime Brewery.  Their Pilsner was particularly good.  Cocktails were also on the menu.  The highlights included a Dark and Stormy at Pie Bar* and The Southpaw at Zig Zag Café.  And if you’re looking for the dive-iest of dive bars,  we’ll there’s Bernard’s. You can have a cheap, inexpensive $2.50 well and wash that down with an Irish Car Bomb.

 

Wine School Update

You are now reading the blog of someone who has passed Wine FUNdamentals Level I.  I only scored 98.3 our of 100.  I guess that’s ok.  It’s one to Level II.  Sadly, while in Vermont this weekend, I’ll be missing the best class of the whole course, the one that goes over both Burgundy and Bordeaux.

Wine of the Week:  2013 The Dreaming Tree Chardonnay

This is what wine school has done to me.  I’m drinking Chardonnay.  Actually on a recent trip to Total Wine, I picked a bunch of varieties I would not normally purchase.  This was one of them.  I promise next week I’ll go back to Two Buck Chuck.

Appearance: Clear medium intensity yellow** with a clear rim.

Nose: Clean, with lots of sour apple and pear with a hint of vanilla from the oak bleeding through.  Pure aroma.

Palate: Dry with a medium high amount of acidity.  Medium alcohol and body with a similarly medium finish.  The sour apple is still there on the tongue, but the pear has been replaced with a bit of oak.  There’s also a strange soapy flavor.

I liked their Pinot Noir and thought I would give their Chardonnay a try.  It’s not terrible and probably does a good job representing a midlevel lightly oaked California Chardonnay, but that’s just not something I’m going to go out of my way for.  And at the mid $20s there are bound to be better options, I’m sure.  I’ll keep looking.

 

 

* Pie Bar may be my favorite place on earth now.

** I would call it vitamin piss yellow

Seattle 2014 Day 2

Day two in Seattle centered around going to a Sounders game.  Along with Portland, the PacNW is pretty nuts about the MLS.  I guess it’s good that someone is.
Afterwards it was on to oysters happy hour followed by pie.

Seattle 2014 Day 1

Oh Seattle, how I missed your abundance of seafood and craft beer.  My heart longs so, that I’ll even accept Hotel Seattle as a cheap alternative to downtown hospitality.   It seriously isn’t that bad when you know what you’re getting into.  And don’t forget to check out the $2.50 wells at the bar in the basement.