New Years Eve at Harp and Fiddle

I generally don't make plans for New Years Eve.  That doesn't mean that I don't do anything, it just generally means that I have a quiet night with friends with good food and drink.  I had no plans for this last New Years Eve, but a friend noted that an Irish Pub in a suburb close to where they live was doing a five course dinner for a good price.  It sounded like a good deal and I would be hanging with my friends, so I decided to go.  I had been to The Harp and Fiddle, in Park Ridge, before and knew that they had a pretty good craft beer list and did some pretty good bar food. I arrived on New Years Eve and saw (and heard) that there were live musicians playing, but we were sitting on the other side of the dining room, so we could actually hear each other speaking.  Looking at their multi-page list, I was looking for something unusual and there were a few beers that certainly fit the bill.  I started with Untitled Art Barrel Culture Dragonfruit Sour IPA.  With the exotic fruit and the fact that it was purported as both a Sour and an IPA, it really interested me.  The risk of trying something unusual that you don't really know much about is that you might not like it.  With the pour, I saw that it had a nice head and an unusually red color.  It had a nice tart and citrusy aroma and flavor, but the finish that some have called floral, I found soapy and didn't care for it.  I was able to drink it, but I don't know that I would ever order it again.  The fact that I disliked it was totally on me, and while I didn't care for it, I'm glad I tried it out.

While I was sipping my beer, our first course came out.  It was an incredibly creamy Wild Mushroom Bisque, topped with  Black Truffle and Arugula Coulis.  It had a great mushroom flavor with a creamy texture and a sprinkling of truffle oil on top.  The Coulis added the funky and savory truffle flavor on top of the savory mushroom flavor, as well as the bitter pepperiness of arugula.  Several of us would have been happy with another large bowl of this.

Our second course followed the standard course progression map and was a vegetable dish.  It was a salad of sorts with a Shredded Brussels Salad with Shaved Parmesan, Carrots, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, and Cherrywood Smoked Bacon.  It was crisp and very flavorful, with a very nice Creamy Garlic Dressing and this I enjoyed as well.  With two courses down that were both wins, I was wondering if I should up my preconceived assessment that they did good bar food, but don't expect much more than that.

Our next course was our first entree, Grilled Salmon.  It was served with a Rattatouille made with Sliced and Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash topped with a Tomato White Wine Broth that really reminded me of Ketchup.  The salmon was tender, flaky, and flavorful without being exceptionally strong.  The vegetables tasted fresh and cooked enough to be tender without getting mushy.

Our second entree, the red meat, could have theoretically been pretty simple.  The chef and company, though, amped things up to good measure.  As presented, it looked like steak and mashed potatoes, the steak cooked medium well, though still juicy.  The steak was actually Filet Mignon, topped with a Mushroom Madeira Gravy, and the potatoes were actually Pureed Parsnips.  The filet was fork tender and very flavorful.  The gravy, which very much tasted like the soup at the beginning of the meal with added Madeira Wine was also very good. 

 

By this time, dessert, I was looking for my second unusual beer, but one that would also go well with dessert.  I went with an Imperial Oak Sinister Minister Quad with Tart Cherries.  For dessert we had a the Chef's Special Bread Pudding that was topped with Syrup, Whipped Cream, and Cinnamon.  The beer was something else.  As it was a Quad, it was pretty big.  It was pretty big and tasted boozy, both from the fact that it was a quad and the barrel aging.  In addition, it had a nice and tart cherry flavor.  It was heavy, but it was also cold out, so it was a fitting beer to be drunk.  The bread pudding was good.  It was soft, sweet, and a fitting end to a fun night.  I really enjoyed myself and my opinion of their food has increased.  I am not saying that I had thought that their food was bad, I thought it was good, but pretty simple.  The food that I had had tonight impressed me and while it is a little far for me to hang out.  I would come for something special.

   

Crepes Et Amis

 

I like to see what there is to eat no matter where I go and that includes when I go to Michigan to visit my family.  My parents live in downtown Midland, Michigan and I noticed a crepe place that I was interested in a few years ago.  It took me a while, but I was finally able to visit Crepes et Amis for brunch the last time I was in Midland.  It's a small counter service space with the kitchen on one side and bench seating on the other.  There are also some tables in the front and a couple of tables in the back, opposite the bench seating and next to the kitchen.  The lights are hanging lights, strung above the bench and chandelier-like over the order counter.  There are also some wall hangings consisting of framed coffee bags and Paris art with a vintage clock in the center.  The entire look is both rustic and very homey.

 

Crepes et Amis specializes in crepes, both sweet and savory, but they also do waffles and pastries (and coffee).  While there were several waffles that looked good, as it was my first time there, I wanted to focus on the crepes.  I got two crepes, one sweet and one savory.  I also had a cup of coffee from a local roaster that was pretty good.  The crepes were thin and easy to cut, but they also held together well enough to hold its fillings.  My sweet crepe was the Banberry, which had Bananas, Strawberries, and Nutella, and was drizzled with Nutella and Powdered Sugar.  It was sweet with a little tartness from the strawberries and the Nutella added a sweet and chocolatey nuttiness that tied everything together.  My second Crepe was called Good Morning Paris, and it was a perfect Breakfast.  Inside the the delicate crepe was Smoked Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Swiss Cheese, Brown Sugar, and served with an Orange on the side.  While I will generally order both sweet and savory dishes for brunch, this was both sweet and savory in one.  The crepes were really good.  The space was very friendly and welcoming, and I will be sure to return. 

Candide - Montreal

 

One of the things that I make sure to do before I go on a trip is to try to find out what the notable restaurants are in the area.  Before I went to Montreal last month, I looked at several lists to try to find out where to eat and Candide kept on coming up.  I noticed that it was in the Little Burgundy neighborhood and was actually located in the basement of an old church.  While they did have a menu, it was simply the menu of what they would be serving on that given night.  Every night, they served a 4 course seasonal menu based on what they could find in the markets.  The only choice that you had to make was whether you would also be doing the wine pairing.  This sounded very much like the thing that I am very much into, so I made sure to make a reservation.  The place was a 40 minute walk from where I was staying and when I got there, I found that not only is it located in an old church, but the church was located in the middle of a park.  While there was an address, the road on the block where the restaurant is located is pedestrian only, so even if I were to have taken a cab to get there, there would have been at least some walking.  The entrance had a large covered porch with strung white Christmas style lights, but it was not yet being used.  I walked in and found a ramp that led (slightly) down to the host station.  The dining room was small, seating about 30 people in total between tables and the counter overlooking the kitchen, where I was seated.  I really enjoyed the counter seat because the chef and his two sous chefs were literally across the counter so I could both watch what was being done and ask questions.  Shortly after I was seated, the Sommelier came by and asked if I would like bubbles.  It is very much both a French and Fine Dining tradition to start things off with a sparkling wine because it opens up your taste buds and allows you to be better taste what you are about to eat.  I said yes and was served a Cava which was dry, very sparkling, and very good.  I also said yes to the wine pairing.

For my first course, which was actually kind of a pre-appetizer, we started with  a simple dish of Asparagus wrapped in Greens and topped with Seaweed Butter.  It tasted very fresh and green and while the butter did add an element of savoriness, the seaweed that it was infused with added to the green flavor.  It was very good and almost as if I was eating directly from a garden.  In addition to the Asparagus, I was served a bowl of Housemade Bread and Whipped Butter which was very good.  I did eat all of the bread and I was offered more, it was just sitting on the other side of the counter,but I waved it off because, while it was very good, I didn't want to fill up on bread.

 

The actual first course was also vegetable based.  I was served Red Romaine Lettuce with Bottarga  Sauce (a sauce made with tuna roe), Pickled Blueberries, and Farmers Cheese.  It was crunchy, creamy, briny, and a little bitter.  It really didn't look like much, but it did have a wealth of flavor and I really liked it.  It was paired with a local white wine called Nibiru Alte Reben, which, while I have never heard of, I liked and thought it went well with the lettuce.

The next course kind of skirted the line between a vegetable dish and an entree.  Also simple (and actually a favorite), it was Crab, Carrots, and Yogurt.  It was very fresh, sweet, tart, and sour, and both creamy and crunchy.  The wine served was another white, Stefan Vetter Sylvaner (shown on the right in the picture below) which was crisp with a very minerally flavor.

The main course also very seasonal.  The star was the Guinea Fowl which was set on a Parasol Mushroom Puree and served with Fiddlehead Ferns and Local Greens.  It was savory, salty, and tasted very fresh.  The mushrooms added a savoriness to the already savoriness of the Guinea Hen and the fiddlehead ferns contrasted that with a green flavor.  The wine pairing was a Methode Sauvage Syrah which was both very rich and savory and very floral.

Dessert, while it was seasonal and fruit forward was kind of unexpected.  Dried Plums (Prunes) were rehydrated with Strawberry Juice and served over Malted Wheat with Sweet Bread.  It was sweet, fruity, and a little tart with the richness of the malted wheat.  The sweet bread was sweet and crunchey and paired well with the malted wheat.  I was actually surprised that the plum, which had started as a prune had not retained any of the bitterness of a prune.  The fruit went well with the dessert pairing, which was a Sauternes.  It was sweet and slightly syrupy and gained from the tartness of the strawberry juice rehydrated plum.

Many fine dining places will finish things off with Mignardises when the check is brought.  While I was served a sweet surprise, it was actually Linden Honey with Honeycomb.  The check was also served with a little toy hippo which was cute.

Dinner was very good and the experience was great because I had the chefs there to answer my many questions.  It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to any friends who decide to visit Montreal.                    

Rue

 

 

While I do live in Chicago and don't own a car, occasionally, I will get out to the suburbs where my friends live and try restaurants out there.  I recently out to the suburbs for a concert and we stopped at Rue, a Cajun Restaurant in Glen Ellyn, for dinner and drinks beforehand.  When we arrived it was very busy, but there were some seats at the bar, so that's where we sat.  I enjoy sitting at the bar in any case, because it gives me a chance to talk to and watch the bartenders who seem to have a good handle on both the drinks and food the place is serving, so sitting at the bar was fine.  I am not sure if my friends had been here before, but they mentioned that we wanted to try some of the cocktails.  This was a very good decision because the drinks, while New Orleans standards, were mixologist complex, and they were very cool to watch being constructed.  The first drink that was ordered and our bartender constructed was a Hurricane, which was made with a Rum Blend, Passion Fruit, and Citrus, served in a Skull Mug and finished by placing a slotted spoon on top of the glass, placing a Sugar Cube on the spoon, lighting it on fire, and letting the melted sugar drip into the cocktail.  While this was not my cocktail, I did try it.  The sugar added a sweetness which went well with the Rum and the Passion Fruit and Citrus gave it a tart finish.  My first cocktail was called a Hoodoo Smoke and it, also was very cool to watch it being constructed.  It started with a small fire on a saucer on the bar over which the glass in which the drink was to be served which put the fire out, and allowed smoke to build up and coat the inside of the glass.  The cocktail that went into the smoked glass contained Peppercorn Infused Bourbon, Honey, and Hickory.  I am generally not a bourbon drinker, but this was really good.  It was smoky, a little spicy, and very smooth and sweet from the honey.  My second cocktail came well into the meal, but it seemed to fit better with the other cocktails.  Called Easy Street, it contained House Melon Liqueur (similar to Midori, though not as sweet), Gin, and Citrus.  While I am a gin drinker, Hoodoo Smoke was my favorite cocktail.  Easy Street wasn't bad, but the melon liqueur did nothing for me.  It was better than Midori because it wasn't as sweet, but I guess that I can't really get with something that was so melon forward.

 

For our appetizers, we started with Fried Gator and Oysters.  I have had Alligator before (fried) and it reminds me of  cross between chicken and cod.  It has a light avian flavor similar to chicken, the flavor isn't as strong as duck or turkey, but the texture is similar to a well prepared whitefish, tender and flaky.  A Remoulade Sauce accompanied the Alligator Tail Bites.  It was creamy, spicy, and good, but I thought the alligator was good on its own.  The Oysters could have been ordered On the Half Shell, Char Grilled, Rockefeller, or Bienville (with Shrimp, Mushroom, bell Peppers, and Parmesan).  I like my oysters with as little done with them as possible (besides shucking), so we ordered them On the Half Shell.  They were served with Lemon, Cocktail Sauce, and Garlic Butter on the side.  While I will squeeze lemon on my oysters, that's all that I think that they need most of the time.  The oysters tasted fresh and briny, and I really enjoyed them.

 

Our entrees were all Cajun standards, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etoufee, and an Oyster Po'Boy.  I ordered the Jambalaya, but was able to try the others.  The jambalaya was served in a large bowl and featured Rice, Trinity (Onions, Bell Pepper, and Celery), Andouille Sausage, Smoked Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes, and was topped with a piece of Cornbread.  The Crawfish Etoufee was the most visually striking.  Etoufee is more liquid than is Jambalaya, although it also starts with a Rice base.  Made with Rice, Crawfish Tails, Creole Reduction (onions, bell pepper, and celery, in a butter sauce reduced), and White Wine, It was topped with a Crayfish, steamed red, with it's claws extended threateningly.  I did try to suck any remaining meat out of the crayfish shell, but while I did get some flavor, I didn't actually get much meat because they cleaned it out well.  What I did try was good, though.  The Oysters in the Oyster Po'Boy were breaded and friedand served with Lettuce, Tomatoes, and a Spicy Sauce on a Baguette.  The bread was crusty and the oysters were crunchy and plentiful to provide a crunchy and chewy bite.

There looked like there were some nice sweets for desserts including Beignets, Bread Pudding, and Bananas Foster, but after our large entrees, we were set and waved off on the desserts.  The food and drink here were really good and I would be happy to return.

Comet Cafe - Milwaukee, WI

 

 

 

It had been a long time since I had been to Milwaukee, and it is pretty close so I decided to take a day trip.  There are a lot of Amtrak trains that run between Chicago and Milwaukee, so it was easy to arrange a trip that arrived in the morning and left in the evening that gave me enough time to see what I wanted to see. Milwaukee is much smaller than Chicago, so I could have walked to the different areas that I wanted to go, but there were some legs that would have been pretty long walks, so I decided to employ a shared bike a few times.  There are a lot of good off road bike paths that are able to get you where you want to go, so riding a bike was advantageous.  I was able to see some cool spots that I may want to visit in more depth, like the Milwaukee Art Museum and I was able to get where I wanted quickly and inexpensively.   Milwaukee has been known for beer forever and I was going to try some of that, but I figured that if I was going to do that, it would be smart to eat first.  It was recommended that I try out a place called The Comet Cafe, located in the Lower East Side.  It has been featured on both the Travel Channel and on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, so I expected that the food would be good and even a little offbeat.  The shared bike parking was a few blocks away, but it's a nice neighborhood with a lot of art on the walls and light traffic.  Walking up to the building, I was very happy to see a lot of bike parking which I will have to file for future reference for when I come back on another day trip.  Walking in, it retains its retro look.  The entrance is on the corner of the building and the dining area is L-shaped with a counter/bar on the inside of both sides of the L.  In front of the restaurant is patio dining.  There are tables in front of the window on the inside at the front  and booths behind the counter as you walk toward the back of the restaurant.  There is a Specials Board featuring both savory specials and what cupcakes and pies are on the menu for today.  There were several sweets that sounded good, but as I was already going to have a high calorie day, I decided to wave off and just get brunch.

For brunch, I was looking for something hearty and some fruit.  Luckily they had both.  I also had coffee and Orange Juice.  I was very happy with their Fruit Bowl which contained a lot of seasonal fruit, Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and Bananas.  I was especially happy to see that the fruit bowl contained no canteloupe.  What was there was fresh and goodand involved no picking through (because I really dislike canteloupe).  For the savory portion of my brunch, I had what they called a Commuter Sandwich.  I will guess that it was called that because it has everything that you might want in a good breakfast in sandwich form, which is good for a commuter.  The standard sandwich has eggs, either scrambled or fried, I went for Scrambled, and Cheddar Cheese , on Grilled Multi-Grain Bread.  You could also add Grilled Ham, Sausage, or Bacon, and I added bacon.  The sandwich was also served with Hashbrowns on the side.  This is a little bit of a fail in reference to the commuter, but I wasn't commuting anyway and they were crispy, buttery (actually everything was cooked in butter), and very good.  This was filling, a lot of fun to eat, very good, and I will definitely return, so I can try some of their pie.     

Zingerman's Deli

Years ago when perusing cheese shops around Chicago, I started seeing cheese from a place in Michigan called Zingerman's.  After doing some studying, I found that they had started as a Jewish Deli that focused on the best local food that could be had.  This made them a little more expensive than you standard, but it also made them really good (and Popular).  Over the years, they developed a Creamery, a Bakery, A Candy Manufactory, a Coffee Roaster, a Mail Order Business, a Fish Store, and a sit down restaurant, in addition to the Delicatessan.  Their sit down restaurant, Zingerman's Roadhouse, won a James Beard Award a few years ago, showing that they are doing some really good work.  When I traveled to the area recently, visiting the Deli, the start of everything, was very high on my list.  Located in downtown Ann Arbor, it's easy to walk from from the train station.  The is located in the front of the deli and has an amazing selection of meats, cheeses, bread, coffee, and other specialty items.  There were many things that I was interested in, but as I was traveling by train and didn't have a way to refrigerate anything for the trip, my choices were limited and while I ended up trying a few things, I didn't buy anything.

 

As one might guess from their market selection, they also have an amazing deli selection.  While Zingerman's is ostensibly a Jewish Deli, they do also serve a variety of hams and bacons.  In addition to the Pastrami, Corned Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, and other things, as well as a wide variety of salads.  They do not serve beer or liquor, but they have a variety of specialty soda's, in addition to Coffee, Tea, and Malteds.  I started things off with a Blenheim Ginger Ale, a Golden Ginger Ale that has a pronounced ginger flavor.  I much prefer the Golden Ginger Ales to the Dry (Canada Dry, Schweppes), but I prefer Vernor's to Blenheim.  For my sandwich, I decided to go with a specialty of Jewish Delis, the Reuben.  They had 6 different variations on the Reuben, I went with the S. Muno's Montreal Reuben with Wagshal's Smoked Brisket, Emmantal Swiss Cheese, Brinery Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye Bread.  It was served with one of two Dill Pickles, New (Crunchy and Cucumbery) or Old (Garlic Cured).  I went with the New, which had a nice crisp crunch and a lot of flavor.  There was obviously a lot of dill flavorm but there was also a pretty good garlic flavor as well.  The sandwich was really good with a good crunch and flavor.  The brisket was tender and had a good smoked flavor, the sauerkraut was crisp and sour, and the Emmantal added some creamy bitterness.  On the side, I ordered Swiss Potato Salad with Redskin Potatoes, Neuske's Bacon, Switzerland Swiss Cheese, Sea Salt, Tellicherry Black Pepper, Scallions, Mayo, and Dijon Mustard.  I like potato salad, but this was a very good potato salad.

I really enjoyed my trip here and will definitely have to return when I return to the area.  While I could order food from them (I could order the ingredients for a sandwich and build it here), the place is very friendly and the selection they have is pretty incredible.

Lansing Breweries and BBQ

When I made plans for my recent trip to Lansing, MI, it was going to be about Brunch, Biking, Breweries, and BBQ.  I brought my bike with me so it would be easier to get from one place to another.  When I got up in the morning, I made plans to go to brunch, which I have already talked about, but the route took me along the very scenic river trail with a dock-like wooden trail that ran over the river in many places, and many scenic places like the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum, and the River Trail Theater.  The rest of the day was about biking to breweries and finishing with BBQ.

 

 

The first place I stopped after brunch was Ozone's Brewhouse, a small place in Old Town Lansing, located about a block from Golden Harvest.  As it was early, I was one of the first people there, which gave me time to study the place and peruse the menu.  The space reminded me of an old woodshop with everything made of wood and the bar topped with a glossy resin finish with a multicolored bottle cap design inlaid in several places.  Ozone is three Oxygen atoms bonded together and with a chemical formula of O3.  The design of the Ozone's Brewhouse label has both the chemical formula and structure of ozone in the name which I, as a chemist, thought was pretty cool.  They have a twelve beer tap list with a pretty good variety.  When I go to a new place, I prefer to maximize my samples and order a flight.  Ozone's did not have a set flight and they had a price for four ounce pours, so you could create your own flight.  As I had just had an enormous brunch, and I planned on visiting several places, I decided to keep things a little light and only ordered 4 - four ounce pours of a variety of styles.  I started out with Tyrannosaurus Razz Raspberry Saison.  It wasn't incredibly sweet or tart, but it had a nice raspberry aroma and finishing flavor with definite saison funk.  After fruit, I went to bourbon with Black Roses Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.  This tasted big with a definite bourbon flavor.  The next beer kind of blew my mind which is exactly what it was supposed to do.  Called White Collar Crime, it was labeled a White Stout.  Now the idea of a white stout is a bit mind blowing because stouts are made with roasted malt, which gives the beer its dark flavor.  This beer is a pale ale brewed with cocoa nibs and cold brewed coffee, flavors that are frequently found in stouts.  While it certainly tastes like a stout, it very definitely did not look like a stout because it did not use roasted malt.  My final beer was Hopbreaker, which was an Imperial IPA.  It was pretty hoppy and flavorful with a nice body and with that it was time to get on the road again.

The next stop was the biggest brewery in the Lansing area, Lansing Brewing Company.
It takes its name from the original Lansing Brewing Company that operated in the city from 1898 until 1914 when it was closed in the movement toward Prohibition. The new Lansing Brewing Company opened in 2014 and uses the theme of the labor movement to build on.  Lansing was very important in the Labor Movement and the original was popular among the laborers in the new Oldsmobile Factory.  They had an Amber Cream Ale that was very popular which the new brewery also has.  I am going to guess that it is also very popular because when I tried to order it, they were out.  I started with a pint of Union Golden Ale and a small pour of Munchies Double Dank Double IPA.  The golden ale was solid and very drinkable.  The Double IPA, as it's name implies was dank and was going for a taste like marijuana smells.  It was not the dankest brew that I have ever had, but it was pretty dank.  While I was drinking these, I noticed some serving trays that seemed to be for flights.  Flights were not listed on the menu or else I would have ordered one when I sat.  I asked if they did flights, they did, so I ordered one.  I had already had the Golden Ale and their double IPA so they were off the list, but they had 12 beers on tap so I had choices.  In my flight I chose Michigan Medley Session IPA, Sly and the Family Saison Black Saison, Urban Grove Wheat Ale, Fox in the Henhouse Saison, and Saiko Himitsu Rice Lager.  Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have chosen the rice lager because the idea reminds me too much of Budweiser, but I wanted something on the lighter side.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't something that I would drink regularly.  Everything else was pretty good with my favorite probably being the Black Saison.  Lansing Brewing Company seems to be the most popular brewery in the Lansing Area, though they are also the safest as far as styles and flavors are concerned.

 

The last brewery that I stopped at was Ellison Brewery & Spirits, located in East Lansing, east of the MSU campus.  As I went to MSU, I did have to make a few stops to see landmarks and my dorm, but I didn't have to really go out of my way.  Located on a dead end road off East Lansing's main drag, you would think that it would be relatively easy to find.  Unfortunately the entrance is in the back of a generic factory building off the road and there is only one small sign on a door in the front, so it can be a little difficult where it is.  If you look into the alley/driveway behind the building, you can easily see a brewing tank, so I used that as a direction aid.  I had had some beer from Ellison and I liked it, so I was determined to find it.  Once you find the tap room, you see that it's kind of small with seating at the curved bar, high tops, and picnic tables for about 60 people (tightly).  There is a garage door at the entrance and space for the area to be used as a patio when the temperature was warmer than it was when I was there.  It was pretty busy, but I was waited on pretty quickly and found a spot to sit at a picnic table.  Their beers were little more on the exotic side and they did them well.  I ordered the Big Black Stout, BRB Fruit Ale made with Raspberries, Blueberries, and Blackberries, Crescent Fresh IPA, and Relativity Double IPA.  All of the beers had big flavors and were very good.  The two IPAs were West Coast and East Coast.  The Crescent Fresh being the West Coast IPA was very clear.  The Relativity was an East Coast IPA that was very hazy and had a juicy and citrusy flavor.  The Big Black Stout was solid with a nice coffee flavor, and BRB was tart and fruity.  Of the four, I think that I liked the Relativity Double IPA best.  My only issue was in the way the beers were served.  While I do understand the logic of serving beers in the order that they were ordered, the problem with that is that you could start with a beer that overwhelms your taste buds and kills your taste for the rest of your beers.  I prefer to have my beers served from light to dark.

I finished off the day with more food, stopping at the inventively named Meat BBQ, located very close to where I started in Lansing.  It was very popular when we went, I met my brother there, so there was a wait.  Luckily, my brother arrived before I did which alleviated most of our wait.  They have a pretty good beer list, but as I had been drinking all afternoon, I was not in the mood for any more.  We started things off with their Nachos.  These started out with hand cut Tortilla Chips topped with Pork, Brisket, and Bacon, Cheese and BBQ Sauce, and drizzled with Onions, Tomato, Jalopeno, and Avocado.  It was sloppy but it was really good and while it was served as an appetizer, it could have easily served as a main course.  For my main course, I went with a Half Rack of Ribs served with two sides.  The sides offered were normal BBQ fare and I went with Mac and Cheese and Potato Salad (although this Potato Salad was made with Blue Cheese and Bacon).  The ribs were dry rubbed and glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce, similar to Memphis-Style.  It was all good, but with my my high caloric intake for the day, I ended up taking most of it home which was fine because it was still good warmed up.  My day of Brunch (with Bacon and Broccoli), Beer, Biking, and BBQ was complete.  I had a lot of fun and enjoyed my experience at all of my stops.