La Crosse Oktoberfest: Beer and Car Flipping

La Crosse Oktoberfest: Beer and Car Flipping

La Crosse’s Oktoberfest is a big deal. There’s music, a parade, carnival games, brats, and fried cheese curds along with beer, drinking games, a golden keg, debauchery, and destruction. Destruction? Yes. Cars get flipped. It’s a tradition. There seems to be some agreement that the 

Three New York City Neighborhood Dive Bars

Three New York City Neighborhood Dive Bars

It’s been a while since we visited New York. We’ve missed it. New York is a really great city. Times Square, however, is terrible and crowded. We managed to get stuck walking through Times Square three times even though we were committed to avoiding it. 

Ithaca Beer Co: Our Local Brewery

Ithaca Beer Co: Our Local Brewery

Technically, there is a closer brewery — 3 Herons — but they don’t sell beer (yet). Ithaca Beer has been selling beer since the late ’90s. Their most famous brews are Apricot Wheat and Nut Brown. Both are delicious. But there’s more. Just after we 

The 6 Best Burgers in America: Middle-of-Nowhere Edition

The 6 Best Burgers in America: Middle-of-Nowhere Edition

Finding a good burger in a city is easy. There’s Dick’s in Seattle, Kopp’s in Milwaukee, In-N-Out across the Southwest, and Culver’s everywhere in the Midwest. But there’s something about being in the middle of nowhere and finding a great burger place. A cheeseburger in 

Ithaca Food, Ten Years Later

Ithaca Food, Ten Years Later

This weekend, we were at Just a Taste in Ithaca and we thought we recognized our waitress. “Have you worked here for a while,” I asked. “Yeah. A loooooong time,” she said. “Like ten years? We haven’t been here for ten years and you look 

barVino: The Coolest Place North of I-90 in New York

barVino: The Coolest Place North of I-90 in New York

In the sleepy Adirondack town of North Creek, there’s a new restaurant. It’s called barVino (lowercase ‘b’ and uppercase ‘V’ and all one word). They have live music every Wednesday, a great wine list, and a tasty beer list. They also serve delicious food. After visiting one 

“Montreal Style” Pizza at Ottawa’s Big Rig Brewery

“Montreal Style” Pizza at Ottawa’s Big Rig Brewery

After an afternoon at our local IKEA … in Ontario, Canada (Ottawa, to be exact), we were in need of a beer and a bite. Big Rig Brewery promised both. First: the beer. I got the sampler (Golden, Red, IPA, Stout). Lisa ordered a pint 

In Canada, ALL Booze is Expensive

In Canada, ALL Booze is Expensive

When we were in London, we noticed UK booze was pricey, wine and liquor especially. Cider and beer was a bit more in line with our expectations. Then we visited Canada, Ottawa specifically. OMFG. Look at these pics from the state (province?) liquor store (note the 

The Best Wine Deals in London

The Best Wine Deals in London

Slight amendment to this post. We did find two good wine deals while in London. Half-off Champagne at Tesco. Just some random French bottle. It was pretty great and £12.99 ($21), 50% off its normal price. Not worth $42. That’s Bollinger price territory back home. Half-off 

Offal Lunch at St. John Bread and Wine

Offal Lunch at St. John Bread and Wine

I cut into it and it spewed, simple as that. Not a bad spew. Just a spew. Didn’t want Lisa to see though, so I mopped it up and shoved it in my mouth. Damn, it was tasty. “What was that?” she asked. “I’ll tell 

Drinking is EXPENSIVE in London

Drinking is EXPENSIVE in London

Damn, wine’s expensive here. Booze is expensive too. Let’s do some maths. (Things get pluraled oddly over here. “Horsepowers” is  a legit term.) In California, where we found the cheapest wine on our trip, they sell Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe’s– a bottle of Charles 

Gangnam Style Tea

Gangnam Style Tea

I used to drink my tea straight, unmolested, and I used to hardly drink any at all. Here, I’m sucking down maybe a liter of hot tea a day. It’s delicious. This is, mind you, in addition to my normal ration of coffee. It’s just