The Cocktail Hour - Hurricane

Below is the video for the Hurricane but read the recipe at the bottom for an extra ingredient that made it much better.

The Hurricane is the classic New Orleans drink.  Sold in take-out windows so you can drink while perusing the French Quarter, it's a very tasty thirst quencher.  It's also quite potent.  Many of the recipes I found called for up to six different spirits (yikes!), so I experimented a little before coming up with this lighter version...that is if you can still call something with two shots of rum in each drink light.

In the video above, I used a different grenadine than I usually do.  It was weak and wouldn't hold its color so the drinks came out orange.  In the recipe below, I added cranberry cocktail.  It not only gave the drink its usual red color but also boosted the taste considerably.

HURRICANE - Two Drinks

2oz - light rum
2oz - dark rum
1 1/3 oz - lime juice
splash of passion fruit syrup
1/2 oz simple syrum
1/2 oz grenadine
2oz - orange juice
1oz - cranberry cocktail

Mix all ingredients in a shaker 1/3 filled with ice.  Strain into two old-fashioned glassed half filled with ice.

Cheers!

-Darryl

THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Red Solo Cup

Finally...a drink for the rest of us.

Watch the Video!

In honor of Toby Keith and his song, here's a concoction guaranteed to impress, easy and cheap to make...the Red Solo Cup!  Here's the recipe, don't go overboard on high quality ingredients...the supermarket generic stuff will do:


INGREDIENTS


3 oz. white rum
1 oz. amaretto
3-4 oz. cranberry cocktail
Juice of 1 lime
splash of grenadine


Take rum, amaretto, lime juice, and cranberry cocktail and put in a shaker half full of ice. Shake well, pour into two red solo cups...not blue, not yellow...filled with ice. Float the grenadine on top.


Cheers!

Darryl

THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Margarita Lite

I know we've done a margarita recipe before but this is special.  


We wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle, lose a little weight, and get into better shape.  So far, it's been working.  The bad part is that cocktails are usually full of empty calories.  Hey, we like to drink too but we need to retool.

Watch the Video!

So, we've cut way back on the heavy drinks, switched to wine for the most part, and experimented with making a lighter cocktail.  Here is the first result of that retooling.
(Note:  In the video, I miscalculated a say it's about 125 calories...it's actually about 150, see below)

Our new margarita lite recipe is just as good as our original margarita recipe but with about 80 less calories.  The alcohol is the same, 3 parts tequila, 2 parts triple sec, and 1 part brandy.  The difference is the mixer...we're using Sunkist Diet Sparkling Lemonade instead of sweet 'n sour mix.


Here's the recipe (two drinks):


2 ounces tequila                                   - 140 calories
1.25 ounces triple sec                         - 120 calories
.4 ounces brandy                                 -    40 calories
juices of 1/2 lime                                   -    5 calories
4 ounces Diet Lemon Soda                -    0 calories


Total Calories                                       - 305 calories
Calories per drink                                - 153 calories


(A Cadillac margarita at most restaurants, which this closely resembles, is about 325 calories per drink)


Fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full with ice.  Put in all ingredients except for lemon soda and shake.  Pour lemon soda over ice into margarita glasses or cocktail glasses rimmed with salt (about half the depth of the ice).  Pour ingredients from shaker over that.  Enjoy the results - beware, these are still strong drinks.


Cheers!

Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

The Cocktail Hour - Amaretto Sour

This is the drink to make for that time you don't want a real strong drink.  Lighter in alcohol than drinks such as the daquiri or margarita that we featured.  Way less than the Latin passion...this is a refreshing cocktail that will sit well on a hot day and won't knock you out if you have a couple.

Watch the Video!

Here is the recipe for two drinks:


INGREDIENTS
2 oz. - Amaretto
1 oz. - Triple Sec
4-5 oz. - Sweet and Sour mix
splash of marischino syrup
orange wedge


Fill a cocktail shaker 1/3- 1/2 full of ice.  Put in amaretto and triple sec.  Fill to top with sweet and sour.  Add a dash of marischino syrup.  Shake and strain into old fashioned glass.  Add orange wedge as garnish.


Cheers!

-Darryl

The Cocktail Hour - Tequila Sunrise

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Lynt under CC-BY-SA license

The Tequila Sunrise is a very visual drink, the name coming from the effect of the red grenadine sitting on the bottom of the orange drink, giving it the illusion of a sunrise.  It's a great change-of-pace beach drink when you get tired of the saltiness of your margarita or the heaviness of your pina colada.  Being that it's full of orange juice, it's also a great source of vitamin C while you sitting in the sun (hey, gotta bring the positives!).

Watch the Video!

The problem I've had with this drink in the past is that the classic recipe...orange juice, tequila, and grenadine only...has left me with an aftertaste that can best be described as "children's aspirin" taste...the St. Joseph's effect.  It tastes good, but that aftertaste is a bit annoying.  Even at the great bars that dot the beaches of Mexico, I still had that taste.  The recipe below is my adaption of the classic and uses pineapple and lime juice to eliminate that aftertaste.


TEQUILA SUNRISE (1 drink)

2 oz. - tequila
2-3 oz. - orange juice
2-3 oz. - pineapple juice
spash of lime juice
splash of grenadine


Take a highball glass and fill 2/3 with crushed ice.  Pour in the tequila.  Fill about halfway to the top with orange juice.  Pour in a splash of lime juice or squeeze half a fresh lime into the glass.  Complete the fill of the glass with the pineapple juice.  Stir the contents.  Pour a splash of grenadine along one side...note - do not pour over the top of the drink...the grenadine is denser than the liquid in the glass and will soon sink to the bottom.  Do not stir the drink, you want the grenadine on the bottom when you serve so you get the sunrise effect.  Once you start drinking it, it will mix in but let your guests to the mixing or you'll just end up with a pink drink.


Cheers!

Darryl

The Cocktail Hour - Scarlet O'Hara

Here's a new one for us, a southern classic.

Watch the Video!

Ingredients:

1 oz. whiskey
1 oz. Grand Marnier
juice of one small lime
top off with cranberry cocktail

Mix all ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice.

Cheers!

Darryl

The Cocktail Hour - Beer Taste Off

For today's Cocktail Hour, I went over to Trader Joe's and raided their single serving beer shelf (yes, they have one) and today we're putting them to the test in the first World on Wheels Taste Off.

The beers we're tasting are two Mission Street varieties...the Blonde Ale and the Pale Ale...both brewed in Paso Robles, California; Great Scot, an organic pale ale from Scotland (it's even labeled Vegan...though I suppose all beer would be); and Sapporro Reserve Ale from Japan.

Here's the taste off video:

And...just like "American Idol,", here's the results video:

Results:
1 - Great Scot (Tim's Favorite)
2 - Mission St. Pale Ale
3 - Mission St. Blonde Ale (Letty's Favorite)
4 - Sapporro Reserve Ale (Darryl's Favorite)

-Darryl

Summer in Lake Tahoe - Part 3

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  For all you north shore people, this part is for you. Previously, we drove up highway 395, had some great Basque Food, and went hiking. Then, we drove over the mountains to Amador County to taste some superb wine and dine among history. Today, we’re going over to the other side of the lake.

Highway 50 on the east shore leads to highway 28 at Spooner Junction taking us past some crystal-clear water on our way to Incline Village. Past Incline is King’s Beach where we see a farmer’s market in progress by the beach. Parking is $8, but the friendly parking attendant lets us know that it’s free on the street, so that’s where we park.

Another days worth of fruit is bought and we take a little time on the beach here to enjoy some of it. Placer County Waste Management is also handing out cloth shopping bags so we take a few of those, which come in quite handy when we go shopping back home.

I drive a little east on the highway until I can turn left to go around the block…sort of a fat, lazy U turn…to go the other way. It’s the easiest way on this busy stretch of road.

The little side street…just feet from the main highway…is filled with trailers and run down houses. I think we’ve just found the poor side of town, just out of the view of the tourists on the main drag. It’s a reminder that not everybody up here is rich.

We turn north on highway 267, just past the town, and head over to Truckee. This old railroad town still hums with the sound of locomotives and has some fun shops and restaurants in its old downtown. After an hour of browsing here, we head back to the lake via highway 89 along the Truckee River, which meets back up with the lake in Tahoe City.

At the intersection of 89 and 28, there are a few businesses. We buy a couple of sandwiches here and head over to a public picnic area where the Truckee River flows out of Lake Tahoe. There are plenty of picnic tables in this gorgeous area. Our sandwiches are delicious, along with the fruit we got earlier at the farmers market.

Just a few feet away is a small dam that regulates the flow into the river. In the stretch between the dam and highway 89 (a very short distance) is a school of some of the biggest rainbow trout you’ll ever see. We’re told that no fishing is allowed within 200 yards of the dam, so these fish have learned that this is the place to be. A local sporting goods shop has set up a couple of fish food vending machines doing very good business.

There’s a bike trail along the river that starts here so we decide to go hiking. A sign at the beginning of the trail says that pedestrians should stay on the left and bikes on the right, which sounds fine in theory, but there’s only two small lanes…what happens when a bike is coming the other way? It seems that most people just stick to the “keep right” philosophy but my wife keeps insisting that we stay left. After a few too close encounters, I finally get her to see it my way but she’s tired of keeping out of the way of the bikes, so we head back to the car.

Travelling on along the north shore, we go to the CalNeva Lodge. This should be more of a landmark. It was owned for a time by Frank Sinatra and one of the cabins along the shoreline was where President Kennedy had his trysts with Marilyn Monroe. It’s changed hands a few times since then, in fact, my wife handled one of the sale escrows back when she was in the business.

We had originally planned to stay here for a cheap north shore room but had second thoughts as we learned that the present owners were gathering a reputation for not keeping the place up and lost it to the bank in foreclosure. A sale never materialized, so the bank now runs the place. (Note: The Cal Neva has since closed. Billionaire Larry Ellison, of the Oracle Corporation, now owns it and is renovating it into a luxury hotel. - Ed)

My wife tells me why it didn’t sell…the property’s key claim to fame is its location. CalNeva means that the state line runs right down the middle of the place. You can see the state line drawn on the wall inside with the casino starting on the Nevada side. The pool also has the state line down the middle. Sounds neat, until you think of the nightmare of sorting out a property sale not only in two cities and counties, but in different states. It wasn’t one of her easier escrows, to be sure.

Inside is a beautiful bar with a giant Tiffany glass ceiling. The place looks old…in a retro kind of way…but not too worn out. We have a couple of drinks served by a friendly bartender. Afterward, we blow a few bucks on slot machines in the sparsely populated casino. It’s the middle of the day and all the table games are closed. They’re only open during the evenings, Thursday through Sunday.

We walk around to see the cabin that Kennedy used, walk into the old showroom, see the pool with the border in it, and the big room that served as a dance hall in the early days. It’s neat, but very quiet and no buzz here so off we go.

As we wind our way back to the south side, I remember about the Ponderosa. In the 60’s and 70’s, we used to watch Bonanza all the time. On the show, Ben Cartwright owned pretty much all the land on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe. After a couple of years on the show, a set was actually built between Incline Village and Spooner Junction, which became a little theme park open to the public.

I didn’t recall seeing any signs for it on the way to the north shore so I started looking on our way back. Soon, I saw a large parking lot with an old Conestoga wagon next to it. A large fenced off area was up the hill but there were no signs. We drove around to the back part and saw the unmistakable Cartwright ranch house along a western themed streetscape. We’d found the Ponderosa. It had gone belly up and was just rotting alongside the road. The website is just a tombstone…”The Ponderosa Ranch is now closed to the public. There are no plans for it to be reopened.”

Coming back into the Stateline area, we decide to do a little gambling. Parking in the back of Harrah’s, we wander along highway 50 and walk into Bill’s Casino, which had a $1.50 microbrew and hot dog special. We make our way into the bar, which had just a few locals in it. We inquire about the deal and get served but the bartender makes sure to tell us that “there are no free drinks just because you gamble here.” Okay then.

We make our way out onto the gaming floor. Besides us, there are exactly 4 people in the casino. Not exactly a lively place. Bill’s closed down last month (January, 2010). Doesn’t surprise me in the least.

We went over to Harrah’s next. Played a little roulette and some slots. More players here but still not a large crowd. No energy at all. We take the tunnel that runs under the street to Harvey’s (built for the cold winter days they have here) but it’s no different. Gambling is just a major letdown on this trip.

I do need to note that we were here at the very depths of our current recession, so I guess it should not be too surprising.

Coming out to go back to the hotel, we see a couple of homeless guys trying to get enough money for a tall boy. Boy, the Nevada side of things was sure depressing today.

For dinner tonight, we head on over to Café Fiore, near the base lodge for Heavenly Valley. It’s hard to find, hidden behind another larger restaurant, but this small (7 tables) intimate Italian bistro is such a find.

I have a plate of veal saltimboca while my wife gets linguine fra diavolo, a plate of pasta liberally infused with different seafoods. An appetizer plate of sauerkraut and veggies are accompanied by a delicious breadbasket. I was not a sauerkraut person, but a taste of theirs turned my opinion around. Just in time as we’d be in Germany in a couple of month’s time.

Charming, delicious, and relaxed. The restaurant is so small that by the end of dinner, you know everyone in there. The contractor up from Santa Clarita with his wife. The schoolteacher on a weekender from Simi Valley. The law firm partner with his wife from Newport Beach. Great fun. I highly recommend Café Fiore when you’re in the area. Reservations are essential in this tiny little café.

The next day we have one last wonderful breakfast and check out. We head west on highway 50 and make our way home down the Central Valley.

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

Summer in Lake Tahoe - Part 2

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  I can’t rave enough about the great breakfast they serve at the Station House Inn. Also, in part 1, I raved about the suite with the spa tub but neglected to mention that we inspected a fully accessible room with roll-in shower and two queen beds. Plenty of room for a family of up to four. Not quite as nice as the spa suite though.

After another delicious morning meal, we hit the road for a side trip up over the Carson Pass. We turn off highway 50 onto highway 89 just past the small community of Meyers. Civilization quickly fades as we drive along side the Upper Truckee River. It’s just beautiful up here with sharp blue skies, miles of meadows, with trout filled streams running through.

A quick right onto highway 88 at Sorensens and we’re heading up the pass.
In 1844, a group of soldiers headed by explorer Kit Carson and 2nd Lieutenant John C. Fremont were looking for a route to Sutter’s Fort from the Utah Territory to re-supply. As they came up through this snowy pass in February, they ran into some bad weather, got stranded, and had to eat their dogs and horses to survive. On Valentine’s day, Fremont and his cartographer hiked up a local peak and became the first white men to set sight on Lake Tahoe. At the end of the month, the weather cleared enough that the party was able to continue on and make it through the pass that now bears Carson’s name and arrive on March 6th to Sutter’s Fort with no fatalities.

Soon, we arrive at the peak elevation of 8,650 ft. near Red Lake. It was in this area that the group was stranded. Not long after, we hit a 2-mile stretch of road alongside a steep slope bearing ominous signs of “No Stopping – Avalanche Zone.” One time years ago, a ski patroller from Kirkwood ski area rode along with us on one of our spring break adventures here. He told us that the area where the snow on the side of the road suddenly grew thicker was where a recent avalanche had come down. He then told us about another avalanche where a man was buried and rescuers could not find him…until the spring thaw when they found his body under the platform that was built for a landing area for the rescue helicopter.

A little beyond this and we get to Caples Lake, which sits in front of my personal favorite ski area, Kirkwood. It’s been several years since I’ve skied, but this would be the place I would try to come to more than any other.

About half way down the pass, we stop at a roadside residence where a sign tells us the owner makes homemade bird feeders. He doesn’t have anything that would work for us but he and his wife invite us to chat for awhile, looking at all the birds that come to their yard. Afterward, he tells us to go to the TrueValue hardware store in Jackson to find the feeder we want.

We do stop there, but we don’t find a suitable feeder although my wife found some great deals on yard decorations.

We make the turn up highway 49, headed to our favorite wine appellation, Amador County. At the tiny town of Plymouth, it’s a right turn to go to the Shanandoah Valley. (see our original Amador County report for more)

Our first stop is Montevina Winery, although it’s now called Terra ‘d Oro. They still have a label called Montevina but the winery has added a large warehouse and production facility since we were last here 11 years ago. No wonder I had a hard time finding it.

We try a few tastes and take along some Zinfandel and Barbera. They used to make a Refosco that would make you sigh, but now Montevina is their budget label. It’s still good, but it used to be better.

   Next, it’s on to the King of Zinfandel, Renwood Rombauer Winery. Renwood Rombauer makes some superb zins from their old growth vines, some dating back to the Gold Rush. We tasted several great renditions of this grape and one, the Grandpere, was a musty tasting wine. Didn’t enjoy it as much as we have in the past. The Old Vine Zin and the Barbera were very enjoyable. We took half a case of each.

As we were tasting, two other couples came in to taste and insisted on white wines and the guy working the counter jokingly said, “oh, you want the sissy wines.” They turned around and walked out. Seemed very thin skinned to me as it was obviously just a light tease…Renwood Rombauer (and Amador County for that matter) is known for its heavy reds.

On to our next stop, the beautiful Story winery. Another winery with old (over a century) vines, Story lets their oldest vines go without irrigation, relying only on natural rain. This produces a small fruit, with concentrated juice giving the wine some of the most intense zinfandel flavor you’ll find. Their tasting room is in an old, small cabin next to a picnic area overlooking the Cosumnes River Canyon. We get their “recession special” which consists of 2 of their premium Miss-Zin wines (50/50 mission grape and zinfandel), 2 old vine zins, a chardonnay, and champagne for $60.

We get another bottle to enjoy at the table overlooking the canyon while I look back at the cabin and see the two ladies that work there poking around the bottom of the shack with a rake and hose. I ask what’s going on and they say they saw a rattlesnake slither under there and they’re trying to catch it.

The wine country of Amador County is beautiful, relaxed, and features some of the state’s best wines. It doesn’t hurt that they still routinely offer free tasting, unlike the big valley north of Napa.

It’s time to eat so we head back to the Carson Pass. Up at Kirkwood, we stop at the Kirkwood Inn, a small restaurant and bar across the street from Caples Lake and the Kirkwood Ski area.

This place has been in business since 1864. Snowshoe Thompson was one of the regulars here. It also has some seriously good food. I have a steak sandwich while my wife has a pasta dish. Both fill us up for the night. Inside, you sit under massive wooden beams by a roaring fire (in cold weather), and chat up with the locals. You get the feeling that you’re a hundred miles from civilization and that you’ve stepped back in time.

In reality, it’s only about 25 miles back to Tahoe. Along the way, I see this guy in a wheelchair fishing the Carson River…I can’t figure out how he got there.

More to come, stay tuned for part 3…

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

The Cocktail Hour - Amarita

This is a drink of my own invention.  Sometimes, I just like to play around with what's in by bar and see what comes out.  Sort of like a Dr. Frankenstein of alcohol.  Here's one that came out good.  The others?  Just don't look in the dungeon.

Watch the Video!

Amarita Recipe (two drinks)

3 oz - tequila

2 oz - amaretto

1/2 oz - triple sec

1/2 oz - lime juice

Before mixing, put two cocktail (martini) glasses in the freezer.  Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker half full of ice and shake.  Remove the glasses from the freezer, they should frost up immediately.  Strain into the glasses.

Beware...this is a strong drink!

Darryl

PENNSYVANIA - Part 1

Penn Station, in New York, is appropriately named. We’re leaving here for Pennsylvania today. The station itself is a rabbit warren of a maze, especially if you’re in a wheelchair looking for that elusive ramp or lift to the next level. While Grand Central Station is massive, with soaring ceilings, stone walls, and magnificent artwork, Penn Station is cramped with low ceilings, dry wall, and has all the charm of the post office.

It’s hard to navigate our way through. Penn Station has notoriously bad signage, and it takes us a couple of laps to figure out where we’re going. We finally find the Amtrak ticket counter and lounge and also receive the bad news that there will be no checked baggage on this train. Our big suitcase (we all share one big suitcase along with each of our small carryons…you just can’t avoid checked baggage with a wheelchair) will have to ride with us.

Once the hectic pace is done and we board our train, with the help of Amtrak’s staff and a wheelchair lift, it’s a quick, 75 minute ride through the “scenic” wonders of New Jersey to the station in Philadelphia.

We pick up our rental car, a Suzuki Grand Vitara…which my wife keeps calling the Grand Viagra. It’s doable with a manual chair and is not too hard to transfer Tim into the front passenger seat. It is pretty stained due to sitting under a wet, rusty roof in the parking lot. As long as it runs well, which it does.

We head west out of Philly to our destination of West Chester. Our intention is to stay in this quieter suburb and take the train into Philadelphia for sightseeing and activities. Arriving at the West Chester Microtel, we notice a lot of construction going on. We booked Microtel because you can guarantee a roll-in shower on their web site. I had called the week before to confirm that. However…

We are told that the lady staying in the room we had booked does not want to leave and that there is nothing the hotel can do. Funny, because I remember being told “no” in no uncertain terms once when I wanted to extend my stay because someone else had booked that particular room.

What to do now...I was offered another room at the hotel but there was no other accessible room that we could use. I was adamant that it had to be accessible, Tim needed somewhere to bathe. The manager offered to put us up at another nearby hotel. I agreed as long as it was an accessible room.

The “best he could do” was the Microtel at the Philadelphia airport. I told him that I specifically avoided that location because I did not want to be near the airport…which was also not close to where we were. I was told it’s only a 30 minute drive and basically “take it or leave it.”

A 2-hour drive later puts us as the Microtel, Philadelphia airport. Indeed, it was an accessible room with roll-in shower and a good staff. The whole experience, especially when I complained to the corporate office and the manager of the West Chester location e-mailed me back, angry that I had complained when they had “done so much” to accommodate us, put me off of the Microtel brand…which usually comes highly recommended by travelers with special needs.

Bad hotel experience behind us, we decide to enjoy what we can. It’s a Thursday morning, so we decide to take a drive around the city to see what we can find before we go to our ball game.

We’re driving around, just south of downtown, when we make a random turn and find blocks full of old looking stalls looking like something from Little Italy around the turn of the 20th century. It’s looks very interesting, so we park and start walking around. It turns out that we stumbled onto the Italian Market (forgive me, but I’d never heard of it before), a marvelous place with many old-time grocers, meat markets, cheese shops, fish mongers, bookstores, and restaurants spilling out into their stalls in the street. We find a place that sells pizza for breakfast (!), have a couple of slices along with donuts and coffee.

It’s a lot of fun just exploring. We go into a nearby butcher shop, D’ Angelo Brothers, and get some dried meat for later. I ask the lady working behind the counter what the deal is with this neighborhood and she explains to me that it has changed relatively little over the last 100 years or so. Families still run their businesses, as theirs does, being passed down through the generations. She shows me a butcher block, worn down into curves, that has been in continuous use for over a century.

What a fascinating place. We continue on looking in all the shops.

Come game time, we head even farther south to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. It’s a day game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Being an Angel fan, Tim despises the Dodgers so he finds it easy to root for the home team. I’m pretty much indifferent about L.A.’s team. I liked them when they were owned by the O’ Malleys; lost some enthusiasm when Fox ran the team; and can’t stand the ownership team of the McCourts so I heartily cheered the Phillies on too.  Our seats were in the second deck, in right field, on a straight line with second and third base.

Being at the top row of that level, we were shaded on what turned out to be a hot and humid day. Surrounded by 5 food stands, a souvenir shop, and nearby restrooms, we were set.

We had a great view and hung out with some great Philly fans that were gracious and friendly with the out-of-towners. The staff was friendly too. We had some great ushers who kept our area clear and told us where the best food in the stadium was.

The "Pool Suite" at Citizen's Bank Park

Unfortunately, our cheering didn’t work because the Phillies went down to the Dodgers that day but they’d rebound to make the playoffs and then take the World Series the next season.

That game ended this trip’s baseball stadium quest with three more stadiums added to the list; Yankee, Shea, and now Citizens Bank Park.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Bobak Ha'Eri under CC-BY-SA license

After the game, we had a choice to make...Pat’s or Geno’s. We make our way north a ways to find the center of the cheese steak universe on the corner of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue. The two Philly Cheese steak legends duke it across the street from each other…Pat’s a kind of plain-Jane looking stand while Geno’s is a garish neon outpost that I don’t doubt can be seen from space.

Pat's and Geno's

Which one to choose? They both have their fans and detractors and both seem to be good so it came down to which one has the shortest line. At this time, that would be Geno’s so off we went.

Ordering at either of these places can be intimidating. Signs are posted on how exactly to order. Kind of in a Soup Nazi way, you make your way to the first window where you order your sandwich and you must be ready. Know what you want…steak sandwich; cheese type (provolone, wiz…cheese wiz, or American); wid (with onions) or widout. People who are indecisive are sent to the back of the line to start over. After the sandwich window you go to an adjacent window to get your drinks and fries.

At Geno’s, you are also faced with signs that proclaim that this is America, when ordering “speak English,” which has caused no shortage of controversy (and free publicity) in this town. Owner Joe Vento says his family had to learn the language when they came to America and encourages others to do the same. Despite the sign, he says he’s never refused anybody service due to their language but says that he can’t guarantee their order will be right if they don’t.

Once past the intimidating gauntlet of procuring your food, you take it to one of the outdoor tables and dig in. It is a delicious, juicy, cheesy, greasy pile of sliced rib eye on a bun. I have no dog in this fight, so if you are put off by Geno’s English bias, try Pat’s across the street where you just have to run the same drill in ordering. It’s a Philly thing and despite the intimidation factor, the people there are nice. Go for the unique experience and the delicious sandwich.

Across the street from our hotel is a station for the SEPTA commuter train. The next morning we leave the car behind and take the train into the city. At the Reading Station, we get breakfast at the adjacent Reading Market which is an expansive indoor market with produce sellers, butchers, meats, and more…kind of like an updated Italian Market. They have an Amish themed “Pennsylvania Dutch” section where we have some unbelievably good soft pretzels.

One more stop on the line puts us at Independence National Historical Park. Here is where you go to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

At the visitor’s center, we pick up our free tickets for a tour of Independence Hall. We have about an hour to wait (each ticket is good for a specific time), so we head across the street to Christ Church Burial Ground to find the grave of Benjamin Franklin. There are also four other signers of the Declaration of Independence buried here. We pay the $5 admission to get in, only to find that Franklin’s grave is right next to the fence…we didn’t need to go in to see it. It is covered with pennies from people who toss them on as a tribute to him…a penny saved is a penny earned.

Franklin's Grave

Wandering through the cemetery, I notice a fresh grave. I ask the caretaker if they still bury people here. Yes they do, although it is just for people who have already bought plots. They are selling no more but he said they’d make an exception if someone notable like a U.S. president wanted to be buried here.

It’s time, so we head over to Independence Hall for our tour. There is a security point manned by some very nice and patient people who go through every nook and cranny of your bags before passing you through the metal detector.

This is Where It Happened

Inside, we are lead by a ranger on a tour of the old courtroom which is across the hall from the meeting room where the Continental Congress met, drafted, and signed the Declaration of Independence. Of course, you can just feel the history oozing throughout even though most of the room is recreated. George Washington’s Sun chair at the top of the podium is the real deal though.

The tour continues upstairs and Letty goes on up while Tim and I wait below due to the inaccessibility. We are shown a photo album of what is upstairs while a ranger explains it to us.

When the tour is over, we wander around the shady grounds for a bit and explore the surrounding historic neighborhood. It is still hot and humid and I can imagine how our founding fathers must have felt without air conditioning in the beginning of summer.

Across the street, we go and see the Liberty Bell, which is in its own display building. Another security point must be negotiated before you see this but it requires no tickets or advance notice to see.

Our afternoon of history over, we wander over to the Delaware River, separating us from New Jersey, and find a Belgian pub with some great, refreshing brews to help cool us off before going back to our hotel.

And with that, we’re done with Philadelphia. Part 2 follows below and we travel to the land time forgot, Lancaster and Amish country.

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

The Cocktail Hour - Wine: Pinot Noir

Today is supposed to reach 90 degrees so we'll keep it light with a bottle of wine.  This afternoon, we'll be enjoying a 2008 Redwood Vineyards Pinot Noir.  Redwood is a Sonoma winery but the grapes are from Lodi and the Sacramento River Delta.  Rated 88 points, it has hints of rasberries, cherry, and a nice oak finish.  Click on the picture above to see it large and the clarity of this wine.

Not that we've had a lot of Pinot Noir the last year, maybe a half dozen bottles total, but this is the best we've had recently.  It's delicious and can be had for around $12.  Paul's Wine of the Month Club has it for $6.99 for members.

-Darryl

Kern County and Bakersfield, California - Part 2

JULY 2,2010 - UPDATED CONTENT BELOW (Scroll down)

Previously on The World on Wheels: Bakersfield, we ate some great tacos, drank an awesome margarita, listened to some country music, and took in some stock car racing.

Watch the Video!

The next day, we get ready for some baseball. Today, we’re taking in a game of the Bakersfield Blaze who are hosting the Lancaster Jethawks. The Blaze are the single A minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers, while the Jethawks are with the Houston Astros.

(Note: The Blaze discontinued operations in 2016. Sam Lynn ballpark is now home to an independent team, the Bakersfield Train Robbers - Ed)

It’s a Sunday, so that means a day game. A stiff breeze greets us as we get to the parking lot of Sam Lynn Stadium in Bakersfield. I like the wheelchair seats here because they are elevated platforms in the first row of this small stadium. It’s rare that wheelchairs get to sit in the front row anywhere.

We set up on the platform, buy some hot dogs and beer and wait for the game to begin. The wind is blowing stronger, so Letty has us move back a few feet where we can use a stairwell as a wind-break.

The game begins, and the wind gets worse; kicking up clouds of dust. Soon, our hair is dusty and there is grit in our teeth. Our beers are polluted with that Bakersfield dirt.

The Blaze get out to a quick lead. The announcer asks people to avoid a tented pavilion down the right-field foul line for safety reasons. Advertising banners are being blown off of the outfield wall.

In the second inning, the Jethawks pitcher steps off of the mound and starts rubbing his eyes. The two team managers come out and ask the umpires to delay the game. They do and now we’re in a wind delay. Since it’s only a delay, we have no recourse…your tickets are still good for today only. We wait and luckily one of the team execs comes by and says they’ll wait a half hour and make a final decision. We can live with that.

Howling winds buffet the stadium and the fans. Finally, the umpires relent and suspend the game. In baseball, there are no refunds…your tickets for a cancelled game can be used for another game later in the season. We will hope for better weather tomorrow but it’s too windy to put the tarps on the field and a short but heavy rainstorm hits that night, drenching the field. Tomorrow’s game will be cancelled too. Oh well, we’ll hold on to our stubs and come back in a couple of months.

UPDATE: June 2010

Since we still had tickets to a Blaze game, we went back up to Bakersfield last weekend to catch the game. It would have been cheaper just to eat the tickets but anything for an excuse to go to Bakersfield… yes, we are nerdy like that and, yes, we do like Bakersfield but this weekend would probably be the last weekend we could go before it got unbearably hot.

It was a pretty uneventful drive over the Grapevine and we pulled into Huichos for lunch and then headed to Dewar’s for dessert at the newer location on Hageman Road. The server was a delight but the lady that rang up our bill seemed to want to get into an argument for some reason. Sensing a little hostility there, I just kept my mouth shut and paid the bill. Great ice cream, though.

Again, we stayed at our home-away-from home, the Springhill Suites by Marriott just off Rosedale Highway. I was on the verge of being sick so I took a nap while Letty went out to the pool. Dinner was at Benji’s, a Basque restaurant near the hotel. We love Basque restaurants and Benji’s gets my vote for the best salad I’ve ever had. Their pickled tongue is also good, second only to Centro Basco in Chino. Overall, it gets my vote over Woolgrower’s as the better of the Basque restaurants we’ve ate at in Bakersfield. The only other one we’ve been to is the Basque Café which is no longer in business.

On to the game. We got blown out by a dust storm in April but today the weather is fantastic. Due to the batters facing directly into the sunset because of the field alignment, night games start at 7:45pm this time of the year. We get great seats right behind home plate in the first row.

Sam Lynn Stadium…home of the Blaze…is old and in dire need of a rehabilitation but it is also so down-home friendly and comfortable that I can overlook that. We sit in the middle of a small group of friendly season ticket holders who are more than happy to chat about all things baseball and Bakersfield. Like the usual Bakersfield residents, they are kind of amazed that someone would actually visit their city for a getaway but most acknowledge that they live in a hidden gem of a town.

The Blaze give the lead away early to Visalia via a solo home run.

After the first inning, just like in April, Letty is chosen to be the sweetheart of the game and is given flowers by the mascot, Heater, and is announced over the PA system. No, I didn’t pay anyone off…just a happy coincidence.

The Blaze tie the game and take the lead. After nine good innings, they take the game with a score of 5-4.

Breakfast the next morning was at the 24th Street Café in downtown. It has a good reputation for a breakfast place and the food is very good, but the service was slow and they really try to shoehorn people into the smallest tables that they can. Later, I would get sick on something…I think the chorizo I had for breakfast here…and would spend the rest of the day in bed when we got home.

Overall, a fun and very quick getaway to one of our favorite places. Bye Bakersfield…you are far too hot for me now, we’ll meet again in the fall.

We go back to the hotel where we take a swim and then a shower to get all the dirt off of us. Luckily, our hotel has an indoor pool so we don’t have to go outside. The day is ended with a dinner at Frugatti’s, an Italian place on the eastern side of town. It’s good but expensive and the service a bit slow.

Bakersfield is world-renown for its Basque restaurants. The Basque people (from a region that straddles the border of France and Spain) were shepherds and many migrated to this region. It’s hard work and requires hearty food to keep up. There are at least half a dozen Basque restaurants still operating in town and the culture is still a big part of the city’s identity.

We’ve been to the Basque Café (now closed) and Benji’s. My wife made me promise to try a new restaurant this trip so we head to Woolgrowers located in the old, rundown section of town east of the current downtown. For around $12, we get a meal that starts off with a bowl of hot, vegetable soup followed by a bowl of salad accompanied by a plate of marinated tomatoes and onions. Next come the beans, bread, and salsa. Tim likes to dip his bread in the salsa. The entrées arrive…a New York steak for me, a beef dip for Tim, and a garlic-infused lamb sandwich for Letty with some great French fries on the side. You can also get just the "set up,", everything but the entree and fries, for about $8.  It is all very good and very filling but I’ll give the edge to Benji’s, who is just ever-so-slightly better than  Woolgrowers.

On the road to our next destination, it’s about 45 minutes west of town, the Tule Elk Reserve.  Tule elk are smaller elk that are native to the area. They are endangered so a reserve was set aside for them here, where they can be protected and breed to replace diminishing populations within the state.

It costs $8 to park here. There are clean restrooms, picnic tables, and a wheelchair accessible elevated viewing platform.

We went up the platform and it took us awhile, but we finally saw some antlers poking up through the grass about a half-mile away. It took some binoculars to see that much. There’s also a pond in front of the platform and many birds to watch flitting around from black phoebes to golden eagles.

Next, some time is spent driving around the nearby hills, looking at wildflowers which are in their peak season in mid April and then it’s back to town to find the game has been cancelled.

A stop at Dewar's is in order.  This 102 year-old ice cream parlor packs 'em in with their sundaes, shakes, and ice creams.  My wife swears by the pink peppermint and chip ice cream.  They also make great candies.  I especially like the caramel chews, which I call "Dewar's Chewers." 

The old shop is small and tight. Even normal people in this day and age have trouble fitting on the small stools at the counter. The few tables are squeezed in very tight and are not easy to get a wheelchair in. There is another, newer location on the north end of town at Hageman Road and Calloway Drive that is much more roomy and accessible and another at the corner of Rosedale Highway and Calloway Drive, on the west side of town, is scheduled to open in January 2012.

The original shop is at California and Eye Street.  Bakersfield has some quirks, and that street name..."Eye"...is one of them.  The downtown streets are in a grid, mostly with numbers (1st Street, 2nd Street, 3rd Street) running east and west, while the letters (A Street, B Street, C Street) run north and south.  Eye Street is in between H Street and J Street.

Another quirk is with business names.

"Curl up and Dye" is a salon.  The lot next to Too Fat Sandwiches has a sign on the wall saying "Parking for Too Fat Customers."

With no baseball to watch, it’s back to downtown Bakersfield and the “Arts District.” There are many bars and nightspots here. Fishlips is a good place to watch some hard rock acts, the restored Fox Theater features big names, and the new Brimstone in the old Padre Hotel is drawing a crowd. The granddaddy of them all is Guthries Alley Cat.

Famous as a dive bar, it’s gotten so much popularity and attention that I’d have to call it a former dive bar. Drinks are good, the resident dog can be friendly…if its owner tells it to be, and the locals are nice. A lot of history on the walls and a pool table in the back. Something about it, however, doesn’t call to me so while it’s nice to see what the fuss is all about, I’ll stick to my regular watering hole…

...Mexicali. We want to go back to what we know so it’s down 18th Street to this friendly little DARK bar. It’s funny, we’ve been maybe 5 or 6 time over the last five years…we walk in and everybody remembers us (probably remember Tim more) and say hi, ask us what we’ve been up to and so forth. Great drinks, really friendly bartenders, servers, and patrons. Great bar. Wish they had better food, but Huicho’s is only a block away.

Darryl
Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick