11.21.2011

Another Belgian Beer Review...

"Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keizer"
This ranks up there with my all-time favorite beers that I have ever tasted. Simply put, it is INCREDIBLE. It is classified as a "Belgian Strong Ale." Not only does it taste good, but it has an interesting history and origin as well. The following is taken from ratebeer.com:

Every year on the 24th of February, the birthday of "Charles the fifth", the Brewery brews the Gouden Carolus "Cuvee of the Emperor" in a limited quantity and with an eye on the highest quality and tradition. This unique brewing, with only extra fine Belgian hops and with a higher alcohol level, guarantees a better evolution in the time, than the already known Gouden Carolus. This beer, as all our beers, is 100 % natural, with no preservatives, no adjuncts and no chemicals. We bottle it in bottles of 75 cl and closed with a quality cork. Excellent to store several years. Every year the public is invited to assist to the brewing process.


The aroma contains hints of caramel, plum, cinnamon, spicy hops, and pear. The beer is beautiful when poured and consists of a dark brown body with a tan head. Tasting revealed a perfectly carbonated brew with an extremely complex flavor. I detected hints of caramel, cocoa, cinnamon, and honey, with the predominant flavor being plum. The alcohol content is marvelously well-hidden, and is barely detectable at 11% ABV!

To be completely honest, this is one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I would rank it up there with Unibroue "La Terrible", Avery "The Reverend," Unibroue "Trois Pistoles," and St. Bernardus "Christmas Ale" on my all-time favorites list.

If you are a fan of Belgian brews then you HAVE to try this one...



11.16.2011

New beer review...

Augustijn Ale
This is yet another Belgian "Tripel." As you can see, when poured it has a nice hazy, golden-straw color to it. Smelling it reveals hints of caramel, malt, and an assortment of citrus fruit flavors. I would say it is medium-bodied compared to other "Tripels" and has moderate carbonation. Tasting reveals lemon, coriander, spicy hops, caramel, and apricots. With it's medium-body, I would say this is much easier to drink in large quantities than a lot of other Belgian style beers, but at 8.0% ABV that can be dangerous. Similar beers that I have tried include: Avery White Rascal, Mc Chouffe, New Belgium Tripel, and St. Bernardus Tripel. Overall this is a quality beer, but the citrus flavors were a bit overpowering and the carbonation was too much for it to rank among my favorites...

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

11.15.2011

New Cocktail Recipe...

"Honeysuckle Martini"


Another manly cocktail. This might have overtaken the "Pennington" as our new favorite drink. If you remember sucking the honey out of honeysuckle blossoms as a kid, then that gives you an excellent idea of what this drink tastes like. Try it out and let us know what you think...

1 part top-shelf vodka (we used Belvedere)
1 part Thatcher's Elderflower Liqueur (http://www.thatchersorganic.com/)
2 drops Angostura bitters

Combine above ingredients into a bar glass, and add ice to just below the rim. Stir for approximately 40 revolutions, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass of your choice. Garnish with fresh berries of your choice (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries work the best). Enjoy...

11.11.2011

Gib's Top 10 Favorite Meals

#1
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • Grilled Sea Bass - MSC-certified Chilean Sea Bass finished with a wasabi cream sauce and soy glaze, served on a bed of udon noodles with wakame salad.
I have had this dish MULTIPLE times and every single time my mind is blown. You can ask anyone in my family to list their favorite meals and I guarantee you that this dish will be on everyone's list. This meal was so good, that my food-crazed father took our family to this restaurant on back-to-back nights while we were on vacation just so he could have it again. I personally love this dish so much that I have contemplated driving 9 hours from our house in Mobile, eating at Redfish, and turning right around and coming home. It would be totally worth it...



#2
Where it happened:
  • Amada in Philadelphia, PA (http://www.amadarestaurant.com)
What I ate:
  • Oysters with strawberry escabeche and cava granita; ham croquettes; fried lamb chops stuffed with rosemary goat cheese; fried anchovies with a red pepper dipping sauce; deep fried Tahitian vanilla ice cream with a side of nutella gelato;** saffron rice pudding
** the deep fried ice cream is hands down the best dessert dish that I have ever had. We liked it so much that we ordered another one after we were done with the first!

Tapas is our favorite way to eat, and my wife and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone passing through Philly.

Another awesome side note: the executive chef there is none other than Iron Chef Jose Garces.



#3
Where it happened:
  • Magnolias in Charleston, SC (http://magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/magnoliasHome.asp?catID=20426)
What I ate:
  • Grilled Twin Filets of Beef - Topped with fried oysters and hollandaise sauce. Served with sweet potatoes and steamed asparagus.
My wife and I did a culinary tour of Charleston as part of our honeymoon and Magnolias was hands down our favorite restaurant. If you are ever in Charleston, eat here...



#4

Where it happened:
  • Guido's in Daphne, AL (no website available)
What I ate:
  • Fried Grouper - served on a bed of penne pasta with a white wine andouille sausage sauce and topped with crawfish etoufee
Guido's is our favorite restaurant in the Mobile Bay Area. We have been there multiple times and are never disappointed. There is also usually an awesome jazz pianist who plays during dinner hours...



#5
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • Blackened flounder - stuffed with lump crabmeat and crawfish on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus


#6
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • Steak and Eggs - 12 oz rib-eye (medium rare) topped with two-fried eggs over-easy and covered with shaved parmesan cheese. Served with a side of streamed vegetables.



#7
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • Pan-seared Duck - topped with a red pepper jelly glaze and served with fresh green beans


#8
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • NY Strip - served with creamy potato gratin with collard greens and black peppercorn butter

#9
Where it happened:
What I ate:
  • Fresh Rainbow Trout - pan-seared and stuffed with bourbon cornbread, crab, and crayfish served on a bed of wilted arugula


#10
Where it happened:
  • Cloud 9 Alpine Bistro in Aspen Highlands, CO (no website)
What I ate:
  • Roast Elk - served on a bed of spinach dumplings and au jus

11.10.2011

Katie's Top Ten Favorite Things About Fall

Here are the best things about autumn/fall (which do you say?), in no particular order, and without honorable mentions because (let’s face it) it’s been THREE MONTHS since my last appearance on the ol’ blog and you’re lucky you even get a post, so be grateful:

1.) Fall Clothes
Okay, if you know me well, you know that by “fall clothes” I really mean “jackets”. I kind of have a problem with/addiction to jackets of all kinds. Just ask Gib (or ask our bank account…). While jackets are amazing, I really love ALL fall clothes. It’s just more fun to get dressed when you can wear boots, sweaters, and layers (under jackets, duh).


2.) Starbucks red cups
I think I share this love with many other Americans. It’s really a stupid thing to love, but I can’t help it: when Starbucks rolls out the red cups it makes me feel festive. And my skinny vanilla latte tastes better when it’s dressed in red. (And wearing a jacket! Get it? The cardboard sleeve that they hoard now because of the environment and only let you have if you flirt with the barista? I think we should all start calling them "java jackets")


3.) Leaves changing colors

I love fall leaves. They are just so pretty. Sadly, in Mobile, they don’t really change color. I am always excited to go somewhere with red, orange, and yellow leaves.




4.) Running in cool mornings

I love wearing my Speedo and swim cap while running through the snow…haha. What is WITH this picture? Are these guys for real? Anyway, it came up when I googled “running in cool weather”, so I thought I’d share. But I DO love running when it’s getting cold out. Tights, gloves, hats…I think it makes me run faster (mostly because I want to get back into my warm house).
I feel like a badass after a long run in the cold.


5.) The anticipation of Christmas

Christmas is the best holiday of all the holidays. At least, for Christians it is…maybe Hanukkah is awesome, what do I know? But I love fall because the Christmas-is-coming part is the best part. I love the anticipation. (P.S. has anyone read this book? Should I get it on my Kindle?)


6.) Crockpot meals

Soup, chili, and all kinds of warm, cozy meals come from a crockpot. Somehow I think fall is the most appropriate time to use my crockpot, but winter is really just as good. Nothing better than coming home from work to a hot meal that you forgot you prepared that morning. Also, can someone tell me why we always say “Crockpot”? Aren’t there other brands of slow-cookers? Do they feel left out?


7.) Family time

Google was on a roll with the image search today. What do you think that little boy did to deserve banishment from looking at the pictures? Everyone else looks kind of smug about it...even Grandpa. Anyway, fall is just conducive to spending time with family. Mostly because the holidays force us to. But I think it’s also kind of a nostalgic time of year, for some reason, which makes me want to see my family.


8.) Fire in the fireplace

Nothing cozier in all the world. The first day we have a fire in the fireplace is one of the happiest days of the year.


9.) Reading is better in the fall

Cooler weather makes me want to read. I always like to read, but in the fall it’s like an event: fire going, red cup of coffee in hand, wearing sweatpants…it’s just better. I was trying to convey all of this in one picture, but got no good results from googling “reading cozy nook fireplace cold weather”. For real. I googled that.


10.) The temperature in my bed in the mornings

I am noticing a “coziness” theme in this list. Top of the cozy factor list: when the temperature in your bed is JUST RIGHT, and it’s cold outside of your bed, and you can hit the snooze and stay cozy for a bit longer…ahhh. But actually, this temperature change totally sucks when you CAN’T hit the snooze, so maybe it shouldn’t be a favorite… And yes, that is our bedroom in the picture, creeps.


Okay, I just thought of one more thing, so I guess this is a Top Eleven post, because I already established there will be no honorable mentions, and I am a woman of my word...


PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!!


Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin sausage pasta (ask me for that recipe sometime), pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin ANYTHING is better than non-pumpkin anything. And for some reason we only eat pumpkin things in the fall. Which is also kind of awesome.

For my birthday this year (which is in the fall), Gib made me a pumpkin cake using a carrot cake recipe. He replaced the carrot with pumpkin. You guys. Before you die you should probably definitely eat a pumpkin cake with homemade cream cheese icing. Made by my husband. He's a keeper, that one.

New Cocktail...

"Sunrise Tequini"

The "Sunrise Tequini." As you can tell by the name, this is a very manly beverage. I would say it is the martini version of a Tequila Sunrise. If you like margaritas, you will love this cocktail. Try it out and let me know what you think...

2.5 oz chilled tequila
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz grenadine
1/2 oz sweetened lime juice
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice


Combine above ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake it up. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass of your choice, and garnish with a slice of lime.

11.08.2011

Top 10 Hollywood Villains


1) Heath Ledger as “The Joker” in The Dark Knight.


2) Anthony Hopkins as “Hannibal Lecter” in Silence of the Lambs


3) Javier Bardem as “Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men.


4) Christoph Waltz as “Colonel Hans Landa” in Inglourious Bastards.


5) Bob Gunton as “Warden Norton” in The Shawshank Redemption.


6) James Earl Jones as “Darth Vader” in The Star Wars Trilogy


7) Glenn Close as “Alex Forrest” in Fatal Attraction


8) Louise Fletcher as “Nurse Ratched” in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest


9) Denzel Washington as “Detective Alonzo Harris” in Training Day.


10) Philip Seymour Hoffman as “Owen Davian” in Mission Impossible III

11.07.2011

Another Belgian beer...

Tripel Karmeliet
As the name implies, this is another one of our favorite style of beer, a Belgian Tripel. The first thing that stands about about this particular brew is the incredible aroma. Florals, pear, apple, honey, and spicy hops were all words that came to mind when we stuck our noses in the glass. The taste was incredible as well. I have tasted few beers that have such complex flavor as this one. As detected in the aroma, the pear and fruit flavors are also detectable when drinking it. The coriander is much more apparent when drinking the beer rather than smelling it, but it is definitely not overpowering. The beer is moderately carbonated and has a great mouthfeel to it, and the hops create the perfect amount of bitterness at the end. In my opinion it is a better version of Kasteel's Tripel Blonde. Overall I would say this is one of the better beers I have tasted recently. I rated it as follows:

Aroma: 10/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 17/20