FlaSoxxJim

Tiki Bartender Revivalist God Martin Cate knew a great drink when he tasted one. The Boo Loo figures prominently on Forbidden Island's menu — a vintage cocktail paradise that makes me want to get on a plane to go visit Alameda CA right now. This menu is largely based on the Beachbum's scholarly urban archeology, btw, and there are a full dozen drinks on the menu that I rock as house regulars. So why the hell is someone else making all the money on the deal?!? Seriously, when it is all said and done, Jeff Berry will do for the Tiki Revival what Pierre Celis did for the Belgian Witbier Revival. And that is not an overstatement. ETA: FI's description of the Boo Loo is on the money: Boo Loo — A smooth blend of pineapple and honey, but beware its quiet strength. You can taste lots of great rum flavors, but they are so smooth you would never guess there's 4.5 oz of rum in one of these (including a good dose of dark 151 proof).

Decided I have one more Boo Loo in me tonight. extra-blended the chunk pineapple to keep a little fresh fruit texture but to get rid of the largest straw-clogging chunks. Result is positive improvement of an already outstanding drink. Also sub'd cheap (but tasty) El Dorado Demerara Dark for the marginally more expensive El Dorado 5 year (one of my favorites). Result is. . . a still better drink! Dark, rich rum flavors stand up to a good helping of pineapple and lime juice, and honey makes it all the better! This is a drink that can make a rum convert out of practically anyone.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 11:07 PM) Just when I thought you were a Barbie kind of guy... Let me guess. . . the alphabet order rules don't apply to you.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 11:00 PM) What the f*** is that? That's Hitler Zombie. And I agree, it would be better if he just stayed dead.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 11:09 PM) wouldn't take you for a Hayden man. A bit young for this Old Goat, yes. The cover was chosen to depict what comes to my mind when I think about the "pieces" spotlighted in VF.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 10:55 PM) I mean what does it say that one of the most important pieces of the decade appeared in vanity fair? Indeed, Vanity Fair knows a nice piece when they see it.

Ken always means quality. And his hair style is pure gold.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 10:51 PM) I wish people would just leave Hitler dead, and all related comparisons. Down With Hitler Zombie!

I am enjoying the Ken Burns National Parks documentary very much so far.

Revisiting the historic 1960s-era Boo Loo cocktail from Beachbum Berry's Grog Log over the last couple of days. I tend to only do this one when whole pineapples are on sale so I can have both the fresh pineapple the drink requires and also have a pineapple shel I can hollow out to serve up my drink in. [The Mrs. thinks it's kind of dorky to go to such lengths as serving drinks in hollowed out pineapples, but she was away last night so I got to enjoy my tiki giki without the usual attendant snide remarks]. Fresh chunk pineapple, pineapple juice, lime juice, an ounce of honey, a dash of club soda, and four different rums (4.5 ounces!) from Guyanna, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica*, and blended together and served up in a big ice-filled goblet. Who can argue with that combination?? * [Forced, as always to cheat on the elusive Demerara 151 and use the serviceable but not-quite-perfect Gosling's 151 in its place.]

QUOTE (The Critic @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 08:10 PM) I took my daughter to see Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs last weekend. We both laughed a lot. I'd recommend it. Saw it on Sunday with the family as well. Fun film. I was happy that my son and daughter had both read the book and both were sort of irked at how much was left out or altered in the film, because neither of them are reading as much as they should and it was a rare moment (for them) when they got defensive about a book they had read and enjoyed versus the film adaptation.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 03:00 PM) I had the Smuttynose Pumpkin offering over the weekend. Plenty of pumpkin but also a high level of hops which leaves it difficult to drink for me. Very bitter and very spicy. However, after about half a glass, that bitterness fades a bit and leaves a solid pumpkin beer. Shipyard is easy to come by out here, and while there is good pumpkin flavor in theirs, its a bit thin for my tastes. I also had the Blue Moon Pumpkin which was pretty nondescript. Southern Tier (which I thought I had but I can't remember) and Weyerbacher are 2 that I would like to try. Weyerbache's is very good. I haven't had Southern Tier.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 02:53 PM) We also never even mentioned my favorite scene of the movie, the dinner scene where you gradually see Hearst and his first wife speak less and less and move farther and farther apart. Phenomenal scene (Kane though, not Hearst of course) — a great early American cinema use of compressed time, shooting the same characters in the same space across a time span of many years. One of my personal favorite scenes similarly conveys time and increasing coldness toward Kane — the one where Susan is doing puzzles on the marble floor in the cavernous Xanadu. All the different puzzles she is seen doing are a great symbol of the amount of time that has passed with her locked up in Kane's castle, longing for New York and human companionship.

QUOTE (RibbieRubarb @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 02:31 PM) World's Best Chocolate???...easy... Sexual Chocolate!!! Oooh, That Boy is Good!!

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 01:43 PM) Didn't Welles try and claim most of the credit from Mankiewicz? Yes, and a lot of that played out even before the film came out. They were billed as co-writes on the original release with Herman getting top billing. I've heard the Welles offered Mankiewicz an additional sum of money in return for letting Welles take all the writing credits. I don't know if Herman ever took the money but I know he was super pissed at Welles trying to take credit for the whole thing. I also know that Welles friend and Mercury Theatre collaborator John "They EARNNN it!" Houseman was instrumental in getting him and Mankiewicz together on Kane.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 01:39 PM) New Belgium's 1554 Black Ale combined with any high quality dark chocolate. You'll thank me later. New Belgium stuff n ever comes close to Florida, so for now I'll have to imagine how good it is.

QUOTE (AssHatSoxFan @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 12:59 PM) has anyone had the Bud Light Golden Wheat? It has to taste better than regular Bud Light, no? My bet is it is at least as cr@ppy as Bud Light, though I'm not rushing out to try it. QUOTE (hogan873 @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 01:04 PM) Have you had Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale? Aye, and it's excellent. There are a few on this list I'm anxious to try or retry.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 12:52 PM) I bet if President Obama came out right now and said drinking 8 to 10 cups of water a day was the best way to stay healthy, some random Republican would immediately denounce this plan as a socialist plot to sabotage the soft drink industry. Beck would then lead a march on Washington where people will pour out bottles of water and drink Coke. Fluoridated water supplies are robbing me of my vital bodily fluids.

I've never had the privilege of going into an actual Belgian chocolate shop, but the Belgian stuff that makes it out this way is darn good. Still, nothing beats plain old Hershey Special Dark as far as the PERFECT compliment to a fresh (current year's vintage) Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

QUOTE (NIUSox @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 10:14 AM) I assume Toby Jones character in the trailer is supposed to be Thomas Henry Huxley. aka "Darwin's Bulldog." "Creation" certainly is an ironic title for a film about the father of modern evolutionary biology.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 11:33 AM) Two, "you all saying stuff like this is proof" of what? I don't recall getting a check for bashing Bush, and I didn't say he was stupid either. That's why you didn't get your check.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 10:06 AM) In the scene where Kane finally gets all the journalists from the rival paper and has a banquet (that is the "there is a man" tap off I believe) is it low ceilings or mirrors they use to make him appear larger than life? That was a great shot. I think Toland used the optical printer to achieve the oversized room, as well as the low-angle up-shot camera to include the ceilings in the shots. Including the ceilings in many of the shots was pretty groundbreaking. Most films then were shot on movie lot soundstage sets and the sets never bothered to include ceilings. In some cases on Kane, true ceiling portions were built, and in others muslin cloth was used to give the appearance of a ceiling while also hiding the microphone booms and gaffing that were located on the other side of the muslin.

Faulty logic abounds as well.

QUOTE (hogan873 @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 09:18 AM) Fall has officially arrived. I picked up a 12-pack of Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale last night. Not exactly a "fine beer" but a fall standout in my opinion. Much better than the Anhauser attempt at a pumpkin beer at least.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 28, 2009 -> 10:34 PM) I give a lot of credit to people that can stomach that level of hops. The Ruination rates over 100 for bittering units. That's pretty ridiculous. 50 would be considered bitter by normal standards. So 100 is an assault. I think it clocks in at 120 IBUs actually. Yummm! The beer is big enough to pull it off though. QUOTE (AssHatSoxFan @ Sep 29, 2009 -> 07:40 AM) Yeah, it was getting a little rough near the end of the bottle. I am still surprised I have ended up liking beers that have such a high bitterness level. It's addictive stuff.