Just a reminder

The Handle Bar and Grill will be closed on New Years Day! have a good one.

Riding solo with Mr Parker

 All work and no play.... Well today was a day off. So when the rain clouds broke, it was time to get on the bike. I had been cleaning and "tuning" the fleet. Its very hard to decide which one to take. Will it be wet and muddy? puddles? will I go far? or just to the bike shop? The sun was bright enough to take the Parker out. I had just repaired a flat tire left over from the last ride. Mr Parker as I call him, is my personal favorite. Hand built frame from a small time builder in Portland OR. Put together with love from a friend who is a Pro Tour tech. Using the best components I could afford :p   Its a screamer. I usually don't like to take him out in the wet but I felt "the need for speed" today. I love that I can roll out of the garage and head out for the hills. A quick trip though the neighborhoods of Carmichael and Fair Oaks. Picking the biggest hills I could find to warm up on. Then out to Sunrise walk bridge to get on the American River Bike trail. Turn left and head uphill. Not much bike traffic but plenty of family's with dogs and kids on new bikes swaying into traffic. Passed the fish hatchery which was closed and some old confused man was stuck behind the cones in his car? I'm not sure how he did that but I stopped to help him out. Then up the south side of Natomas lake up to Old town Folsom. I rode up Sutter street...Man those pubs looked good...and the smell of garlic coming from Chicago Fire...  Over the old rainbow bridge and up up up to Beals Point. One lap around the parking lot and back down the hill. I was still feeling good so I detoured over the new Dam road. Lots o water coming out from the Dam. Climed up to Natomas(?)  and turned right toward the Prison. Lots of cows and turkeys along the way. Turn right at the Zoo and head back to the bike trail. Took the trail back on the north side of the lake. Mostly down hill at this point,legs getting tired. I pushed the hills to keep the big ring turning. Always a momentum killer at Hazel bridge where you have to wait at the light. A runner came up to the light, only wearing shoes and shorts.... burrrrrr. Cruised back to Sunrise park dodging kids,dogs and old people who walk right down the middle of the trail. Shoot through the Park to Bannister and back through the neighborhoods to home sweet home.  Over all a great ride,not many puddles. Approx  28 miles, A good day. Now time to reward myself with a pint!

Christmas means.....Food!

OK, So not really, But it is time to eat and drink in excessive moderation. We had a fantastic Family style meal at Chateau Woods last night. Smoked Salmon was the highlight. Salmon fillet with just the right amount of hickory smoke, It almost had a sweetness to it. Spiral cut ham with a bubbly glaze. Loaded mashed potatoes,Mac and cheese and cheese. Sausage gravy.............. There were more fixings but I'm getting full reliving it. It was a nice meal and the service was great :)

Next, Back to the Handle Bar. We were serving  brunch today. Just for family. The menu was short due to wanting to spend time with the Family. I made a spinach Gruyere and Cheddar cheese quiche. Then I cut up a day old loaf of french bread and made French bread. Of course the only way I do this is to fry it in the grease from the pound of bacon I just cooked. I made a warm blueberry sauce for the Toast. On the sides we had my Garlicky home fried potatoes and a bowl of fresh fruit. Washed it down with sparkeling wine Mismosas mmmmm  good stuff. Two more days of eating left!

Trader Joes Winterfest Beer

For those who didn't know. Trader Joes beers are made at Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. The winterfest is a nice beer on a rainy day. Heres my review.
I consider this is a better-than-average doppelbock and an excellent value. Pours a very dark brown but very clear, with glimmering mahogany where the light shines through. A nice sized greyish tan head is also impressive given how rarely doppelbocks have a decent showing of foam. Aromas a very sweet, mostly toffee-ish with some dark fruit. Promises to very chewy, as indeed it is upon tasting.Nice lacing on the glass as it goes down. Again, strong toffee notes, lots of toasted malts, hints of roasted almonds. Has a bitterness on the back end that balances out the sweetness.. It could be a bit more creamy.... that's just my tastes....

Whats behind the red door?

Moxie's !   So for my birthday this year I got to chose, Party or dinner out. Sorry guys....I picked dinner out. When I allowed my mind to wander of all the wonderful eating establishments in town, and all the different types of food....I came up with Moxie. I always feel so "grown up" here. For the "whole package" experience you cant beat it. It was a rainy night, we had to park a block away as usual downtown. Even knowing where this place is you almost walk right by it. You cant see in the doors or small windows.  I opened the door for my wife and walked in out of the rain. We were greeted with smiles from the working "expo" and told they would check us in right away.We had an early reservation (a must here) but the restaurant was already bustling. Before we could take of our coats we were whisked to our seats. The service team works so well together, setting tables,clearing tables, grabbing drinks....  We sat, ordered each a glass of wine from the wine list (you can order all by glass or bottle)  Then our guests arrived.  Then the best part happens....the reading of the nights specials. Do not be distracted because you will miss something.  I counted five appetizers and for entrees, lets see... Salmon,Halibut,Sea Bass, Scallops,Ahi,Chicken,Lamb,Prime rib and Fillet Mignon, hmmm did I miss something? Anyway, Our guests had the Lamb and Sea bass, I had the Halibut, my wife had the the Seafood pasta. I ordered crab cakes as the appetizer. While I prefer lump crab, Served with a lemon aoli sauce.These were very tasty. We had Caesar salads after the cakes. They were good also. The server was a little more of a showman this visit. And added a few laughs to our dinning pleasure. The entrees came soon after the salads, every dish looked wonderful.  Our dinner guests lamb was tender and mild,but with great flavor. the Sea bass prepared with a macadamia nut crust, was tasty with a nice mango,pineapple salsa.  My Halibut with a lemon,white wine and caper sauce was cooked perfectly.My wifes seafood pasta was fantastic. Probably the most seafood Ive seen in a pasta dish. Almost like ciopinno with noodles. We ate well. My only hesitation with the dish was the red cabbage "kraut". It felt out of place with the other flavors. It might have been my wine pairing though. All in all another great meal at Moxies.  And.....meals always taste a little better when someone else picks up the tab!  Thanks again Gordon and Helen, We had a great time.

Adalbertos...

Ahhh,  I was getting a little hungry after some Christmas shopping for the wifey.  So I decided to swing by Adalbertos for a little snack. Its funny how they dont have "carne asada fry's" on the menu, but everyone sure seems to know what they are. Todays were fantastic as usual. The fries extra crispy and lots o cheese. Mmmmm.  I looked hard at the menu and I didnt even see frys listed! If you are not in the "loop", the best way to describe them, as put by my daughter. Is nachos with french frys instead of chips. I mean...who comes up with this?

I almost forgot..

http://titos-handmade-vodka.com/?age=legit
I almost forgot about my old friend Tito's.  With the "brown" liquer getting low, I desided to look around the bar for something different. What I found was my old friend from Austin Texas. Tito's! I made myself a little "dirty" martini. I also found my collection of olives running low so I splashed a little klamata olive juice in it, Very nice. It almost had a little peppery bite to it. I've almost forgotten how smooth Tito's is.... 3 martini's later when I tried to stand up I remembered. So dont forget about the Tito's!

Sunday is Hoppy Day!

After picking up my lovely wife and daughter downtown at Amtrak. We decided to head over to Hoppy Brewing Company for lunch. Not the best experience we've had there, but I'll give them some slack. It was a busy football day and the CIM had just ended. That being said..... it still took 20 minutes to get a beer after we sat down!  All begins to fade away after the first pint of Stoney Red... I guess this is starting to turn into a rant but.... Only the Hostess and the Busser "atempted" to apologize. I mean, Where's my free pint of beer? its a brewery?  It was kind of embarassing because we invited some good
friends who are also "foodies"   You let me down Hoppy! but, I will be back,    http://www.hoppy.com/