My bar adventures are about to take me on an expedition to Wilmington North Caroline. As I was researching the area I stumbled upon a wonderful place, I just might have to drop in on. Captain Bill's Backyard grill looks like my kind of place; volleyball, beer, and most importantly SEAFOOD! Their motto seems to ring, "this ain't your usual fast food joint, so sit back,relax, watch volleyball or throw some shoes. we'll holler fur yaa!" As I said, this seems like my type of place.
Notable features that have me intrigued are $7 pitchers of draft brew, $6.95 half pound oysters and a seafood combo plate at just $10.50!!! HOLY MOLY!!
My wife and I were searching for cool places to check out in Philly before our trip. The Khyber was top of the list of places to check out in the old city while we were there. Unfortunately we were traveling with elderly parents and weren't able to stay out too late, but we did manage to check this rock club out. Khyber is located in the heavily bar-saturated 2nd street of old Philly. According to our bartender, Khyber is one of the oldest bars in Philadelphia that has never closed. It may have changed names or theme, but there has been a bar at that location for a very very very long time. It seems that even during Prohibition there was a speakeasy at the location.
The atmosphere of Khyber is simple...it is a punk/rock bar with little light, slim furnishing and cheap beer. While we were there, they had a cover charge at the door for the downstairs bar which was featuring a band. We skipped the music (due to our short visiting time) and opted for the upstairs bar which was slated to have a dj.
The bar was cool, and the bartender cooler. Everyone we met was super nice and easy to chat with. The beer prices are awesome. PBR for $1, and great Happy Hour prices on Yards and Domestic bottles.
Overall, Khyber would be a great place to check out for the music, but its awesome drink prices should be enough to get most through the door. Highly recommended for locals or visitors looking for a slick music venue with good drink deals in old city Philly.
Barley's located at 42 Biltmore Ave has plenty of room for live music, plenty of beer on tap to excite the most discriminating palate, and great pizza to fill the emptiest of bellies. Barley's is housed in what used to be an old renovated appliance store.
The tap room has 24 taps downstairs and an addition 19 upstairs. The beers are all over place, some local microbrews. some national microbrews and even a very few macrobrews. While we were there, I had a pitcher of Magic Hat #9, which was very delicious.
The pizza at Barley's is fresh and features local produce whenever possible. We had a Veggie pizza, that was very good.
Overall Barley's is a good pizzeria that shouldn't disappoint. The prices were a little high, but were competitive with most of Asheville's eateries. I had a good time, and wouldn't mind visiting again.
Devassa Cafe and Bar is one of the newest, and swankiest new bars in Lexington. As most Lexingtonians know, Lexington has had the death and birth of a few bars. With the loss of The Dame, Busters, Triple Crown Lounge and Club Z-1, more than a gapping hole was left in Lexington's Downtown Night Life. But with death comes new life. Devassa, was one of the 3 new bars opening in the Victorian Square.
Devassa is unique with its Brazilian-style theme and atmosphere. The bar specializes in mojitos and tappas appetizers.
Aside from the cool south american style, Devassa has taken over part of the music scene in Lexington. Expect live music most weekends and even through the week as bands and dj's become more of the wonderful amenities Devassa has to offer. Right off the bat Devassa has hosted such local acts as Symbiance and the Sexual Disaster Quartet.
"Best Rueben in Lexington KY" is a pretty bold statement, but I believe it to be true. Winchell's Bar and Grill is one of those little jewels of Lexington that only the locals know about. It isn't a chain, and it isn't owned by some mega-chagillionaire corporation. It is local and boy is it wonderful.
The menu is straight up Americana, and the beer is draft macrobrews. The atmosphere is 'local-sports-pub' and the specials are magnificent.
If you ask a Lexingtonian when they go to Winchell's you'll hear "Sunday Brunch" most of the time. This restaurant is noted for it's breakfast foods, but I say to give it a change for dinner. The Country Fried Steak with gravy is amazing, and so is the pulled pork dinner, but my fav of all fav's is the Rueben Sandwich with fries.
The Rueben is a delectable heap of corn beef on rye with thousand island and sweet vinegar slaw. The magic is in the slaw which substitutes most standard kraut. Does it make it bit different from a traditional rueben? Sure, but it doesn't matter, Reuben lovers and non-Reuben lovers will love this sandwich.
Winchell's is located on the very eclectic Southland Dr. of Lexington. It looks like a small shopping center eatery, but when you get through the doors it really is larger than it looks. If you go on Sunday, get there early, because it usually is packed.
Pyramid Breweries has a new seasonal coming out for fall. This brew is called "Broken Rake" and has a copper colored ale is full bodied and ready for consumption. Since it is a seasonal it is only available August through October so check it out while you can. It is available in bottles or on tap so expect it at some bar near you. Find out more about Broken Rake and Pyramid Breweries
Why do I like National Mechanics, located in Philadelphia? Well, that list would take about an hour to compose, so maybe I'll just list what I don't like about National Mechanic. . . Okay, well, for starters..... that isn't going to work either. It pretty much is one of the coolest bars I've ever been to. The atmosphere, the menu, the beer. It has it all.
Located in the historic district of Philadelphia, National Mechanics resides in an 1830's bank designed by famed architect William Strickland. The location looks more like a library, or ... bank than it does a bar. Thus, you get a bar, that totally sticks out from the rest of the pack. Next up is the menu.
National Mechanics sports a pretty awesome menu when it comes to bar grub. There are traditional burgers and fish and chips, but in addition you have things like calamari and humus. Probably the most celebrated menu item is the homemade Veggie Burger. Does it deserve the celebrity? Absolutely. The Veg Burg is flat out ridiculous in its awesomeness.
Aside from the menu (which definitely deserves props) the reason why people go to National Mechanics is the bar. This fine establishment has fantastic drink prices and specials rocking all day. If you want cheap, Yuengling is served on draft for a mere $2 all day long. If a pint just won't quench that thirst, then grab a pitcher for $6. If "cheap" isn't an issue, NM has 18 draft selections to keep your palate dancing, served in the coolest pint glasses ever.
Why I loved NM? The food, the beer, the crazy church pews, greyhound lights/atmosphere, the music. There is just too much to praise. National Mechanics is just too much fun. Check out pictures and prices of National Mechanics in Philadelphia or find out about more bars in the Philly area
Here is a very hillarious video of a report about a Hooters restaurant in Beijing China. I love the fact that the girls have to dance and get uniform inspections. It's great that China has the restaurant. I am really surprised that they do. Check it out
There is this fantastic German beer hall in Newport KY called Hofbrauhaus. The place serves authentic German fare, and most importantly, German bierre by the litre! The place absolutely rocks; everything from the beer to the German polka bands that fill the crowded hall with happy drinking tunes.
I have been lucky enough to check out the original Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Does Newport live up to the expectations of its older sibling? Absolutely! The fun atmosphere doesn't disappoint.
While dining at the Hofbrauhaus I had the Tilapia Po' Boy and my wife had the Pretzel ham sandwich. Both sandwiches were excellent. To wash it all down, I had the traditional Hofbrau Lager, which was especially excellent.
If I had to pick one thing to critize it would have to be the chips. They were hard home made chips, which my palate finds hard and bitter, I really should have gotten fries, but that is just personal opinion.
The Hofbrauhaus is located at Newport on the Levee, where there are more than enough choices to make an exciting evening. Highly recommended. Check out pictures of the Hofbrauhaus as well additional reviews of other Newport Bars
The Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club is located right outside of Covington KY in the small suburb of Ludlow. The bar is on the river and features a beautiful view. The bar is actually floating, and you have to enter it from a little walkway that is attached to the boat dock.
There aren't exactly many, if any yachts at the Yacht club, but that is just fine. The club has a pretty eclectic crowd. It serves food and live music and if you get there late on the weekend, expect to pay a cover. The bar is cash only, but an ATM is on premises.
I personally loved the Yacht club. It was a beautiful cool night. I had a great time, and the band playing was good. The only thing negative was the mens restroom. It was definitely small for the size of the bar, not to mention it had a trough from the 50's, so don't be shy guys.
Overall, I give it a 5 of 5. Why? It has a shark on the sign. Check out the pictures and reviews of the Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club or one of the other great Covington Bars.
I suppose this isn't new news, but there is a report out that says global climate change may be contributing to the failures of barley and hop crops.
According to Jim Salinger, a climate scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, the warming globe will likely cause a decline in the production of malting barley, which, when combined with the scarcity of hops right now, stands to have a profound and negative impact on the world’s beer supply starting now, and for decades to come.
It seems that weather related failure of hop crops in Germany and Slovenia are causing a worldwide shortage.
This news doesn't effect most light beer producing companies. This only seriously effects micro brews and craft brewers who tend to produce more sophisticated blends of beer that use more hops.
Hops are a flavoring and stability agent in beer. They are used to balance the sweetness of malt, creating a taste that is more balanced. Besides bitterness, hops can be described as having complex flavors. Some describe hops as having "grassy", "floral", "citrus", "spicy", "piney" and "earthy" aromas. In short, hops, make beer taste good.
Whether climate change is the cause, the fact remains that the beer industry is strained for hops. The price of beer will most likely increase.
I was up in Covington recently. I had the opportunity to drop into the great irish pub, Molly Malones. It was an excellent time. The bar is located in downtown Covington, located on 4th street. They have an excellent selection of draft beers. They also have a full menu, full of great Irish fare. The bar is relatively new.
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