Gov't Mule, Grilled Veggies and the Flying Saucer

Howdy and a Happy Friday to one and all!

Had a visit from Ol' Lazy Acres last weekend. Kicked things off last Friday with the Gov't Mule concert at The Fillmore here in Charlotte. The Fillmore is part of a brand new entertainment complex, NC Music Factory, created from old warehouses that also includes an outdoor amphitheater.

Waited in line to go through security and while the exterior is the shell of an old warehouse, inside everything looks great and is brand new. All seemed well until the show got underway. Trying to get a beer once the place was packed proved to be quite an effort. They had full bars with only two bartenders per station, and no separate lines for beer vs. cocktails. This created quite a log jam for getting drinks.

Aside from that, the concert was great and Gov't Mule put on an excellent show! The sound system was just right, because when I left my ears weren't ringing as they usually are following small venue shows.

We started out at the back of the floor crowd, but an odd gathering of super tall dudes occurred directly in front of us. We moved up and enjoyed the rest of the show.

After the show, we managed to get a taxi downtown for a brief stop at Connolly's and then grabbed another taxi headed for the Thomas St. Tavern. A good choice as the jukebox was swinging and there was a good crowd mix for people watching. We closed the place and headed home in yet another taxi. This proved to be a good plan as I had left my car in a secure parking garage downtown. That was until we discovered Ol' Lazy Acres left his keys in my car. So next day got another taxi to take us downtown for some lunch and to pick up my car. No troubles though. Had a good lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery and then headed back to The Woodside for some rest before traveling up to the lake for dinner.

We met an old high school buddy of Ol' Lazy Acres at The Rusty Rudder. We had a few Coronas and dinner on the deck overlooking Lake Norman. We called it an early night after the long evening the night before.

Sunday we planned a laid back day and hit the Farmer's Market to pick up some veggies for dinner to go along with a couple ribeye steaks on the grill. The market had some good stuff, but seemed like maybe Saturdays were a better day to hit the market as there were only a handful of produce vendors. Picked up some zucchini, yellow squash, onions, mushrooms and garlic to do on the grill.

I lay these out on a grilling pan (more like a cookie sheet with venting holes and the edges turned up) that I line with foil. I spread out the sliced veggies, add some olive oil and salt & pepper, then cover with a sheet of foil. I place them on the grill a little while before the meat and they come out perfect when the meat is done.

After the Farmer's Market, we decided to check out a spot north of town near UNC Charlotte called The Flying Saucer. Dubbed a "draught emporium" the Saucer is truly a beer lover's haven with about 70 beers on tap, more in the bottle and a beer menu to list them all.

I started out with my first-ever draft of a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. The walls of the Saucer are covered with plates representing "UFO Club" members who have tried at least 200 different brews there. We decided to join the UFO Club, which comes with a "beer knurd" T-shirt - can't beat that! You can only have three beers per day count toward your 200, so I have 197 to go! Also, their Chicken Nachos Grande are excellent, try them if you find a Saucer location near you. My next trip to the Saucer is scheduled for next Wednesday - Rogue Brewery night! I'm heading up there with some buddies from work for what we call "Team Building" - just means we hang out together.

As they say... "Stay thirsty my friends!"

- Salud!