Jumpin' At The Woodside

I flew up to NYC a couple Sundays ago for what seemed like a simple enough 3-day work trip, but turned out to be a little longer than expected. I didn't want to travel during the AFC and NFC Championship football games, but at least I got to see the end of the Jets vs. Steelers game from a sports bar across the street from the hotel. The week started out good, Jimmy Joe Pete and I hit the Mercury Bar and The 5 Napkin Burger again on Monday night. This was after a full day of going through the content for our new web sites in a conference room on the 39th floor of the Paramount Plaza building near Times Square. I thought about trying a different burger from their menu, but had to go with the Original 5 Napkin again and it did not disappoint. Tuesday it snowed in the morning, but there was an ominous calm and lack of snow that afternoon. JJP and I took a cab down to the Village after work thinking we'd stop in at a place like the Slaughtered Lamb for beers and then have dinner...

These photos are from the big snow... well, big for here anyway ... that fell the week of January 10. A little late in posting, but here they are. Our offices closed both Monday and Tuesday of that week and I worked from home. The top photo was taken the morning of Wednesday, January 12 when I was finally able to make it into work... mostly make it up the hill in my neighborhood that troubled many a vehicle on Monday and Tuesday. I regret not shooting some video of cars repeatedly trying and failing to make it up the hill. The photo above was taken the evening of January 10... a Sierra Nevada - Torpedo Extra IPA to end the work day and warm the cold night. - Salud!

Had a last minute trip to NYC for work a couple weeks ago. It was scheduled on Tuesday, and Jimmy Joe Pete and I flew up Wednesday night. JJP and I are working on the same project, hoping to launch our company's new web sites by Feb. 1. Checked into the hotel and then went for drinks and dinner. #1. Goose Island - Mild Winter Ale We ate at Carmine's and kicked things off with a Goose Island - Mild Winter Ale . One reason to be excited about traveling to NYC is Goose Island is finally available there! Perhaps one day it will be available in even wider release. Carmine's is know for its huge family-style Italian portions. We had the calamari for an appetizer -- I would have preferred the mussels, but the portions are so big you really have to decide on something you're going to share because you can't possibly finish it on your own. Had the chicken marsala for the entree. It was served up on a platter that I think four people would have had a hard time finishing. Aft...

Happy New Year to one and all! Hope this New Year's Day finds you in good spirits and good health. I often like to kick off the New Year with a tune that for better or worse, old or new, sums up how I feel at the time, or my optimism for the year ahead, or simply an odd notion to hear a song I haven't heard in a long time. I recall one wild New Year's Eve celebrated at the Monkey's place years ago when we welcomed in the the year 1988... why he wasn't even "The Monkey" back then, just my pal Rob. Our buddy Dave was in town from California and we all gathered at Rob's parents' basement. That's Dave ( above ) on the left, and to this day no one knows who's the girl in the photo. Rob's parents were away so we really had run of the whole house -- I think the stereo was upstairs and the speakers were wired down to the basement. This photo ( above ) was taken early in the evening before more guests arrived -- including the "mystery girl....

Hope you're warm and cozy on these chilly winter eves approaching the New Year, enjoying the bowl games as well as some fine libations. I was in ol' Willy Penn's Commonwealth for the Christmas holiday. It was the night before Christmas Eve (or Christmas Eve Eve) and we decided to venture downtown following a hearty evening meal. My niece Mac and her husband Justin were in town from coastal Carolina, having only moved there from California this past summer. I thought Porter's Pub would be a nice destination for its excellent beer menu and east-coast charm -- a small space with an exposed rock wall. Porter's is famous for its pewter mugs hanging from the ceiling. " Experience every one of our 60 imported and micro craft brews and you will earn a pewter mug with your own personalized engraving! " It wasn't that crowded, but all the spots were taken at the bar and tables are reserved for eaters. We decided to have a drink there, and see if some spo...

Happy Friday! Tonight's brew is the last of the Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary series finally available here... Our Brewers Reserve: Oak-Aged Ale . "... a marriage of our three most acclaimed ales, Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry hopped." Ahhh, a very nice beer to enjoy in front of the ol' yule log! OK, so it's not a real fire, but I like it. We had our company Christmas party this week at Strike City for the second year in a row. Had a good time bowling and hanging with friends, we need to add this spot to our "Team Building" itinerary. Only thing I didn't like was it seems I remember back in the day having more slide on the floor, so that you slid to a stop as you finished rolling the ball down the lane. Not that I'm a big bowler, and last time I bowled was at last year's Christmas party, but it was hard to get used to the sudden stop when you're expecting to slide. Ah, didn...

I made chili again this past weekend, and think I finally have my recipe ready to share with all -- and just in time for the holidays! As I mentioned before, this was a Rachael Ray recipe that I modified so I can't take all the credit. I'm very pleased with the changes I made, and hopefully you will be too. Printable Recipe Ingredients • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 1 pound ground turkey and 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage Note: the original recipe called for 2 pounds ground sirloin. Feel free to substitute meat as long as it totals roughly 2 pounds. • 1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms - chopped, quartered or sliced. Note: I prefer a mix of quartered and sliced, but whatever you find esthetically pleasing is fine. • 1 large Vidalia skinned onion, chopped Note: feel free to substitute yellow or white onions. • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped • 1 - 3 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped Note: p...