31 October 2010

Shaq as "Shaqueeta" for Halloween

A must watch...

Video Link

White iPhone 4...

White iPhone 4 on Devour.com

Food Stops: Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub - Idaho Springs, CO

From left:  Onion rings, Hop Strike Black IPA, dipping sauces, sunglasses, Raspberry Chipotle wings
First of all, great name.  I've had a few of their beers before but have never stopped at the pub.  It's not very far from Denver and I decided to make a quick trip out to Loveland Pass (pictures in another post) before the PSU game, so I figured I'd stop for a bite to eat.  Glad I did.
iPhone picture of the bar


You can't tell much from the picture, but they have a great selection of beers, listed here.  I always like to try the seasonals, so I went with the Hop Strike Black IPA.  I don't think I've ever been so sure about a beer after the first sip.  Immediately into the "best beers I've ever had" category.  Hoppy like you would expect an IPA to be, but also dark and malty.  I think their website says it best:


Hop Strike! Black Rye IPA - 7% ABV
Hop Strike! is a dry hopped Black Rye-IPA built from the ground up at Tommyknocker Brewery. This Beer is characterized by an intermingling of spicy citrus hops and chocolate malt creating an interesting complexity and great first impression on the nose. Hop Strike’s substantial 78 IBU's are balanced by the Chocolate Rye resulting in a nice depth of malt character and deep color.


As additional evidence of this beer's awesomeness, a couple sat down next to me at the bar and the woman couldn't decide what to order, so I suggested the Hop Strike.  She took one sip and gave it my favorite rating:  "Really f**king good" - or, as I like to say, "RFG."  I couldn't agree more....


Hadn't heard/read much about their food, but they seem to have a decent menu.  I wasn't starving so decided to go with the "Monster BBQ Wings" (6 for $8.99, but they were the biggest wings I've ever seen) and onion rings.  As many of you know, I have a huge sweet tooth, so I went with the raspberry chipotle sauce, described in the menu as: Fresh Raspberries and the heat of mesquite smoked chipotle peppers. 


Wings:  Like I said, they were huge.  Six was plenty.  Cooked well, with good breading - meat fell off the bone.  Really liked the sauce.  Spicier than I expected, but in a good way.  And I really believe the part about the fresh raspberries.  Overall, really well done.  Two other pluses - they were served with both ranch and blue cheese (without asking) and also came with celery AND carrots.  Always bonus points from me on that one since I despise celery.  Hey, it's the little things. - Grade:  B+


Onion Rings:  First, I'm not a huge onion rings fan, but something sounded good about them at the time.  As you can see in the picture, you get a pretty good serving - and, as with the wings, they were pretty large.  Of course, I created the requisite pool of ketchup for dipping and dug in.  Eh.  Taste was good/average but the rings definitely lacked structural integrity.  If you ever watch Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, you know that one of Guy's onion rings tests is that you should be able to bite the ring in half without the onion sliding out of the breading.  I can't say that was the case for these.  In addition, the breading kind of just crumbled in my hands as soon as I folded them in half or took a bite. - Grade:  C     


Beer:  Can't say much more.  If you fly into Denver and find yourself on I-70, definitely worth a stop (especially if Hop Strike is on tap).  And note that some of their regular brews are available in other states (including PA!) - Grade:  A+
  
Overall....good place.  I'm sure I'll be back for the beer, and would like to give some of the other food a try as well (some of the buffalo burgers sounded great).  Seems like a solid après-ski stop and I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time on I-70 this winter...


And if you're wondering what a Tommyknocker is (other than the Stephen King depiction) click here.  Lastly, some interesting info here on the mining town of Idaho Springs.


Hope everybody's having a great weekend - and a Happy Halloween.  If you have any comments/suggestions/etc., please let me know.


Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub
1401 Miner St.
Idaho Springs, CO 80452

Photos - Loveland Pass

It was 77-degrees in Denver on Saturday, but I was sick of hearing about all of this snow that had fallen in the mountains without seeing it for myself - so I figured I could at least make it to Loveland Pass and back before the Michigan-Penn State game.  Oh, and I have a slight obsession with those "Continental Divide" signs...

Here are a few more pics:

Link to Slideshow

30 October 2010

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: The Week In Quotes

As always, good stuff in "The Week in Quotes" from Football Outsiders - including this gem from my favorite Redskin, Albert Haynesworth:


"I'm not good enough to play the 3-4."
-- Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth declaring that he, the highest paid defensive player in the history of the NFL, is not good enough to be a nose tackle in a 3-4 defensive scheme (Sports Illustrated)
Here's the link:


(via FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS)

28 October 2010

Nov 2nd - Are you ready? No, not for Election Day, but for the return of the McRib...

The McRib is back, and it’s McWonderful - On The Cheap - Boston Phoenix

And don't miss out on the McRib Locator...

No reviews on the McRib from me (yet), but for my money you can't beat the rib-b-ques from the Shikellamy High School cafeteria (with cheesy pasta, of course)...or especially those found at the stand near the Haunted Mansion at Knoebel's Amusement Resort.

How Will You Measure Your Life? - Harvard Business Review

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Good article forwarded by a friend today.

"The powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in
responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements." - Frederick Herzberg

(H/T Richard Kornacki)

Should Jon Stewart apologize for calling the president "dude?"

Andy Ostroy: "Dude," Where's My President!?

Not even going to touch the "should he have gone on the show?" question, but I do agree with Andy Ostroy that Obama looked "exhausted."

I also think my head is going to explode listening to Stephen A. Smith, Ben Stein, and Penn Jillette argue about this on Larry King Live right now...


Brian Wilson of the SF Giants on Rome is Burning

Giant's closer (Brian Wilson) in an awesome interview with Jim Rome. I know it's been around for a few weeks, but if you haven't seen it, definitely check it out.

Brian Wilson of the SF Giants on Rome is Burning with Jim Rome

(via YouTube)

Andy Reid Delivers Your Latest Auto-Tune Fix

Andy Reid Delivers Your Latest Auto-Tune Fix

(via Kissing Suzy Kolber)

Color Commentator Would Like a Flag, Psychiatrist

Starts out a bit slow, but only gets better...

Color Commentator Would Like a Flag, Psychiatrist - SportsPickle Video

This is also great:

Another Very Unstable Football Announcer

(via Sports Pickle)

27 October 2010

Food Stops: The Cherry Cricket

The Cherry Cricket Menu

Stopped here on Sunday and doing so again tomorrow night.  For you Man vs. Food followers, this was one of Adam's stops in Denver (and the last of the three that I've visited). On Sunday I had the Cricket Burger with green chili, smoked cheddar, bacon, and bbq sauce.  One of the better burgers I've had in a while, but I still can't put it above the late, great Windsor Burger @ Pub & Kitchen in Philly or maybe even The 500 from 500 Degrees.  Not to mention, I've never even tried the Whiskey King from Village Whiskey.  Yes, I do miss some Philly food...but looking forward to eating a lot in Denver (and everywhere) soon...

Anyway, the Cricket has an awesome variety of toppings to choose from, so I'm looking forward to another round on Thursday.  I'll try to post some pictures this time, and add some comments on other top burgers.

The Cherry Cricket
2641 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80206
In Cherry Creek North

Pure Michigan: U of M Football

One of a good series of spoofs on the "Pure Michigan" ads...

Penn State vs. Indiana - yes, it's this bad...

http://www.thebuckeyeblog.com/penn-state-vs-indiana/

And if, like me, you'll be ignoring how disgraceful this is and buying your tickets through Groupon, here's the link:

http://www.groupon.com/baltimore/

Breckenridge Mountain Cams

Already getting some great snow...

http://www.breckenridge.com/mountain/mountain-web-cams.aspx

People ARE Awesome...

http://devour.com/video/people-are-awesome/

80s Dating Video...wow.

http://thechive.com/2010/10/27/80s-dating-video-nuf-said-video/