How is that for a day of food and drink?

I went to the Flying Pig in Malvern yesterday for lunch and along with my excellent cheesesteak I had a Bell's Hopslam and a Titan IPA from Great Divide Brewing Company.  The Hopslam was excellent and the Titan was very good.  Not a bad lunch. 

Later in the evening I went to TJ's in Paoli and enjoyed 2 "kegkicker" specials ($3 each).  Up first was a Hop Ottin' from Anderson Valley brewing company followed by a Judgement Day from Lost Abbey.  The Hop Ottin' was very good.  The Judgement Day was great.  I can't believe I got that beer for $3.  It is a big beer at something like 10% abv.  It is malty and fruity and just plain good.

For dinner, the wife and I went to Daddy Mim's in Phoenixville for dinner. She had an excellent crab cake and I had an equally good Court Bouillon (crab, shrimp, scallops and crawfish).   With dinner we had a nice bottle of 2008 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir.  This is one fantastic Pinot.  We also started on a bottle of 2007 A.P. Vin Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir.  This is also a nice Pinot.

How is that for a day of food and drink?

Thanks Gin and Dave!!!

What a weekend that was, and starting early no less.

Friday I went to the Drafting Room in Exton for Lunch which consisted of a pretty good Buffalo Chicken Wrap and an even better DIPA.  Actually it was Outta Focus DIPA from Appalachian Brewing Company.  I expected this to be a good beer but it was a very good beer.  After work on Friday I stopped in for a quick one at TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery in Paoli.  I had a Little Sumpin' Wild from Lagunitas.  I expected a sour beer made with wild yeast but that is apparently not the case.  This is in fact their version of a Belgian Strong Ale.  It was OK but I still think we should leave the Belgian style beers to the Belgians (and perhaps Ommegang).  Later Friday night thanks to the kindness of my sister Ginger and my brother-in-law Dave, I was able to enjoy a nice evening out with my wife sans children.  We went to Marly's Restaurant / BYO in Phoenixville.  I had a nice lamb dish and a great bottle of Kosta Browne Pinot Noir.  It was a 2006 Russian River Valley and quite possibly the best wine I have ever tasted.  We liked that so much that we opened another bottle of wine for the sake of comparison.  This one was was another 2006 Pinot Noir.  It was a Kanzler Sonoma Coast.  It too was excellent.  As we found out on the way in to Phoenixville the whole downtown section was closed to traffic for a festival complete with German bands and other music.  After dinner we rambled around town and ended up it Iron Hill.  I had an unremarkable Belgian Pale Ale (see above about Americans attempting to make a Belgian-style ale).  Of course it may be because of the excellent wine we had earlier.  Perhaps this was an unfair comparison, although I don't think so.

On Saturday I went to the Craft Ale House in Limerick for lunch/dinner.  I had their excellent short rib sandwich and a Mad Hatter IPA from New Holland Brewing Company.  This was much better than expected.  It was not extreme but a very nice IPA.  I followed that with a Big A IPA from Smuttynose Brewing Company.  This too was a pleasant surprise.  A very good DIPA indeed.  I ended with a Breakfast Stout from Founder's Brewing Company.  As I have said before, this is the stout against which all others are measured.  It is awesome.  Just when I was ready to call it a day my other sister Jean called and said she was going to the Sly Fox in Phoenixville for dinner.  I stopped in there and had a Royal Weisse and a Grisette.  Both were very good as they always are. 

On Sunday I cut the lawn and did some yardwork and basically dried out for the week ahead.