Interesting place. We finally made it to Firkin, an "English-type" pub, at least according to their website. The offerings here would not be seen in England, however, maybe close to the border with Mexico, but more about that later.
In downtown Libertyville you must walk into the back door, the front on the street shows that on a Saturday night around 7ish it is packed. Parking in the back, take the back door down a long hallway from there to the dining area, with a long bar on the left, and some 20-25 tables well spaced. Interesting decor, the posters particularly, mostly from China? Weird stuff hanging from the high ceiling. Nice look, lots of middle aged folks enjoying themselves.
Our problems started as we sat at the bar waiting for a table. The bartender gave us several tastes as we weren't sure we what we wanted. That was good and appreciated. The problem as it turned out was that they were out of 3-4 offerings of the 25 or so listed. Upside, on cask there were 2, but the red ale wasn't that good (didn't try the IPA on offer, probably a better choice). We ended up with a nice Dortmunder from Two Brothers, a Kasteel Red, and a few other nice choices. The website says it's mostly micros (or was it the menu) but many Belgians on offer as well.
The food menu has many pages, a mix of Mexican, bar food, and lots of seafood. Unusual. Best appetizer was the special pork tacos. Guacamole just ok. The burger was loved, the fish tacos so so, the Cuban pork sandwich was very good. But we would not go back for this food if not for the beer list, and that was an issue.
Another bigger problem, lack of response from the wait staff. We had some missed requests on food, the worst of which happened near the end. We didn't like the look of the desserts, so we chose the Fantome Chocolate as our dessert. It came, seemed nice, no chocolate notable. We asked the waiter, he said he didn't know, we said we'd like to speak to their "beer guy". Instead of this guy, the waiter came back and told us that the Chocolate had run out, that it turned out it was the regular Fantome, and that it has "Chocolate notes" so we should like it. We did, but I protested, told him we wanted the Chocolate, especially as I've tasted the regular Fantome before, and for the $27 we paid (about twice retail) we should get what we ordered. We didn't stay for satisfaction, and it's very offputing that the manager would tell the waiter just to placate us. I'm still pissed and doubt we'll return.
Their home website says that our country is thirsting for this kind of English pub. Well, not this type with crappy people who think customers are idiots. I'll take Rock Bottom or Goose Island any day, and maybe these Canadian's haven't heard we already have some nice pubs. Grade this a C+, just for having a nice tap list, but not worth the drive or aggravation.
Showing posts with label draft beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label draft beer. Show all posts
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Ann Arbor goodies, a Midwest Detour Worth Taking
Ann Arbor - home of the University of Michigan, and a solid food/beer location. Musings from our recent trip to a neighboring Midwest town.
We stayed west of town in a non-descript, Best Western hotel, it did have a pool, a fridge, and free breakfast.
On arrival mid-day, we were looking for lunch - and right by the hotel we found a great surprise place - the Zingerman's Roadhouse. Now, I knew about their original store, the great deli in downtown Ann Arbor. Asked the waitress, she said the Roadhouse has been around for about 4 years. Anyway, they have great above normal roadhouse type food, including burgers of course, but also home smoked pulled pork and brisket, fresh fish, salads, and a long cheese list from their own creamery. They even had some on-tap locals, with sm/med/large glass prices - I enjoyed a nice pale ale (forget the brewer) with pulled pork, and all we had was enjoyed. Now that said the prices here are steep, considering the portions are modest (actually what they should be everywhere not so over the top). The burgers start at $10 and go up fast with additions, my pork platter with sides was ok at $11.50, but overall a pricey place for lunch. Rate it a solid B, very good quality offset by once a month prices (if you were a local).
In the afternoon stops included Bello Vino and the Main Street Party Store. BV is a specialty grocery store with an extensive wine collection and in the far back a very good beer area. Heavy on Michigan beers (why I was there, including Dark Horse, Bells, Jolly Pumpkin, Stoudts), and a good representation of others including Belgians, the best part was the singles rack with fill your own six pack cardboards. Found the last (apparently) Bells Batch 8000, as well as a few others I just wanted to try. A- for this store, great selection, good pricing. The MSPS was equally impressive with some singles as well. A- here. Overall, the only beer maker I couldn't find was Kuhnhenn's, one of my targets.
For dinner we located the local branch of Cottage Inn, famous for Ann Arbor pizza. We shared a sausage/onion regular crust combo, very good. The atmosphere here was just ok, no liquor service, try the original Cottage Inn if you want the full experience, for this branch by the hotel a B-.
After our college tour and meeting with the diving coach at UM, I made the 8 mile run to Dexter to visit Jolly Pumpkin. Their brewery is in a tiny off-road location near downtown Dexter, I was guided in by Laurie Jeffries, the brewer's spouse and head of marketing I believe. They are only open noon - 6pm on Fridays, and were serving on tap both Bam Biere and E.S. Bam. They were selling five different styles of their bomber bottles at wholesale pricing! As it is cash or check only, I ran out of money buying my big format favorites as well as a few Biere de Mars Grand Reserve's, a special offering which is barrel aged for 27 months! I wasn't able to question Ron, but Laurie confirmed that all of their offerings are ales. I've read that all production here uses open (read wild) fermentation, but this traditional method does not impart sourness. The sourness (prevalent in most of their beers) is produced by barrel aging. The barrels harbor both wild yeasts and Lactobacillus among other bacterias. This is why they can't share barrels with "normal" producers. Because of barrel variation, some beers are blended, and they post a bottle log on the website so you can track your particular bottle. Do they use Brettanomyces? Not sure, but whatever they use keep it up. Now ranked the 8th best brewery in the US by BeerAdvocate. Thanks to Laurie for great service, and to Ron for keeping this great brewery running, solid A.
For dinner we tried the noisy Ashley's, self-described as Michigan's best multi-tap. With 70 beers on tap, 15 rotating regularly, and decent bar food with good burgers for the price, I couldn't complain. And the back area wasn't even smoky (we are getting spoiled here in IL). Kids (under 21) allowed until 9pm. You can find to your liking on the tap list, overall a great college bar, comparable to sticking a combination Maproom/Clark Street/Twisted Spoke together in Evanston at NU. Solid A.
We stayed west of town in a non-descript, Best Western hotel, it did have a pool, a fridge, and free breakfast.
On arrival mid-day, we were looking for lunch - and right by the hotel we found a great surprise place - the Zingerman's Roadhouse. Now, I knew about their original store, the great deli in downtown Ann Arbor. Asked the waitress, she said the Roadhouse has been around for about 4 years. Anyway, they have great above normal roadhouse type food, including burgers of course, but also home smoked pulled pork and brisket, fresh fish, salads, and a long cheese list from their own creamery. They even had some on-tap locals, with sm/med/large glass prices - I enjoyed a nice pale ale (forget the brewer) with pulled pork, and all we had was enjoyed. Now that said the prices here are steep, considering the portions are modest (actually what they should be everywhere not so over the top). The burgers start at $10 and go up fast with additions, my pork platter with sides was ok at $11.50, but overall a pricey place for lunch. Rate it a solid B, very good quality offset by once a month prices (if you were a local).
In the afternoon stops included Bello Vino and the Main Street Party Store. BV is a specialty grocery store with an extensive wine collection and in the far back a very good beer area. Heavy on Michigan beers (why I was there, including Dark Horse, Bells, Jolly Pumpkin, Stoudts), and a good representation of others including Belgians, the best part was the singles rack with fill your own six pack cardboards. Found the last (apparently) Bells Batch 8000, as well as a few others I just wanted to try. A- for this store, great selection, good pricing. The MSPS was equally impressive with some singles as well. A- here. Overall, the only beer maker I couldn't find was Kuhnhenn's, one of my targets.
For dinner we located the local branch of Cottage Inn, famous for Ann Arbor pizza. We shared a sausage/onion regular crust combo, very good. The atmosphere here was just ok, no liquor service, try the original Cottage Inn if you want the full experience, for this branch by the hotel a B-.
After our college tour and meeting with the diving coach at UM, I made the 8 mile run to Dexter to visit Jolly Pumpkin. Their brewery is in a tiny off-road location near downtown Dexter, I was guided in by Laurie Jeffries, the brewer's spouse and head of marketing I believe. They are only open noon - 6pm on Fridays, and were serving on tap both Bam Biere and E.S. Bam. They were selling five different styles of their bomber bottles at wholesale pricing! As it is cash or check only, I ran out of money buying my big format favorites as well as a few Biere de Mars Grand Reserve's, a special offering which is barrel aged for 27 months! I wasn't able to question Ron, but Laurie confirmed that all of their offerings are ales. I've read that all production here uses open (read wild) fermentation, but this traditional method does not impart sourness. The sourness (prevalent in most of their beers) is produced by barrel aging. The barrels harbor both wild yeasts and Lactobacillus among other bacterias. This is why they can't share barrels with "normal" producers. Because of barrel variation, some beers are blended, and they post a bottle log on the website so you can track your particular bottle. Do they use Brettanomyces? Not sure, but whatever they use keep it up. Now ranked the 8th best brewery in the US by BeerAdvocate. Thanks to Laurie for great service, and to Ron for keeping this great brewery running, solid A.
For dinner we tried the noisy Ashley's, self-described as Michigan's best multi-tap. With 70 beers on tap, 15 rotating regularly, and decent bar food with good burgers for the price, I couldn't complain. And the back area wasn't even smoky (we are getting spoiled here in IL). Kids (under 21) allowed until 9pm. You can find to your liking on the tap list, overall a great college bar, comparable to sticking a combination Maproom/Clark Street/Twisted Spoke together in Evanston at NU. Solid A.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Birthday Bash - Yes My 50th :)
Thanks to all who made my birthday a memorable occasion, especially my "guardian" and wife Teresa (thanks for driving dear). All I really asked for at the half century mark was great friends, great drink, and food to match. To the participants there, I stated (and to you others out there I befriended who could not be there), you have all elevated my life.
On this particular March 7th eve we met at the Maproom for several pops before braving the 4 block walk in 20 degree weather to Cafe Matou.
Several folks who made it to the Maproom loved the De Proef La Grande Blanche, a strong Wit beer at 7.5% abv. Delicious, my wife said it was too poofy for me (she liked it), but I loved it, great Wit flavor, nice body, great aperitif. A solid A here. We also tried the Surly Two, kind of a Porter with cranberries. Very strong, distinctive and interesting, a B+. Had to try the Two Bros. Hop Juice as it was the cask conditioned ale. Very smooth, nicely hoppy, not spicy but grapefruity, and strong, another local solid imperial IPA, give it an A-, not sure it would score this high if not on the cask. Finally, the smoky Fastenbier from Schlenkerla, an unfiltered smoked Lenten beer - a strongish lager with nourishing yeast left in the beer meant to help with Lenten fasting. This was really well done, smokiness nice, try some bacon with this beer, nice body, minimal hops and very malty, a solid A.
Cafe Matou offers a new menu daily, and our choices included several fish, meats, soups, and bistro appetizers. We tried the chicken offering, duck, swordfish, and all artfully prepared with few leftovers. Muscles appetizer was very nice, and desserts didn't disappoint, returners we would be even without considering the bar offerings.
Which were great, including 6-7 wines by the glass, we had a nice bottle of 2004, some Cab/Merlot from France, very solid. But the beers stood out, a small selection of mostly Belgians and a few micros, dominated by the small (11.2oz) bottles of Gouden Carolus Noel. Now this is an A+, among the world's best beers, never seen it in a small bottle before, and they priced it at $9 here, I suppose it would run close to $6 in a shop so not a great markup. But was it the beer of the night? Knocked a few of us out, it did. Nice Framboise offered as well.
Just super choices, overall we know the Maproom is one of Chicago's best beer bars, and lets give Cafe Matou an A, good food, drink, and modestly priced.
Rarely do libations reach the level of discussion, camaraderie and friendship we had there. I wish you all could have joined us.
On this particular March 7th eve we met at the Maproom for several pops before braving the 4 block walk in 20 degree weather to Cafe Matou.
Several folks who made it to the Maproom loved the De Proef La Grande Blanche, a strong Wit beer at 7.5% abv. Delicious, my wife said it was too poofy for me (she liked it), but I loved it, great Wit flavor, nice body, great aperitif. A solid A here. We also tried the Surly Two, kind of a Porter with cranberries. Very strong, distinctive and interesting, a B+. Had to try the Two Bros. Hop Juice as it was the cask conditioned ale. Very smooth, nicely hoppy, not spicy but grapefruity, and strong, another local solid imperial IPA, give it an A-, not sure it would score this high if not on the cask. Finally, the smoky Fastenbier from Schlenkerla, an unfiltered smoked Lenten beer - a strongish lager with nourishing yeast left in the beer meant to help with Lenten fasting. This was really well done, smokiness nice, try some bacon with this beer, nice body, minimal hops and very malty, a solid A.
Cafe Matou offers a new menu daily, and our choices included several fish, meats, soups, and bistro appetizers. We tried the chicken offering, duck, swordfish, and all artfully prepared with few leftovers. Muscles appetizer was very nice, and desserts didn't disappoint, returners we would be even without considering the bar offerings.
Which were great, including 6-7 wines by the glass, we had a nice bottle of 2004, some Cab/Merlot from France, very solid. But the beers stood out, a small selection of mostly Belgians and a few micros, dominated by the small (11.2oz) bottles of Gouden Carolus Noel. Now this is an A+, among the world's best beers, never seen it in a small bottle before, and they priced it at $9 here, I suppose it would run close to $6 in a shop so not a great markup. But was it the beer of the night? Knocked a few of us out, it did. Nice Framboise offered as well.
Just super choices, overall we know the Maproom is one of Chicago's best beer bars, and lets give Cafe Matou an A, good food, drink, and modestly priced.
Rarely do libations reach the level of discussion, camaraderie and friendship we had there. I wish you all could have joined us.
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