Barrel House Tavern, Sausalito, CA

This place is like an oasis in a bustling tourist town. Right on the ocean or bay. Great space, plenty of light and views. Awesome decor. And it only got better from there. We started with a great seat on the windows, looking out over the bay, then grabbed the menu...

We were very hungry and were basically wanting everything on the menu. Luckily, one of my fellow diners was nice enough to agree to "going splitzies" on two sandwich options. We chose the Steak Sandwich and the Burger (if I recall... ate too fast for many picks). We ordered a daily special of crudo for our table too...

And this steak sandwich - Mama mia! Plus sweet potato fries - we did good.

And sure, the food looks good, but I do feel remiss for not getting some shots of the views from this place (up on the 2nd floor, overlooking the bay) - it's just peaceful and serene. A really great setting to have a superb drink and/or meal.

Honestly, as soon as the next group of visitors, friends, or a date suggests anything near Sausalito, I'm going back to this place. It's not the cheapest of establishments, but the service, products, views, and overall feel are simply worth it.

New-to-Me Breweries, Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

I hosted some visitors in the last month or so, and, for me, one of the best parts of the trip was that they brought me to new places. Usually I'm the one bringing folks to all new spots on their trips here, but this time, friends knew what they liked and sought out those kinds of places before arriving. We all got to try some new places together, which was an awesome way to host and travel.

One of the types of places we all happen to like is a good brewery or some type of beer establishment. They found a number of them I hadn't yet been to, and we tried two of them: Fieldwork Brewing (Monterey location) and Yeast of Eden (Carmel-by-the-Sea). Both are different and both are delightful. 

Fieldwork is a CA chain of tasting patios/rooms. The afternoon we went it was sunny and warm out, so their patio was hopping (get it?!). We enjoyed all of the beers to some degree, and not being one for IPAs, I tried four "normal" beers. My favorites were Vanillaberry (technically a sour, but this was very drinkable) and their stout, which is named Admiral Snackbar. I'll totally be back to this place anytime I'm in Monterey.

Yeast of Eden is a natural fermenting brewery. They have some of their own beers on offer as well as other brewers available. Great location, restaurant, and beers. I tried four, liked three. One just didn't taste right to me, and the waitress commented that it is a bit hit-or-miss among patrons. I would also easily go back to this place when in town. I'd also very much like to eat a full meal there too as everything we saw go by looked tasty.

Alvarado Street Brewing, Monterey, CA

You know what's great about America?! Beer.

More to the point, that fact that in almost any US city (major or not in most cases) you can now find a local brewery to head out to for some unique, often regional, takes and tastes of the brew we all love so much. Like the friends in Indy that often take vacations just to try beer makers, I've found I can find and almost always enjoy trying a new brewery anywhere I travel.

Recently, the weekend involved a short day-trip to Monterey CA. It happens to be home to the Alvarado Street Brewing company. I had been there about four years ago as the restaurant was just opening, but knowing how good it was then, and wanting to try more, I hit up on this trip too.

Of course, you might say, "But MK, you're not trying anything new!' Au contraire! Not only can a menu of a great establishment change in 4 years, but the beer menu should be changing all the time, year-round. I was not disappointed in this trip to ASB. I did have to wade through a shit-ton of beers in the IPA family (gross!), but it wasn't too strenuous.

They have gorgeous building in downtown Monterey. At least 3 distinct spaces - main floor, outdoor patio and upstairs landing...

I was also able to try about 6 different brews until I found a lovely Nitro Stout. Not too heavy for the day, but a bit heavier than I would normally go in the heat of summer (luckily, it was 6- degrees in Monterey this day).

I also chose a nice Hanger Steak offering from the menu. Well-cooked steak, but the real treat were the lowly potatoes cooked in duck fat. They almost melt in your mouth. I was delighted by this simple side...

I had decided not to get dessert here, but would have had no problem if I was forced too...

Finally, to hit the restrooms you have to go upstairs to a small landing/hallway. As I was washing my hands, a man came into the restroom with a stark white parrot on his arm, er, shoulder. It was pretty odd to see, and I wanted a picture, so I waited out on the landing (separate from the actual bathroom) until they came out. What the parrot did while the man was using the facilities, I'll never know.

Anyways, it seemed like everyone wanted to get a look at this "Emotional Support Parrot", so the guy set his bird on the railing for all to enjoy. Not the oddest thing I've ever seen in a bar, but it sure won't let me forget about ASB anytime soon...

Alvarado Street Brewery - do it up!

Go West!

No, this won't be a post about the band Go West - I wish! This will be a post about my recent move to the west coast.

I wanted to write this trip recap down before the memories fade. The backdrop is that I was moving from Madison, WI to Morgan Hill, CA. To send my belongings, I used a Pods moving container. For myself, I chose to drive my vehicle along Interstate 80, basically all the way to the destination.

Though I had a slight "detour" the week before this to Minneapolis, I actually started this final leg on Saturday 03/17/18... and it took me almost an entire week to arrive at the final destination.

Day 1 - Madison WI to Glenview IL (2 hours)
Day 2 - Glenview IL to Omaha NE (8 hours)
Day 3 - Omaha NE to Cheyenne WY (5.5 hours)
Day 4 - Cheyenne WY to Salt Lake City UT (6.5 hours)
Day 5 - Salt Lake City UT to Reno/Sparks NV (7.5 hours)
Day 6 - Reno NV to Morgan Hill CA (5 hours)

It was about 34 hours of car time. It included one of the best chicken fried steaks of my life, a couple fun breweries (Accomplice & Wasatch), Western wear shopping (don't ask), lots of IG posts, copious food bars & drinks, almost daily caffeine for the car, and some interesting people.

The most interesting couple was probably the chicken fried steak night in Cheyenne, WY. A gentleman next to me at the bar just started talking and wound up telling me a lot. About his girlfriend (who soon joined), his trucks (that he restores), and his ability to withstand the cold (the most ever being 7 hours at -45F in North Dakota working on a oil rig). He wears little in the way of insulated clothing (fills with sweat) and just seems to be able to handle it. Yikes.

Here are some of the shots taken during the daily driving and nightly stops, in chronological order across the country and about 20 images in all:

New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI

I've been on a number of formal and informal brewery tours in my days, but hands-down, this one is right up there at the top, if not THE top brewery destinations. It's a fanciful mix of location, landscaping, buildings, people, and (huzzah!) beer.

You have to head a little bit outside Madison to get there, maybe 40 minutes drive or so. You will notice a small (original?) brewery of theirs in town on the north side, then see what basically feels like a castle rise out of a hill once back outside of town (heading further south).

You have to wind-up a back road to see the property and park in their main visitor parking lot. But, to their credit, they know that this place is a draw for the town and area and they have planned that this location is the place to host the visitors coming en masse. Basically, they can handle your carload of drunks.

Like many "small" businesses in WI, they have had to add onto their original buildings as they've grown, over time becoming a patchwork of buildings and architectural styles, some purely for function, some with a sense of design.

A big theme in this Swiss-themed town is the chalet style building... not to be ignored at NG either.

Once in beerland, you pretty much have four options (at least in winter) - take a self-guided tour, hit the gift shop, buy beer in their store, or slam some beers in the Tasting Room. I'm not sure the order really matters, 'cause you're gonna do it all, right?! 

We happened to go Gift Shop > Tour > Tasting Room > back to Gift Shop > then barely made it into the Store. Everything closes at 5pm on Saturdays, so give yourselves plenty of time (I'd say at least a couple hours if you like beer). Another popular routing option seemed to be Tasting Room (to grab a brew) > Tour > Gift Shop > Store. Sure, fine, go for it.

Now, unless you get on a formal Friday tour (led by a NG employee), you may not learn a ton about the beer making process, but what you still get on their "self-guided" tours is an incredible look at a brewery that makes a LOT of beer, but still feels relatively small and family-run.

It seemed as if nothing was off limits from your eyes at least:

(don't jump in that hatch... it may not bee full of beer) - We heard these copper kettles above (which are multiple stories tall and continue under the floor) were from a defunct brewery in Germany. NG arranged to buy them at scrap value from the German brewer and pay to have them shipped to the US - always recycling in beerland.

 We decided not to ascend these stairs as it felt a bit sacrilegious.

In brewing, for sure.

"Schla-meel, schla-mozzle...hassenfeffer..." - Who's with me?

They have a bit of an Awards Room tucked into the Tour, and deservedly so:

Amen! 'Merica!

We had a nice time in the tasting room, and like most things here, they have it dialed. You start at the cashier and pay for either a small-glass, 3-beer flight OR a single, full-sized beer glass. Both get you a free "coin" for a beer in the local area bars and souvenir glass (yes!). With the flight, you get a small wristband - it includes 3 little "chits" the bartenders remove with each round of tasting you have poured. Pretty slick. Plenty of people watching in the Tasting area too, lots going on.

Their cherry-flavored ale... crisp!

I will not divulge what I purchased in the gift shop (ahem!) and/or beer store after my flight, but you might get the beer-paraphernalia bug too if you go back into the stores. It's real easy to buy something... and the beer is only sold in WI (cans travel best).

Steins

(This would really complete your holiday ensemble, wouldn't it?)

And now the beers on sale in the store!!!

I was floored by the amounts and selections at this place - gifts, glasses, openers, steins, t-shirts, other clothing, and almost all beer varieties!!! It's also possible I was ever-so tipsy by this point too. Grab some brews to bring home and get out of Dodge.

If you haven't picked up on this yet - I would HIGHLY recommend this brewery as a destination stop, almost anywhere from IL, WI, or further out. It was a cool place, tasty beers, and tons to see and bring home (beer). From the Tasting Room's view into the parking lot, we witnessed a family bringing 8 cases of 12-pack, Spotted Cow bottles to their SUV on dollies. I mean, this shit is serious here, folks.


Finally, I think they also have a few areas to improve, but I sort of suspect these are already in the works in the coming months and just haven't been completed yet:
- Tasting Room - It needs more tables & chairs. Something to fill the space and make it look like a medieval Swiss beer hall, would be nice. It could also use some sound-deadening in the space to make it less cacophonous as well.
- Self-Guided Tours - NG, can you set-up signs for reading at each of the main process areas? In fact, is there an app yet for museum tour uploads? Can't we just listen to something on our cellphones as we walk around the spaces? Could be pretty rad.