Tag Archives: bar

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Ebenezer’s did not disappoint.

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As I said in my last post, if you visit Ebenezer’s you won’t be disappointed. Unless you’re a beer hating wretch who prefers eating at McDonalds. And if you are, please take your bad taste elsewhere. I don’t have room in my life for that kind of negativity.

Ebenezer’s is not a large establishment and seating at the bar is limited.

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But oh what a bar it is. With hovering vultures and hand blown glass beer taps.

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The bar area is small but filled with unusual beer signs. I’m unfamiliar with this brew, but there are ostriches involved… so I’m firmly on board.

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Decor aside, one look at the impressive draught list will make you an instant devotee.

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We lucked out and visited at the beginning of their annual Belgian festival and may I just say? It was delightful. My choice for the afternoon?

A Hanssens OUDE GUEUZE LAMBIC. 5.8% – Strong tart and funky, notes of earthy wood, apple and grass $14.

Yes, grass.

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I drank green beer and loved it. And it wasn’t even St. Patrick’s Day. Smooth, herbal, with just a slight pucker. Consider me a fan. I liked it so much I didn’t even try anything from their second page, except ….

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Did you see it?

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A beer that will invert your penis? Who could say no to a taste of that!

They brought me a shot glass full because it’s quite potent. The taste? Oddly sweet and more reminiscent of whisky than beer. I liked it, the husband hated it. But then I don’t have invertible genitals so that may be understandable.

To be continued…

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Let’s just drink.

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One of our favorite restaurants has been letting us down lately.

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And while the cocktails and atmosphere are still wonderful ( fresh blueberry mojito, yum!) the quality of the food has been going downhill. Garlic Parmesan wings? Dry and tasteless.

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Pricey pan seared scallops on risotto? Over cooked seafood on a soggy bed of mush.

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Burgundy braised short ribs? Chewy shoe leather. It all looked good, but wasn’t. So we’ve decided one of our favorite dinner restaurants will now just be one of our favorite watering holes.

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Cucumber and elderflower cooler? Yeah, I’m not giving that up.

And the regular bar crowd is a hoot.

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Mr. I Drink My Jameson With A Cover and A Straw In Case I Spill was back, and you have to appreciate a man who knows his limitations.

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And now, the treasure.

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You knew the husband wouldn’t come home empty handed from all those antique stores we visited, right?

It was a banner day for ephemera and since the market is pretty much dead right now, these little gems were only a few dollars for the batch.

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An old Maine prohibition postcard.

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It’s takes 160,000 children to keep me in gin? Thank you boys and girls. River appreciates all your hard work.

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Continuing in the alcohol vein… vintage beer coasters for the man cave.

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So many brews I’ve never even heard of.

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1939 World’s Fair. Very collectible.

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Trade cards. These used to go for $20+ each.

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And because I still haven’t found any crates to house them, another old vinyl record.

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The search continues.

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The husband and I hit another antique store yesterday, but failed to find any appropriate vintage beer or whisky crates for my vinyl collection. (okay, I did see a Budweiser crate but even I have standards)

I’m afraid the search is proving fruitful in only one aspect.

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And that’s enlarging the number of albums I need to house in the first place. But I was happy to find 13 of the same records I lost decades ago. A few covers are in rough shape, but for $2 each I won’t complain.

And lest you think the husband came home empty handed, he found a treasure for the man cave as well.

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A wood bound mixed drink recipe book from 1941.

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It’s a hoot and has some interesting drawings.

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As with anything the husband purchases, he always tells me to look it up and see if he paid too much.

This was the first listing I saw.

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Yikes! I was impressed he only paid $15 until I saw a bunch of others ranging from $20-100.

Good luck wdan1351. If you manage to sell it for that price? Please let me know.

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Man cave malfunction.

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Of course it happened on the day we’d invited friends over for adult beverages and pool in the man cave. I’d gone out early to set up some tasty snacks and heard an awful noise coming from under the bar.

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My mini mixer fridge.

Oh, the horror!

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Frozen solid and ready to burn out the motor. I unplugged, emptied, laid down a towel and propped open the door to defrost. Thinking our not even two year old expensive appliance was ready to die, I did some research. Turns out over packing a mini fridge is common and once the air flow is blocked it freezes up.

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And yes, I was certainly guilty of that. Club soda, tonic, Coke, ginger ale, Sprite, Bloody Mary mix, Tom collins mix, premixed margaritas, cranberry juice, lemonade, lime juice, orange juice etc. I have a well stocked bar, I need a well stocked mixer fridge!

I’m happy to report the 24 hour defrost worked with no apparent damage. Fridge is back up and running though with considerably less inventory this time around.

Thankfully we have a much larger beer fridge for the overflow.

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Miscellaneous drivel.

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As you know, our cat Lord Dudley Mountcatten is spoiled. He is not however, ill mannered.. and never tries to jump on the dining room table during meals. But for those of you who have misbehaving felines? I offer a solution:

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You’re welcome.

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What do you do when a friend recommends a fabulous blueberry vodka but you have no space on your man cave bar shelves?

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You pack them a little tighter and hope the shelves are up for the extra weight.

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We seem to be down to three baby woodchucks from seven. I prefer to think this is a result of momma chuck kicking a few of the kids out of the den and not the result of predation. But this little guy?

He’s still trying to move in with us.

🙂

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I don’t care if the pig is blind, that porker knows how to mix a drink.

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I love finding a new watering hole, and recently we hit the jackpot.

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The Blind Pig Tavern. So named because sympathetic policemen were known to turn a blind eye to speakeasies back in the day.

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This place has a modern rustic feel, randomly placed pigs and the most fabulous craft cocktail list I’ve seen in years.

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Ooh la la!

From the breadth of selection, I knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

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First up? The raspberry basil martini. I’m a sucker for mixing fresh herbs in alcohol and this was sheer perfection. The bartender must have known I was in it for the long haul because she brought me the bonus amount as well. Waste not, want not.

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Next up was the pineapple sage gimlet. As it was being served, the bartender told me she went easy on the sage because a few people said it tasted like tree bark. Amateurs! I took one sip and asked for the full strength version. It was sublime.

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And lest you think all I do is drink, there was food as well. Parmesan garlic brined wings to share…

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And a pulled pork Mac and cheese that was rich, creamy, delicious and enough for three meals.

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There was also a blackberry violet sour. The bartender said a few people told her this one tasted like soap…. which made me marvel at the masses of unrefined drinkers who came before. Go back to the 7-11 and pick up a pack of Bud you heathens! This cocktail was tart, sweet, fragrant and complex. A layered masterpiece.

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As we rounded toward evening, I ended on the Butterfly martini. With gin, St. Germain, violette liquor, hibiscus simple syrup and rose water it was a veritable flower garden in a glass.

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Random picture of the husband’s giant bowl of haddock chowder because yes, he was there too. Someone had to drive me home after all.

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Cute touch. I left the bartender a big tip, but no bucket for the kitchen this time around.

The Blind Pig has earned the top slot on our visited once, have to go back list. So many cocktails, so little time…

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You never know who you’ll meet at a bar.

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The husband and I dropped by a favorite haunt last week.

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The cocktails are always stellar. Blood orange gin fizz? Yes, please.

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Garlic Parmesan wings? Don’t mind if I do.

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Cucumber cooler?

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Good enough to have two, one before my meal.

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And one with my fish and chips. But it was the bar patrons on either side of us who were really interesting.

On the left? A doctor of infectious diseases who worked alongside Anthony Fauci for 5 years.

On the right? A man who put a plastic top with a straw on his glass of Jameson because he has a tendency to spill after two.

You just never know.

🤣

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Shopping for a gift in the basement.

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We love our local. It’s not a fancy place just a small rustic pub where, like Cheers… everyone really does know your name. The business is owned by two men… one cook, one bartender and I’m sure it would come as no surprise to either that their decor leaves a bit to be desired. The building is old, built at the turn of the century and the pub room is entirely wood. The few decorative items displayed are vintage Maine… an old sled, some snowshoes etc. A year ago I framed a collection of antique postcards of the town as a gift. Since then my husband has been sputtering about donating something as well. So…

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We went shopping. In the basement. I avoid this part of our house like the plague due to the mess, the clutter and the absolute lack of organization. Truth be told I start twitching after even limited exposure… but I endured, for the pub’s sake.

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The husband was all for giving them random junk but I said no. It had to be something Maine… or at least bar related.

This is what I chose:

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A nice pair of vintage wooden skis.

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And an antique wooden whisky crate. Perfect… right?

Wrong.

As I was cleaning the cobwebs and wiping off years of accumulated dust, the husband looked up the items online. Wooden skis in good shape can fetch a premium price in Maine as summer people like to decorate their vacation homes and cabins, so when he found a similar pair listed for $550? He changed his mind about letting them go. The crate? $55-70 … so it went in his I may sell this at a flea market pile.

Sorry local pub, no gifts for you today.

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