burgers and brew

originally, i wanted to do all my catching-up posts chronologically, meaning i would have had to start from the other weekend when we went to the california state fair. alas, i haven't gotten around to downloading the photos from the fancy schmansy camera! (read: my nikon DSLR, the toy i would love to have more time to play with.) so you'll have to settle for a few posts i can do using my camera phone photos first. which isn't necessarily a bad thing. i love how camera phones have changed the game for candid shots. with technology these days, the little buggers actually take better than decent pictures.

okay, enough about photography. i could go on and on about that all day, but that's not the title i've made for this post!

the title is burgers and brew, after the little restaurant we had dinner at last friday.

this past weekend was just jam-packed with planned activities because my cousin reg was visiting again, one last time before he heads home to the land of oz. we started it off by picking him up at the train station and heading straight to B&B for dinner.

while bo and i played conservative and split your standard cheeseburger, reg went all out for the buffalo burger, pictured above. real buffalo meat! not something you get to try everyday. it tasted pretty darn good (as did the regular burger). you could tell the meat was different... perhaps slightly more gamey and lean than beef, but not obnoxiously so. and the B&B chef is some kind of master, having cooked the meat to perfection on both counts (medium well is my preference). there is nothing better than a properly cooked burger!

reg digs in...

wait a second... actually, there is something better. how about curly fries with chili? oh yeah! bo and i were debating on which one to get, the curly or the chili. then our waiter intervened, saying, "why not both?" the man made my day. it was so good that i forgot about taking a photo of it before we scarfed it down! it was real chili con carne, meaty and flavorful... not just a tub of full of beans and grease and cheese! and, on CURLY FRIES. nuff said!

so as the name implies, we had our fair share of beer to wash down our dinner with. bo started off with a classic favorite of many, the hoegaarden (a wheat beer) with a slice of orange. i like the occasional wheat beer but am not a huge fan, so i skipped it. reg and i tried one of B&B's specials of the day, the kona longboard, pictured below. bo and i were trying to figure out where we'd seen (and he'd tried) the kona before... we think it was at beach hut deli (mmmm... another love. i'll have to blog about that place too!).

 

we really enjoyed the kona, it's a very light lager that's easy to drink with whatever you're having for dinner. that also means we downed it pretty fast! tee hee! on to the next one, lads!

reg went for the leffe blonde, the self-proclaimed "mystery of the ages." true enough, it had an interesting, distinct flavor, yet it was still very drinkable. beer connoisseurs will enjoy this abbey beer, which indicates it should be served in a chalice-shaped glass, pictured above. per the professionals, an abbey beer's "almost wine-like qualities" demand a chalice, which "funnels the aroma and brings the bouquet to a focus" better than your typical mug or pint glass can. but if you ask me, well... i'll drink it any which way i can get it!

bo had the london pride. this slightly darker, malty ale had a much bolder flavor. not at all bad, but it wouldn't be my first choice. i'm not hugely into hoppy beers, which this was. i enjoyed it very much as it was ice cold, but probably wouldn't want it once it warmed down to room temperature.

and so ended our lovely evening. we had plans to drive up to south lake tahoe the next day, so we couldn't keep poundin' the brews like the good ol' days. honestly, we're pretty much passed the point where double-fisting and such were fun. these days, nursing a few pints on a steady evening is really much more enjoyable.

on a closing note, it's salient to point out that burgers and brew is by the same folks behind crepeville. i've only been to crepeville once, and i can't wait to go back again... their savory crepe is killer! i must say, these restauranteurs and sure know their food!