Magner's...Better as a Draft?

So during the St Patrick Day festivities, I tried a draft of Magner's Cider and enjoyed it very much. Recently, I purchased some canned Magner's at Liquor Barn. It was still enjoyable, but as can often be the case it wasn't quite as good as the draft. Still, it's a good enjoyable drink. Find out more about Magner's at http://www.magners.com/

I also purchased the Woodchuck variety pack. It includes Granny Smith, Pear & Amber. I haven't yet had Woodchuck on tap (is that even available?) but find the bottles quite good. The pear is tart and has a definite pear aroma and flavor. The Amber was a good all around drink. The Granny Smith, while still good, was probably my least favorite. You can find Woodchuck info at http://www.woodchuck.com/woody/age/

Lexington Farmer's Market

If you haven't been yet this year, be sure to plan on stopping by the Lexington's Farmers Market. I usually go on Saturday's when I have more time. They've moved to their new location next to Cheapside which I think will work out really well. Yesterday's dinner was completely from the market - corn on the cob (really good), fried green tomatoes (excellent), smashed red potatoes (creamy and garlicky), onion and cucumber.

We also had a nice wine that I picked up from Liquor Barn. It was Candida Pinot Grigio. I enjoy the Pinot Grigio particularly in the summer.

Good Foods Co-Op

One of the places we like to eat at occasionally is Good Foods. They have a sandwich/juice bar, salad bar and hot food bar. There's also fresh sushi available as well. It's a good place for a meat eater and vegetarian to go and both leave satisfied. It took me a while to figure out though that brunch, served on Sundays, is not my favorite. I'm much more likely now to go Monday-Saturday in the evening for dinner. It can get awfully crowded as they have a very loyal customer base.

Making Beer

It's been too long since my last post. Busy holidays. Busy ice storm. Busy job. But now I'm back to more important things like making beer! I had gotten most of the stuff from Liquor Barn necessary to make beer for Valentine's Day a while back but it had sat alone and unused. So we got it out, dusted it off and made our first batch of Brewer's Best. It's about 45 bottles and is currently aging in the closet. I'll post back once I've had a chance to try it.

Woodchuck Draft Cider

Wow. Where does the time go?

I have now decided I am a fan of the Woodchuck Draft Cider. As a surprise I received the Pear variety this weekend and I am enjoying it very much. I had never had cider before until I sampled one at the Old Chicago the other day. I'm decided to try the other varieties by Woodchuck and go from there.

Bajio Opens in Lexington

With the ever sprawling Hamburg, it was only a matter of time before we got another Qdoba/Chipotle/Moe's type restaurant. This one is called Bajio and it's located in front of the Lowe's off Winchester Road. It's interesting. The decor I thought was much richer than the other three. I was immediately struck by the prices which seemed a little high for what is still basically a quick-serve-restaurant. However, once they started plating the meals I realized the charge was in part due to quantity. I chose the Mexican Pizza and it was large enough that I took half home for later. While I'm pretty sure I'll try it again, I can't say that I recommend this restaurant just yet.

Pazzo's...more good pizza.

Lexington really does seem to have more than it's fair share of good pizza. First there was Brooklyn Pizza and now Pazzo's. It's located on UK's campus, has great pizza and a very decent beer selection. Today for lunch, I had a slice of pepperoni and a Sam Adam's Summer Ale. Very tasty and their prices are pretty reasonable as well.

Samantha Carter

Who else loves Sam? From Stargate to SG Atlantis, she is the rock.

Brooklyn Pizza

Brooklyn Pizza. Simply the best pizza in Lexington. Of course weekend
evening traffic is a bit heavy and a lot of kids but the $10 beer
bucket makes up for a lot.

Homemade LIT's

This past weekend, we had a few people over for a cookout. I decided to make Long Island Ice Tea's for everyone. Found a pretty basic recipe online and thought they turned out pretty good. While the upfront cost to buy all the alcohol was up there, we used so little out of each bottle that there is plenty left over. I think I would adjust the recipe a tad to decrease the amount of sour mix, bump up the Coke past a 'splash' and maybe increase the alcohol just a bit.

Here's the recipe:

LIT Recipe:
1/2-ounce vodka (recommended: Skyy Vodka)
1/2-ounce gin (recommended: Beefeater Gin)
1/2-ounce light rum
1/2-ounce Triple Sec (recommended: Hiram Walker Triple Sec)
3 ounces sour mix (recommended: Finest Call Sour Mix)
Ice
Cola (recommended: Coca-Cola)
Lemon wedge, for garnish Combine first 5 ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a 14-ounce beverage glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve with a tall straw.