Seattle International Beer Festival

Last weekend, Country Girl and I went to Seattle International Beer Festival at Seattle Center.  They advertised having more than 250 beers from 15 countries.  Summer has finally arrived and the weather was very nice (though a bit hot and sunny for City Boy's tastes) so the event was predictably very crowded.  It was in a different area in Seattle Center this year and I'm pretty sure it was more spacious which helped deal with the crowd.

Country Girl and I tried 16-18 samples with our 20 tickets.  There were definitely some highlights and our "official scores" are listed below.  One beer that really stood out was the Wingman P-51 Coconut Porter.  Both Country Girl and I really enjoy dark beers.  I'm less of a fan of porters generally because they often contain lots of coffee tones.  This one was deliciously light on coffee and though I'm not a huge coconut flavor fan, Wingman got the taste totally spot on.  Very flavorful and crisp without being too sweet or overbearing with the coconut flavor.  Other beers we tried (top possible score being 5), 

• Stone IRS Belgo Anise 2011 (Imperial Stout) - 2
• Mad Viking Vintage Cognac IRS (Imperial Stout) - 2.5
• Stiegl Austrian Pils - 2.5
• Lost Abbey Serpent Stout - 4
• Two Beers Crooked Belgian Wit - 4
• Ayinger Brau Weisse - 2
• Sam Adams Imperial White - 1 
• Lazy Boy Belgian Dubbel - 3
• Bavik Pils - 3
• Big  Eddy's Wee Heavy (Scotch Ale) - 3
• Mad Belgian (Belgian Pale) - 3
• Steelhead Scotch Porter - 4
• Primator Dark Lager - 4
• Saku Rock Porter - 3
• Zhiguli Grande 12% (Dopplebock) - 3.5

There were a couple of things at this year's festival that detracted from the good times, however.  One thing was that there was at least one cigar vendor which I don't recall from prior festivals.  Unfortunately, cigar smoking wasn't confined to the area where the cigars were available.  As a result, there was noxious, choking cigar smoke violating our noses several times while we at the festival.  

The other downer was the abundance of dogs at the event.  Compounding problems was that many of them were off leash.  Given the size of the crowd, it's not a practical place for dogs.  It's a lot of work just navigating the people, the addition of stumbling over dogs as well left a lot to be desired. 

These grumbles aside, it was a really fun event.  The weather was much better than expected and we got to sample some great beers.  I think we both look forward to attending next year.

Mini-Meatloaf Carne Asada Style

One of the recipes I really like from a book Country Girl gave me is for mini-meatloaf.  I tried to put a personal spin on it and make something similar but "carne asada" style.  I started with a ground turkey and ground beef mixture.  To that, I added chopped cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked chipotle tabasco and chopped red and white onion.

Put them in the oven (on a cookie sheet as they tend to overflow) at 350 for about 35 minutes and presto!

Taste wise, I'd rate them a "fair".  There was plenty of heat thanks to the tabasco and cayenne pepper.  I thought the "carne asda" taste was lacking though.  I'd definitely use more cilantro and lime juice next time.  I also thought they were a bit dry and would cut down the cooking time next time as well.  Country Girl said she thought they were great.  She's a kind critic though =)

Thai Chicken Thighs

Country Girl hooked it up in a big way making some delicious Thai chicken thighs.  The marinade was a bit laborious (according to her, no help from City Boy this time) and consisted of basil, cilantro, brown sugar, fish sauce, a copious amount of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and red curry paste.

After marinading most of the day, I popped them on the grill for about 11 minutes.  They were topped with peanuts and cilantro with the finish product turned out stellar.  Another hit from the kitchen of Country Girl.

Atlantic Crossing - Roosevelt

After a delicious dinner at India Bistro in Roosevelt,Country Girl and I headed across the street to check out Atlantic Crossing.  Before I get to the Atlantic Crossing experience, I want to mention that it was actually our second stop after leaving India Bistro.

We first went to Teddy's Tavern and it was a short stay.  Poor selection of beers and an interesting in a bad way crowd made it easy to promptly leave.  They did advertise having both the MLB and NHL packages so may be worth stopping by for a game, though I didn't notice how many tvs they have.

As for Atlantic Crossing, it appears at first blush to be a run of the mill Irish bar with Guinness and Baileys adverts everywhere.  I then noticed several soccer jerseys hanging on the walls, most of which appeared to be English club teams.  I mentioned to Country Girl how improbable I thought it would be for an Irish bar to represent so hard for the hated British and we concluded it must be a rarely seen British bar.

Another thing that immediately stood out was how busy the place was.  Though it was a Tuesday night, it was the night before the 4th of July and people were out in droves taking advantage of having the next day off.  The person in charge of scheduling appears not to have taken this into account, however, as there was only one server/bartender and one cook.  Accordingly, the wait time was pretty significant to get service.

The beer selection was good enough and about what you'd expect from an Irish (British?) bar.  They did have an imperial stout on tap which we both found noteworthy but given the staff situation, we didn't ask for a taste.  As they have Bass on tap (strangely, a rarity it currently seems), we both had a Black and Tan.

The atmosphere was pleasant enough.  They have a pool table and a couple of dart boards as well as a patio.  The crowd was largely nondescript which was a good thing after the Teddy's experience.

India Bistro - Roosevelt

Country Girl and I ate at the lovely India Bistro in Roosevelt for the second time last week.  Much like the first visit, it exceeded expectations.  They have free, off-street parking which is a great way to start any meal.  The service is friendly and attentive without being overbearing.  They quickly took our order and our water glasses were never lower than half empty before getting refilled.

We ordered garlic naan, chicken tikka masala and lamb korma (both 3 1/2 stars spiciness).  The nann came out very warm and had a light, buttery taste to it.  The tikka masla was full of flavor and just about right, spiciness wise.  The lamb korma was similarly flavorful and had a nice, not too heavy creaminess to it.  The spice level was again spot on.  The meat in both dishes was incredibly tender.  Also, the two entrees were served piping hot on individual warming dishes and maintained a great temperature the entire time.

An all around fantastic dining experience and we both look forward to our next visit.  Highly recommend you check it out.