The 3rd Great Belgian Rum Tasting: Lichtervelde
June 17, 2023
Madou’s bar is becoming quite famous, and the rum collection is growing. Not only that, but the spa like atmosphere is outstanding…especially if you are a goat or a cow.
The welcoming committee chair.
Kay the barker and her faithful companion in the shade.
Warmup mai tai.
Part of the lineup.
Some notes from the first and second editions can be found here.
MAISON LQ MAUNY 2015:2019 – martinique (4)
hot. alcohol nose. clear gycerin use. dry on mouth. bitter
There was lots of Clement rum on hand, all from martinique.
We had to check our work with direct test tube comparisons for these.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR RHUM AGRICOLE 2012 (8)
dry. peppery. mature oak. delicious finish.
CLEMENT 5 YEAR MOKA RHUM AGRICOLE 2015 (6)
soft nose. curly esters. a bit sour turns to sweet.
CLEMENT 10 YEAR VANILLA RHUM AGRICOLE 2013 (7)
flower nose. soft. oak
CLEMENT 4 YEAR 5 MONTHS RHUM AGRICOLE 2020 (3)
gym sock nose. weak. bitter
CLEMENT XO (min 6 year blend) (7)
nice balanced nose. mature oak. balanced sugar. masterful blend. a bit corporate with nice components. banana.
CARÚPANO (up to) 21 year reserve (4)
sugar nose. central american style. ester curl works well. gycerin.
DIPLOMATICO AMBASSADOR (6)
sugar nose. some grass. hot. ester curl hell (not good). gets better each taste, but not as good as the 1976 product.
RATU 8 – fij (1)
coconut nose has to be fake. birthday cake disaster. yuck. please just take it.
BUNDABERG – australia (2)
weak nose. watery. blended down to bad.
TOPPITS (unpictured)
that’s a wrap. quite literally.
The final lineup.
Losers bracket.
There is Amer Picon to be had, including Citron which NPS has never seen before. We made liberals of course.
And we introduced the Industry Sour to Belgium
equal parts: Fernet. Green Chartruese. Lime. Simple syrup (1:1). Shake. Serve up.
Walks around the pond are available for a fee.
Sometimes things get hazy
Our hostess with the mostess.
We can’t wait to return.
fin.
The Zetter (and the Zetter Townhouse): London Revisited
November 23, 2022
It has been some years since we visited the stuffed cat in the Zetter Townhouse in London, and lo and behold, the cat is in full on Christmas mode. More about that soon enough.
In town for business, we reinhabited the old haunt (the Zetter Hotel), this time in room 503. This is one of the three rooms on the fifth floor with an excellent outside deck. Of course it was rainy and cold the entire time, because London. But we actually used the deck!
NPS still believes the 50X rooms need refurbished bathrooms. The showers are long in the tooth, unsatisfying, and involve climbing into a tub. A complete revamp with some glass showers would do everyone good.
The rest of 503 is great. Be aware that the stairs down to the bathroom can be hazardous in the middle of the night.
Looking in on 503 from the deck.
Two views from the Zetter (up and down). The blue sky was extremely temporary.
Now look at that tub! We’re going to need to try that (but only after a visit to Callooh Callay.
The blue is still around.
Hopefully this shower is not long for the world. The bathrooms are small but could be laid out much more reasonably.
Of course, the main draw of the Zetter is the Townhouse next door. Yes please. We had them fetch the Amer Picon from downstairs. The visit featured many a Picon cocktail, including the Liberal, the Brooklyn, and Picon Punch. I never make the latter because it takes way too much rare (in the US) Amer Picon.
Things were Christmasy all over London.
We returned to the Zetter Townhouse multiple times.
But first a quick note about some restaurants we did business things in. Quo Vadis is an outstanding location for a private dinner. And the Quality Chop House is unbelievably great. Seriously, best Pheasant we have ever eaten. Best Ramen in London at Mohonon.
Fun? At Quo Vadis.
Picon Punch looks like coke.
Noel was let out on good behavior. It did not last long.
Guilty as charged.
This South African gem was a perfect match for game. The Norwegians were in the house!
Romey arrived bright and early and looking very stylish.
A quick hit at the Tate rounded out a full day.
More Townhouse late into the evening.
A new thing? A visit to the London Eye. Been there. Done that.
The band.
A visit to the Churchill War Rooms was stuffy and a bit of a disappointment. The Ivy, on the other hand, did not disappoint.
Martinis for the band at the Dorchester Bar (the Connaught was packed). This round did not do much to improve the theater. We saw A Single Man at the Park Theater. It was OK.
Martinis were not a sufficient dinner. So we made a late night run to Chinatown. It was also packed. Where did all these people come from?
In other news, the Victoria and Albert has a design exhibit that is interesting, the South Bank Christmas market is a bust, Bengal Village is really nothing worth writing home about, and Callooh Callay remains a blast (thanks for the good conversation Charlie).
The Industry Sour cocktail made several appearances during this trip:
equal parts green chartreuse, lime, fernet, and simple syrup (1:1). surprisingly great.
Always Negroni.
And that tub? Yup!
A very nice visit to the Zetter again. We’ll probably be back. Because. Four showerheads and a hope for new bathrooms in the near future.
Quick Hit in NYC: Hotel Indigo is Very Corporate
October 17, 2022
What was to be a long weekend in the city shrunk down to one night when business did its usual thing of melting away. NPS stayed on the lower east side on somewhat of a whim. The verdict? Meh.
Thing is, Madou had no idea that we weren’t in midtown. So we shlepped up there for sushi at Sushi by Bou. Which was hilarious and definitely worth the subway time.
Waygu and uni…surf and turf @mmadou pic.twitter.com/BBZUfT75ih
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) September 7, 2022
The place is tiny, so make a reservation. Immediately after coffee, it was back downtown for our meetings, and then back to midtown for dinner at Freemans. Dinner was great.
But skip the rice pudding fad! LOL. Ride pudding is way too filling to catch on.
After dinner, the plan was to wedge into PDF, but the hot dog place was being its persnickety self. So instead we headed to Amor Y Amargo for some fantastic cocktails. We made up an experimental cocktail called the McGillicutty.
The Indigo was generic and boring. All of the Kimpton magic has dispersed.
The shower is not plastic.
The lower east side is close to some stuff, we guess.
NPS doesn’t remember the room number. Not returning.
Back to EWR you go (in an early Uber).
The United club is all new and fancy, but the flights are still delayed.
All told, three showerheads and no more strikes for Kimpton. Anybody have a good boutique hotel chain to offer?
Portland (of the Oregon variety)
September 30, 2021
On only the third airplane ride post Covid vaccination, it was across the country to Portland in two hops.
Queen Tibia presided at home in our absence.
Dulles was mostly empty on a Friday late morning.
The purple chair
An uneventful set of flights (through Denver) was marred only by the masks everyone must wear. We can’t wait for a vaccine mandate for air travel. It’s coming! HUGE KUDOS to united airlines for requiring all of their employees to be vaccinated. Smart.
In fact, Portland is a bit of a study in what is to come in the rest of the country. Vaccination proof is required in bars and restaurants. Even seedy little dive bars like the Jack London Review where we had an excellent time seeing mononeon. But I am getting ahead of myself.
First it was a quick run by Hertz to pick up a crappy rental car and head to the Kimpton Riverside. Well, it used to be a Kimpton. Now it is an IHG thing. We knew from last time to book room 325.
325 at the Riverside Portland has a fireplace
The living room
The bedroom with a view of the river and the park
The riverside has only two rooms with glass showers. We did not secure either. So we got this…
Horror of horrors! A shower curtain. We’ll give them a pass since it was fabric and not plastic.
Lauren Groff’s excellent new book The Matrix was apparently designed for this table
We had a negroni. We devoured some oysters. We saw old friends and their spunky ultra-intelligent progeny. We ended up at mononeon where we watched a show that seemed like a Prince show from the early ’90s. Less charisma, but just as much crazy energy and a collection of interesting cats including:
- A black female goddess drummer with the biggest afro ever (she was the real band leader and a great singer)
- Two white guys who played OK leads while hiding behind a pole
- A DJ who started things off
- Two rappers, one of whom was utterly obsessed with getting everyones’ hands in the air
- A sporadically present trumpet player
- A 20 year old lanky stripper who was having trouble fending off the lesbians in the front
- A token white girl who came on late with a guitar she halfheartedly strummed while she sang (her hair was up in that Prince entourage kind of way and she must have been wearing lingerie)
- Oh yeah, and mononeon himself who apparently convened this group and then got so high he forgot it was his show
Mononeon in his chair
The music was great, the dancing was contagious, and the most fun thing was watching the young one dance uninhibitedly.
That lasted until 3am EST which was way past everyone’s bedtime. Super fun.
Then it was Saturday morning and time for a great breakfast at Cheryl’s. The beignet alone was worth the wait. We bought a Patagonia jacket while waiting because we heard that you can’t really leave Portland unless you buy one.
Then the highlight of the trip! Three hours in Powells. We bought 30 books, some bags to carry them on the plane in, and a shirt. World’s best bookstore hands down. MUST RETURN.
Every time
We love Powell’s so much. Everyone in all of the other towns is very jealous of your book thing Portland.
24 (of 30) books
After a brief respite on the courtyard terrace, there was time left for the Saturday market (always worth a visit if your tie dye supply is low or you need a crystal).
Contemplating Portland traffic
Then it was time for dinner. We chose Normandie, which was a bit green but good. Hip and relaxed, this place needs to get its A game on. Before dinner cocktails at Hey Love were better than dinner. We both enjoyed a Loprinzi’s Mule:
- .5 cynar
- .5 amaro cio ciaro
- 2 oz don q añejo
- ginger syrup
- tarmarivel syrup (tanarind paste, cinnamon, grapefruit rind, sugar)
- soda in a collins on the rocks
Loprinzi’s Mule at Hey Love
All of a sudden it was Sunday. We started out late with a brunch at Olympia Provisions. My vegetarian companion was not amused, but I was. So we headed out to get some juice and ended up buying cabinet pulls for The Stick instead.
Portland has a huge homeless population, and it is evident all over the city. Beater campers, tents with patches and multiple tarps, lots of garbage. The United States has fallen short of many of its citizens, and you can see that in Portland first hand. Late stage capitalism on the streets.
Don’t tell Romey, but these were actually really damn good
Next it was off to the Portland Art Museum, which frankly you can skip. Mediocre at best. Plan to spend less time than you think.
Some shopping at Wildfang got us moving toward Japanese Gardens which were so crowded we bailed and drove straight to the Kennedy School to check in. Room 113 is great.
Of course as hip and fun as it is, the Kennedy School still feels like 1997 in the rooms. Time to update! Especially please replace the beds.
ALERT: THIS SHOWER IS PLASTIC
We had a drink in the courtyard while working on our dinner plans. Portland decided that two days without rain was anathema. The rain came. And it wasn’t kidding. But we borrowed some umbrellas and headed back to town.
A visit to the Teardrop Lounge was fabulous as always. (You don’t need a reservation, but you do need a great attitude.). A Raffles Singapore Sling was in the cards.
Then a fantastic dinner at Takibi. Delicious, modern, and very Japanese.
Takibi
A superb drinks menu
It was still raining on Monday morning when we got up early to prep for a business meeting. It must be the rain that caused us to eat such a huge breakfast at the Kennedy School. Surely.
After a rainy morning talking about ML and security, we enjoyed lunch at Southpark Seafood with some new friends who turned us on to Betsy and Iya, a fantastic boutique jeweler and clothier. Hard not to get some stuff there!
Then the Japanese Garden in the pouring rain. A magical place and far less crowded once the witches all melted down.
Finally it was back to the Kennedy School to catch Pig in one of the coolest places to see a movie anywhere. We had burgers and watched the show.
Negroni in the hall
Our seats for the show
One more gigantic breakfast (yes it was still raining) and it was off to the airport for our quick flight to Dulles.
A fantastic visit to Portland. Almost like the before times.
Four showerheads is the max for both Riverside Portland and the Kennedy School. Does Portland even have glass showers anywhere?
Jim and Chloe Babysit a Kitty (Sonoma)
June 28, 2021
Lulu
The extended weekend part of the San Francisco trip was built around kitty sitting for 9 week old LuLu in Guerneville. Jim and Chloe arranged it all.
We started Friday morning in San Francisco and headed directly north. Lunch was in Sabastapol at Handline.
Wut?
Lulu
After dropping off the bags and taking a swim, we headed out to Flowers Winery for a tasting. Frankly, flowers is really nice in a Disney-eque, just a little too too kind of way. Nice people with a script, and wine with a story that’s been focus grouped. I’m sure most people love it.
Magnolia
It seems as if a majority of the wineries on the beaten path in Sonoma stick with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I prefer when they diverge.
We headed into Healdsburg for a cocktail in a plastic cup at Duke’s Bar. The highly tattooed bartender that originally served us (who just so happened to be a woman) was fantastic. The other hipster guy who looked exactly like one of those bartender guys was not. Not bad, but also not good. Don’t seek it out.
There there was a quick trip to Safeway for Crunchberries. We did manage to hold off to have those for breakfast. Some people had never tried them before.
Breakfast of champions
Photographic evidence
My view from the best seat in the house
Dinner at Bravas Tapas was passable. Nice food. Very touristy. Sadly the best restaurant in town was booked by people who plan ahead.
Saturday morning started with the kitty under the covers, crawling down the length of my body to my toes. Hilarious kitty. Also lots of purring by the head.
After our breakfast of champions, we headed to Flying Goat Coffee to meet a friend who joined us for the day. A hike at the Healdsburg Ridge Preserve was just what the doctor ordered. We brought a delicious picnic and consumed it on a bridge…kind of reverse trolls handing out cherries.
Then it was off to Stuhlmuller Vinyards for another tasting. Great vibe. We brought pastries, had a great chat, and tasted some good wine. The italian varietals mixed in made the wines in my view.
On the way home to swim, we risked death by patchouli hula hoop girl and stopped by Safeway where a Dead cover band has been playing since before the Dead actually started in 1962. The mission was Palomas. So we needed Pomelo San Pelligrino. Here’s how to make a Paloma:
Paloma
Squeeze 1/2 lime into whiskey glass and leave the lime husk in
2 oz reposado tequila
large cube
fill with sparkling San Pellegrino Pomelo
We escaped with our lives, but the music is still with us. The Palomas by the pool were absolutely worth it.
Jim and I headed down to town for dinner at Brot (in greater metropolitan Guerneville). Delicious and fun. Highly recommended.
Then it was nightcap and dessert time. We hit El Barrio (about which expect more in the future) for excellent cocktails and a shot of mezcal. Then the formica-clad bar at Main Street Bistro and Cabaret where we heard some very good local music. The band was playing “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” by Traffic.
Main Street Bistro and Caberet, Guerneville
Live cover of Traffic's "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," fernet, and dessert https://t.co/dQKr7CcALe pic.twitter.com/9VutvdGMmV
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 27, 2021
Up early for a Sunday morning visit to Medlock Ames Bell Mountain location. This was the best winery of the entire California visit. Just fantastic. A great tour by an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable young woman, fantastic grounds (including nice gardens), a look behind the scenes at wine in production. Just very nice indeed.
The generous hosts
I have become a huge fan of this winery.
On the recommendation of our host at Medlock Ames, we hit Davero on the way home. There was no way to arrange a proper tasting at the very last minute, but we had a glass of Rose with a Barbera base in the incredible gardens. We were joined by the very happy dog. There was a pig.
Davero has so much down to earth charm. There are some wineries that could learn a thing or two from these interesting people.
We had a lunch to be forgotten on the way back home…something that remains with me now as I write this. Blerg.
After a last dip in the pool, it was back to the city to get ready to fly.
But first, ramen from Coco’s.
Ramen number 2 @rivco Coco's Ramenhttps://t.co/Hr1XaRpGLA pic.twitter.com/bJtvy7U0wp
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 28, 2021
This second “first” trip post pandemic was memorable in all the ways. Excellent friends, great food, wine and cocktails, and interaction with many humans. May we all recover our balance and live life again properly.
One day soon I hope to be back at this very spot
R2 Wine Luncheon Number 5
October 12, 2019
As always, the wine luncheon in LA was excellent. Great food, great company, and great wine. Our host Donnie did it again.
We dined at Lucques, and though we did not have a private room, we were well cared for and had plenty of room.
Donnie and I arrived in time for a cocktail before lunch got rolling.
House made Negroni at Lucques
Negroni components
The house made Negroni was, um, interesting. Infused vodka?! Overly sweet home made Campari. Sweet vermouth that was pretty sweet.
R2 menu
The food was excellent. Sadly, no pictures were snapped. The wine was plentiful as always.
The wine supply
Wine
Wine
As it turned out, a number of small French wineries were in the house looking for US distributors. After lunch, we joined them for a taste.
Vive la France
After an excellent Indian dinner, we decamped to Edison for a night cap. Good times.
Greenpoint
Pullman Sydney Hyde Park: Disco Duck Stuck in the ’70s
September 17, 2019
Business. What you gonna do. The Pullman is not the kind of hotel we would normally choose, but that’s where they stuck us. After a 15 hour flight, an early arrival is somewhat non-trivial in Sydney. No arrivals lounges at the airport, and no early checkin at this business class hotel. So where do you shower off the metal tube?
The hotel staff did offer up the (not really that private) shower on 23 where the pool and weight room are situated. So yes, we did it. Nothing like shaving in public by the pool! LOL.
The shower on 23 was not plastic at least
Fancy a shave?
At checkin, I asked how many room categories there were and figured out the (small) price difference between our assigned category (two) and category six. Switching to a suite was a no brainer. The suites at the Pullman are all numbered “15,” FWIW.
There was a delay checking in each time of about 20 minutes. The exec lounge on 21 has decent net and some snacks, though once again the furniture needs to be replaced.
Working in the lounge with espresso
Here is an amalgamation of 1215 and 1615, our first night suite and the one we had for the rest of our Pullman time. They were pretty much the same with dated (and very dirty) furnishings that need to be replaced.
Entrance way
Hyde park balcony
Those colors
Same view, different floor
The sitting room (1215)
The shower situation in the Pullman suites is complicated. The showers are all placed in a ’70s era hot tub replete with entry steps. At least the water pressure is good.
The extensive bathroom hot tub shower thing
Hmm
There was plenty of time for exercise due to time zone differential on this trip. Up at 4am? Yeah. I was surprised by the number of people who used the gym.
The weight room on 23
View from the exercise room
A day trip to the Blue Mountains with Brian included two hikes and an overnight stay at the Lilianfels. The hikes:
Hiking wentworth falls
Just around the corner from the Pullman is the Philosophy Cafe where not only do they have an excellent breakfast, they also have remarkably good coffee. For Sydney, that’s a thing. Sydney has great coffee all over. Make sure to take the time to find the best!
Sydney espreso
Philosophy Cafe breakfast
Also just around the corner is a great Italian restaurant called Beppi’s. Old school but very good food.
Vino Italiano at Beppi’s
Sydney is a great place to eat out. This trip included a visit to both Bistecca and Freds. Both were remarkably good. The bar at Fred’s (Charlie Parker’s) is also highly recommended.
Amer Picon at Charlie Parker’s (means a liberal)
Charlie Parker’s bar
Cocoa Banana
The Cocoa Banana from Charlie Parker’s (by Giacomo Franceschi)
house fermented banana wine (local yeast from the air)
bourbon (maker’s mark)
dark rum (havana 7)
montenegro amaro
cocoa butter
Fred’s open kitchen. Absolutely delicious food.
These fish. Just wow.
Recommended by Aaron Bedra
Bistecca grill (where the steaks are hand cut)
Speaking of bars. Make sure to include some time for: Lobo Plantation, a quick visit to the Marble bar (once anyway), the Baxter Inn, and Door Knock.
Zombie lighting at Lobo Plantation
Lobo Plantation tiki bar
The thing about the Marble bar is that it is trapped in a Hilton. The old stuff is beautiful, but whoever decided that plastic cups and formica tables were the way to go needs to be fired. Then again, the clientele was mostly tourists in tee shirts. Ordering fries seemed like the thing to do.
Marble bar
Your fries are ready
Baxter Inn is set up for whiskey drinkers, but the clientele?? Not so much. Go on an off day.
Baxter Inn Willet
The (locked) back room
Door Knock was a blast. Fun bartenders and very good drinks.
Mescal for a Paloma
Sawing the ice at Door Knock
Last Word at Door Knock
Dinner at Spice Temple was very good, though the atmosphere is a bit down market. Go for the food, not the ambiance.
Spice temple western style dumplings
We did some sailing in Sydney harbor.
Sydney transport of the fancy variety
An afternoon visit to the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art is recommended.
All told, a low three showerheads for the Pullman. Great staff, but a property that really needs some investment to stay relevant. No more furniture from the ’70s!
Back in Oslo at the Hotel Christiania Teater
August 30, 2019
Oslo is a beautiful city, but whatever you do, don’t try to drive in it. Even people who grew up here can’t do it. In particular, trying to get to the Hotel Christiania Teater from Lillehammer is, well, “interesting” in that Chinese curse kind of way.
As a creature of habit who has found a great property in Oslo, NPS is happy to stay at the Hotel Christiania Teater again. The only wrinkle is that someone else has booked 620 for Wednesday night. Scooped!
That meant we were relegated to room 510, which is a nice room with an inner courtyard facing “view.” 510 is very nice, but is not at all a 620!
510 is dominated by this comfortable bed
The suite sitting area is in the same room as the bed (which in our view makes it less of a suite and more of a room)
bathroom alcove
the shower is set apart by a huge heavy door
Sadly the plumbing seems to wake up early and make insane amounts of noise. An alarm clock of sorts.
The glass shower compartment, this shower is OK
One of the best parts of Hotel Christiania Teater is the bar downstairs which is top notch and always nice to visit.
Negroni with Norwegian gin
Excellent Indian food can be found at Jaipur.
Delicious
And of course a visit to Himkok is pretty much mandatory.
Experimental aquavit cocktail
Experimental Aquavit Cocktail
2cl aquavit
2cl tequila
4 cl beech water kefie
10 ml ambrato (bison grass)
10 ml Italicus
stir down. serve up.
After a one day delay, room 620 became available. An excellent, interesting, quirky space with a great shower.
The supermodels show off 630
bedroom is all bed
walk in shower with tub
One of two great alcoves with windows
All in all 620 has tons of room to hang out, exercise (which is important since the hotel has no gym of its own), blog, read, etc, in comfort.
Some time in Oslo, included a visit to Gøran’s cousin’s excellent art gallery PURenkel.
I added a painting to the art collection.
starfish
There was also Indian street food, beer, and espresso.
A talk.
Visiting Miles
Dinner at Hanami was very good. Excellent sushi and great service.
Just skip the bar at the thief. These people have forgotten what hospitality is.
Five showerheads for Hotel Christiania Teater, one of NPS’ favorite hotels on the planet.
Grande Colonial Inn La Jolla Gets a Facelift
May 15, 2019
What a difference a year makes. Last year the Grande Colonial seemed a bit tired and long in the tooth. It has had a facelift.
View from 102
Though the architecture of the building has not changed, the room layout is much cleaner and more spacious. Even the long skinny bathroom (which remains long and skinny) is better.
Looking in the long skinny bathroom. Hey, the shower is not plastic!
This trend to delete bath tubs and replace them with modern shower spaces is a great trend. Much better use of space, and much more reasonable approach to morning cleanliness.
The best part of this design is that the controls are situated logically. No reason to get wet while you turn on the shower.
The rest of the room has been opened up, repainted, and re-imagined. Nice work.
102 bed
Seating area 102
Look how comfortable
Sadly, the parking lot has not been deleted. The ocean is over there somewhere.
Dinner at Catania was very good for a restaurant group property. Modern italian with a negroni to boot. Recommended.
Sadly, the bar at Nine Ten (which is a very good restaurant in the hotel) is still sub-par. Gotta hire some hipsters who know what they are doing. The current bar suits the old, monied, and boring demographic of the hotel. Nuff said.
George’s at the Cove, a La Jolla establishment of many years still deserving its reputation, still has the best cocktail program in town.
Joree Weatherly was a top notch barman who served us this cocktail. It has a name, but Joree did not write it down on the recipe I asked for. Lets just call it Trentino Tincture. Actually, it turns out to be named Shiso Piney
1.5 Amaro Junipero gin
.5 Pasubio amaro (from Trentino where I spent a year in 1993)
1 lemon
.75 shiso syrup
2 dashes of pine tincture
top with soda. serve on rocks in a collins glass.
When we returned the next night with a cast of hundreds, Joree made use these great cocktails:
Mezcal Manhattan
1.5 Mezcal
.75 montenegro
.75 Averna
2 dashes mexican spiced bitters
Stir down, serve on a large cube
Negroni Amarillo
1.5 Mezcal
1 pamplemousse
1 suze
2 dashes sage tincture
Stir down, serve up with sage leaf
United upgraded us on the way out. Lets hope that works for the way back too. Global services rock on! Um, nope. No upgrade, and we’re here to tell you, economy sucks!
NPS is impressed. Nice work updating the property! Four showerheads for the Grande Colonial.
One Night at the Kabuki (Japantown, San Francisco)
March 18, 2019
After a weekend of staying with friends (paul, jim and chloe), we spent one night at the Kabuki before heading out of town early in the morning.
1602 is as nice a room as ever. We have been here before.
1602 bedroom in the upper corner
There was just enough time to dash down a craft cocktail before dinner.
The Daffodil-Narcissus
1 oz Sipsmith gin
1 oz Bols Genever
1 oz honey/water 1:1
.5 oz lillet blanc
.5 oz lime juice
spoon of greek yogurt
egg white
dry shake. shake on ice. serve in a collins with a big cube and dill garnish.
Dinner at Mourad was very good indeed. Expensive as all get out, but great food and an excellent quirky wine list.
And we now have a new driver in SF.
Four showerheads for the Kabuki and thanks for putting us up in our favorite room.
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