First Legal Brew in Joco

MM's job sometimes takes to parts of Central NC that we may not usually traverse.  So one day, we end up in Smithfield, about 45 minutes southeast of Raleigh, in Johnston County, or as it's known, JoCo.  JoCo is what you would expect out of a county in the south, not one infiltrated by us yankee types.  So I volunteer to go to Smithfield on one condition - that we stop on our way home at the new brewery that popped up in Clayton, the town near the border of Johnston and Wake counties (Wake being where Raleigh resides).

We find this brewery nestled in an industrial area just outside the downtown Clayton area, and it's a simple setup - a bar, with 4 brewing tanks behind and plenty of room to grow.  Their claim is that they are the first "legal" brew in Johnston County...paying homage to the fine art of moonshine.

The owners Paul and Lynn are from upstate NY, so immediately I am obligated to like them.  However, their beer speaks for itself.  Of their every day beers, I enjoy their Riverbank Rye-It, a Rye IPA.  Their First Run IPA is not too hoppy, but smooth and delicious.  Other offerings such as the 4042 Stout and Twisted River Wit are great brews.  Paul is also willing to experiment, such as his Bourbon Infused Stout, and my current favorite for summer, Double D's Watermelon Lager.  Our bartender recommended a half Rye-It, half IPA.  It is MM and staff approved.

North Carolina has become a hotbed for breweries, as craft giants such as Sierra Nevada and New Belgium make their way into the state.  However, small brewers like Paul and Lynn make this the true beer haven that it is.  A weekend with a pint, some music, and the food truck du jour make the 30 minute trek into JoCo so worth the drive.

Deep River Brewing Company
700 W. Main Street
Clayton NC 27520
www.deepriverbrewing.com

A Big Island of Flavor

While MM and I enjoy traveling, we usually don't do a big blowout vacation.  Since we're both workaholics, taking a full week off from work is a pretty foreign concept.  But, we hit a milestone wedding anniversary this past year, and decided it was time to do a nice vacation.  MM had won a week at a timeshare anywhere in the U.S. in a charity auction, so we decided to use it for our big vacation, and suddenly, Hawaii came up.  Not being big beach/sand/pool people, we never had really considered it.  Next thing I know, I'm booking a 12 hour flight to paradise.

We spent a week on the big island of Hawaii.  It truly is paradise, as well as a throwback in time.  During our time there, we had a little bit of everything - fine dining, simple eats, and old school hawaiian.  Here's our recommendations:

Sam Choy's Kai Lanai


Just south of Kona, Sam Choy's serves up a modern spin on Hawaiian fare. Sam Choy is a native Hawaiian who owns restaurants on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.  The restaurant sits up the hillside, with sweeping panoramic views of the Pacific.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We went for breakfast our first day here, and started off our trip right.  MM ordered the loco moco, a traditional hawaiian dish, but with a Sam Choy spin with pork and served over fried rice (or as our waitress said when the options of rice, fried rice yum...)

I went with the pineapple, papaya, and macadamia nut upside down pancakes.  Check out those mac nuts!!  Loaded!!

We noticed this juice on several of the tables, and asked our waitress, and it is the native POG juice - papaya, orange and guava juice.  This meal was a great start to our culinary adventures for the week.

We stopped in for pupus (appetizers) and mai tais later in the week (when in Rome...), and we had the brie fried wontons.  Beautiful presentation and even beltter flavor.

Kona Brewing Company
Located in downtown Kona, Kona Brewing's home base is a small beer operation, as they only brew beer for kegs that are distributed throughout the Hawaiian Islands. (Anything you get in a bottle or draft  on the mainland is made in Oregon, in case you were wondering...).

They do have a beautiful restaurant on premises with pupus, pizzas and pub fare. I went Hawaiian with the Kalua Pork Tacos.  MM had a BBQ chicken sandwich, where the BBQ sauce was made with the brewery's Black Sand Porter and served with housemade black pepper chips.

Black Sand Porter BBQ Chicken Sandwich w/Housemade Black Pepper Chips

Kalua Pork Tacos

The entire menu is not really Hawaiian, but the beer makes up for it.  The Pacifier IPA was my favorite, and MM enjoyed the Vanilla Thrilla Porter.  They do offer brewery tours twice daily, but get there early enough to sign up - max is 15 people per tour.

Da Poke Shack
Usually we like to mix it up and only go to a restaurant once on a trip.  We went here 4 times.  A small storefront along Alii Drive, Da Poke Shack makes fresh daily poke bowls, as well as Huli Huli Chicken, which is a half rotisserie chicken Hawaii style. This place was always busy with people coming in and out, and we quickly learned why we would be back again.  And again.  And again.  We actually bought some poke for the trip home, and when we ate the last of what we bought when we returned to North Carolina, we were immediately homesick for Hawaii.

Shack Special Poke with Crab Salad

Huli Huli Chicken with Crab Salad

Dynamite Poke with Avocado Aioli with Kim Chee Mussels

Octopus and Kim Chee Cucumbers

 They have a couple picnic tables out front, but a quick walk to the beach.  They do serve beer, but frown upon open container.  Dynamite Poke, Kirin Light + Big Island = One Happy Foodie

We met the owner Albert on one of our stops in, who showed us the cooler with 2 - 40lb. yellowfins he had caught that morning, and which we ate the next day.

Teshima's
An old school Japanese bento-style restaurant.  The formica on the walls matched the countertops from my grandparents' house.  The food is legit.  Teshima, who is now 105 years old, still works and cooks in the restaurant.  We were disappointed we didn't see her when we stopped in....the quality and the QUANTITY of the bento boxes were insane.  I could barely finish mine...and MM had ordered extra ahi.

Beef Teriyaki and Shrimp Tempura w Rice, Miso Soup, Tsukemono, and Sumomono 

Sidecar of  Sashimi Ahi 

Deep sea trio combo - Shrimp Tempura, Sauteed Ahi and Sashimi 

Manago Hotel

This is a locals place, but people on the hunt for top notch food will find there way here. It is an old-style hotel about 10 miles south of Kona near Captain Cook.  Rooms are still available for nearly $40 a night.

The restaurant is a complete throwback to your banquet rooms.  The only menu is one peg board in the middle of the room (which I did get some flack from locals when I walked over to check it out).

Prior to our meal, the sides are brought out for us to share - sesame broccoli, mixed vegetables, macaroni potato salad, and rice.  I loved the rice, which was like a sushi rice, but not sticky.  By far the best white rice I ever had. MM had the pork chop, which is what the Manago is known for, which was smotherered with onions.  I had the butterfish, which was a little bony, but so rich and delicious.

Famous Pork Chop

Butterfish

The Coffee Shack
On the way from Kona to the volcano in Captain Cook, sits the Coffee Shack, surrounded by coffee plants that run right up to HI-11.  Inside this small restaurant with two rooms of 10 tables each (if that...), serve breakfast, lunch and are known for their macadamia nut pies.  I had the papaya special - a 1/2 papaya filled with yogurt and topped with coconut, served with scrambled eggs and a pastry, which was a papaya banana muffin.  The papaya muffin was my favorite, as it was so moist, and the yogurt with coconut was great before a hike in the volcano.  MM got a special - the ahi tuna eggs benedict.

Ahi Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise, Grilled Onions, Capers and Potatoes

Papaya Special - Yogurt with pineapple and coconut in a papaya, scrambled eggs and a papaya banana muffin.

Big Island Brewhaus and Tako Taco Taqueria
Their claim is to fame is being Hawaii's highest brewery, as they are in the town of Waimea, which stands at 2,764 feet above sea level.  The restaurant is tiny and funky, but the lack of space doesn't limit the number of beers they have available - they had at least 12 different drafts available in both pint and half pints (which allowed us to sample most of the menu). My favorite was the mandarin gold, a seasonal beer made with mandarin oranges!

One would not think that mexican food in Hawaii would be good, but the food is just as good as the beer.  MM had the Sloppy Jose - beef and local cabbage in a house made tortilla and house made chips.  I had a chile relleno and enchilada combination.  Seriously - best chile relleno I ever had.  Looking at you, Bobby Flay.  This was worth hour drive from Kona, and got to see some of the lush countryside of the northern side of the island.

Sloppy Jose

Enchilada and chile relleno combination

Brown's Beach House

Since we were celebrating an anniversary, we had to find a special place to celebrate this special occasion.  About 40 minutes north of Kona on the Kohala Coast, is the Fairmont Orchid Hotel, a 4 star resort.  Their signature restaurant is Brown's Beach House, which sits just along the water.  We arrive for our dinner about 45 minutes prior to sundown, so we can watch the sunset from our table.  We had the corner table - best table in the house.  This was our view from our table:

The food was just as wonderful as the view.  We started the meal with a small canape of cucumber, heirloom tomato, and goat cheese, which was presented with the breadbasket - sourdough honey wheat bread with raisins & pistachios, served with butter and a sundried tomato spread.  I normally don't focus on what is in the bread basket, let alone indulge, but both the bread and the sundried tomato spread were amazing.

I started with the apple, banana and kabocha squash bisque, which was served with a banana creme and toasted mac nuts.  Kabocha squash is most like a pumpkin, so the squash with the sweetness of the banana was very comforting.  Would love this on a cold day, but just as good as a summer soup.

MM had the Kona coffee braised short ribs, served with grilled portabello over risotto and a Tia Maria sauce.  The short rib was so tender and flavorful, and again - coffee - when in Rome.

For entrees, MM likes his steak....so he went with the filet mignon, but it was not your typical filet, as it was served with a truffle foie gras demi, alongside a Kabocha mash and organic arugula.  Being huge macaroni and cheese fans, we couldn't say no to truffle, bacon, potato mac and cheese.  Yes, that all was in one dish, and was delicious.

I had the osso buco served along Kabocha mash, carrots and bok choy.  I am still talking about the marrow from the osso buco to this day.  Best meal I had not only in Hawaii, but definitely in the top 5 in my life.

Amazingly, we still had room for dessert, and we ordered a macadamia nut snickers bar.  By the sound of it, it would be extremely decadent, but it was very light and airy.  This dessert was just an experiment by the head chef and drew such rave reviews when served as a special, that it was added to the menu.

The big island has so much to offer, and from what the locals told us, less of the "hustle and bustle" of the other islands.  While the views, flora and scenery are memorable, the food is as well, and look forward to my return for a seat by the pool with a mai tai and a poke bowl.

Carolina Brewing Company

As craft beers have become more popular over the past few years, MM and I have developed into a bit of beer snobs.  I do enjoy me a Labatt Blue or two, but with the increasing number of craft beers that are available, I would choose a good Pale Ale by a small brewery over a mass-produced bottle that I can have any time.  North Carolina has started to become the East Coast gem of craft brews, with most of the growth in Asheville, on the western side of the state.  Landing New Belgium (Fat Tire) and Sierra Nevada as site of their East Coast facilities will catapult them into a beer lover's mecca.  Not to be outdone, the Triangle area has a handful of breweries with their own delicious offerings.  The most popular brewery is Carolina Brewing Company, which is housed in suburban Holly Springs, about 30 minutes southwest of Raleigh.  Their Carolina Pale Ale is available in many bars and restaurants in the Triangle area.

Every Saturday at 1pm, they have a free brewery tour to show their facilities and their brewing process.  MM and I get to the brewery, which is nestled in a business park off a major state highway, about 10 minutes before the tour starts.  We grab a pint glass, and walk into the facility and get our pre-tour complimentary beer.  I get a Wiggo, which is a seasonal IPA, with more hops that their traditional IPA, and MM gets a Carolina Nut Brown Ale, which is one of their original brews.  The Wiggo has great flavor, but the Nut Brown seems to be slightly lacking.  The tour begins by Mark (one of the 4 partners in the brewery) giving an overview of the history of the brewery, which has been in existence since 1995, and distributes to 25 counties through North Carolina.  Then he goes through the brewing process and shows the bottling line, which is only being used at 2/5 capacity, as they look to stay small and work only with bottles and kegs.  

Once the tour concludes, the taps re-open, and I enjoy the seasonal Spring Bock - a seasonal Maibock to complement my pint glass that says "Fear the Goat."  MM enjoys another seasonal - the Winter Porter.  The taps stay open for approximately another hour.  We move to the retail room to get some A/C (60 people + brewing supplies = HOT), and chat up a couple that live nearby, and learn the husband always comes up on Saturdays to have a couple pints, have a quick tour, and pick up a six pack for the week.  Quickly, we learned there are many "regulars" on these tours, but it is quickly compensated by the stream of people leaving with kegs and six packs, since the retail room is only open on Fridays and Saturdays.  We leave with a six pack of Wiggo, and the promise to head back to the brewery again - next time with some friends.

Carolina Brewing Company

140 Thomas Mill Road

Holly Springs NC 27540

www.carolinabrew.com

Zillycakes & Blue Monk Buffalo 10-15-11

When I travel back to Buffalo, the weekend schedule is usually trying to cram all my favorite hometown foods and specialties into a 72 hour span - Mighty Taco, A Royal from Penora's, Pizza & Wings from anywhere, Beef on Weck are usually the menu (I believe to the chagrin of my mother, who always wants to make me a home cooked meal...)  Since I'm always chasing down the old standbys, I never really get to try new restaurants in the area.


My last trip home, my sister & I went down to the Elmwood Strip,  a 2 mile stretch of Elmwood Avenue, lined with bars and eclectic shops near the Buffalo State College campus.  The day was cold and rainy, so our plan to walk the strip was altered to jump in the car and drive 5 blocks to the next group of stores, but still fun nonetheless to explore.


While we were up at the northern end of the strip, we saw Zillycakes, a specialty cake and cupcake shop. Their main business is designing cakes, but they do have a walk-in cupcake bar.  The walk-in area is TINY - there is a small bar with a couple stools, but is adjacent to the bar, so when someone else walks in, you are cramped.  Fortunately, we had some space when making our selections.


All the cupcakes at the cupcake bar are made to order - you pick your cupcake, your frosting, and if you desire, your toppings.  They had the standard cupcakes - yellow, chocolate, red velvet - but they had special cupcakes - apple almond, and lime thai chile.  Same goes with the frosting - standard buttercreams and cream cheese, but also had apple cider buttercream, which sounded perfect on a fall day, so we went with the apple almond cupcake to complement the apple cider buttercream.  They sprinkled almond slivers a top the cupcake, and was beautifully presented.

The cake was super moist, and frosting had hints of apple and spice, but not overpowering.  The almonds gave it texture.  Definitely a great cupcake.  Since Zilly (the owner, hence the name) was recently on Food Network Halloween Challenge, she may want to think about expanding, because her walk-in business will do the same.


Shopping makes me hungry....and thirsty.  As we continue down Elmwood, we were going to stop somewhere to knock another Buffalo staple off my list, but we ended up near the Blue Monk, a gastropub that opened in 2010.  And being from Buffalo, it's very standard to say "want to get a drink?" at 2pm.  So of course, my arm was twisted and off we got out of the rain.  The windows are tainted dark, so it was hard to see in from across Elmwood Avenue, and we wondered if they were open....oh, they were open, all right.


We walk in and the place is PACKED.  At 2pm.  On a Saturday.  The only place we can grab seats is at the bar near the door, coincidentally where we had sat when I had first come to Blue Monk on a Saturday evening out with my sister earlier in the spring.  We had only come for drinks that evening, but had looked at the menu and was intrigued and wanted to come back.


The restaurant is long and narrow, as most businesses on Elmwood are.  The bar runs along the right side before a staircase takes you upstairs to the dining area.  To the right of the steps is a huge blackboard listing all their beers on tap.  They run approximately 32 beers on tap in a wide variety of craft beers.  I go with a Flying Bison Rusty Chain, a Vienna lager which is locally brewed and only locally distributed.  Great flavor and always have when I'm in town.  Sis goes with a Southern Tier Pumking, a seasonal pumpkin ale which is brewed an hour south of Buffalo in Lakewood, NY, but is distributed regionally.  I had this beer in Raleigh a few weeks earlier, and loved it, so introduced it to my family when I was home, and Kim was hooked.  Balanced pumpkin flavor that doesn't overpower you (hmmm...now I need to go downstairs and crack the growler of it I bought yesterday....)


The menu is gastropub food, highlighted by the Duck Frites - belgian style fries cooked in duck fat, and served with a choice of 2 sauces.  We went with chipotle bacon mayo and wasabi aioli.  Since it was a cold day, soup sounded good, and the soup of the day was a creamy fennel and greens soup with goat cheese crostini.  I love fennel and I love goat cheese, and in soup?  Immediately intrigued.  We each got a bowl.  


The frites were perfectly cooked - slight crunch on the outside, yet soft inside.  The chipotle bacon surprisingly was my favorite of the two sauces we selected - the smokiness of the bacon and the slight heat of the chipotle made for a great sauce.  The wasabi aioli was good, but I didn't think the wasabi was strong enough against the mayo.  


The soup was even better.  Shame on me for not taking a picture of it.  The goat cheese was spread on top of the crostini, and placed on top of the soup.  The soup itself was delicious - hints of fennel and the creamy warmth of the soup made for a perfect fall meal, but once the crostini softened to break up and eat, the soup took new dimension.  The goat cheese heightened the creaminess and the flavor, and was so delicious. I immediately wanted another bowl, but then remembered I had to gorge on other Buffalo delicacies later, so I declined.


We stuck around for another beverage, and this time I went with Three Heads The Kind India Pale Ale from nearby Rochester.  I usually don't drink IPA's because they are too hoppy, but sometimes they can surprise me, as this one did, since it more resembled a Pale Ale, which is my beer style of choice.


Blue Monk is not a place I'd expect in Buffalo.  Buffalo bars are like the city and their people - simple, no frills, and great heart & soul.  This bar seems to be more high end and something I'd see in New York, but given the crowd on a Saturday afternoon, Buffalo embraces it, and so do I.  Next time, I will do a full meal, complemented with an Rusty Chain, of course.