philipcristiano's posterous

As suggested by Karen my family went Teresa's Cafe for our birthday party. None of us had been there before but they had a great beer list online and good reviews. The largest problem was that they do not accept reservations. Luckily they close between lunch and dinner so it was not a problem getting a table for 11 at 4:30. 

We arrived at 4:00 to inform the hostess of our party and headed to the bar. The menu was slightly out of date so the nitro beer I wanted wasn't on tap and was replaced with a Sly Fox stout. Karen and I both started trying the Lost Abbey 10 Commandments after Karen's love for Gift of the Magi. It wasn't quite to my taste and I think my night out before that was took a toll on my tastes. 

After that I went for a New Holland Night Tripper next looking for a stout. It was thick but still doesn't compare to the Avery Czar. This came during our appetizers which included trying some of the cheeses available. Usually they are $7-$8 but are half off on Sunday. If you want to try some cheese at dinner you should go on a Sunday, I don't know that I would care for it if it were the full price. 

With my meal I had a Traquair House Ale. what I found most interesting was that the waiter had to return to find it on the menu since he had no idea what drink I was talking about. I've only had it once before and remember it being amazing, this time it was only great. 

For dessert I ordered a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA with my bread pudding. I've heard many a story of 120 but never had the chance to try it. I'm upset that I rushed it at dessert and didn't give enough to finish. This is a truly amazing drink that taste more like a port wine than a beer. 

My brother was drinking Lindemans Framboise since they didn't have his favorite... Miller Lite. 

We will definitely be back since the food was great as well and their many beers must be tasted. This seems to be the closest place with such an amazing selection.

I took another trip to Ron's Original Bar and Grille on Friday for dinner with my family. When we arrived there was once again a 30 minute wait for a table which was expected so we headed to the bar. This time the bar area was packed shoulder-to-shoulder when we entered. After getting our beer picks from the draft list on the wall we headed to the other side which was slightly less packed but had space to reach the bar. 

I was carded this time as well but so was Karen. She and my father both had Gift of the Magi while I tried the Avery the Czar Imperial Stout. The Czar was one of the most enjoyable imperial stouts I've ever had. It was thick enough that my father had to ask if it was tar. The chocolate was well balanced with it and had a good after taste. 

We finished our beers a few minutes before our buzzer signaled us to be seated but we didn't want to push through the crowd to get another drink. Once again Ron's doesn't keep a draft list on the tables which is strange since their beer selection is the only reason we go to Ron's. My other drinks that evening included the Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout and a Royersford Serious Ale. My family would go on to each try other beers but then return to The Magi.

The Terrapin was rather boring and seemed quite weak compared to the Czar. I'm not sure that I would have it again. It may be more suitable in the warmer months if I wanted a darker beer. I think I remember the Serious Ale being better at the Summer Ale Festival at the Philadelphia Zoo because I didn't enjoy it nearly as much this time. 

The larger disappointment of the evening was the food. I started with the fried calamari with marinara. It wasn't too bad but when the menu said "dusted" they really meant completely covered with bread crumbs. The basket also seemed to be about half fried bread crumbs. The last time the mussel were quite delicious with a broth that needed work. The mussels this time were only ok but the broth was horrible, it was mostly chopped celery which had a very off-putting flavor and I struggled to finish the bread with the broth. As Karen pointed out, the beer is the only reason to come here.

Karen and my father both ordered ovals because of the buy-one-get-one-free special they were having. Ron's takes pride in their ovals which is strange since it's only a pizza in the shape of an oval. I tried my father's buffalo chicken oval and found it too spicy for my taste but it wasn't horrible. As a concept though none of us seemed to care for ovals. 

I will probably go back to Ron's but this experience lowered it from the pedestal I seemed to have for it.