That's Some Sweet Tea...With Bourbon

So back when I visited L. in Brooklyn, I had the opportunity to have a bourbon with sweet tea. At that point I decided that the beverage would be my summer drink. Yet I never quite got around to making the simple syrup that (omg, as I was typing I saw not one but two pileated woodpeckers!) is integral to the effective making of sweet tea, nor did I buy any bourbon. Once I got down here I had similar plans to enact this summer drink but at first I did not win because I couldn't find my parents regular sugar. It was sad, I cried a little. But then! Then I emailed the parents and they directed me towards the sugar and then it was on for real. I made enough simple syrup for the tea and a hummingbird feeder. I took three Lipton tea bags (two peach flavored, one regular) and steeped them in some water. Then, with magic in my heart, I filled a pitcher (it wasn't really a pitcher but I can't think of the right word for what it is) with the simple syrup and ice before pouring the tea in it and stirring. Once that feat was complete I took a jigger of bourbon and put it into a glass then poured the sweet tea on in, plopping in a few ice cubes to boot, and garnished with a lemon.
The bourbon and lemon cut the sweet just a little, which was good since it was some sweet, sweet tea. Mmmm, mmm.

Brunchy Lunch c/o Char No 4

Later on on Sunday, L., Fat T. and I met up with their recently-engaged friends N. and (crap I'm forgetting his name/initial) for a late brunch/early lunch at Char No 4.
L. and I both tried their bourbon bloody mary, a concept that seemed both surprising, scary and promising all at once. And it was surprising and promising, not so scary when you came down to it. Bourbon has so much more flavor than vodka, and how it would fit in with tomato was hard for me to imagine until it was in my mouth. They made it work. Fat T. tried their sweet tea/bourbon pairing - or at least I think that's what it was - maybe not? And I took a sip and liked it too. We sat at the bar and the bartender was quite nice and friendly, and the space is nice and light.
There were many things on their brunch menu that I wanted to eat, but I was feeling at least a small need to be semi-healthy, and I love arugula...so I went with their beet/radish/arugula salad.
I counterbalanced whatever possible feelings of being a good, healthy person by also ordering their fried cheddar cheese curds with spicy pimento dipping sauce. The salad was good but not anything out of the ordinary amazing, and the curds and sauce were a nice step up from your typical mozzarella stick. But what the place clearly does best is pig. Fat T. had the pulled pork sandwich and seemed to like it quite a bit, and L. ordered their eggs benedict with house cured bacon (I think) on biscuits and really, really liked it.
Definitely a place that I'd go back to and explore the menu further.

Now That's Some Sweet, Bourbony, Tea

After returning to L.'s we hung out a bit with Fat T. before heading back into the night. We went to 4th Avenue Pub to meet up with C. and K. and K.'s bf R. as well as a slew of C.'s architectural buddies. We were actually the first to arrive and began amassing what became quite the empire of seating. I tried the chocolate stout they had but it wasn't all that great (that Rogue stout may have undone me for all others). The pub serves free popcorn (which is more impressive if you particularly care for popcorn) and has a back patio area to make up for the limited seating inside. It began to rain so this outside area was not so useful. But we still had a few rainy photographs to take.

L. and I left first and met up with Fat T. at Commonwealth, where I had a sweet tea and bourbon. Um, summer drink hello!
It was delicious. But we were tired so we went back to their place and called it a night.

Just Shaking What my Mama Gave Me, and Eating Pizza and Drinking

Last Friday I found myself facing a weekend in the city with no plan in sight. So I did the obvious thing: asked L. what she was doing. Turns out she was going up to Hudson for Saturday afternoon but encouraged me to hang with her upon her return. So I did. We actually met up with T. and J., and later C. and a bunch of people I didn't know, and sat in the general area of a free Sonic Youth concert in Prospect Park. I reminded J. that he owes me a drawing, though I forget why, only that I was disappointed that I didn't have it. And T. and I caught up on a myriad of topics, mainly girls and boys and life, which was very good as well. After the concert, which we couldn't see nor really hear (and, apropos of nothing, I think the concept of valet bicycle parking is taking it too far NYC), we headed our separate ways. I met back up with L., Fat T. and their friend S. for pizza. It was good, not the best pizza ever, but good to put into my body after mooching beer from T. and J. without much in my belly.
Then we went to Commonwealth and sat around drinking and taking too many photographs.


It was at this establishment some time last year that I was introduced to the concept of sweet tea and bourbon, they still do it very nicely.
So, I've taken to wearing shirts and dresses that feature my cleavage. I have ample cleavage, and in the right bra I think it can look right good, and so this summer I haven't been shy about sharing it. I sometimes feel a little self-conscious and I think there is one dress I'll really just need to stop wearing, but on the whole my mantra has become 'I am just shaking what my mama gave me, and what's wrong with that?' Fat T. found my cleavage very distracting. L. told him to stop looking, I said let's take a photograph before you stop looking. I don't know what to say, I don't really want people to look, but I do know that a nice rack takes one's attention from a gut...and I have one of those. I'm giving away the secrets of the universe in this post.
In this one I'm pointing to Fat. T.'s wedding ring, but the glass obscures this fact.
I like this photograph of L. and myself.
We took a few more, but S. managed to get, on purpose, his hand into pretty much every shot. Though I'm still a little unclear as to what is going on with our faces.
L.'s getting sensual in this one.
I'm in Tennessee right now, and my father commented on this very shirt and its level of exposure, and I explained my perspective (shaking what I got, belly acknowledgement prevention) and the man sitting next to us couldn't help but laugh, and I turned to him and said 'well it's true' and he agreed. So, I'm not crazy. Just lacking in a filter. Thanks to all for the good times!

Happy Hour and Dinner c/o Square Peg

At some point in the last few months I became aware of a new restaurant in Philly: Square Peg. I took a look at the menu and saw a few different things I found compelling. I was even more interested when I realized the executive chef was the same as the defunct Adsum, as I had enjoyed the fried chicken brunch very much last year. So I suggested to some folks that we check it out. BC and AS were down, so a reservation was made. Now on the actual day in question I got antsy. The reservation was at 6:30, but I had gotten out of work early and was ready for a drink and conversation. So I texted the ladies and suggested a slightly earlier meet-up at the bar to try out their happy hour deals. AS and I met up first. I ordered one of the drink specials, the John Daly: Rasperry Iced Tea, Lemon, Bourbon and Torn Mint. I can't say that I loved it. It was just a little too sweet for me. AS was similarly ambivalent about the Midtown Collins that she tried. We were far less ambivalent and far more enthusiastic about the deviled egg sampler that was also a happy hour special. I was particularly taken with the caviar version and would, if I were to return, inquire into having a plate of just that variety. After our first round of cocktails we switched to the happy hour white wine, which was far more to our taste. Then BC arrived and we chatted a bit more before settling our tabs and moving upstairs for dinner. The restaurant's space is interesting, lots of wood and light. A little cacophonous as far as acoustics, but not overwhelmingly so.

So then we had to get down to the decisions of the main meal. I expressed interest in the fried chicken tacos, the fried chicken entree and the meatball sub. In the end BC also had some interest in the tacos, so we ordered them as an appetizer. And they were the biggest hit of the night. The chicken morsels were tender and moist, but also crispy and had a nice sauce going on.

AS chose the poutine after checking that it did, in fact, have cheese curds. It was, as poutine often is, not the most attractive of dishes but not unsavory or untasty.

BC ordered the Mini Mayflower sandwich, which was actually three slider-sized sandwiches with roast turkey, sweet potato/marshmellow, stuffing, cranberry sauce served with a side of gravy.

For my main meal I went with the meatball sub. I was initially drawn to the idea of goat cheese, which was listed as an ingredient on the menu, but the server said that had been replaced with ricotta. I went ahead nonetheless. The meatballs were good, the sauce nice if not particularly memorable. I liked the inclusion of arugula to give it a little bite, but I would have thought that goat cheese would have been a better final note instead of the rather bland ricotta that stuck to the bun more than the balls.

It was a lovely meal with great ladies. While we didn't have any major gripes, we all felt like the prices were just a little too high for the actual food. My recommendation would be to come for happy hour and tacos but perhaps skip a whole meal. That said, I'd still be interested in trying the fried chicken and the idea of a cheese steak pot pie is also quite intriguing.