Decision Points by George W. Bush

I am not a Democrat nor am I a Republican. I say this because I have just finished trying to read former President Bush’s new book and my review can be simply stated in one sentence. Decision Points by George W. Bush is the worst piece of literary crap I have ever read.

It is 500 pages of excuses for the actions of George W. Bush and reasons why George H. W. Bush didn’t suck! Unless you are a Rush listening, hard core, right winger, don’t waste your time or money on this book. You will wish you didn’t!!!

Ed and friends

O'Fallon 5 Day IPA

O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is a very nice entrant into FULL shelf of IPA’s at my favorite beer shop. It didn’t have much head to it and what head there was dissipated quickly. O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is cloudy but has a very nice color with a little red in it. The scent of O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is a little grapefruitish but not overly citrusy. As IPA goes, this is a very mild and light one. It could be a nice “starter” IPA for new to craft beer drinkers. I recommend O’Fallon 5 Day IPA if you are a newbie to IPA or if you just want a little lighter IPA. At a mere 6.1% ABV it would make a good marathon IPA. If you are a “hophead” who likes only very bitter, hoppy, citrusy, high ABV IPA then you may be disappointed by O’Fallon 5 Day IPA.

Personally, I like it but you know me, I have yet to drink a beer I didn’t like. 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Ed and friends

La Bourgogne French Restaurant

This review comes from a friend of Ed and friends who lives in Hawaii. The review is a compilation of Facebook posts and pictures that she gave me permission to post. La Bourgogne French Restaurant is a cozy french restaurant in Hawaii and from what I read of the review I am not going to miss it if I travel to Hawaii.

Friend: is going to LaBourgne for dinner tonight!!!
Ed: Write a review for me. I love reading them
Friend: Its french really yummy! Hows that???
Friend: Intimate about 10 tables dont allow children under 10yrs chef&his wife own&run 

Friend: They have owned the restaurant since 1993

Friend: Here's are night starter champagne escargot&spinach salad next Lamb&Opah in a boulibase glass of Syrah&Chardonnay ending coffee and GrandMarnier chocolate souffle the rest of the night is confidential HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Friend: Oh and we are the youngest couple here!!!

When you travel to Hawaii be sure to try La Bourgogne French Restaurant and enjoy and thanks friend for the review.



Ed and friends

Tropitini

The thought of pitchers and catchers reporting to AZ for spring training tomorrow put me in the mood for a tropical fruity girl drink so here is what I concocted this evening. I am calling it the Tropitini and it is delicious, refreshing and makes me want to move to Belize or Cancun or someplace tropical. Whip some up and review my recipe please.

1 ounce of Malibu coconut rum

1 ounce of 3 Olives orange vodka

2 ounces of pineapple juice

½ ounce of grenadine

Shake all but the grenadine with ice for at least 30 seconds to chill to very, very cold and then strain into a martini glass. Pour the grenadine down the side of the glass so it settles into the bottom of the glass (This is only because it looks tropical and cool). Serve with a stir stick so you can stir the grenadine into the drink. Be careful because these dudes are tasty and go down fast and smooth.

Ed and friends

The Wooster Inn Pub

It is with GREAT reluctance that I write this review. I (along with a friend of Ed and friends) went to The Wooster Inn Pub to watch the Buckeyes basketball game Saturday afternoon. I say I am writing this reluctantly because when the secret gets out about how great The Wooster Inn Pub is I won’t be able to get a seat any more. This will make me sad because I love The Wooster Inn Pub.

The Wooster Inn pub is small and very cozy. The food menu is very nice. I like pub food and The Wooster Inn Pub did not disappoint. We had an order of pulled pork nachos and then in the second half had an order of pubskins. There is full bar service and five tap handles that get changed frequently. The taps get rotated with obscure brews (no bud light or miller light).

The Wooster Inn Pub is really everything I like in a small bar. Plenty of TV’s with your favorite game on. Friendly staff, great pub food and great draft beers!!!

My recommendation is to stay away from the place so there is more room for me!!! Only kidding, I highly recommend The Wooster Inn Pub and if you stop in say hello to me because there is a good chance I will be there.

Ed and friends

Cooking steak indoors

This isn't really a review but a friend of Ed and friends asked the question "I have steaks for valentines day but no gas for the grill, how would you handle this?" So I decided to answer the question.

The first step I take when planning a steak dinner is to “dry age” my steaks. The fancy steak houses have a lot of different ways they do this but mine is pretty easy. I take a plate or platter and put about five layers of paper towels down on it. Then I put the steaks on the paper towels. Next I put about three layers of paper towels on top of the steaks. I put the whole platter into the fridge just like this. I DO NOT cover it with plastic wrap or foil. I want the air to circulate around the steak and paper towels. The air inside the fridge is low in humidity for the same reasons that air conditioning takes humidity out of your house. I want this dry air to suck the water out of my steaks. I change the paper towels and flip the meat over every 8 to 12 hours. You will find that the paper towels look bloody but this is mostly water that has been sucked out of the steaks. I usually “dry age” steaks like this for about 2 days. If I am going to roast a whole standing rib I will use this same technique for five days. I use this “dry aging” technique no matter how I am going to cook my steaks (grill, panfry, broil, etc).

Since we are cooking indoors today the next thing I will do is heat the oven to 300 degrees and put my nice dry steaks on a broiler pan or a sheet pan with a cooling rack. I will place the rack with the steaks on it into the oven until the center of the steak registers 120 degrees on my instant-read meat thermometer. Once the steaks hit 120 degrees in the center I will pull the pan out and do one of the next two things.

ONE. Fire up the broiler in the oven and put the top rack about 6 inches below it. Put the steaks back in the oven under the broiler and get the steaks nice and crusty on both sides. This will only take a few minutes per side. Don’t worry it will be cooked a nice medium rare because you already heated the inside of the steaks up to 120 degrees. Pull the pan out and cover the steaks with aluminum foil and let them sit there for 10 minutes. After ten minutes serve them up and enjoy. They are going to be GOOD!!!

TWO. Put a big cast iron skillet on top of the stove and heat that dude up very hot. It should be so hot that if you flick a drop of water into it the water should go crazy and turn almost immediately to steam. Put the steaks into this hot pan and get them nice and brown and crusty on both sides. This, like the broiler method will only take a few minutes per side. Also like the broiler method, don’t worry; the steaks will be done because you already heated the inside to 120 degrees. Again like the broiler method, put them on a rack and cover with foil for ten minutes. Serve them up and enjoy!!!

Most important!!! Try to know the butcher or even better the farmer you buy your meat from. Make sure you trust both of them and you will always get a great quality piece of meat that has been raised with care and processed with love!!!

Ed and friends

Another review of The Bake Haus

I had the see what all the buzz was about today so I went to have lunch at The Bake Haus in downtown Wooster OH. For those familiar with Wooster, it is in the little strip plaza right beside Dinos Drive Thru at the bottom of Beall Ave.

The Bake Haus is a cozy place, small even, with only a few tables so either expect to take your order to go or wait for a table because when the word gets out about the soup and sandwich’s it is going to be packed at lunch time.

If you haven’t had a The Bake Haus pretzel roll you have got to get down there just for one of these delicious little gems. I brought some home and my kids devoured them. I was in fear for my life for a few minutes.

I had a turkey and provolone sandwich with Al’s secret recipe sauce on a pretzel roll and a bowl of the soup of the day. Both were fabulous. I also brought home some cheesecake brownies for desert and let me tell you that these devils are GOOD! One of my generous lunch mates had a muffin and was kind enough to share a taste with me. It was fabulous.

My recommendation is not to walk down to The Bake Haus but RUN and RUN FAST before they sell out of the good stuff. This place is a must try if you live in or visit Wooster OH.

Ed and friends

The Bake Haus in downtown Wooster reviewed by one of Ed and friends many loyal followers

1:30 pm post from a friend of Ed and friends

I'm in love with downtown Wooster-dinner is homemade shrimp potstickers, I learned how to make them at Today's Kitchen Store & I just had lunch at The Bake Haus, if you have not had their pretzel rolls then you are missing something amazing - put pulled pork, melted cheese & Al's special sauce on one OMG!!!! The muffins (cocoa white chocolate) I'm drooling. Plus the soup - ok just go :) you will be happy:)

2:30 post from the same friend

had to go back to the Bake Haus ... the muffin i only got to steal a bite from my husband & then he took it to work with him ... couldn't stop thinking about it so I went back for my own :) and one for each of the boys teachers too.

The moral of the story is that we all need to get down to the Bake Haus in downtown Wooster and try it!!!

Ed and friends

Peter Shears in Downtown Canton

One of the many friends of Ed and friends and I had lunch at Peter Shears Downtown in Canton OH yesterday. Peter Shears has always had a reputation as a stuffy, over priced fine dining restaurant. I will be the first to tell you that this is simply not the case.

Peter Shears is in the basement of a 100+ year old building in downtown Canton. It has the feel of a prohibition speakeasy. It is VERY cool inside.

The beer menu could use a little work and since it was lunch, I really didn’t even look at the wine or drink menus.

The food was fabulous. We both had Ohio raised hamburgers. Mine was topped with double smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. My lunch companion’s was topped with provolone cheese and lettuce/tomato. Both were cooked perfectly. We both had the sweet and sour cole slaw for a side and we both agreed that if our lunch was only a big bowl of the slaw we would have been happy with it. A wonderful 7 ounce burger with the side of slaw was $9. This we thought was very reasonable since we were very full and VERY pleased with our meal.

I can’t wait for an opportunity to take the beautiful Mrs. Ed and friends to Peter Shears for dinner.

My advice is to get to Peter Shears as soon as you can and 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Oh, and PS. It only took 33 minutes to get from Peter Shears to Wooster.

Hog Heaven Holy Hops

I just got back from lunch with the Real Housewives of Saunders Dr. It is always a pleasure dining with these lovely ladies. The conversation is never dull and we always have a nice time. We ate at Broken Rocks in downtown Wooster. I don’t need to review Broken Rocks because everyone from miles around knows just how good it is. I did however have a new beer that does warrant a review.

I had a Hog Heaven Holy Hops which as near as I can find on Google is brewed by Avery in Boulder CO. It is what I would call an American IPA. It is quite hoppy and a little bitter with an aftertaste of grapefruit. These kinds of beers are not for the “average” beer drinker (“average” = bud light drinker) but I like these kinds of beers. If you like hoppy IPA style beers you are definitely going to like this one. It is a very nice entrant into field of American IPAs.

I don’t know how easy it will be to find Hog Heaven Holy Hops local in bottles but if you want to try it and can’t find it, it is a good excuse to head down to Broken Rocks Café in downtown Wooster OH.

My advice is “give it a try” and 4out of 5 stars.

Ed and friends

El Tapatio in Wooster

We tried El Tapatio with some friends the other evening. You know this place; it has been Maxwell’s, BC’s and Alexandria’s, some kind of deli, an Italian place and lastly The Boiler House. It is on the west side of Cleveland Rd. near the Ford dealership.

The margaritas were strong but not all that tasty. The food was plentiful and very reasonably priced but it was really nothing special. It is typical cheap “authentic” Mexican food, beans and rice and so-forth.

The service was OK but I wouldn’t brag about it that’s for sure.

The restaurant looks just like it did when it was the Italian place (Boiler house closed so fast that we never got a chance to try it). The only new additions were a few Mexican looking wall decorations and orange and grape soda bottles all over the place.

My complaints are that after leaving El Tapatio my clothes smelled so bad that I had to throw them in the washer that night! Also, there were four deserts on the menu and none of them were worth ordering.

I don’t really see myself going back unless they take out an ad saying “We have a brand spanking new ventilation system and you won’t reek of burritos after eating here”.

Ed and friends

Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale

A kind and thoughtful person stopped by the other night with a six pack of Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Conway’s Irish Ale. I have wanted to try it so I was very happy to see it show up. Unfortunately she was in a hurry and couldn’t come in and help me do this review.

FYI for Ed and friends followers, I love getting help with reviews especially wine, beer, spirits and restaurant reviews so give me a call if you want to be a contributor for one of these.

The beer is very nicely colored and not nearly as red as I expected (although it did have a definite red shade). Many craft brewed beers are dark and thick or hoppy with a bitter finish and I don’t recommend these kinds of beers to “average” (“average” = Bud and Miller Lite drinkers) beer drinkers. Conway’s Irish Ale is a beer that most “average” beer drinkers will enjoy. I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to ALL beer drinkers. It has all of the flavors that a craft brewed beer should have and all of these flavors are in moderation. It is an extremely well balanced beer.

Ed and friends