Feeling Patriotic

Today was Patriot’s Day, a day to celebrate Paul Revere’s ride, as well as the battles of Lexington and Concord. It’s a holiday in MA, and it is usually celebrated with the Red Sox playing and the running of the Boston Marathon. My folks had the kids (were Jenn and I celebrating our freedom?), and so we headed into Boston to grab some lunch down at the waterfront at the Barking Crab (http://www.barkingcrab.com/).

The Barking Crab was highlighted on Man vs. Food for offering 10lb lobsters (for the low, low price of $289), but we were more interested of just getting down to the waterfront. We drove past Fenway and the marathoners, and found a free spot up front (good eye Jenn). The place is like a fancy Newicks, except it was in Boston Harbor instead of Little Bay. I got the Prince Edward Island (PEI) mussels, with a Barking Crab White Ale (from MA Bay, and tasted a bit like UFO White). The mussels were cooked in wine, with onions and garlic, and were delicious. Jenn got the chowdah, and followed it up with a naked lobsta roll with 8 juicy oz. of meat. The waitresses were cool, the reggae was wonderful, and the prices were a bit steep (you pay for location, location, location). As Jacob and I always say, we’re checkers, and we were very happy to check out this place on a beautiful Patriots Day.

We had some time, so we headed up to Hooksett to check out the White Birch beer store (http://www.whitebirchbrewing.com/). I had fallen in love with their beer last year (I especially liked their Aloha ale at the ACBF), and they just set up regular hours at the store. The place was hard to find (soon to be rectified with a new sign) but I managed. They had a great selection, highlighted with their Black IPA called Nyx and their Tavern Ale, a smoked imperial brown ale. This week they’ll start their Saturday hours, and will start providing growler fills. And since this place is so close to my sister-in-laws, I think this could be a regular stop. Next we went to Milly’s Tavern (http://www.millystavern.com/) down by the river. I loved their lambics, a cranberry and a blueberry, as well as an Imperial IPA on cask called Manch-Vegas Double-or-Nuthin’ (what a name). The view was delightful, and the beer was excellent, but it was time to make it to my mother-in-laws. We got there in time for dinner (filet of sole, courtesy of Alicia) and were able to chat about their beloved Red Sox (my second favorite team).

Jenn and I really enjoyed our time away from the kids (I love grandparents). Beautiful weather, the Red Sox won 9-1 with Dice-K only giving up one hit (a minor miracle), Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya ran the fastest marathon ever at 2:03:02 (although not a world record since the officials concluded that the time was wind aided), 14 new beers for my list, and both the Flyers and the Bruins won their game 4-2. To quote Bill Murray, “That was a pretty good day!” – 5767/10529

"It’s a fair wind that blew men to ale." – Washington Irving