Red Light, Green Light?

The first day at Assembly is the longest, with sessions going late into the night to handle the Church’s business.  At the end of the day, I was tired, but still hungry.  And right around the corner from the hotel was a place that I’d wanted to check out, so I stopped in for a bite.  First of all, the beer selection was excellent (I got an Abita Andygator, a barleywine from NOLA) and I really enjoyed the garlic fries.  Both are much better than their chief competition, and I can see why they are booming.  I watched a bit of MNF, talking with George the bartender, and trying not to embarrass myself with the staff. 

The next night I chose not to hang around for dinner, and went out to see the Orlando Brewing Company.  This brewery’s beers are all organic, and they had a nice tasting room, and offered a decent variety of beer.  The beer itself was passable, but not fantastic.  I liked the Pompous Ass IPA, maybe more for the name then the beer.  I got a bottle of their Anisocoria to share with friends back in New England, and I headed off to my next stop, the Shipyard Emporium. 

The Shipyard Emporium is another site in the Shipyard family, and models itself as a market and restaurant.  They had a huge assortment of cheeses and meats, and it was very hard for me not to order their version of a ploughman’s for dinner.  I got their Lake Virginia BOAT, or a bacon, onion, avocado and tomato sandwich.  I also was able to try a Sea Dog IPA on cask, and their very own Eureka Lemon Farro Wit on draft.  I met the brewer (Ron), and really enjoyed the dinner and conversation.  Ron told me about some of his other experiments, like a Bacon beer that was a big hit in the store. 

Finally, I made it over to Red Light, Red Light, one of DRAFT magazine’s top 100 beer bars.  It’s a dive, but the people were pretty nice and they had a decent draft list.  I got a Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout, a milk stout from MS’s only brewpub, the innovator that created beer made with pecans.  I also tried The Bruery’s Trade Winds Triple, a great Belgian ale from one of my new favorite breweries. The place was nice, but I was again wondering how certain places got on the list as the Nation’s best.  It was a good evening, and I headed back to the hotel.

I found out later that I missed meeting up with Karen Anderson, a missionary to Chile that my church supports.  I had chosen to go out, part of my plan, partly because I had no dinner plans.  It was a wonderful evening out, but I missed out on seeing an old friend, a partner in Mission in the world.  If you get a chance, check out EPES (http://www.epes.cl/htm/about.html). – 5795/11253

"There once was a Florida born dream, whose figure was perfect and lean, she served a fine beer, to all she brought cheer and she graces our pub like a queen." – Limerick from the Tilted Kilt in Orlando