Latest “Pet Peeve” of Martini Making

Pet Peeve

I recently had an odd experience that quickly escalated into a new “Pet Peeve”!

In case you missed it, I previously identified several “Pet Peeves”.  If you want a laugh you can look back at my previous post: Martini Making Pet Peeves.  If you want a teaser, one of my (minor) Martini Making Pet Peeves is not preparing the garnish first!

But back to my story.  I was at a local lounge on one of my travels and asked for a Martini while I sat comfortably watching some sporting event on the TV.  The Martini itself was good, if slightly small.  However the stem was excellently chilled from the bar refrigerator upon being served.

Having finished my first Martini I was easily convinced to have another.   The barkeep picked up my stem and I expected it to placed with the other dirty glassware.  But no, the barkeep took it over to the prep station and proceeded to use it for my next Martini!  I was instantly peeved.  Not only that, she used the same garnish!

What’s the point of placing your stems in a refrigerator and chilling them if you’re not going to use them?   Maybe you saved a couple of cents in electricity by not using a new chilled stem and not having to wash this one?

But the story goes on.  I had seen this happen just once or twice in the past and it immediately cuts my bar tip drastically.  But this time I was engrossed in the sports and didn’t want to leave the lounge.

So after finishing the second Martini, which was ok despite being served in the used and warm stem, I placed the stem on the bar back drop…. you know that small area behind the bartop which usually has a logo’d black plastic mat to contain splashed or spilled liquid.  (I’m sure there’s a name for it, I just don’t know what its called.)

When the bar keep came by I asked for another Martini.  She looked around a bit and spied my stem on the back drop.  Clearly off the bar top!  She picked it up and then proceeded to make my third Martin in the same stem.  With the same garnish!

Had I ever envisioned coming back to this place I would have said something to her or the manager.   Instead, she got a trivial tip for her efforts.  I do mean trivial!

 

 

 

Random Martini Quote of the Day

Ogden Nash

 

“There is something about a martini, Ere the dining and dancing begin, And to tell you the truth, It is not the vermouth – I think that perhaps it’s the gin.”
Ogden Nash

 

Our  “Martini Quotes” page has been re-organized!  If you haven’t checked it out recently you should!   There are several new quotes for your amusement.  Click the link: Martini Quotes.

If you like these posts and want to be notified by email when they come in, please subscribe to the blog…. over on the left column.     😉

Random Martini Quote of the Day

Whisky Glass

“Whisky, I find, helps clarity of thought. And reduces pain. It has the additional virtue of making you drunk or, if taken in sufficient quantity, very drunk.”
Julian Barnes

 

Yes, I know, its not a “Martini” quote, but I found it amusing and thought it worthy of publishing.  If you have any favorite Martini, or Whiskey, quotes you want added to my Quotes page, please let me know.

Our  “Martini Quotes” page has been re-organized!  If you haven’t checked it out recently you should!   There are several new quotes for your amusement.  Click the link: Martini Quotes.

If you like these posts and want to be notified by email when they come in, please subscribe to the blog…. over on the left column.     😉

Bar Review: Traxx, Los Angeles, CA

320px-Los_Angeles_Union_Station_Sign

On a recent visit to downtown Los Angeles I found my way into a little bar called Traxx and was pleasantly surprised with the service, decor, and most importantly, the Marini.

Traxx is located within the beautiful and historic Union Station in Los Angeles.  Yes, the Amtrak / Metro Rail / Metrolink station.  Not where one would expect to find a quality bar.  But indeed this small and obscure bar is quite an oasis within the mad hustle and bustle of rail passengers rushing to & from the tracks, buses, taxis, and ubers.

Now one has to be careful that you find the bar and not the Traxx Restaurant.  The two are operated as a common entity, but they are physically separate.  I understand that the restaurant is really quite fine and their drinks come from the separate bar.  Alternatively, food orders at the bar come from the Restaurant kitchen.   But I have never had the good fortune to be at Union Station when the restaurant is open so I can only speak to the Bar itself.

The bar is just to the right as you enter the Station’s main entrance.  There are no large signs or neon lights inviting you in so its easy to miss if you’re rushing in to catch a train or rushing out to catch a taxi.  But if you slow down you’ll find it.

Once the original Telephone Room for all of Union Station, it is a time machine to a lost era.  Decorated in  gorgeous art deco wood, terra cotta, and marble tiled floors that spill out onto the main ticket concourse.  This is the classic atmosphere that catered to Bogart & Bacall, a backdrop of the classic golden days of Hollywood.   You can almost feel the ghosts of yesterday brush against you today

As for the Martini itself, they were excellent.  The stems were well chilled, the Martini was well shaken, poured immediately, and ample sized.  The barkeep was professional, friendly, and quite helpful.

Overall I give Traxx one Stem.  The criteria for two stems has always been “Worth a trip just to try the Martini”.  I can’t quite say that I would go there ONLY for the Martini.  But I would definitely go there for the Martini and the ambiance.

Martini Glass Upright

For selection Traxx gets a A.  Their Gins during my visit included Plymouth, Botanist, Bluecoat, Aviation, Few, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, Bombay, Tanqueray, Hendricks, St. George Botanivore, St. George Terroir, and Monkey 47.

If you like what you’ve read, please subscribe.
If not, please post a comment telling us how and why you disagree.

*****   Rating Definitions   ****

More on Union Station:

Union Station is definitely worth a visit.  This opulent station was build in 1939 and combines Spanish Colonial, Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne Architecture that represent California’s heritage and future ambitions.

The lower parts of the interior walls are covered in travertine marble and the floor in the large rooms is terra cotta with a central strip of inlaid marble (including travertine, somewhat unusual in floors since it is soft). The ceiling in the waiting room has the appearance of wood, but is actually made of steel.

02-union-stationUnion-Station-LA-Waiting-Ro

It was built to consolidate rail services from the three main passenger railroads serving Los Angeles at that time (the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific).   Conceived on a grand scale, Union Station became known as the “Last of the Great Railway Stations” built in the United States and remains the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States.  It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

UP-Logo SP-Logo ATSF-Logo

Today, the station is the major transportation hub for Southern California, serving almost 110,000 passengers a day.   In addition to being the origin of Amtrak’s three long distance trains (the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief and “Texas Eagle” to Chicago, and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans), it also serves Amtrak’s California Pacific Surfliner regional trains which run frequently to/from San Diego north to either Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. The station is also the hub of the Metrolink commuter trains and serves as a stop on the Metro Rail system.

Bar Review: Bistango, Irvine, CA

Bistango Bar Small

I recently found myself at Bistango, a well reviewed Orange County Restaurant serving “New American” cuisine.  It has earned ratings of 4.3 on Yelp, 4.4 on both Open Table and Facebook, and 24 on Zagat.  Sadly I have only had a limited selection of the food, but what I had was excellent.

The best way I can describe the decor here is “Modern Neutral”.   It is open, airy, clean, and crisp.  There are contemporary artist’s works decorating the walls which are a mix of oranges, reds, and browns.  Sort of a southwest “earthy” scheme.  It is not exciting, but not boring; not avant-garde, but certainly not stale. Overall very comfortable, relaxed, and inviting.

The bar is just to the right as you enter, clearly inviting one to sit and enjoy a beverage of your choice.  They have a live entertainment in the evenings and there’s a small dance floor which did get some use.  There is also an outside patio if you prefer your meal or drink in the open air.

Of course, my choice is a Martini which at Bistango are really very good.  Mine was ample, nicely prepared, shaken just enough so that the drink was very well chilled but not overly diluted, and served promptly, efficiently, and cheerfully.  If you’re not interested in a Martini, the bar overall is well stocked with a nice selection of ports, whiskeys, spirits, and cognacs.

I do have to point out that on my most recent visit I did have the unfortunate experience that the stem had not been chilled in any manor … not refrigerated and no effort made to chill it with ice and water prior to pouring the drink.  I hope this was a simple oversight because on my previous visits the stems were properly prechilled.

Overall I would highly recommend Bistango and I certainly intend to return.  It is also just a few blocks away from John Wayne International Airport which brings one to think it would be a nice stop for a ‘just landed’ or ‘Bon Voyage’ Martini.

For a final grade I give Bistango one stem:  Martini Glass Upright

For Gin selection Bistango gets an A-.  They have a very nice selection with several different styles of Gin including a couple unusual choices.  Tru Organic specifically comes to mind, though I didn’t get a chance to sample it.  Choices this day were:  Bluecoat, Hendricks’, Botanist Islay, Ford’s, Sloane’s, Tru Organic, Bombay, Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Beefeater, No. 3 London, Nolet’s.

If you’re curious about the nightly entertainment or the menus, you can find them here: www.bistango.com

If you like what you’ve read, please subscribe.  If not, please post a comment telling us how and why you disagree.

*****   Rating Definitions   ****

Bar Review: Moshulu, Philadelphia, PA

Mishulu Deck Martini

Or When is a Martini Stem not a martini Stem?

That is my Martini on my most recent visit to Moshulu!

First let me explain a bit about Moshulu.  She is a four-masted steel barque built  in Scotland in 1904 and is the largest remaining original “windjammer”.   Her first runs were shipping grain from Spain to Australia and back.  Later, between 1904 and 1914, she shipped coal from Wales to South America, nitrate from Chile to Germany, coal from Australia to Chile, and coke and patent fuel from Germany to Santa Rosalía, Mexico.

But now she is a floating restaurant docked in Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia.  And a very good restaurant!  The decor is classic nautical.  Well, really, what else would you expect!  There are two ‘floors’ available; the interior main deck with a dining rooms and bar/lounge and the upper, open air though covered, dining area.  Above this is another bar.  The views of the Delaware river, and New Jersey on the opposite shore, are wonderful from almost anywhere on the boat.  Only the tables on the Philadelphia side miss this view.

I’ve eaten here several times over the years and I’m never disappointed.  Whether inside, outside, or at the top bar the experience is wonderful.  It is absolutely a great place for a romantic dinner and drinks. Especially when the weather allows sitting up on the deck.

So what does this all have to do with the Martini photo above!  Yes the photo above is of my served Martini.  As my regular readers knows, I’m a bit old fashioned, if not obsessed, about my stems and I was a bit taken aback when this was presented to me.  I also know from experience that the main level bar serves their Martinis in ‘martini’ stems.  So in my mind I’m wondering ‘What’s up with this?’

Well after an excellent dinner I headed up to the top level bar to witness directly how they made the martini and have a talk with the barkeep.  It turns out that the bar purposely used the brandy stem for all Martinis ‘upstairs’.  Or more specifically ‘in the wind’!

Since this bar is open air and a bit above ground level, its gets a bit breezy.  They have had the unnerving experience of seeing their Martinis served in martini stems being blown over on several occasions.  Turns out that the brandy stem is much more stable in the wind than the martini stem.  As the barkeep advised, “You can have the Martini in the brandy or in your lap”.  Given that choice I chose to enjoy the Martini in the snifter.

As for a Martini Rating, Moshulu gets one stem.  Their Martinis are very good, they’re just not quite good enough to warrant a trip based on their Martini alone.  However I would highly recommend the restaurant as a whole and am looking forward to returning.

Martini Glass Upright

For Gin Selection Watermark gets a TBD.  Unfortunately I didn’t get the details of their entire gin selection.  I know they have the ‘Big 5’: Bombay, Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray , Tanqueray Ten, Hendricks.  There is also Nolet’s and, being located in Philadelphia, they have Bluecoat.  But I believe there are other selections.  Fortunately this just gives me an excuse to go back and do a bit more research.

An interesting side note; in the top photo, that blurry grey thing in the upper background is the retired battleship USS New Jersey.

For more information on Moshulu:
www.moshulu.com

Moshulu Logo SQ

If you like what you’ve read, please subscribe.
If not, please post a comment telling us how and why you disagree.

*****   Rating Definitions   ****

Happy National Martini Day!

Martini by the Fire

Today, June 19th, is National Martini Day! It is also Father’s Day!  A coincidence?  I think not!  Sounds like a perfect combination …. so celebrate with your father and a Martini.

H.L. Mencken described the Martini as “perfect as a sonnet” and Herman Wouk said a great Martini “sort of tastes like it isn’t there at all, just a cold cloud.”  With such outstanding endorsements, what more can I say! Enjoy!
Keep Calm

Celebrate Safely.
Remember the advice of Dean Martin:  “If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.”

Dean Martin

 

The quotes above, and many more, can be found on my “Martini Quotes” page.

Happy World Gin Day

World Gin Day 2016

It’s finally here, World Gin Day!  I hope you all celebrate with a Martini.  But if not, then a Gin & Tonic will do.  Whichever you choose, enjoy safely.

June 11 is World Gin Day!!

World Gin Day Slide

Saturday June 11 is World Gin Day this year!   That is just 10 days from now!    😉  Celebrate with a G&T or a Martini!  Or even straight!

I hope to do another round of Gin Tastings, similar to last years.  IF anyone has a gin they’d like tested & tasted, please let me know by commenting on this post.

If you want to check out last year’s World Gin Day tastings, you can find it here:  World Gin Day Sampling Results & Opinions

Random Martini Quote of the Day

Phyllis Diller

“Health – what my friends are always drinking to before they fall down.”
Phyllis Diller

 

Our  “Martini Quotes” page has been re-organized!  If you haven’t checked it out recently you should!   There are several new quotes for your amusement.  Click the link: Martini Quotes.

If you like these posts and want to be notified by email when they come in, please subscribe to the blog…. over on the left column.     😉