The Cowtown Chronicles

Dogfish Head Brewery, self-proclaimed home of “off-centered stuff for off-centered people” are hosting a vertical tasting at the Fort Worth (I double-checked this time) Flying Saucer on March 31st.

The tasting will be hosted by Claus Hagelman, Dogfish Head’s national sales director. (No, craft brewing rock-star Sam Calagione will not be there. Sorry to disappoint.)

Hagelman will conduct a vertical tasting, comparing current editions with vintage samples of four Dogfish Head beers. More specifically, they’ll be featuring some of Dogfish’s rarer brews — Fort, Immort Ale, 120 Minute IPA, and Burton Baton.

I’m not a big fan of the WAY over-hopped beers they produce, but Dogfish always makes quality beers. I enjoy most of their seasonal brews, and the really off-the-wall stuff like Midas Touch.

UFO Club members pay $35, regular schmoes will have to cough up $40.

Let the arguments begin! Here are my top 5:

5) Buffalo Bros. — S. University near TCU. “New York Style” pizza usually isn’t my favorite, and it continues not to be, but Buffalo Bros. at least has it hot and ready when I want it for lunch. Nothing spectacular, but better than similar offerings from Joe’s Pizza and Pasta.

4) Gianni’s Gourmet Pizza — US 377 in Watauga. Fine, it’s not FW, but it’s damn good pizza. I lived in Haltom City when this joint opened, and it was REALLY good. I’m not generally a wood-fired pizza fan, either, but Gianni’s does it right.

3) Rocco’s Wood Fired Pizza — Camp Bowie West area. See my earlier comments about wood-fired pizza. Not my favorite style, but a great option for grabbing before going to Concerts in the Park or the like. I’ve even taken one to the Rahr Brewery for snacking during a Saturday tour. Rocco’s really is great pizza, just not a style I prefer on a regular basis.

2) Mellow Mushroom — Bluebonnet Circle. Now we’re talking! MM makes pretty much the perfect pizza; great sauce, amazing crust (the two MOST important components), and a wide selection of toppings, etc. They also have a full bar and a good beer selection. Drawbacks: it’s freakin’ SLOW! Don’t go if you’re in a hurry, and if you have plans after dinner, get there WAY early. It’s also damn expensive, otherwise it would be my everyday choice.

1) Perrotti’s Pizza & Pasta — Greene Ave., in the GrandMarc building. I could happily eat here every day. Perrotti’s is my favorite pizza place, EVAR. Perfect crust, great sauce, cheap beer (if you eat in), and it’s affordable! This is always what I’ve thought of when I think of pizza. I’m sure they wouldn’t acknowledge it, but it’s a style I call “Detroit style”. It’s somewhere between NY and Chicago, but not “pan pizza” like you used to get from Pizza Hut. If you can remember that far back, think of when Little Caesar’s was actually GOOD (mid-90′s) — their original crust round pizzas is what I’m getting at with “Detroit style.” My only complaint about Perrotti’s is that they haven’t seemed to figure out what kind of volume they’re going to do from day to day, so they don’t proof their crusts well enough. The end result is that the crust is usually cooked on the bottom, but really doughy on top. Not a big enough deal to keep me from going, though!

This is a difficult list to compile, because the “best” place for a given thing depends greatly on what kind of drinkin’ mood I’m in. The best place to drink for martinis is different from the best place for a margarita, beer, etc. I’ll try to be as general as possible, but keep in mind that these are MY best places, so obviously they’re subjective and biased as all get-out.

5) Whiskey & Rye — Omni hotel, Downtown Surprised? Don’t be — this is a genuinely nice bar with good happy hour appetizer specials. Once I coached the bartenders and waitress on how I liked my martinis (i.e. with gin, not vodka), they were solid, if not great. W&R recently started carrying a special Rahr brew, as well, giving a hotel bar something you normally don’t find — a nod to the locals. I’m too young to remember the heyday of hotel bars, but this is one that I’d like to see succeed. Best drinks here: fancy signature drinks, Rahr Rusty Spur beer, one of the many rye whiskies on the wall, over rocks.

4) Baker St. Pub — Camp Bowie Probably another surprise, but I can explain this in three words: Bloody Mary Bar. On Sundays from 11-3, you can buy your favorite vodka at the bar, then choose from a huge selection of mixes, spices, salts & veggies, and mix it yourself. Food is passable, but not great. Decor is kinda fun in a cheesy sort of way. I particularly like the hidden private booths and wingback chairs. Best drinks here: DIY Bloody Marys on Sunday, simple mixed drinks, draft beers from the big 3 or Guinness.

3) 7th Haven — W. 7th St., across from Montgomery Plaza You know it for the pithy sayings on the sign out front — I know it as the place where I got massively ripped on the rooftop deck for my birthday last year. The deck is truly awesome, even though the view isn’t necessarily spectacular. I expect it will soon be packed, once things start to warm up. Best drinks here: shots, shooters, bottled beer, and simple (two ingredient) mixed drinks.

2) The Chat Room Pub — W. Magnolia, down the block and across from Spiral Diner. Smoky as hell (I mean that literally), but Brad and his crew are the best bartenders in town, hands down. They’ll ask you your name once, and remember it and your drink from that point forward. It’s also THE hub for the struggling filmmaker/musician/photographer/artist scene on the South Side. Great jukebox, but also a great patio for escaping the smoke inside. Bring your friends and create your own entertainment. Best drinks here: This is the place to try out all those classic drinks you’ve wanted to try but couldn’t summon the balls to order at Chili’s — the Moscow Mule, The Sidecar, Manhattans, Sazerac, etc. Pretty much anything you get will be expertly made.

1) The Flying Saucer — 4th St., on Sundance Square diagonal from Bass Hall Smoke free since the beginning of last year, the Saucer’s business has actually IMPROVED, despite the smoking ban and the fact that they only serve beer and wine. Friday and Saturday nights are “scenester” nightmares, but go on any night during the week on a regular basis and you’ll start seeing the same folks over and over, a testament to the loyalty Flying Saucers create. The food is good (not as good as it used to be, but still good bar food), the staff knows more about beer than any human should know, and you’ll always find something worth drinking. Did I mention that the inside is smoke-free? Best drinks here: Any beer not from the big 3. If you’re feeling adventurous, try Delirium Tremens if they have it on tap, or Tripple Karmeliet. (If you’re feeling REALLY adventurous, ask for an Oskar Blue’s Ten Fidy.) Otherwise, tell the beertender what you normally drink and have them bring you something new to try.

Bonus spot: Chadra Mezza & Grill — Park Place Ave., off 8th Ave. The food is simply incredible, but they’ve also got a surprisingly good (although SLOW) bar. Chadra is the home of my absolute favorite drink of the moment — the Chadra Mezzatini, a dirty martini garnished with (and dirtied by) the brine that Nehme uses to make his pickles and pickled radishes. It’s pink, but I don’t care, I love it! Go on Friday for the buffet, sit out on the patio surrounded by the herb garden, and throw back a few Mezzatinis — if you only had a hookah, you’d swear you were in Lebanon. Best drinks here: Mezzatini, dammit! Otherwise, they have all the Rahr offerings on draft, and their well liquors are most other places’ premium pours.

1. Help the wife replace the toilet in our main bathroom.
2. Shop for groceries so I can cook for her while she’s working.
3. Bathe the dog.
4. Rake the yard and bag up the leaves that have been sitting out there for 3 months.

Typical weekend for us, really. We’ve always sort of flouted “traditional” gender roles. To give you an idea — this Christmas I got a new set of knives (Shun Classics), and she got a DeWalt miter saw and stand. She’s much more involved in the repair and refurbishment of the house, and I’m more interested in finding perfect dishes or glassware, and collecting recipes.

We fit, though. All the bases get covered, just not in the way that most people expect. I like that about us.

Mine, as you can tell from this empty plate, is S’mores.