Is the Mob Running the U of M?

Okay, this has got nothing to do with beer or beer ramblings. It just got me so whipped up, I have to say something.

So, I'm getting ready to take the last class of my graduate education at the U. It's a bitter-sweet moment because I've had some great classes and met some fine people but I've also had some horrible classes and met plenty of worthless people. I've yet to figure out if the enormous price tag (thanks U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and ABC for footing much of the bill) is worth it. And yet, I've got a sense of accomplishment and I'm feeling a little pride about walking out of there in May with an MBA in my pocket. So, the scales seemed to be tipped towards an overall favorable opinion of the experience.

But then I had to go through the always-painful book purchasing. Fine. It must be done. Okay, so do I have any options? Ah, yes!!! I can purchase a new book (that I'm sure we'll never use) for about $150. I can probably find a used book on Amazon that might cost me $100 or maybe less. Oh wait, it appears the on-line book store is offering me a new option! I can purchase an e-book for only $88. Hmm, it appears to be a bargain option...well, maybe not a bargain but at least the least expensive option. And I've never used an e-book before. Maybe I should check it out. Sure. What the hell. I'm in a good mood because it's my last class afterall.

Okay. I've now placed my order. Hmm, I expected to get e-mailed a link so that I could download the book. No e-mail. Ahh, I see. They are sending me something. Okay, it must be a book on CD. Perfect. I can hold on to the CD in case I need it later.

A couple of days later my package arrives from the U of M bookstore. Ahh, my CD! Wonderful. I tear it open to see what goodies are in this package. Wait! There's nothing in here but a receipt. Why would they just send me a receipt? Oh, I guess they sent me a receipt that includes a url for an on-line book store as well as the PIN I need to get the book. Hold on a sec... did they just charge me $5 god-damn dollars to ship me a god-damn package...a PACKAGE...with nothing but a god-damn receipt in it? They did! I can't effing believe it! No...no, that's not true. I can totally believe it. That's pretty consistent with much of my overall U of M experience.

I guess it makes sense. As as part of my Masters in Business Administration education, they are teaching me how to totally screw customers by providing questionable value at a ridiculously high price. Ahh, I see the point now. Thanks U! I can't wait to trample my first unsuspecting consumer!

I'm Mr. Fancy-Pants

For some reason (prolly not a good one), Kris and I had never been to any of the many beer dinners around town until last night. I don't know why we waited so long to attend one. It was fantastic.

Last night The Dining Studio (Create) hosted Jeff Williamson and his Flat Earth beers in a food-beer pairing dinner. Initially it was just going to be Kris and I going from among our group of friends, but Kat and Scott scored tickets at the last minute and Gene and Jeff were able to use some of Jeff Williamson's comp tickets.

As a rule, I don't like eating while drinking beer because the food very often changes the taste of beer for me, and not in a good way. And yet, in last night's pairing, I didn't experience this. Last night was truly the first time I enjoyed the beer more because of the food.

The folks at Create matched up a local greens salad with Raspbeery Belgian Pale, a seared/baked duck breast and chow-chow with '07 Winter Warlock, braised beef short ribs and mashed taters (okay, puree) with Element 115 and a fig pound cake with Trees. And it all worked! This was the first time I'd really had duck. It was seared then blackened and thus was really moist and a bit rare. I was surprised at how fatty the breasts were and I wasn't sure I would enjoy the duck, but man it was succulent and flavorful. I was surprised at how all the flavors stood on their own without getting lost when I took a bit of the duck with the mustard sauce and tart chow-chow all at once.

But as far as I'm concerned, the braised beef short ribs were the highlight of the evening. The aroma and rich flavor of the beef and demi glace gravy immediately made me think of mom in a big way. At the first bite, I was taken back in time to memories of eating ma's pot roast. I literally sat in my chair, bouncing and humming and smiling while I was enjoying the beef and thyme potato puree.

Now, I've had "fine" dining experiences in the past but, frankly, I've always been bored and a bit disappointed. I'm the kind of guy who could be perfectly content to eat pizza and burgers the rest of my life. Well not any more. Apparently Mr. Low-Brow is going to have to elevate things a bit and put on his fancy pants a bit more frequently.

Thanks Jeff, Philip, Desiree and Eric Bana-look-alike-guy for a great evening! By the way, here's a photo of Eric Bana-look-alike-guy. Do I lie???

Redemption

After the Smalley’s visit on Friday night I believe we were due for some redemption in the let’s-try-out-a-new-place category. As it turns out, that was just what happened on our visit to the Birchwood Café Sunday evening with the McG’s and the Shervey’s.

While I’m generally up for trying out a new place for the sake of trying it out, the specific lure that brought us to Birchwood was their Sunday special: 2 burgers + 1 pitcher of Surly = $30. Last night when we arrived the Surly options were Bender and THREE! A whole pitcher of Three might sound a bit excessive but I’m of the mind that when you can get it, you don’t pass it up. We all know that once it’s gone, it’s gone and the best we can hope for is that Four will be in the same league.

For most of the week their only burgers are turkey or black bean, but on Sundays, starting at 5 pm, they loosen up and offer Thousand Hills grass fed beef burgers. Although the weight of the burger is not listed anywhere, it must have been a half pounder. The burger itself was cooked to perfection and juicy, the bun the exact combination of substantial and squeezable and the toppings (roasted red pepper, red onion, tomato, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, and rosemary aioli) provided a solid supporting role that didn’t steal the show.

By the time we finished up the main course and got around to ordering from their amazing selection of desserts we saw the staff changing out the Surly tap handles. Looks like we helped to kill the keg of Three. On went Furious, which although is stellar in its own right is available year round so loses the limited availability novelty of Three.

Oh, quick note about the desserts. After the amazing hamburger and blue corn chips (which rock if you let them marinate in all of the yummy juices that come out of the burger) and most of the pitcher of Three, I didn’t really need dessert but one look in the dessert case and it was a no brainer. I had the carrot cake, Kat & Scott had the berry crumble and Mag, Sharon & Dave had the key lime pie. All amazing!

In addition to two Surly offerings on tap, there were cans of Surly Coffee Bender ($5), Flat Earth 22 oz ($7), Bell's Two Hearted ($4.50) and a few other craft and imports. You won’t find a beer list on their website so you have to take your chances on what they might have at any time but based on this first visit I’ll put my money that it’ll be worth the trip. One caveat: you must order food with your alcohol. Something to do with the conditions of their liquor license and likely the result of being situated squarely in a residential neighborhood. What I wouldn’t give to have a Birchwood sibling in my neighborhood!