pennbrew

When and if I get my pizza oven up and running in the pub, I have an idea to avoid topping overload. You can order as few or as many toppings as you want but the total weight of the toppings will remain the same. Order sausage and you get (for instance) 4 oz. of sausage Order sausage, onions, peppers, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, ham and meatballs, you get (for instance) 1/2 oz. of each. Obviously the weights/ratios won't be exact (mushrooms are much less dense than sausage, pepperoni provides more coverage than olives), but the idea is you get only half as much of each when you order 2 toppings, a third as much of each when you order 3 toppings, etc. This way the pies will bake consistently well in a hot oven avoiding the soggy, undercooked mess you get with 2 lbs. of toppings. Pricing will be 2-tier (for instance): Plain (sauce and cheese): $7.00 with topping(s): $9.00 Comments?

Thanks Bob!

Can anyone tell me if there is bulk fresh ginger root for sale in the market? If so, how much per pound? Thanks! ---Guy

Last night's show was pretty tame. The new chef obviously knows his stuff, the place was held back by utter chaos in the management and some uncooperative, lazy, insolent doofuses on the line. Pretty funny when chef asked one to stir some rice, and he said "why should I have to? You brought it up". And the fry guy's empty, open-mouthed stare when told to do anything. Next week looks like a classic. Cucarachas everywhere!

apprentice

Years ago, a friend of mine and I were changing trains in Munich. We had a little bit of a layover so rather than eat in the station we found a restaurant across the street. When we asked for the bill the waiter said, in English, the tip is not included. This took us aback; I'd never had a waiter ask for a tip before. So I pointed to the bottom of the menu where it said service was included. He said it didn't mean that. So I read it to him (in German) and explained (in German) that I knew exactly what it meant. He kept insisting in English that the tip wasn't included. Needless to say we didn't tip or even include a little "Trinkgeld". But I wonder how many tourists he managed to strong-arm extra money from. ---Guy

The heck with the fancy egg creations, give me Monell's in Nashville TN with their extraordinary fried chicken and I'm a happy bruncher. Simple but perfect menu: Smoked Sausage, Bacon, Country Ham, Biscuits and Gravy, Fried Apples, Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrowns, Cheese Grits, Skillet Fried Chicken, Corn Pudding, Juice and Coffee

I think you'd like this German idea of a salad: Wurstsalat

Hi: I posted some photos from a recent visit here: Gran Gusto ---Guy

What??? No mention of Blue Plate mayo???? It's *the* mayonnaise of New Orleans, where the per-capita consumption of mayo is probably highest in the world.

And this week at our local Wegmans (Wilkes-Barre and Scranton), Coke is a dollar per 2-liter bottle with a shoppers card. Limit of 3 bottles per purchase.

Well we should be seeing the Passover Coke on the store shelves pretty soon. I haven't gone looking yet, anyone see anything?

Don't pet the dog? But I like dogs! Thanks for the advice. ---Guy

I'm dropping off a cask at Triumph for the Real Ale Fest Sunday (they want it there around 11am), and I'm hoping to find something good and distinctive to eat before the event at 1pm. I've read about Carmen's here before, can anyone offer an idea of the timeframe needed if I show up around 11:30? Would I be better off going there earlier and then to Triumph? It'll either be just me or I may be meeting a friend or 2 if that makes a difference getting seated at Carmens. Any advice? Thanks! ---Guy

I was intrigued about these drinks until I saw "sucralose".

Rich: I'll be at the game dinner at the Grey Lodge on the 9th, and at the Real Ale Fest at Triumph on the 16th. Thanks! ---Guy

Count me among those who loved these as a kid, but who hasn't had one in years (decades?). I also used to love the orange drink McD's served--it must have been in the late 60s/early 70s? Anyway this thread inspired me to try one. It was a disaster--a soggy, mushy, salty mess. It was hard to tell where all the salt was, but it was over-the-top salty. Was it in the sauce? The cheese? The breading? All of the above??? I gave up on McDonalds years ago. I've always found their sandwiches to be too soft and squishy, lacking in any texture. Great for kids who think solid food is icky, I guess. The final straw was during one of their promo blitzes for a (now long-forgotten) Whopper challenger, a burger they bragged was for grown-ups. I tried one, sure enough, it was a soft, mushy, disgusting experience. Whether today's FoF had simply sat too long or the mushy texture was intentional, I don't know. I doubt I'll try again to find out...

Just a heads-up, the US' best beer drinking city is hosting an unprecedented, week-long event: http://phillybeerweek.org/ Anyone planning to go? Disclaimer: My brewery is participating in 2 events, but I'm not here to plug my involvement. This is such a huge event that it deserves notice. ---Guy

I'M OPEN!! Had a "soft opening" the past 2 weekends, here's a picture of the first beer(s) sold by One Guy Brewing Company: Unfortunately car trouble has limited my mobility so I haven't been able to get the German-style dogs yet. So for the moment it's standard American-style dogs. Grand Opening is the 26th. ---Guy P.S. Yes, the "nuisance" comment was an (obviously lame) attempt at a joke.

I guess it's like our orange cheddar cheese. I've had a few European friends puzzled by the color of most of our packaged cheese, they'd never seen anything like it.

I won't. If I promote it, it might encourage people to come. And people can be a nuisance and a pain in the a**. ---Guy

I love ginger. I also like "hurt-me" levels of spiciness. My problem with ginger beers is that if they're very spicy, the heat is added via capsicum (pepper) and ginger extract (rather than real ginger). Those that are made from real ginger are not gingery or spicy enough for my taste. I'm in the process of starting up a new small brewery in Pennsylvania and am thinking about making a couple of sodas, including a ginger beer. My idea is to brew it using a huge amount of ginger--kind of the Imperial IPA of ginger beers. The ginger supplier I'm brainstorming with has said that using more and more ginger will throw the flavor balance out of whack. I think more and more ginger flavor and heat is what I want. So what do y'all think? Does anyone else share my ginger obsession, or would I be making it for an audience of one? Thanks! ---Guy

Yup, paper plates. I want to keep dishwashing to a minimum. The photo at the top is from Germany. Yes, that roll sure does look good. In my experience the bread in Europe is always better than what you'd find in an equivalent setting in the US. I'm still searching for an acceptable roll. I did find what appears to be a good source of real German mustard: 5 kg tubs of mustard ---Guy

The inspector said I have 90 days to get it, and they're doing a training session/testing in January. So it won't hold up the health certificate.

Update: The Dept. of Ag. Health inspector came on Monday. He liked everything he saw; the only hold-up is he wants a hand wash sink in the brewery. This despite the fact that the hand wash sink in the tap room is only about 6 feet away. He also needs me to have the occupancy permit before he can issue the health certificate--that was my mistake as I had believed the opposite order of events. So I'm working to complete the last few items for the Borough's codes officer. So I'm still inching towards the starting line... ---Guy