Groovy Grub, Man
A serving dish emblazoned with the original Cellar logo from mid-1960s.
Master chef John Bennett’s The Cellar at Hightower will live again, at least for one more night.
Chef Joe Jungmann is not only welcoming Bennett into his kitchen at Paseo Grill, he’s also putting some of Bennett’s prized possessions from the historic restaurant on display.
Here’s a closeup of menus from the mid-1960s. Note these Beatlemania-era prices for fine dining. That said, don’t expect prices for the dinner to match what you see here…
COOP rekindles love of beer
I’d given up on hops and barley sometime around the dawn of the 21st Century in favor of more spirited beverages like wine, vodka and gin.
Sure I would still toss back a Samuel Smith’s on occasion or celebrate the rebirth of the sun each spring with some Pacifico on ice — even toss back some Lone Star to generate mojo for the Longhorns during big football games. (I still believe Vince Young and friends can personally thank me and Lone Star for victories over Ohio State and USC during the 2005-06 season.)
But my desire for beer on a weekly, even monthly, basis was dried up before Chimay crossed the Atlantic en masse.
So, before I’d ever had a Chimay, I tried COOP‘s DNR.
Now, because COOP isn’t bottling, we’ve started made Chimay a mainstay in the Cathey Castle. Whether it’s DNR, Gran Sport Porter — which mixologist Kyle Fleischfresser believes will be the brew that brings COOP national attention — Native Amber, Zeppelin or Horny Toad, COOP’s concoctions are seriously good beers. These are not cute little microbrews that should be supported simply because they are made locally. This is stuff that once it does become available in bottles that will absolutely be as ominpresent in my house as a decent bottle of wine, Diet Coke and Bombay Sapphire.
If you’re ready to graduate from Bud Lite and its red-headed stepchildren cousins from Coors and Miller, COOP is ready and willing to welcome you to the next level of what beer can be. If you’re wondering where to find COOP beer for now, simply check with their handy, dandy beer finder here. Read more about COOP over on Nick Trougakos’ excellent beer blog, The Thirsty Beagle.
The open house is Saturday night from 7 to 10 at the brewery, which is at 1124 NW 51st St. See you there.
Meantime, if you’ve got something to say about COOP beer, leave me a comment.
