Frills at Jake's?

Frills at Jake's?

by | Nov 4, 2010 | Food + Booze

Before I’d gotten a job near downtown Northampton, I’d been to Jake’s a handful of times. When they used to be open after midnight, I’d stumble in after a show or a beer binge, looking for sustenance that could carry me until I woke at noon....
Wine List Tricks

Wine List Tricks

by | Nov 18, 2010 | Food + Booze

I judge wine lists harshly. Most of the time there are too many Chardonnays, not enough Rieslings, few stellar inexpensive wines by the glass, no descriptions, and not much passion in the selections. No list is perfect, but getting around the fluff is an art. Here are...
The Loneliest Beer in My Fridge

The Loneliest Beer in My Fridge

by | Oct 7, 2010 | Food + Booze

At the back of my refrigerator, behind the milk and yesterday’s leftovers, stands the loneliest beer. The single pickle swimming in a cloudy sea of brine won’t talk to him, and even the bottle of ketchup, with barely one last squeeze left in it, acts...
Food: Trucks Stop Here

Food: Trucks Stop Here

by | Nov 25, 2010 | Food + Booze

Once during my years as a reporter in Springfield, a trucker deliberately drove his rig off Route 91 and down an embankment rather than crash into a small car that had suddenly slowed down in front of him (he landed unhurt at the foot of the embankment). Since then...

Food: How Sweet It Is!

by | Sep 30, 2010 | Food + Booze

Florida. Eighty-five degrees at 8 o’clock in the morning. Coastal breezes cool the air, blowing light around the palm trees and gorgeously tinted hibiscus, but the heat is a constant. Down there, everyone drank Coca Cola or its variant, Pepsi, even people who...