Sunday, April 27, 2008

Happy Birthday to ME!

Thirty-six years ago today my mother delivered a baby, asked the nurse "what is it?", to which the nurse responded "A Baby." And everyone but my mom got steak for dinner that night. (total rip-off if you ask me, I LOVE steak!)

It's become tradition for Keith and I to go out for steak on our birthdays and for our anniversary. The only time we didn't go out for steak was an absolute disaster. (I still need a new hood for the stove, we should get that soon, shouldn't we?)

So tonight we're going out to Nikko's, the Japanese Steak House at the OP Marriott, with my most favorite-est people in town, my family by choice. (We were going to go last year, but we had babysitter issues and wound up canceling, so we're trying again this year.)

Speaking of the Marriott...

Keith and I went to the new club Manhattans last night, the one at 135th and State Line, behind Hardee's. It's a nice club, but their bartenders SUCK. They're aiming for the over-30 crowd, who tend to be a bit pickier about their drinks, and they have bartenders that should be at a college hang-out. No imagination what-so-ever if you tell them to make you something interesting with a specific alcohol. And my lemon-drop martini was the oddest tasting one I'd ever had. They don't have any fresh ingredients and use a mix for almost everything.

Pitchers in the Marriott, on the other hand, uses fresh ingredients for EVERYTHING, including making their own simple syrups. The only mix they use is for Bloody Mary's. Everything else is made the way it was invented. One of the managers (a friend of mine) said that Pitchers will soon be getting a make-over (like the rest of the hotel) and will be much more up-scale in looks. And they're going to stop having "bartenders" and have "mixologists" instead.

I'm sure that it helps having a restaurant to get everything fresh, but if you're going to cater to the over-30 crowd, make sure you've at least got the right kind of bartenders. For Keith and I, we tend to view cocktails as cuisine, not just another drink. Know how to make them right, dammit!

7 comments:

Spyder said...

Happy Birthday! Have a great time!

The DLC said...

God, it's so hard to get a great cocktail in this town. thanks for the recommendation. And happy birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy B-day! I know you and Keith are (eventually) enjoy your "gifts".

And thanks for the mini reviews. I don't try to get a good cocktail when I am out It is cold beer, or maybe a Knob Creek. I do however enjoy a Bloody Mary from time to time with dinner, and can forgive the use of a mix (if it is a goods one) as it is such a complicated drink. I do, however, usually add more black pepper and Tabasco when it hits the table.

Bluegreen Momma said...

Sounds like you guys were going to have a great time! Hope you had a great B-Day.:)

Unknown said...

Happy belated birthday!

Becky said...

Happy belated Birthday! All that cocktail talk is making me thirsty!

Becky

Anonymous said...

Wishing you a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hope it's your best year yet! :)