Dated Pages

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher made us write journals, then read them out loud to the class. I loved this idea (the writing, not the reading out loud part. That was so EMBARRASSING, you guys!). Ever since then, I’ve tried every year or so to keep a journal. It’s never been a successful venture. I have a huge fascination with pretty books and pens and paper, so I’ll buy a really nice journal, bound in some gorgeous binding. The prettier the cover, the more motivated I’d be to write, of course! No. Quite the opposite in fact. I’d start off strong–the first few entries were always PERFECTLY written, extremely flowerly and beautiful, always about how this was the year I was going to start my novel or find love. Psh. After a few days my inspiration would be gone and I’d be completely stuck. I couldn’t stand to soil those beautiful pages with nonsense. So I’d stop.

And finally I stopped trying. Journaling, apparently, just was not my thing. But oh, how I so wanted to write. There are few things I love more than putting a pen to a fresh piece of note book paper. But I just don’t have that talent. The words just don’t come out smoothly as I feel they should. I had a food blog for awhile, but even that fell by the wayside.

And then in July, I read Note to Self by Samara O’Shea. I had added it to my Goodreads list a long time ago, and it finally cropped up on my radar (when you have almost 2,000 books on your To Read list, sometimes it takes awhile to get around to reading something). The book was cute and entertaining, and while it definitely inspired me to pick up a pen again, I had no idea how much it would change my life. Even my review on Goodreads is pretty underwhelming. Just 3 stars, and all I said was, “a clever book. entertaining. got me writing again.”

I was a month and a half away from my wedding at that point, and so stressed out my hair was turning gray. Not kidding. My husband hated his job (hadn’t gotten his new one yet) and was miserable, I was pushed to the limit at mine, and we still had SO much to do before we walked down the aisle. I was looking for ANYTHING to lighten my load. My friend had pushed me into reading for an hour before bed at night–something I had done back when I was single, but since dating Mr. M I had stopped doing. That had helped for awhile, but the closer I was getting to the wedding the less it worked.

So, when I read Note to Self, I took her advice. I started writing in a stream on consciousness, whenever I felt like it. I keep a notebook around with a pen handy at home, and a word document open at work. If I feel the need to write I do, or if I come across a quote or a poem or excerpt from a book, I record it. It’s almost more a scrapbook of my life than a journal. It started out as a notebook, but I had to transfer it to a 3-ring binder because I was printing and cutting and pasting too much. Since July I’ve almost filled a 1-inch binder. I’ll need a much bigger one by the start of the year.

And I have to say, it’s helped my stress level. My thoughts aren’t bottled in anymore, I get them out and it’s very cathartic. And I can go back and reread it at anytime.

Looking back at my journal entries from the past few months, I can see the changes in what I have been writing, and it’s cool to see how much I’ve changed. People ask me all the time, “What is married life like?” I guess it’s a simple enough question, but I never really have an answer other than “Busy!” Now I know why. So much has happened since July! It’s been quite the roller coaster, and I have it all recorded in this book. I can’t wait to see everything that I’ll write about over the next 50 years. And I plan to. Someday someone is going to open a really heavy box full of dusty old paper and read all of these memories.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013
11:38 am–Someday prosperity is going to read my journal and think, “Wow this woman sure said OMG a lot. Obviously she was not very intelligent.” I’m sorry, I’m a very stressed out bride. I cannot help it!

Now I want to hear from you? Do you keep a journal? How do you go about it? Do you track your habits daily in a meticulous moleskin every night before bed or are you a randomer like me?

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today is the Friday before Thanksgiving, which in my office pretty much guarantees that it is Pitch-In Day. We used to have them all the time when I first started here, once a month at least. Back then I was cooking all the time. My life is much busier now!

Now we only bring in food a couple of times a year. The staff has changed–we’ve moved buildings, and the teams have changed quite a bit. But there are still a few of us around who are known for our food.

Pitch-In Days are always fun days. Of course we get our work done, but they usually tend to be slower days. Fridays are slower anyway as a rule, and Fridays before holiday weeks, especially. We are all hyped up on sugar so we are more social, and these days always bring us closer together and give us a chance to bond outside of the cubicle. Sometimes we get a little wrapped up in our mini desks, don’t you think?

I made a mess of some wings at lunch today–God may not have blessed the chicken with the ability of real flight, but man do those flappers taste good! We also had some corned beef, strawberry cake, and some kind of pistachio pudding salad. And, in another department, someone even DEEP FRIED A TURKEY!!! At work. What the heck?! Can you imagine how GOOD it smells in here?

My contribution to our fall pitch-in always has to be these cookies. I’m pretty sure I would be tarred and feathered if I didn’t bring them at some point between Halloween and Christmas. Once those cans of pumpkin goo start appearing on the shelves, I start hearing it. “When are you going to make your pumpkin cookies?” “Hey, it’s almost Thanksgiving and you STILL haven’t brought in those cookies!” It’s a must.

I have another plate full for GIrl’s Night tonight. And I HAVE to make another batch for Thursday or my sisters will revolt.

Be careful with these. They are an addiction. Once you have one, you won’t be able to stop. I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten 10 already today.

Pumpkin Cookies

From Aunt Ellen

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

2 cups pumpkin

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, and pumpkin.

Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well.

Drop cookies onto greased pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cool Completely.

Ice with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

From Aunt Ellen

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick softened butter

16 oz powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, and butter. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until you come to your preferred consistency and sweetness. (I like to taste the cream cheese, some people prefer it a lot sweeter. I never use all 16 oz of sugar.)

Sage Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

I completely fell off the November blogging wagon. I was doing so well, and then my birthday hit and with the business of those festivities I just lost track of the blog for awhile. I had a whole week of Thanksgiving posts planned and haven’t gotten any of them out!

There’s one very important recipe that I cannot neglect, however. For most of us next Thursday, there will be a big beautiful bird in the middle of the table. Whether you have been serving Thanksgiving dinner for years and are tired of the same, dry, bland turkey you’ve done forever, or, if this is your first time testing the waters, I urge you to try this recipe. When I held my first Friendsgiving a few years back, this was the recipe I tried, and it was huge hit. I’ve been using it ever since, and now I am the one who puts the turkey on the table every year at my mom’s Thanksgiving luncheon.

This isn’t your standard turkey recipe, and it does take a lot of prep work and planning. That is why I’m giving it to you now. It requires a brine, and you have to start it a couple of days ahead of time. If you are using a frozen bird, start thawing it this weekend. I’ll make the brine Monday, and put the turkey in Tuesday. Our meal is lunch, so I’ll start cooking around 4 in the morning on Thursday, to serve at 1. It’s a long process, but it’ll be the best turkey you’ve ever had.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on the gravy. It’ll be the most flavorful thing you’ve ever put in your mouth. You will pour that stuff on EVERYTHING. I’ve never been much for dressing, mostly because it just takes up room in my stomach, and it’s just seasoned bread, right? But now, it’s a vehicle for GRAVY, guys. I DROWN that dressing.

So here’s the recipe. I don’t claim this as my own. I’ve played with it a bit over the years, but I got it originally from Prudence Pennywise.

Sage Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy

From Prudence Pennywise

Notes: Thaw turkey in fridge from Fri-Mon before Thanksgiving, brine from Tues-Wed night.

Brining

8 quarts cold water

1 cup salt

8 dried bay leaves

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon allspice

1 16- to 17-pound turkey; giblets removed,

Herb butter and gravy

3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups low-salt chicken broth

2 cups apple cider

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

Roasting

2 large Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored

2 large onions, quartered

1 cup apple cider

 

To brine the turkey:
Line extra-large pot or bowl with two 13-gallon (or larger) plastic bags, 1 inside the other. Combine 1 quart water, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until salt dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart cold water and cool to lukewarm. Pour into plastic bags; mix in remaining 6 quarts water. Submerge turkey in brine to cover completely, gathering bags tightly to eliminate any air; tie bags closed. Refrigerate turkey in brine in pot at least 18 hours and up to 20 hours.
Line large roasting pan with 4 layers of paper towels. Remove turkey from brine and drain well; discard brine. Place turkey in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For herb butter and gravy:
Mix parsley, sage, and nutmeg in small bowl. Transfer half of chopped herb mixture to small bowl; mix in 1/2 cup butter.
Combine broth and apple cider in heavy large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Pour broth reduction into bowl. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Whisk in broth reduction, then cream, and remaining chopped herb mixture. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy base is thickened and reduced to 2 3/4 cups, whisking often, about 20 minutes. Cool gravy base slightly. (Gravy base and herb butter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

To roast the turkey:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove turkey from roasting pan; drain any accumulated juices from main cavity. Discard paper towels from roasting pan. Melt herb butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Brush bottom of roasting pan with some of herb butter. Return turkey to prepared pan. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Place some apple quarters and onion quarters in main cavity. Brush remaining herb butter over turkey; sprinkle with pepper. Scatter remaining apples and onions around turkey in pan.

Roast turkey 1 hour. Baste with 1/2 cup apple cider. Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste with remaining 1/2 cup cider. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey every 30 minutes with pan juices and covering breast loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours longer (3 1/2 hours total). Transfer turkey to platter; let stand at least 30 minutes before carving (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

Discard apples and onions from pan. Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup; spoon off fat from surface. Pour degreased juices into gravy base and bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon and is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season gravy to taste with pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake

I fell on my face today. Faceplanted. On the concrete in front of my office building. Ripped the skin off both of my knees, tore up my palms. It was totally graceful.

Oh and you want to know why I was so graceful? I was rushing back into the building because I had left my tea in my car. The tea my husband had made me because I’d been up all night with an upset stomach.

That’s pretty much how my birthday has gone. I’ve been in a crummy mood all day. One of my friends in the St Pete office had pizza sent to my desk for lunch, and I’ve had a lot of well wishes. I’m grateful for that, but I just can’t clear the funk out of my head. Just one of those days I guess. But that’s the beauty of this blog. You all get to laugh at the thought of me laid out like a starfish on the sidewalk.

 

HA HA HA

OK you can stop laughing now. Stop it. STAHP. OMG. You guys are so mean.

My husband asked me other day what my favorite flavor of icing is. I told him, “Mine, of course.”

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for, especially since he’s never had my chocolate buttercream, so he has no idea what it tastes like. I really need to remedy that. And really, I can’t take credit for this recipe. I saw it on Barefoot Contessa a few years back and I fell in love with it. I don’t make it near often enough, and it is just so so good. This is my go to chocolate cake recipe. The cake itself is the most flavorful, moist cake you’ll ever have, and the frosting really is to die for.

I make this cake two ways:  as a traditional layer cake, or as a trifle dessert. To make the trifle, make the cake as follows, but instead of building it as a cake, tear apart the cake into chunks and layer it with frosting and whipped cream in a big glass bowl or trifle dish.

Also, this is a cake that you need to spend all day on. Let the cakes cool all the way, and don’t rush. The crumb is so moist that everything will just fall apart if you try to go too fast, and the buttercream will melt if the cakes are still hot.

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa

For the Cake:

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup milk, let sit for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment (this is important, these cakes stick like crazy), then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low-speed until combined.

In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

With mixer on low-speed, slowly add wet to dry. Add coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula(because this batter is so liquid, some of the heavier stuff gets stuck on the bottom, make sure you mix that in).

Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake tester comes out clean. For me, it’s best to err on the longer time, these cakes will fall if not cooked long enough.

Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack or wax paper and cool completely.

Place 1 layer (the less pretty one), flat side up on a cake pedestal. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on top and down the sides of the cake.

 

Chocolate Buttercream
From Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa

6 oz good semisweet chocolate (I use Ghiradelli 60%)
1/2 pound butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp instant coffee powder
2 tsp very hot water

Chop chocolate and place in heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until its light yellow and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beat 3 minutes. Turn mixer to low, gradually add powdered sugar, then beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Dissolve coffee powder in 2 tsp of hottest tap water. On low-speed, add chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Gigi’s Cupcakes

Oh, my gosh, you guys. Tonight, I ate a cupcake as big as my face. I am not even kidding. At one point, I had a fist full of frosting, and I was just so freaking happy about it.

Gigi’s Cupcakes. Have you experienced the wonderfulness? Because you need to. Right now.

Ok. Maybe not right now. Because it’s 9 pm and I’m pretty sure they are closed. But tomorrow you should be waiting outside when they open.

My birthday is tomorrow and my mother in law brought over a box of Gigi’s for dessert. She had a hot fudge sundae cupcake, Mr. M had pumpkin pie, and my amazingness was salted caramel. Based on their yums and oooos, I’m guessing they enjoyed theirs. But I’m not kidding, I dove face first into mine. The cake part was chocolate, with oozing caramel in the center, oozing. Then there were TWO layers of caramel frosting–a butter cream, and then a sticky kind of caramel goo on top. Then, of course, some salt sprinkled on top for effect. Please go eat this now. I mean, tomorrow.

I’ve had Gigi’s before, when Mama M brought them to my rehearsal dinner. That night I had a coconut cupcake and while I was stuffed from the Famous Dave’s BBQ dinner that had proceeded it, and full of wedding day jitters,  I remember it being just as amazingly delicious.

Alright, time for a sugar crash.

Mrs. M

About Time

My birthday is on Thursday, but since Mr. M has to close, he took me on my birthday date this evening. He surprised me with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in town. More on that later.

After dinner, we popped over to the Keystone Arts Theater for a movie. If you haven’t been to a show there, you should. They tend to play movies you won’t find in the big theaters, it’s usually not super crowded, AND you can drink. I’m not kidding–there’s a bar connected to the lobby and you can take your drinks with you. Now if that’s not a winning concept, I don’t know what is. If you’re going to pay out the butt for concessions…at least make them alcoholic. Just my thought on the matter.

Anyway. We saw About Time, which was a lovely film. Most men are going to consider this a “chick flick,” and ok, yes it does have a very big romantic component. And Rachel McAdams. However, the main character is actually male. Domhnall Gleeson plays a slightly (ok very) awkward guy who just wants to find love. He also happens to be able to adjust how previous events in time occurred.

I loved the movie. It was a beautiful story about love, family, and discovering how to enjoy the little moments in life for what they are. I felt the characters were extremely relatable–Mr. M and I were squeezing each others’ hands at several points because certain moments reminded us of us.

I’m not sure how much longer this movie has in it’s run. We couldn’t find it in the regular theaters, it was only at the Arts, which surprised me. I would have thought it would have had a broader distribution than that, but maybe it’s been out longer than I thought, I’m not sure. Go see it while you can! It’s a great date movie!

Good night!

Mrs. M

Stocking Up On Stock

It’s November. Which for me means two things:

1. It’s my birthday month! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure you check out the blog on Thursday for a Special Birthday Post!

2. Thanksgiving Prep. Lots of it.

I am The Turkey Maker. I am the one who gets up at 3 am (and 4, and 5, and 6, and 7…) on Thanksgiving morning to roast that bird to gloriously crisp golden brown perfection. And because I brine my bird ahead of time, it is the juiciest, most flavorful bird you’ll ever experience. I also make some kick ass gravy to go along with it.

Drooling yet? Tough. You’ll just have to check back later in the week when I post the recipe.

HA! Don’t you hate teasers? Me too.

One of the very first things I do, long before I can even start on the bird, is make stock. I rarely use the boxed or canned stuff anymore because it’s way too salty and it’s expensive. And by expensive I mean it’s not free. As in, homemade in my own kitchen, from leftovers.

Seriously guys, this is so simple you will cry when you find out you’ve been throwing money out the window. There’s not even really a recipe for it, just a few habits to get yourself into.

1. Keep two big freezer bags constantly in your freezer labeled individually:  Vegetables and Bones. Whenever you are prepping veggies for dinner, throw carrot tops, onion roots, broccoli stems, etc into the veggie bag (just stay away from really bitter or strong stuff like cabbage or greens). When you roast a chicken, put the carcass in the bones bag.

2. When you’re ready to make stock, put the contents of both bags into a large crockpot, and fill with water. Add one Tbsp of red wine vinegar. This sounds weird, but it’s a trick to help leach out the minerals in the bones. You won’t taste the vinegar in the stock.

3. Cook on low for 24-48 hours. Obviously the longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor will be. Stir every so often, and taste, so you know where the flavor is at.

4. Strain all of the solids out, then put stock into fridge overnight, covered. I would recommend doing this in big clear bowl, something you can see through. You’ll see why in the next step.

5. The next day, all of the fat will have risen to the top and solidified. The stock underneath will be a gelatinous consistency. Carefully remove fat layer with a spoon and discard.

6. At this point, I measure 1 cup servings of the stock and package in zip lock bags, then freeze flat. This makes it easy for me to grab and thaw whenever I need to later, and I always know exactly how much I’m getting. Divy up however makes sense to you.

The volume you make is going to depend on the volume of your crockpot. In the past, I usually came out with 8 cups, but I have a new crockpot, so we’ll see how much it comes out with. Also, this method doesn’t necessarily breed consistency, because I’m using scraps from my kitchen. That IS a benefit of using canned or boxed stock, but once you do this a couple of times you will learn what works for you.

Also….my kitchen smells pretty wonderful right now, just an FYI.

Mrs. M

Save Me, San Francisco

When I met my husband, he almost never drank wine. Beer and liquor, absolutely. But wine was just not his thing.

I have loved wine for many years. I started off drinking really sweet, cheap, syrupy stuff, but, the cheaper the wine, and the sweeter, the more likely it is to trigger a migraine. With that, and my ever changing palate, thankfully I’ve grown to have a much more sophisticated taste.

Now, after pouring Mr. M wine during dinner, and taking him on a few tastings, he’s really beginning to enjoy it. He’s even bringing home great wine on his own. Working at Fresh Market is helping that too, I think.

This past week, he discovered Drops of Jupiter–a table red blend from Train’s winery, Save Me, San Francisco. Yes. That Train. Hence the musical references. This could have been poorly done, just a marketing stunt for charity. And it is for charity–part of the proceeds go to Family House, Inc. But we loved this wine, and the Cabernet we had tonight–California 37.

This isn’t a wine blog, and I’m not a great enough wino to tout off “notes,” but I’ll leave it as both wines were extremely flavorful. Neither gave me a headache, which is important, in a low-priced wine ($9.99). These will probably become regular buys.

Cheers!

Mrs. M

Cornstarch Rant

My husband LOVES Chinese food. Until very recently, getting takeout was a once every two week tradition for us. It’s our date night in–a new 6-pack of whatever seasonal beer is on the shelf, a movie from Redbox or a backlog of DVR’d shows, and Happy Dragon. He could eat it every day if I’d let him. And don’t get me wrong, I like Chinese, but I need the two week recovery time.

I just don’t get it, I guess. I mean, sure, it tastes good. That addictingly sweet, thick sauce. But I can never eat very much of it. Every time we order, I peruse the menu, hoping to find something new or different. Something foreign to me that will pop off the page that will open my eyes to the wonders of oriental cooking. I know I will not find it. I know this is Americanized Chinese. Not just that. This is Indiana Chinese. There is no Chinatown here. No secret menu, like I hear rumors of in NYC, where I MIGHT be able to find something interesting to awaken my palate again.

I’m getting bored. I think that’s my problem. I’ve watched too many episodes of No Reservations. I’ve seen Bourdain eat hot pots in Szechuan–which is now in the top 5 of my foodie bucketlist. I’ve experienced other Oriental cuisines that, while also mutilated by our Americanization, also do stay true to their roots in a lot of ways. Pho and udon and sushi. And there’s so much more out there to try. REAL ramen is on the list. Banh mi. Hot pot, of course. All are so hard to find around here. If anyone has great recommendations around the Indy area (esp north side), let me know!!

Back to Chinese–I know it’s not all bad. Maybe you guys know of some where in town where it’s not so sad and ordinary. We like our standard Happy Dragon dinners. They are good enough. But they are exactly like every other Chinese restaurant anywhere. You would think, in today’s trend of fresh, unique, different….you’d start to see some standouts. Instead, it’s still just all standardization everywhere. I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised. The Midwest IS where small business goes to die, and is home of the Chain Restaurant.

Someone remind me of this post next time I have a mega craving for Panda Express. That’s my one exception to this rule because there is just no accounting for my addiction to their orange chicken. I’m convinced they put crack in it. Except what the hell were they thinking adding bacon? Seriously. Bacon can make almost everything better…but PE Orange Chicken is the one exception.

Ok. I’ll come off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening.

Mrs. M

Drakes, Indianapolis

Remember that plan I said I had for today? For some reason I thought that I could totally right a blog post after Girl’s Night. We were going to dinner at 6…I’d spend a couple hours with my friends, have one beer, and come home and write. Totally plausible. Right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…

Which is why it’s now 10:15 and I’m just now starting. This is me trying to stay awake until Mr. M gets off work at 11. Oh geez.

The reason I wanted to write this specific post tonight is because Girl’s Night was at one of my new favorite places in town:  Drake’s. This bar is fantastically unique. It’s a chain, but not one you see very many places. 7 locations in the Midwest, according to their website. Whoever thought this place up knew exactly what they were doing….or maybe they were just really drunk. Either way, it works in a very strange way. The walls are all wooden, kind of like a roadhouse type feel, and it’s all open seating…no hostess to tell you where to sit. And the seats themselves are boothlike, except there are no seat backs–it’s more like sitting at oversized picnic tables where the benches are butted up against the one next to it. Now, some people don’t like it because they don’t like sitting so close to strangers, but it has a very communal feel to it, and in a drinking atmosphere, it works, especially later in the night. It’s a bar! Socialize! In the summer they even have cornhole outside! This is not a sit down loaner keep to yourself type of place.

The other really crazy thing about this place is the food. Drake’s has a regular menu with what you’d expect–burgers, wings, nachos, etc. And all of that is pretty great. Or so I hear. I’ve never ordered any of it. Why? Because Drake’s has some of the best sushi for the price in Castleton. Whaaaaat?! In a roadhouse style bar? Absolutely. The fish is super fresh tasting, and the rolls are unique. My favorites are the surf and turf roll–crab meat on the inside and thinly sliced beef on top with a spicy sriracha type sauce on top, and this incredible take on a crab rangoon, which they’ve turned into a fried sushi roll! I had some of their raw sushi tonight too and it was pretty fantastic as well.

Another thing they offer are their beer towers. They have a couple different sizes, but if your table can agree on a type of beer, they are a really great deal. We had 60 oz of Blue Moon and it was only $17! Tell me that’s not a steal. Much better than buying it beer by beer. The price will vary depending on the beer you are buying, but they offer it in 60, 90, and 120 oz. They have a floater that they put in the tube to keep it all the way through, and basically it’s a pour your own tap. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. And any time I can get my friends to kiss a beer tower….that’s a good night.

Oh! One more thing–Don’t bring your kids here. There was a couple with really young kids, one in a high chair. I was surprised 1) that they were even allowed in, and 2) that Drake’s even HAD a high chair. The kids were obviously not enjoying themselves, and neither were the parents. This is a bar, folks, not a family restaurant. I’m not saying this because the family was bothering me or anyone else. I’m saying this only because I was very surprised to see the family there at all. There are soooooooo many awesome places to take your family….this isn’t one of them. The music is loud, guys are there to pick up women, the women are there for girl’s night so we are loud and WOOing, and it’s just…not kid appropriate in my opinion.

Check this place out if you are looking for a fun, lively place for dinner and drinks. The food is great, the service is friendly, and the beer is cold. The music gets loud after 9, but it IS a bar geared towards the mid-20s, so that’s to be expected. They do trivia some nights too, if that’s your thing. It’s a fun fun fun place to be when you’re in the mood to be fun fun fun!

Two of my besties at Drake’s, next to the beer tower

Good night all! Mr. M should be home soon.

Mrs. M