nyNe might be a sports bar aimed mostly at women, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't go there.
Because, as far as a bar for watching sports go, nyNe is not too bad at all. The interiors are very well thought out, giving the spot more of a high end feel than their counterparts. Brick and tall ceiling with exposed wood beams marry a well stocked bar with a decidedly modern feel. A good handful of TVs are evenly spread around the open space, and we certainly had no issues watching that evening's Zags game.
There is a handful of taps in the bar, a couple of which were good, including Clem's Gold, a Lagunitas IPA and Negra Modelo to spice it up a bit. It's not a beer bar, and you might be better off going with a cocktail.
The food, meanwhile, was actually surprisingly good. One might not set the bar too high for any sports bar, but our pita platter was pretty fresh tasting -- although the pitas probably came straight from Sysco -- and a good alternative to the typical greasy stuff you get in places like this. Good prices, too, most items rolling in under $10.
nyNe's a good spot. We like it. It's laidback and does what it does well, and that's all we need.
Holy crap it's the weekend? Awesome! Almost as awesome as...
Nectar Tasting Room opening! I mean, how many times can you drink a blog?! Now you can, Friday and Saturday from noon to nine, as well as "Final Sip" (think "kill the keg," just with wine) from nine to ten on Saturday.
Quasi-related (wine... cheese...): Quillisascut is holding a fund raiser at Taste on Sunday, 2pm to 5pm. Donate $10+ to their scholarship fund, and you get food and drinks. Not bad.
Finally, Hill's will be on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Monday, and will thus stay open with happy hour prices from 4pm. Maybe Guy will tell us if the spot is a diner or a dive, as it's definitely not a drive-in.
It's a story of trial and tribulation how Team SpoCOOL were almost literally forced to drink an iced latte from McDonald's. A canceled flight on Christmas Eve. Overnight stay in Denver. Limited to no food options. Use it or lose it vouchers°. It should have been A Christmas Story but was closer to Black Christmas.
We dove head first in, Pete Rose style, to try a McCafe though, and I like to think we took a bullet for you. Not that anybody would have expected a latte -- an iced latte at that -- from McDonald's to be good, which, incidentally, it isn't. It's god awful. I could rant lyrically about how bad it is. And I will:
The most positive way to describe the iced latte is water with ice, some powdered milk and possibly a teaspoon of Nescafe for flavor. That is the positive take on it which really is overselling it. A more accurate description would be water and ice, straight from the shores of Tchernobyl. That's it. It tastes like dirty polluted water, the type that could make you grow another eye.
The McCafe lattes are, of course, part of a campaign aimed at classing up McDonald's. You've seen the ads. Hip young artistic looking guy, possibly hung over after a $1 PBR night, refusing to speak to anyone until he has his morning McCafe. I'm sure the iced latte would taste fabulous if you poison your buds with everything crap. Because that's what this McCafe is. Crap. Possibly literally.
XX Bitter is a Belgian IPA, and a good one at that. It's bitter, obviously, and requires aging to reach its peak level.
Now, you probably won't fall head over heels in love with the XX if bitterness is not your thing. This is the type of beer Keystone advertised against, though anyone with even a semblance of good taste would go with a Bitter Beer Face over a Keystone Headache.
Anyway.
The nose reveals a fairly balanced ale, with a good mix of floral scents, citrus, and, of course, hops. When it hits the mouth, though, the hops hops (Get it?! We're very funny.) up front. It's not as crazy as many American IPAs, and particularly the citric flavors laces the tongue well. But god, let's be clear, this is still plenty bitter, and probably to a comfortable level for most Hop Heads. It feels extremely smooth and crisp.
Belgian IPAs can be a bit of a hit or miss, but the XX hit a good homerun. It's as bitter as advertised, and smooth enough to be a nice sipping beer at a relatively mild 6.2% ABV. Highly recommended.
