Street Party

Alameda’s annual street party, The Park Street Art and Wine Fair” is part block party, part shopping, part high school reunion (for those who went to HS in Alameda) but most of all a whole lot of fun.

For the past six years, I worked the event for my former employer and this year was the first time that I got to enjoy all of the festivities. Many of the bars and restaurants on Park Street set up special deals for the event. Linguini’s had their pizza window and shots of Jägermeister, boy that has the the 20-something crowd written all over it. Cera Una Volta and the new Wine Bar had tastings for those who love the grape.

Because there is so much to write about I will give only highlights.

The Beer: four types were available through the fair, Lagunitas, Fat Tire, Heineken and Pyramid Hefeweizen. None are my favorites, but I tried all four in the spirit of the event. I settled into the Fat Tire.

The Alameda Fire Department Pancake Breakfast was just the right thing for a Sunday morning. The crew was efficient getting the crowd their breakfast and it was cool to see the old fire trucks. The kid in everyone still likes fire trucks.

The music was great. The bands selected gave the entire fair a great vibe. I like the Hitmen they had a great party vibe. The Sun Kings are an Alameda favorite performing covers of Beatles tunes. The great thing about the Sun Kings is the audiences from 20-50 all know the words to the songs. We saw a lot of people rocking and dancing. My favorite was a tottler named Henry who was taking his rocking to the music very seriously.

Big Congrats to Rob Ratto and the volunteer crew who made this event as special as it is every year. Rob only 363 days until the beer starts flowing again for this event.

Leave the Taco . . .Have a Beer

Final post about Phoenix . . .

Since I was in the Southwest, I wanted to get a sense of the local flavor so I searched for a good Mexican food restaurant. Before I start, I need to provide a disclaimer that I am very picky about my Mexican food, every restaurant needs to live up to a very high standard when it comes to authenticity and flavor. Simply said it needs to be close to my grandmother’s cooking or it is not acceptable.

I went on a recommendation, from a fellow co-worker, to Tee Pee, 4144 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ. Tee Pee is very old school Americanized Mexican food restaurant, with a large full service bar, televisions that blare the baseball game and large portions of food.

A mixed crowd of trades people to men in suits flowed in for my lunch time visit. A couple of businessmen bellied up to the bar to have a shot of Patrone before heading back to work and the full bar hand plenty of drinkers for the mid-week afternoon drink. Tee Pee offers mini pitchers of draft beer for patrons looking to have a little more than a 12 ounce beer. Drinks in the bar were reasonable $3-$4 for beer and $3-$6 for a mixed drink.

The place was packed for lunch and you may have to wait for a table if you get there during the lunch or dinner rush. I understand that a crowd is very common. The dinning area is very Spartan with a bunch of tables and some booths crammed together. This is not a fine dinning experience; it is noisy and has a bustling pace.

I soon as sat down the server had chips and salsa on the bar. The salsa was well balanced and had great flavor. I was really encouraged by the initial offering. I then ordered a Number 1 (Taco, Tamale, Enchilada, Rice & Beans — 10.50), to get a variety of items and test them out.

So with anticipation, I wait for the food to come out, but I soon as I saw the dish I knew I was in trouble when I saw the plate covered in cheese and the taco overfilled with lettuce. The taco shell just could not handle the weight of everything stuffed inside and as soon as picked it up in began to crumble. The enchilada was okay, something I would have again, but the sauce lacked any punch and it is the sauce that makes a good enchiladas, and this missed the mark. The tamale was dry and lacked any real flavor. Overall the plate was below average.

Overall the experience was very average; this is gringo food nothing more and not worth a special trip. I truly wished I would have found a better representation of the true local Mexican food flavor in an area filled with tradition. Next time I will have to do a little more searching to find a more authentic dining experience. I did like the bar and the drink prices, would definitely hang out to watch a game, have a beer and some chip and salsa.

www.teepeemexicanfood.com

Tee Pee Mexican Food
4144 E Indian School Rd
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 956-0178

I Once Was A Swinger

Dodge Dart Swinger, Similar to 1973 I owned

I was out running a work errand and as I was heading back to the office and at 580 to 80 West interchange, I saw a car sitting on the side of the road, the owner gas can in hand refilling the tank. Normally, I would have not paid any attention to the stranded motorist, but it was car that caught my attention.

It was a well maintained Dodge Dart Swinger (73 or 74). It brought back a rush of memories, especially the filling of the tank. The reason is the 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger was my first car and the gas gauge did not work. The Swinger name, introduced in 1969, was applied in 1970 to all Darts that had two-door and hardtop.

The Swinger was essentially a two-door Dart with styling similar to the four-door. Standard equipment included a vinyl front bench seats, simulated woodgrain, two-speed wipers, front armrests, deep pile carpet, dual horns. The Piece d'resistance was chocolate brown vinyl hardtop. You could see this 2,000 pound beast coming from a long distance.

I had this piece of 70s practical transportation from 1980 to 1984. The solid engine was easy to maintain and the car was twice hit when I owned it with little damage to the Swinger. These solid pieces of Detroit machinery totaled a motorcycle and Honda CVCC. The only downside was the gas gauge did not work, so I must have run out of gas at least 30 times. My buddy Denis and I got good at pushing it to a safe location, and I invested in a gas can. Actually, I swiped my dad’s can for the lawn mower and never returned it.

But the Swinger was awesome. We would cruise all over Alameda with up to seven high school kids with crammed into its bench seating. The trunk was huge; it could hold two ice chest or a keg. This car transported my friends and I to Santa Cruz, to the Valley and everywhere we could think of on a budget. Primarly the car served as a gathering spot for an instant party, behind the Alameda drive-in, out at Ratto farms, or hanging at South Shore Round Table. All three locations are now gone. We would park it in all the out of the way places we could find to hideout from the local po-lice. Those spots have been developed into mostly homes. So with all the memories flooding back it also brought back all the Bad Beer I drank in high school.

My buddy Denis had a mustache in High School that would rival any porn star. Purchasing alchol was never a problem it was always more about finances and choosing between gas and beer. The beer usually won out, thus pushing the car so often.

Here are the top Five bad Beers from bad to worst:

Number 5 – Hamm's is a poor man's Coors. Not much flavor and you have to drink a lot of them. A friends Dad kept them in the garage by the case, so access was easy.

Number 4 – Olympia had a resurgence in the 80s. This was my father's beer. Again easy access and the price was right. After a while I came to hate Olympia.

Number 3 -- Burgie -- This was very cheap and plentiful at the Liquor Barn. A Big Box Liquor store that predated BevMo.

Number 2 – Schaefer -- Ahhhhh, this was truly shitty beer. This was used for shot-gunning beers and to drink when you were hanging with your closest friends.

Number 1 – Generic (In the Yellow Can) -- Do I have to say anymore.