Gotta Drank! Ashland & Highland

After appetizers and drinks in Polaris, we ventured back to Dublin after picking up a friend at the airport.  Ashland & Highland was a spot my hosting friends had wanted to try so we painted our wagons and came along.  It's a New York style bar on the outskirts of Columbus.  I'm glad we were with them as this would have been a horrible date night.  Not in a bad way, more like an awkward, painful growth way.  We were the youngest patrons in the place by far but it was pretty crowded on a Friday night.  Some of our menus had food on one side and drinks on the other while some had food on both...They did however have 3 kinds of cider available.  The night before I had ventured into grocery market Giant Eagle where I was amazed at the three rows of cider offerings.  Remember, 5 years ago you couldn't find Strongbow or cider in a regular grocery store.  Now, I could buy a six pack of Magner's for crying out loud.

Ordering took a little while because they were literally out of at least 5-6 things on their menu.  The food was actually pretty good though so points for that.  We found out that the place had recently been under the care of a "bar rescuer" after the original owner, with no experience in owning a bar or restaurant, was about to go belly up.  That's why they were out of so many items because they were trying to figure out where all the money was going and streamline the ordering system.  The staff was nice enough and gave us a free drink to apologize for the multiple items out of stock.  Then I felt like I was on a reality show and started looking for hidden cameras.  Alas no one asked me to sign a waiver or release so I guess I won't have to worry about seeing myself on some random show on the cable I don't have.

Gotta Drank! SmithHouse

Located across from the Century City Mall and a stone's throw away from the Nakatomi Plaza aka Fox Studios is SmithHouse, a vast, wood trimmed bar and restaurant.  They even have their own valet service that charges a pretty reasonable $3 since street parking can be hard to come by or if you're not walking over from Fox in your office uniform of blue button up shirt tucked into dark slacks.  Their draft list is immense and includes Strongbow so I can partake in drinking from a pint glass.  Happy Hour is pretty solid with $1 off drafts, $5 well drinks and $5-6 appetizers.  It had been a while since I visited the joint and it was pretty empty on a Monday night.  Can't remember if they had barbeque on the menu then but they sure as shit have it now!  Scarfed down a brisket sandwich while wishing one of my two Californian hetero life mates off on a European Vacation. 

I hear cars in France run better on bread:

Con Man: Long Beach Comic & Horror Con '09

The Long Beach Comic & Horror Con celebrates it's fifth year this weekend at the Long Beach Convention Center at the Long Beach Pike... in Long Beach.  It's a great show made better by the fact I've attended every year.  I couldn't believe it had been five years until I consulted some photos, not realizing 2009 was their kick off year.  It's not the biggest show in the world and that's part of the charm.  There are plenty of vendors, guests and panels to keep you busy but it's not so packed that you feel like a sardine and get irritated.  LB was the first show I can recall that had replica vehicles on display outside.  The Ninja Turtle van, Knight Industries 2000, the time traveling Delorean from Back to the Future and more are lined up for photo ops and charity drives.

What's even nicer is the surrounding area, you're right next to an outdoor mall complete with movie theater, bars and eateries.  Hopefully the $1 bookstore is still open.  Nearby you can walk to the water for a serene time out where more shops and restaurants await, as does a view of the Queen Mary.

Year One was a lot of fun as Thomas Jane more or less took over, hosting a movie night Friday and Saturday.  His directorial effort, The Dark Country, screened in 3D on night one while a preview of his not yet released flick, Give'em Hell, Malone was supposed to follow on Saturday.  Some legal issues put the kibosh on that so the audience was treated to The Mist in Black and White.  The Jane was cool enough to take a break from setting up to take a photo and chit chat before joining the rest of us in watching the flick.  Mr. Jane and his creative partner, artist Tim Bradstreet, have been at every Long Beach Con since, talking about their latest projects, their careers and basically being the weirdcoolest guys around.  Seriously, half of last year's panel was done in the dark.

For whatever reason, you get some real honesty and heartfelt answers from guests at Long Beach.  In 2011, Shane Black made an appearance as he was prepping to direct Iron Man Three and shared great insights like "Marvel invented copper wire by stretching a penny" and "You know Mel Gibson isn't a bad guy right?  He's just a drunk".  Artist extraordinaire William Stout told some great stories of his time in Antarctica, working on Masters of the Universe, not being credited with designing the Universal Citywalk and what it's like being a portrait artist at Disneyland.  Maybe it's the lack of huge lines and crowds or San Diego Comic Con like hustle and bustle but Long Beach Con is just about the best kind of show you can ask for.  Not too big, not too small.   Not too busy, not too slow.  Parking and food are aplenty and one year they hosted a record breaking zombie parade.

Oh yeah and the Auld Dubliner across the street is one of two bars I've ever been to that has Magner's on tap.  Magner's is cider, like Strongbow but is Irish.  I want to say it was a touch drier than the Bow but it's been a long time, guess I'll have to reacquaint myself tomorrow.

Gotta Drank! The 3rd Stop

After seeing The World's End, I really felt like having a pint (In Bruges had the same effect).  But being a beer loather ("You just have to get used to the taste."  Well I could get used to drinking my own urine but I don't do that and it's good for you.)  makes it a little difficult.  Enter, Cider, fermented apple juice that is gluten free and has a stronger alcohol content than most beers.  I used to judge an establishment by the brand of Cider they served, if they did at all.  You'll likely find Wyder's Pear Cider or Woodchuck around but those are just too sweet.  The gold standard is Strongbow, the dry, crisp, not too sweet label from England.  Just a few years ago you could only find it in English style pubs or high end groceries like Whole Foods.  Now they sell it at your local Ralph's (or Kroeger, regionally speaking).  Magner's is another fine brand of cider from Ireland but I've only seen it served in one southern California establishment.  If a bar is serving Strongbow, they've probably been around a long time.

The 3rd Stop has 30 some beers on tap and one cider that isn't Strongbow or Magner's.  They used to serve The Bow once upon a time but the cider revolution hadn't occurred yet.  Once again, I'm just a man out of and ahead of time. They make up for the lack of cider by being a solid gastropub though with an attractive happy hour that includes $4 wine and drafts as well as your typical pub fare of burgers, wings and pizza.  It's also right across the street from a huge hospital so you'll feel like you missed a memo about the wearing scrubs convention.



Cider is coming up but this is usually the reaction people give me (and relax, it's a joke, it's a great movie, so do yourself a favor, rent it, watch it, lock it in a box for a year then watch it again):