RWC/Menlo Park news

Recently opened in the Marsh Manor shopping center (RWC, Florence at Marsh Road):

The snack menu features chips, crisps, & pasties.

The recently vacated Gambardella's (Merrill Street, across from the Menlo Park Caltrain Station) will be replaced by a branch location of BFD, Bradley's Fine Diner.

From :

"Bradley's Fine Diner plans to be a more upscale concept with comfort foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends. Look for sliders made from eggplant, cod, grilled cheese and beef as well as a full bar and menu items under $20."

- Mark

Reply to
Mark Mellin
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"We brew our beers only 10 feet from the taproom"

Sounds congested!

and "a mission to promote an interest and passion for English-style session and cask conditioned ales."

but also some interesting salads, pulled-pork sandwichers, a "sausage board", burgers, and fish&chips.

Thanks for the heads-up -- this sounds interesting, and is in a location I wouldn't have thought of checking.

If I take this sentence (too?) literally, does it imply that the listed items, such as grilled cheese, are OVER $20? Nah, I'm probably being unfair, and the grilled cheese is really only $19.95. :)

Reply to
Al Eisner

Quite possibly so, they moved into the former laundromat space next door to Los Gallos Taqueria.

Me either. I'll add that Los Gallos recently added a handsome and well stocked tequila bar. As we always visit at lunchtime, I've yet to observe any patrons.

- Mark

Reply to
Mark Mellin

I was passing Marsh Manor at lunch time yesterday (Sunday) and figured this would finally be a chance to try Freewheel Brewing. Their "hours" sign said "Sunday, NFL 12:30 - ?". The last I checked this is NFL season (and one of the lcoal teams was even playing at that time), but they were closed.

So I instead paid my first visit to Los Gallos Taqueria. I was quite pleased with the two super tacos I had: generous portions, nicely flavored (with marinated jalapenos available on the side, along with a nice salsa for the free chips). The carnitas was very good, the carne asada suffered from being cut into tiny cubes, but overall I expect to return. Friendly and fairly quick service. Any specific recommendations there, Mark (if you are still reading here)?

Reply to
Al Eisner

Odd indeed, as last week's 'Niners game started on London time, 10:00 a.m. PDT. Granted, "football" at Candlestick that day didn't start until 3:30 p.m., as the U.S. Women's National Soccer team beat New Zealand 4-1.

We visited Freewheel for lunch a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed the beers, cask ales, which can be limited in quantity due to their small brewing capacity, but I found my sandwich just a little on the greasy side. Salads and soups are also available. House made potato chips, "crisps," were good, but be aware than most sandwiches usually also come with french fries.

Glad you enjoyed it. At Los Gallos, I usually end up getting the taco plate for lunch (to include rice and beans), but with two tacos. I've been in a chorizo rut of late as far as meat offerings go. Their shrimp quesadilla is also quite good, but just a tad too filling (at least for lunchtime).

- Mark

Reply to
Mark Mellin

I'm sitting at Freewheel now. Very nice English style cask ales, five of them. We had a sampler and enjoyed them all. Obviously very different from typical California ales, and I would say better than I remember from Victoria (which is where I've had the most beer in this style). Apparently some English brewers liked the results here so much, they changed their own recipes -- so some recipes here are "hybrids" that were English originals.

Regarding Al's hour issue, it now says 11:30-2:30 for lunch. Several people have been disappointed that the kitchen is closed from 2:30 to 5.

Reply to
Todd Michel McComb

It is definitely the case that there's been back-filtration of California-style brewing methods to England. I mostly view this as a negative, since the older, maltier styles have become more difficult to find in England, and are being displaced by hoppier styles. CAMRA's definition of "real ale" includes either.

That said I'll have to check out Freewheel sometime. Thanks for posting.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Pope

I like the hoppiness of many West Coast beers. That being said, the small US brewpubs have done much to make US beers drinkable.

When I came to the US, I bemoaned the fact that two of the working man's staples, beer and bread were a factory produced mess. Things have changed, and very much for the better.

Reply to
Julian Macassey

Unfortunatel "hand crafted" doesn't necessarily make a beer any better. Many beers from small UK breweries are still made down to a price to cater for the pub trade that operated on always buying in the cheapest beer.

Reply to
alan

Agreed. My favourite of all the many beers I tried was Lefthand Sawtooth. And if you're ever in the south Chicago area, try The Three Floyds (ex-pat Brits.) in Munster. They brew strong beer, take a driver!

This chain is worth looking at:

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including its World Beer Tour.

There was once an excellent brewery not too far from Baltimore, Goose Creek (NOT Goose Island). It had a pub in the Washington/Baltimore airport terminal. Then it got taken over by a Big Brewer, and finally just faded away.

Now back living in Blighty.

Reply to
Davey

Thanks! I emailed a friend who lives in Champaign, Ill about that one

- he said he will head there with his wife soon and let me know what he thinks.

Reply to
sf

Good bread was always available, just not at supermarkets. Actually even that's not really true since at least back east many supermarkets have real bakeries. In California you won't find real bakeries in supermarkets, at least not the major ones. Costco has a couple of very good breads in their bakery.

Reply to
sms

Slightly different from beer, but once when I was in California, I was introduced to Junipero Gin. I am not normally a gin drinker, but this stuff is brilliant.

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Due to the weird liquor laws of Michigan, it could not be purchased there, so some was imported as Motor Oil.

Reply to
Davey

Perfume might have been more accurate.

Reply to
spampling

.. but might have been more susceptible to 'inadvertent' tampering!

Reply to
Davey

There used to be a wonderful shop in northern Chicago called 'Sam's Wines', which stocked just about every beer and spirit you could name, but I read that it was taken over by somebody else in 2009. It was the kind of place where you really needed to only have a limited-value debit card, otherwise you would spend everything you had available. Been there, .....

Reply to
Davey

Much agreement with you there. It's a fantastic gin.

Ha! That's a fine example of good old American ingenuity!

Reply to
sf

But I'm a Brit..... but the sender was an American. He is now deceased, unfortunately.

An interesting aside: I often travelled to Canada for work, and there was the usual Duty Free Store at the Canadian end of the bridge or tunnel on my return to the US. The published personal limits were always allowed by US Customs after crossing back into the US. But the liquor laws of Michigan state clearly that only booze sold by a licensed Michigan Wholeseller, to a licensed Michigan Retailer, and then to the public, can be consumed in Michigan. This means that every bottle sold by the Duty Free Shops, and then imported and allowed into Michigan by the US Customs, is illegal in Michigan, which is where the US Customs is allowing it to enter the country.

Oh what a tangled web.......

Reply to
Davey

Nope, not illegal.

Use logic:- it can only be consumed in Michigan if it was made and sold in Michigan - yes? OK, Find the state boundary, step over and have a party...

Back in the days of restricted hours licensing in the UK, many people drank early in one end of certain pubs and then moved late evening to the other end to cross the county border line. One pub on the Warwickshire Leicestershire border comes to mind. They moved the border, so garden drinking became popular. :-)

Reply to
spampling

Yes, illegal. It was not sold in Michigan, by a licensed dealer, so was by their twisted definition illegal. I have a friend who is a bar/restaurant manager, and it also said it on the State's website.

Not made, but sold first by a licensed wholeseller. Otherwise you couldn't buy any Bourbon (not sure why you would buy Bourbon, but...) or any other spirit or wine from outside the State. The reason for the law being passed was to protect the Michigan Wine industry (!).

Not much use when I want to keep it at home. After all, I don't make a habit of drinking a whole bottle of gin at one sitting, even with friends.

Reminds me of a story told me by a colleague who went to Ireland for New Year. When the clock in the bar reached 11 pm, everyone jumped up and celebrated the New Year. When he asked what was special about 11 pm, he was told that the licence only ran until mid-night, so they put the clock back an hour, and therefore still had an hour's drinking left to celebrate.

Reply to
Davey

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