Travel good, but great to be home

When I travel out of town — whether for business or pleasure — I try to make the most of my travel dollar. My recent trip west to Berkeley and San Francisco, Calif., was no exception.

In Berkeley — also known as Berzerkeley — I discovered just how expensive California travel can be. Graduation ceremonies for University of California were under way and accommodations were scarce. I was lucky I didn’t have to foot the bill for my Berkeley accommodations — thank you Knight Digital Media Center for picking up that tab.

The Hotel Shattuck Plaza in downtown Berkeley regularly runs around $239 a night. It was recently remodeled and I highly suggest it. The rooms are modern and the staff friendly.

Berkeley isn’t a place to go if you’re traveling on the cheap. Drinks in the lobby bar, which was a beautiful room to unwind in after a 14-hour day of digesting digital media principles and practice, cost a pretty penny.

A well vodka and cranberry cocktail set me back $9 plus a tip. Not outrageous, but anytime I see a jigger used to measure my drink, it never ends up a good value.

I checked in late on a Sunday morning and saddled up for the brunch at the bar. Here’s a travel tip to live by: Always ask “How much?” before piling your plate high at a buffet. My buffet — delicious as it was — and a drink hit $50. There went my daily budget.

On the cheaper side, a pint of California micro brew came in at $5. Almost every restaurant I hit offered a wide selection of local beers and wine.

When I travel I vow not to eat or drink anything I can get at home. When in California, that’s an easy promise to keep. Across the street from Hotel Shattuck is Jupiter, a trendy restuarant and micro pub. They don’t brew the beer there, but the family-owned operation has a brewery down the street.

Pints of Jupiter’s ales, lagers and ciders ran between $5 and $6.50. I’ve never been a big fan of super bitter India pale ales or hoppy brews in general, but Jupiter’s Quasar Double IPA made a believer out of me. The dark, copper-colored brew offered a balanced blend of bitterness and malty flavor.

The menu board advertised the ale at 8.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), but the bartender assured me it was more like 11 percent. At only $6.50, sign me up.

Most of the local spots I visited offered a California beer on tap from Speakeasy Ales and Lagers. Public Enemy Pilsner ($5), a San Francisco brewed Bohemian-style pilsner, is great and stacks up well on several beer review Web sites.

Public Enemy was drinkable and a little herbal in its character. I made it my default beverage selection if nothing else more inspiring was available on tap.

San Francisco bound

After a week in Berkeley, I hopped a train for San Francisco ($3.40). There is something about trekking under the bay on BART, the Bay Area’s mass transit system, that is a little spooky. Figuring out which train to take and how to get a BART ticket out of the machine was a challenge, but I just asked around and found someone to help out.

In San Francisco I booked my stay at Hotel Whitcomb. At around $100 a night, this hotel has become my home base when traveling in the Bay Area. The hotel sets at Eighth and Market Streets across from the Civic Center and United Nations Plaza. From there it’s a short trolley ride down Market Street ($2) to the waterfront or up Market to The Castro, Haight-Ashbury or Golden Gate Park. Trolleys are well labeled, affordable and easy to grab.

On Castro, restaurants are plentiful and affordable. Fuzio Universal Bistro, a franchisable restuarant with locations in California, Nevada and Richmond Heights, Mo., offered ginger braised pork selections that brought me back a couple of times for a quick snack and a couple of full meals. No beers on tap, but they had a wide selection of local wines that kept me tasting.

Around town, Napa and Sonoma vintages ran between $9 and $15 a glass. Here’s a wine tip: Check out a wine Web site such as www.DiscoverCaliforniaWine.com for a preview of popular brands and affordable options. Many wine lists I looked at were so large it was hard to make a quick decision when ordering.

I arrived in San Francisco last Saturday morning to discover it was Harvey Milk Day. The local holiday celebrates the life of the community activist and Board of Supervisors member who — along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone — was assinated in 1978 by a fellow elected official.

Sean Penn played Harvey in the 2008 film account of his life, “Milk.” In honor of the day, I grabbed lunch at Harvey’s, a locally owned restaurant in the heart of the Castro neighborhood.

At Harvey’s, Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA was $5.50 a pint and dinner and two pints ran around $30. The hoppy brew is golden in color and gets its bitterness from a blend of four different kinds of hops. At 7 percent ABV, Racer 5 is a mouthful and only $3 at happy hour.

Bear Republic will ship its products to Missouri. Its Web site offers a long list of shippable products and prices.

As you make plans for summer vacations, keep me in mind. I always like to hear about new beers, breweries and wines available around the country. It’s good to be home.

Cheers!

Air travel expensive; bargains can be found

I’ve spent too much time in airports in the last few years.

Not a lot by some people’s standards, but more than I care to. I’m not sure where I’ve gone wrong, but bad travel karma follows me when I fly. I’ve lost credit cards, endured countless canceled flights and hotel screw-ups have caused me great travel distress. There’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling you get when you realize you have lost your only credit card somewhere on the streets of San Francisco and you still have a hotel bill to pay. My most recent trip to California was no different. I was Berkeley bound for a week-long fellowship in multimedia reporting at University of California, Berkeley.

I set out last Friday for Tulsa. I had to catch an early Saturday morning flight to the Left Coast. Here’s a travel hint: If you have an early flight from Tulsa and want to avoid the early rush to the airport, check out the Radisson’s park-and-fly rate. A room and 10 days parking was about the same as paying the parking fees for the airport’s long-term lot. Airport parking for the trip would have run me around $75. The night at Radisson, parking and shuttle to the terminal came in under $100. It’s a great deal and you avoid the blurry-eyed, early morning dash down the turnpike to Tulsa. 

That’s where the value ended. I was up early and off to catch my 7:10 a.m. flight only to discover it was canceled due to bad weather in Big “D.” I suspect they knew I was booked on it and American Airlines just wanted to screw with me. After rebooking and re-rebooking flight plans, I ended up on a flight to San Francisco via Denver. My new flight didn’t depart until almost 1:30 p.m., so TGI Fridays here I come. I sat down for breakfast and a beer … or two. After all, I had almost six hours to kill before I could wing west. The second surprise of the morning came when my bill arrived. An $9 breakfast and two beers: $24:18. Wow. The bartender told me that the beers were almost $8 each for domestics (3.2 %  ABV) and $11 for Sam Adams, Stella or Boulevard (6 % ABV). Apparently, Tulsa Airport tacks on a 22% tax on food, beverage and merchandise. A bottle of water at the airport sundries store was almost $3. The bright spot: coffee at Starbucks was only a few cents more than I pay in Joplin.

 I touched down in Denver after a short flight and dashed down the terminal to try to get a standby flight to San Francisco. No Oakland flights were available and SF was as close as I could get. A quick lunch and beer in Denver set me back $20. A pint of local – and unmemorable — pale ale came in at $7. I’m sure the United Airlines gate attendant thought I was stalking her. I wanted to make sure I was first in line for the two standby seats available and kept close. Maybe too close. For the first time on the trip the travel gods smiled on me and I snagged a standby seat. Otherwise, It would have been another five hours in the Denver airport.

 I rewarded myself with a couple of vodka and cranberry cocktails after getting up in the air. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of the pair of Finlandia mini bottles. Only $6 each. Not bad. Be sure and have your credit cards ready: Cash is not accepted on United flights. Two hours and twenty minutes later I landed at San Francisco International Airport. I’d never been through SFO before and expected a tough time retrieving my luggage and finding my way across the bay to Oakland where my hotel was waiting. Again, I was shocked at how easy it was to claim my 50 lb bag and navigate the Bay Area Transit System (BART). For only $8.40 I made my way under San Francisco and into Oakland. Up a flight of stairs to street level and across the street was the Marriott where I had a room waiting ($139/night plus tax and fees).

 After 12 hours navigating the perils of cross country travel, three airports and an hour on the Bart, I settled into my room. When I opened the curtain of my 16^th floor room, I smiled when outside my window was an icon of the newspaper industry, or at least to me. The Oakland Tribune tower welcomed me to town. For a guy ready for a week of immersion training in multimedia reporting it was a comforting sign.

 Next week Berkeley restaurants, brew pubs and my San Francisco travelogue.

 Cheers!

Bartenders offer advice on good customer service

When it comes to the war on poor customer service, bartenders are on the front line. I tended bar for years in more than few places around the country. Being a good bartender takes a lot more than many think. You have to be patient with drunken customers and defuse scraps between customers. It ain’t an easy gig.

  Bartenders don’t last long if they can’t put on a smile rain or shine. A good bartender knows when to introduce customers who may not yet know each other. Just the same, a good barkeep knows when to leave a patron alone. It’s a delicate balance, but an important one. A goo d bartender hears everything and repeats nothing.

  Last Saturday morning I set out to talk customer service – both good and bad – with a couple of my favorite bartenders around know. I started my morning with a beer and some conversation at Frank’s Lounge, my regular Saturday haunt, with Teri Layton. Teri’s worked behind bars — off and on – since her college days. She knows the importance of good customer service and of being there for your customers. It’s more than just tips.

  “Bartenders represent something different to everybody,” she told me. “To some we’re  mothers and sisters, to some wives and daughters and to many we are priests and physiologists.” She told me that after a while behind a bar you can just look at a customer and figure out what they need. “Sometimes it’s more than a drink’” Teri explained. “Sometimes you just need to help them get to a better place. You have to recognize body language and figure them out and try to help, If that’s what they need. Sometimes they just want a beer. Anybody can sling a drink; I can teach an orangutan that, but it takes a lot more than that to be a good bartender.”

  Talking to Teri about good service and customer relations you can tell she means business. She seems to get a high when she can turn someone’s frown upside down. I think she sees it as a challenge.  “Some times people come in with a mean and nasty and just hateful mood,” she said.  “All you can do is be nice and kind. Our job as bartenders is to get them out of their mean and grouchy mood and get them talking and having some fun.”

That’s the job, Teri preached.  “If you can take someone who is in a bad mood and turn their attitude around you’ve done your job.”

  Teri, who always seems to wear a smile, laughed and said she tries to be nice all of the time. It dosen’t always work. Some people’s attitudes just can’t be turned around. “Some people are just sour,” she laughed.  “You know, the kind of people who were weaned on pickles. I really do try, and  I’m pretty good about it. That is until you give me a reason not to be. Then I can get really pissy fast.”

Over at Rumors Lounge, Carol Ackerman, another longtime bartender, has her own take customer service. “A good bartender knows how to make you feel special, like you are the only on at the bar,” she said. “You have to treat everybody like an individual,” Carol explained. “That’s important. Some people want left alone and some want attention. Some want a lot of attention.” Carol said the most important aspect of good customer service is respect.  “You have to treat people with respect. Some kids today don’t know how to respect their elders.”  Carol laughed at herself and said, “I guess I was one of those once kids.”

“Respect is a two way street,” she added. “You threat customers with respect and you can expect to get it back.” Carol is known to cut up with her loyal customers. She pokes some fun and kids a little with about everybody on the other side of the bar during her shift. Some customers come in just for banter. She told me that being a good bartender really boils down to one thing.

“Kiss your patrons butts,” she laughed. “The more you kiss their butts the more friends and tips you will make.” Carol said that be “kiss butt,” she means to provide good service. “That what its all about,” she added. “I’ve kissed a lot of butt over the years.”

Me, too. Cheers!

Beer-based sauces perfect for grilling

I have a problem and I’m man enough to admit it.

I’ve known it a long time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and a lot of good, hard-working people share my addiction. The stigma can be a lot to bear, and I’ve considered seeking out some help with my trouble. I only recently realized how my addiction has taken over my life, interrupts my ability to concentrate at work and has started to affect my relationships. I suppose I could reach out and find a support group to help me shake my demons, but that’s hard to do. This column is a place to come clean, admit my problem publicly and get on the road to recovery.

Here goes: Hello, my name is Dave and I’m a grill-a-holic.

It all started last week when an impulse buy led to a new Char-Broil propane grill occupying my patio, and my every waking thought. In the past, I’ve always shared a grill with other apartment tenants. It was a hassle negotiating for fire time, finding empty propane tanks when I needed flame or a skanky grill when no one was considerate enough to clean after use.

No more. This one is mine.

Since the grill became a part of my food-obsessed life, it’s all I think about. What’s for dinner tonight? T-bones on Tuesday, pork chops and kabobs Wednesday and surf and turf on Thursday? The options are endless.

Deciding what to grill and what sides to feature is only the beginning of my new daily culinary obsession. What adult beverage to pair with the day’s grill creation occupies much of my time, too. Like I said, it’s an unhealthy situation. My need to pair beer or wine — or both — with my meal may seem a little strange, but it’s great when you can get the planets to align and the meal satisfies me and my guests. I don’t even need guests, it’s something I’ll do for myself.

Luckily, Joplin offers up several options for those looking to find the perfect pinot or the right riesling to go with your grilled masterpiece. Many area retailers that offer a large selection of beer and wine also let shoppers sample their products. It’s like handing out crack samples to addicts, I suppose. I can’t resist the offer of a free beer sample or a taste of wine. It’s research for this column, after all. How’s that for a rationalization?

Search for sauce

Around my house, when we think of grilling, we think barbecue. Wet, sloppy and tangy, old-fashioned barbecue Ñ burgers, steaks and chicken, all smothered in sweet and savory goo.

I’ve learned that beer adds to the taste of a good, homemade barbecue sauce. I put my new grill and obsession through its paces recently. In preparation, I went online looking for some booze-based barbecue sauces to try.

It was a challenge. I searched for beer-based sauces and received only a few results. By a few, I mean 1,456,625. What I found wasn’t inspiring, so I searched on. I found ale sauces, lager sauces and dozens of sauces with a Budweiser base.

Funny thing: I didn’t find one sauce made with Natty Light. Curious. There will be soon, though. Where were the chocolate stout barbecue beef ribs or the English ale-infused chicken? I dug deeper into the Web, and I stumbled on to recipe for a Bud-based BBQ sauce at hotsauceworld.com.

“Executive chefs from our Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., in conjunction with the brew masters of Anheuser-Busch have perfected this recipe, assuring you that your cooking experience is the best it can be,” the site explained. It sounded good to me. The site and reviews said this is a great sauce for pork and chicken. You can kick up the heat in this sauce with a little cayenne, the site said. I suggest trying dark ale or a berry lambic to sweeten the deal.

Bud BBQ sauce
1 cup Budweiser beer
1 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium skillet, add olive oil and garlic. Cook until slightly brown. Add in the onions and chili peppers and cook for an additional four minutes. Place remaining ingredients into skillet, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool completely before you puree in blender. Over at foodreference.com they suggested a sauce suitable for all meats. An American pale ale or India pale ale would give this recipe a great bitter taste.

Sweet beer BBQ sauce
1 cup of warm beer
1 cup catsup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
zest of 1 lemon

Mix all but the chopped onions and lemon zest in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Let this simmer for 10 minutes. Add the onion and lemon zest. Simmer for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Bon appetit and cheers!