Let's Catch Up

Not since fricken August have I been here. Holy nutty! How time flies. It seems like I've been so busy, and I have. I have been working for a company on a contract basis that is based in Exeter rolling out a project management and accounting software combo, Workamajig. I have also been working on a lot of freelance stuff for businesses, both website and print graphics. It has been nothing short of bat-s crazy as of late! I am very appreciative though. It is nice to see the bank account actually go up for a change, haha. And the people I have been working with have been truly amazing making me feel a part of a team when as a contractor you normally are just an individual.

I wish I had some sort of other exciting news.

Oh, well, I created a new cover for author friend, Rick Jones

And tomorrow I get to try my hand at hard cider. While I have made plenty of beer in the last few years, this will be my first fruit-fermented beverage. 2 plain with 2 separate yeast types, and a third with hops.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the first day of your life all over again. If you are lucky enough to wake up, you can make a difference by: being a hero, surprising yourself, and making others smile. Don't take life for granted. Appreciate your privileges. Give your best.

Peace out.

Moxy - Portsmouth - Review

Any of you who know me know that I have told you time and time again what Moxy is all about. It is my most favorite place to go to eat. Period. I've been many places. That speaks volumes.

The atmosphere is great. Decent music, plaid checkered button ups on the staff, and the kitchen is open for all to see as you walk by. The bar is just to the left when you walk in, and while they have a decent selection, I have some suggestions for whiskey offerings =). Water is brought to the table in tall glass bottles, and tealights on the tables. The staff is knowledgeable, nice, and help to round out the experience. The presentation is so great too! It comes out either on slate or wood boards.

This place is a foodies dream. Don't be turned off by that though if you aren't. You will absolutely enjoy every last bite. I promise.

The menu changes fairly regularly, but there are staples. This time around, I had the following:

Fresno Chili Cornbread with Maple Butter - a slight kick, and the butter is luxurious with enough salt and sweet to make it worth every scrape.
Crispy Rhode Island Calamari - again, great balance of salt on the breading of the calamari, with a nice sweet note of the relish underneath the abundant pile.
Beer Battered NH Shark Kabobs - imagine haddock and swordfish had a baby... a shaddock. Great flavor of a whitefish with a light oil note.
Beef Short Rib Marmalade - Haha. Best savory meal there as far as I'm concerned. Atop a crostini is a pile of shredded beef that is heaven in the mouth, complimented with a few chunks of blue cheese and homemade pickled onions. Holy deuce.
Bacon and Swiss Chard Stuffed Sweet Peppers - While this was good, I was expecting something a touch different. There was less swiss chard than I thought there would be, and it had a bread stuffing with some bacon mixed in. It was good, the horseradish cream was light but tasty.
Flying Goat Farm Camembert - This was incredible. A blueberry and honey compote smeared on the board, small wedges of cheese mixed with asparagus ends (scapes) and fennel.
Whoopie Pie Sliders - I'm fairly certain that they had to sell their souls to gain this recipe. THE BEST thing I think I have ever had. They appear small, but what you are given is way more than enough due to the richness of the cake, frosting, and chocolate sauce.

Wow. I had a lot this time. I left uncomfortably full. It was juice worth the squeeze =).

I would recommend each and every thing that I had this time. It was the best batch of calamari and short ribs to-date. I've been there a dozen times. And the whoopie pies, you can never go wrong with the whoopie pies! I think I could live off of these two things for the rest of my life and be happy.

Getting back to the whiskey, I did try one there, Beat 3. It was really good. If you are into honey back notes, this is worth a try.

Bring your 'other' there. They will thank you for it later.

Then you will thank me.

Life will be good.

Peace out, suckas!

Blackberry Pear Izze Sparkling Water Beverage - Review

I've been a fan of fizzy drinks for, well, my whole life. I enjoy the bubbles dancing on my tongue.

Today's drink of choice is the Izze Sparkling Water Beverage, flavored with blackberry pear. I'll be doing the Mandarin Lime at a later date... perhaps tomorrow?

Every selection I've had from the brand has been right up there with some of my favorite fizzy drinks (especially the clementine soda), so I was really looking forward to this. Right on the bottle it states that it is organic, and turning to the back the ingredients are only 4 simple things - fizzy water, flavor, sweetener, and acid. No artificial bunk makes Stanley a happy boy. 

I've had some sparkling water beverages with sweetener that were much sweeter than this, and much more 'rich'. This is pleasantly refreshing and light, and while it was balanced between the sweet and sour, I wouldn't mind a bit more flavor, and perhaps a touch-bit more sweetener. The blackberry is certainly the dominant flavor over the pear.

Would I get it again? Sure, it is decent. Being honest, though, I think that I like their soda-juice concoctions more. Continuing with the honesty, the sweetness level isn't really all that monumental and there are other sweetener-free sparkling water beverages that execute as well at a fraction of the cost.

Pros: Refreshing and light, not full of artificial ingredients. Low calorie drink with sugar.

Cons: Perhaps a bit too light, needs a bit more flavor/sweetener to set it apart from the standard sweetener-free bubbly water.

NOTE: I find it odd that their website does not have this showcased anywhere. Perhaps I, and Google, missed it? While I realize this is new, a good marketing plan includes updates to your website as the product gets released if not just previous to its release - chop chop, Izze!

See ya, suckas.

Portland Pie Company - Nashua - Review

I'm full. Like, topped off. A friend suggested we go to Portland Pie Co., and so it is where we went, kids and all. Normally they go to the Manchester location, but today we went to Nashua. It was a great time. The place was clean and quiet (before we showed up). Our waiter was a nice dude and was knowledgeable providing excellent feedback when requested. Life is good. That is all.

...

No, just kidding. I'm going to tell you what I got, cause that's how I roll.

App:
We started off with the Baked Potato Fries. While I expected something a touch different, more like potato wedges, they were really good. A decent amount of fries smothered in cheese, bacon, and chives. On the side, sour cream and ketchup. Kids and adults smiled.

Dinner:
The dude got Mac and Cheese (Kraft is my guess) and chips. Nothing monumental, but he enjoyed it and I am happy with that.
I got heaven on a heavenly crust (beer). It was 1/2 Harbormaster (BBQ chicken, bacon, caramelized onion) and 1/2 Matinicus (prosciutto, cream cheese, pepperoncini). The bacon was great, and no shortage, and the entire dynamic of the Matinicus was amazing.

Dessert:
No surprise, my son wanted dessert, so we all shared a brownie sundae. That for sure could feed 2 adults, who had nothing else. It was satisfying fo' sho'. It was about 5" or 6" square, big scoop of ice cream, and some whipped cream and hot fudge drizzle.

Drinks:
Their drink menu isn't online, but I had the hard iced tea (similar to Long Island), and the margarita. Both very tasty! Not overly sweet, and actually pleasantly tart. I'd be more than happy to partake of another few glasses of each.

Overall, I was happy I went and would go back again in a heartbeat. Gluten-free options, too (which I should have had, but wanted the Full Monty tonight - PPCo virgins must partake of the whole experience). If you haven't gone and like pizza, make it happen. They have other offerings beside pizza and they all sounded appetizing, so even if you do not do pizza, there seems to be something for all.

Sayonara!