So we're starting this new program of reviewing San Diego bars and those who make the drinks, and we're starting strong. Really strong. Modus strong. This fantastic establishment is run by mixologist Ariana Johnson and her husband and is built around bringing locally sourced, seasonal items to your plate and glass.
The Jess and I, along with Captain Sizzle and his new fiance The Amusing San Diegan, rolled into Modus with high hopes and I'm happy to say they were not only met, but exceeded. Ariana, who was recognized as one of the top 10 mixologists in America by Playboy magazine, rolled out the very best of the season, including "Winter Brew". This concoction presents whiskey, Licor 43 (a vanilla-flavored Spanish liquor), ginger ale, unfiltered apple juice, and some citrus, served tall.
Heaven!
The whiskey comes up front, with a hint of the vanilla, then your palate rolls through sweet ginger, and the apple juice hangs out at the finish. Even though it's ice-cold, this drink is a warming romp through the flavors of winter.
Check out this article in the San Diego Tribune which has a picture of this brilliant drink, ours came with a slice of fresh ginger as garnish, not lime, which was just perfect. If this wasn't enough, we got a complimentary round of her new invention, "Drunken Pumpkin". Fresh-roasted pumpkin, which is pureed, and that's all I'm going to say about that, though I'll add the glass is rimmed with a powdered sugar-nutmeg mixture.
There are several other drinks on the seasonal menu, which turns over every few months, but the standard menu hosts multiple other strokes of genius, including The Jess' favorite drink of all time, a cayenne-tinged tequila and passionfruit based elixir known as "Latina".
The bar area is perfect for a group of people to relax together (remember my birthday party?) and the full restaurant menu is available. They've got the music at just the right volume and the lighting at just the right brightness.
We're starting this new tradition of reviewing San Diego bars with a bang, because you will find the most creative, flavorful, enticing, and delicious drinks this city has to offer when you go to Modus
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
32nd Birthday 2nd phase
At times of occasion I've historically been quite quick at getting fully spiffed up: shower, shave, lotion, toothbrush, get dressed, aftershave, door. Over the past few months; however, I've added a new ingredient to this little recipe, the ability to style my hair into a mohawk (or mini-mo, as Jess likes to call it). Needless to say, it took a bit longer to get sorted before my birthday dinner, but everything was in its proper place when we left the house.
A constant source of fun for Jess and I is to try and set up a birthday dinner for the other that is both a multi-sensory carnival and a complete surprise. Though San Diego is full of great restaurants, we both avidly browse foodie websites and discuss what we've found, thus making the element of surprise a tricky proposition.
Well, The Jess both picked a mind-blowing restaurant and kept a veil of secrecy over it that would have made the D-Day planners proud. We even got there early and Jess just drove right past it, pretending we were going somewhere entirely different, then doubled back. A brilliant tactician, that one.
The end-result of all this energy and excitement was a restaurant called Market. Anyway, if you've had a quick look at the cocktail list and restaurant menu, you'll understand how delicious food and drink was. We're trying to focus on eating locally grown or produced meat and veg, and that's what this place was all about. The Brandt Farms tenderloin was an absolute triumph, let me tell you!
I know you're wondering, how was dessert, for goodness sake WHAT WAS FOR DESSERT!!??
Well, we didn't eat dessert at the restaurant, because there was a final surprise for me; a Red Velvet layer cake with sliced strawberries in the center, a scratch-made creamcheese icing, and a strawberry glaze drizzled over the top. Best part, each element was hand-crafted by my lovely wife. There are no extant pictures of this masterpiece, but I assure you, it will live forever in the pantheon of great birthday cakes. And this day will be an exciting, loving place for my mind to go when things are tough.
A constant source of fun for Jess and I is to try and set up a birthday dinner for the other that is both a multi-sensory carnival and a complete surprise. Though San Diego is full of great restaurants, we both avidly browse foodie websites and discuss what we've found, thus making the element of surprise a tricky proposition.
Well, The Jess both picked a mind-blowing restaurant and kept a veil of secrecy over it that would have made the D-Day planners proud. We even got there early and Jess just drove right past it, pretending we were going somewhere entirely different, then doubled back. A brilliant tactician, that one.
The end-result of all this energy and excitement was a restaurant called Market. Anyway, if you've had a quick look at the cocktail list and restaurant menu, you'll understand how delicious food and drink was. We're trying to focus on eating locally grown or produced meat and veg, and that's what this place was all about. The Brandt Farms tenderloin was an absolute triumph, let me tell you!
I know you're wondering, how was dessert, for goodness sake WHAT WAS FOR DESSERT!!??
Well, we didn't eat dessert at the restaurant, because there was a final surprise for me; a Red Velvet layer cake with sliced strawberries in the center, a scratch-made creamcheese icing, and a strawberry glaze drizzled over the top. Best part, each element was hand-crafted by my lovely wife. There are no extant pictures of this masterpiece, but I assure you, it will live forever in the pantheon of great birthday cakes. And this day will be an exciting, loving place for my mind to go when things are tough.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Celebration!
So yesterday was my 32nd birthday and it was one very special day. Jess and I were long overdue for something to celebrate, and we really put our hearts into it. Plus, birthdays are just downright awesome.
In the morning I got hugs and birthday smooches from my wife, then spoke to my family while Jess went to her treatment. My parents always sing Happy Birthday and I dance and they tell me what I looked like when I was born and I laugh and they say how glad they are I'm alive and I get all happy.
Jess came home and we did present-opening. I had a little stash waiting for me and we got started. My card had a bird on it, which is most excellent, and lovely words from my beloved, which are private.
My first present totally caught me by surprise, because I didn't know it was available. She got me the DVD of "There Will Be Blood". Can't wait to watch it! I've been fascinated by early oilmen since I read "The Prize", and having Daniel Day-Lewis play on is going to be quite a treat.
Next came a great CD of loungey, zesty music from Hotel Costes. Honestly, though, the best part was the unwrapping. I first pulled away just a small corner of the paper exposing just a bit of the disc art, and was immediately reminded of the game show where a covered image was displayed and pieces of the covering were removed when a contestant got questions right. This would expose cartoon images that, when uncovered, gave away an anecdote like "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". 10 points to whoever remembers the name of that show, cuz I can't seem to recall it.
Anyway, we played that game, and I had to uncover it completely before I got the answer. My last gift was immediately given away by the eyes of the actors on the DVD cover; the Coen brothers newest classic "No Country for Old Men". Sweet!
We moved on to a perfect breakfast at The Mission in Mission Beach. I had the best smoothie in the world, blackberry banana. Then we made an executive decision: we had planned to hit the SD Zoo, but it was hotter than a monkey's bum (that's a strange expression, Bruce) so we put that on hold to save our strength.
Instead, we forayed to the Bahia Hotel, the site of our recent nuptuals. We spent some time with the harbor seals (one was acting quite hung-over, the other was totally showing off) then sat in the garden where our ceremony was and looked at the ducks.
With my all-time favorite Soundgarden blazing in our speakers, we headed to the movies to get out of the heat. On the way, we stopped at Restoration Hardware, where I think we may have found the ultimate Captain's Chair of all time ever made.
Our film du jour was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Loved it. L-O-V-E-D it. Moving on...
Back at the Shapiro stronghold, it was time to rest before dinner. I spoke to my family again (I always provide an update on how the birthday is going; part of the tradition. I also opened my newly arrived present from my folks. My Mom makes her own cards out of photos she takes and this was a new one, an amazing perspective shot along a verdant road towards some distant hills. Inside were more lovely words for me, also private.
Finally, there was a big box from Amazon with lots of Civil War era books (brief aside; I'm spending much time studying the years preceding the war itself: the Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas, the birth of the Republican party, etc. This gift will likely form the backbone of this subject matter, as well as the next subject of interest, the Lost Cause mythology which has come to define the way the Civil War is remembered and taught in the US. Need that strong foundation first...)
After spending some quality time in Civil War book heaven, there emerged from the cardboard another text I've been waiting to read. This is some of the most fun, intelligent, funny writing I've come across, and it has the best essay about tennis I've ever read, which will be discussed in some detail in a later missive.
While Jess started to get dressed for dinner, I made another indulgence into another wonderful hobby I've picked up; roasting my own coffee. Haven't written about it yet, but it definitely merits a few words of it's own. Teaser trailer: home roasting is the gold standard for coffee enjoyment. Luckily the hot weather had broken, so I could roast outside before getting dressing for dinner.
This was Jess' next treat for me, and I had no idea where we were headed. Neither will you, dear reader, until my next post, so stayed tuned!
In the morning I got hugs and birthday smooches from my wife, then spoke to my family while Jess went to her treatment. My parents always sing Happy Birthday and I dance and they tell me what I looked like when I was born and I laugh and they say how glad they are I'm alive and I get all happy.
Jess came home and we did present-opening. I had a little stash waiting for me and we got started. My card had a bird on it, which is most excellent, and lovely words from my beloved, which are private.
My first present totally caught me by surprise, because I didn't know it was available. She got me the DVD of "There Will Be Blood". Can't wait to watch it! I've been fascinated by early oilmen since I read "The Prize", and having Daniel Day-Lewis play on is going to be quite a treat.
Next came a great CD of loungey, zesty music from Hotel Costes. Honestly, though, the best part was the unwrapping. I first pulled away just a small corner of the paper exposing just a bit of the disc art, and was immediately reminded of the game show where a covered image was displayed and pieces of the covering were removed when a contestant got questions right. This would expose cartoon images that, when uncovered, gave away an anecdote like "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". 10 points to whoever remembers the name of that show, cuz I can't seem to recall it.
Anyway, we played that game, and I had to uncover it completely before I got the answer. My last gift was immediately given away by the eyes of the actors on the DVD cover; the Coen brothers newest classic "No Country for Old Men". Sweet!
We moved on to a perfect breakfast at The Mission in Mission Beach. I had the best smoothie in the world, blackberry banana. Then we made an executive decision: we had planned to hit the SD Zoo, but it was hotter than a monkey's bum (that's a strange expression, Bruce) so we put that on hold to save our strength.
Instead, we forayed to the Bahia Hotel, the site of our recent nuptuals. We spent some time with the harbor seals (one was acting quite hung-over, the other was totally showing off) then sat in the garden where our ceremony was and looked at the ducks.
With my all-time favorite Soundgarden blazing in our speakers, we headed to the movies to get out of the heat. On the way, we stopped at Restoration Hardware, where I think we may have found the ultimate Captain's Chair of all time ever made.
Our film du jour was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Loved it. L-O-V-E-D it. Moving on...
Back at the Shapiro stronghold, it was time to rest before dinner. I spoke to my family again (I always provide an update on how the birthday is going; part of the tradition. I also opened my newly arrived present from my folks. My Mom makes her own cards out of photos she takes and this was a new one, an amazing perspective shot along a verdant road towards some distant hills. Inside were more lovely words for me, also private.
Finally, there was a big box from Amazon with lots of Civil War era books (brief aside; I'm spending much time studying the years preceding the war itself: the Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas, the birth of the Republican party, etc. This gift will likely form the backbone of this subject matter, as well as the next subject of interest, the Lost Cause mythology which has come to define the way the Civil War is remembered and taught in the US. Need that strong foundation first...)
After spending some quality time in Civil War book heaven, there emerged from the cardboard another text I've been waiting to read. This is some of the most fun, intelligent, funny writing I've come across, and it has the best essay about tennis I've ever read, which will be discussed in some detail in a later missive.
While Jess started to get dressed for dinner, I made another indulgence into another wonderful hobby I've picked up; roasting my own coffee. Haven't written about it yet, but it definitely merits a few words of it's own. Teaser trailer: home roasting is the gold standard for coffee enjoyment. Luckily the hot weather had broken, so I could roast outside before getting dressing for dinner.
This was Jess' next treat for me, and I had no idea where we were headed. Neither will you, dear reader, until my next post, so stayed tuned!
Friday, December 28, 2007
We Begin...
Kicking off on Jess' 30th birthday, a momentous and auspicious day! Good to be writing again, haven't had the bug since college, really. I want to chat about the list of interests that keep my life interesting. Should be fun, hope you come along...
I'm in the middle of "Gettysburg Day 1" by Pfanz. Using "The Maps of Gettysburg" to augment the study. I'm at the 6th Wisconsin's assault on the railroad bed, about 10:30 in the morning, July 1 1863.
Tonight, we'll be drinking Stone Pale Ale in an unfrosted pilsner glass, Jess is still rehydrating after our day at Bella Kliniek to celebrate her birthday. Steam room with eucalyptus oil, aromatherapy massage (she picked lavender with rejuvenate oils) and a pedicure. I had no idea my feet could be so pretty! They were always just feet. An Amarula in a lowball glass on the rocks will make a nice nightcap.
I'm in the middle of "Gettysburg Day 1" by Pfanz. Using "The Maps of Gettysburg" to augment the study. I'm at the 6th Wisconsin's assault on the railroad bed, about 10:30 in the morning, July 1 1863.
Tonight, we'll be drinking Stone Pale Ale in an unfrosted pilsner glass, Jess is still rehydrating after our day at Bella Kliniek to celebrate her birthday. Steam room with eucalyptus oil, aromatherapy massage (she picked lavender with rejuvenate oils) and a pedicure. I had no idea my feet could be so pretty! They were always just feet. An Amarula in a lowball glass on the rocks will make a nice nightcap.
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