Category: General

My brother and I spent the evening at Moon & Sixpence tonight. I had a good time (which at that pub is a foregone conclusion) talking about work, our upcoming travels, politics, life, the universe and everything. I’m sure that I’ve never reviewed the food at Moon & Sixpence, but since my first visit there several weeks ago I’ve had several things on the menu and I’ve not yet been disappointed.

Tonight I had the Cornish Pasty (ground beef, potatoes, carrots and peas, wrapped in a flakey pastry and served with gravy), which was fantastic. This is something I’ve been wanting to try since I’ll be visiting the Cornwall region of England in a few months, where this dish is from. I highly recommend it.

In past visits I’ve had the fish & chips (which are really good, better than most in town), the cottage pie (similar ingredients to the pasty; ground beef, carrots, peas, with mashed potatoes on top, and very very good) and a side dish called Welsh Rarebit (cheese mixed with beer and seasonings put on toasted bread and baked), which is super delicious. Who says British foods are bland? 🙂

I nearly got the bangers and mash, that’ll have to be the next vist. Basically, I’ve not had a bad meal at Moon & Sixpence, nor a bad experience (or a bad beer, heh).

Man, after writing about all the delicious foods, I’m hungry again. Shucks! 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody! I did a little bit of research about the day because I realized I didn’t know too much about it. Traditionally the day is meant to renew your spiritual vows and to offer prayers for missionaries around the world (due to St. Patrick’s missionary work bringing Christianity to Ireland). This struck me as sort of funny, because it’s now so commonly assiciated with going out and getting blasted at a pub! The actual day, March 17th, is the date of St. Patrick’s death (apparently, though there is some debate on the exact date and place of his death). One interesting tidbit I picked up was the shamrock as an icon for St. Patrick’s. Apparently he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the holy trinity (father, son, holy ghost). His followers began wearing the shamrock and it became a symbol for the festivities.

Regardless, I say it’s time for a pint (or several pints) of Guinness,  sharing a good time with friends and generally enjoying the day. God bless the Irish and their holiday which gave the world an excuse to party!

I spent the evening helping my brother with his plan for European domination. He’s got a super-giant vacation coming up from CompuHyperGlobalMegaNet (as my friend Gone Ronin calls it), and is planning to spend a month and a half running around like a crazy person to Greece, Italy, France, Holland, England, Scotland, Germany, and Austria. Kelly and I have been to most of those countries so he was looking for tips on where to go & what to do. It was fun to be able to share my experiences with someone going to most of the same places.

What’s even more fun is that he and his wife will be meeting Kelly and I in Scotland for a few days (since our trip to the UK coincides with their trip).

Europe beware! We will be over there simultaneously, to drain your countries of all your beer. Best double-up your brewing efforts now, lest riots break out in the streets! Mwaa-haa-haa! 

Europe beware!
Europa passen auf!
L’Europe prennent garde!
Europa si guarda da!

Had another busy day, culminating in a trip to the Moon & Sixpence.

My ‘unemployment’ has been anything but the lazy layabout life I was hoping for, with all the freelance work I’ve had since my layoff in mid-January, and I continued along that path today by working on yet another project. This one for a good friend of mine for his new engineering firm, Greenlight Engineering. I built a quick "coming soon" page for him until the full website is designed… which included the logo I helped him with.

Afterwards I made a trip down to the bank (near Lloyd Mall) to deposit my gub’mint cheese, and then took the MAX back up to Hollywood district on the way to meet Kelly and some friends at the Moon & Sixpence. On the walk from the transit center I ventured into Things from Another World, a local comic book / gaming / collectibles shop. Fun place, picked up one of James O’Barr’s ‘The Crow’ set, this one featuring a female lead. Looking forward to having the time to read through it.

Afterwards I walked up to Moon & Sixpence to read, sip beers, and await the gang. As usual, had a blast there (despite a first; a rather gruff server, rather than the super-friendly serving staff I’d encountered previously). I got to meet my friend Brian’s brother, and later my brother and sister-in-law arrived. We ended up hanging out past Kelly’s bedtime, but we had a great time.

Thanks all for coming out to the pub! Hope you liked it as much as Kelly and I do. 🙂

P.S. This post is partially prompted by my friend Miranda, who pointedly reminded me that I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties. 🙂 That, and I’ve been waiting for a good reason to post. hehe.

Tonight our friends Mike & Becky invited us out to their neck ‘o the woods for dinner and beers at the Main Street Ale House in Gresham. While Gresham may not be the hub of saturday night life, the beers at this spot are pretty darned good. I tried a couple of their beers including their ’80 Shilling’ scotch-style ale, which was quite good. It’s not so much amber as English bitter, and I ended up buying a growler of it to take home. The food was good, though our friends each got steaks while Kelly and I each got salads, and while my chef salad was fine, I was jealously eyeing their steak -n- potato meals.

Afterwards, Kelly and I were on our way home and drove by a place we’ve been meaning to check out for some time, the Moon and Sixpence. We decided to pull over and check it out. This is a fantastic English-style pub. The atmosphere (smoking, for those who need warning) was great, from the pictures and ad plaques decorating the walls, to the beers, to the menu. It was dark, warm, and cozy. Kelly and I couldn’t help but reminisce about our travels while looking at the old photos of London hanging on the walls. I highly recommend this spot if you want to get a feel for what pubs are like (at least, those we’ve been to).

It beats the Horse Brass in it’s authenticity, this place feels more genuine rather than the "Disneyland" version of a pub. Just wish they had some of the beers Horse Brass has on tap. 🙂  Can’t speak to the food however, we weren’t hungry after dinner at the Main Street Ale House, so perhaps another review will be in order.