An Afternoon Beer

Americans don’t drink much beer in the afternoon. Sure, there is your local Billy down the street who drinks morning, noon, and night. But on the whole, Americans only permit themselves to drink certain times of the week. One of the main reasons for this, I think, is the lack of good pubs. England is full of afternoon drinkers and it is most certainly because there are an abundance of good, comfortable pubs there. If a man in England has a free afternoon and wants to spend it drinking beer, hanging out, and maybe reading the paper or a book, he can just hop down to his local pub, order a pint, find his favorite spot and thence enjoy his whole afternoon. An American has no such luck. There is no local pub for him to hop down to and none of the bars here are conducive to just hanging out, reading, or relaxing. American bars are designed for maximum stimulation. There are TV’s everywhere and the music is always 10 decibels too high. A man cannot read or relax in this surrounding. That is why I was so happy to discover the Ginger Man Pub located at the intersection of Montgomery and Camp Bowie.

The Ginger Man has plenty of local and international brews (alas! No Abbot Ale on draught!) and what seemed to be a decent selection of wines. What makes the Ginger Man different, though, is the ambiance and décor that make it perfectly suited to an afternoon of drinking. There are plenty of comfortable places to sit, no loud TVs, no cocktail waitresses constantly asking “are ya’ll okay?”, and no blaring music. It is, as I said, the perfect place for a good afternoon beer. They also have a dedicated area for darts and they actually give you decent darts with which to play. So if ever you are looking for a place to have a good afternoon beer, a game of darts, and some conversation: let me suggest to you the Ginger Man Pub.

Gingerman Pub
3716 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 886-2327

http://ftworth.gingermanpub.com/

Why Food Reviews?

I have never been helped much by restaurant reviews. Either the reviewer is overly swayed by a restaurant's reputation and popularity or considers a good value the super-sized Beltbuster. I read the local press' “Best Of” annuals and I am usually disappointed in their choices and sometimes downright upset; which is why I started writing reviews myself, to exorcise this demon of food commentary and at the same time, to help the hungry wayfarer find a good place for lunch, dinner, coffee, or just a quiet place to read.

Qualifications: I have lived here 25+ years and have watched downtown Fort Worth change from a night time ghost town to a very enjoyable place to visit and to show off to friends. My father and grandfather owned and operated an Italian restaurant near Philadelphia. I watched them, and listened, and taste-tested. When my grandfather retired he set up a kitchen in his basement. I grew up on his tomato sauces, lasagna, and beef braciole, and on my grandmother's Ricotta cheese pie, and on my mother's Veal Parmesan or cream chipped beef on toasted English muffins. They taught me the difference between dining and eating, and the enjoyment of a noisy, robust dinner table, with real food.

Two Nights at Two Restaurants. How'd we do?

The tried and true worked again. Ruffino's and Mi Cocina's.

For many years our family has gone out for dinner on Christmas eve. It started when the children were young, because, we thought, getting them out of the house, fed and maybe a little tired would help later getting them to bed and to sleep. And also for the simple reason that everyone had been busy preparing for the holidays, especially mom. It's also a nice lead up to midnight mass nowadays and gets everyone in a calm, more Christmas-like frame of mind (the Cabernet doesn't hurt either).

For the last 10 years we have gone to the Macaroni Grill on University because it was open and no one else was. This year we arrived around 7:30 and found a waiting list of 45 minutes. My daughter loves Ruffino's so we changed plans and drove south and east about a mile to Forest Park. The food was great, as usual. The restaurant was busy but well staffed. Our table and its setting were perfect. Four of us ordered the Roasted Chicken Tagliatelle, a breast of chicken with pasta in a creamy mushroom sauce -- and served very hot. Ruffino's is a good restaurant in a dining atmosphere and everything is done well . . . except the rolls, which taste like a store bought variety. They lack flavor, texture and temperature -- bad idea at an Italian restaurant. Total tab after tip, about $165, including a beer or two, one glass of wine and no dessert. A much better choice than Macaroni Grill and well worth the extra expense.

Second restaurant -- 5 days later, at Mi Cocina's downtown. 6 adults, 1 child. Friday night, 15 minute wait. Great food, great service. Good price. Mi Cocina's is a good restaurant, too. Not great, but good. They know who they are and what their patrons want: hot tasty Mexican food, fresh corn chips, good salsa. The server was perfect and the other staff make it a great evening eating out. A little less expensive at $130 with tip, including a few bottles of beer and a Mojito ... (one guess who had that).

I love trying new restaurants but during the Christmas holidays, I stay with what I know everyone will enjoy.

------------------------------
The picture is Trastevere in Rome (across the Tiber), a great place for restaurants in Italy.