Categories
Europe Vienna; 7 Stern Brau beerhall

Vienna, Austria: 7 Stern Brau; a microbrewery and eating place in Spittelberg

Vienna, Austria
7 Stern Brau, a microbrewery and eating place in Spittelberg
Siebensterngasse 19, Vienna, Austria

Microbreweries in Vienna are called Gasthausbrauereien. Gasthausbrau’s feature Zwicklbier; an unfiltered beer, clouded, no preservatives.

The barman stood behind a series of beer taps, drawing a liter. I took a stool at the bar, my preferred dining seat. Nobody else was at the bar, but the dining tables in 7 Stern Brau were filled.

You speak English?” I asked.
Of course I do, I’m Alexander,” he stretched his hand across the bar.
Describe your Wiener Helles beer?
Blond, unfiltered, no preservatives,” Alexander said.
Blond, a little dirty and no make-up, my type, “I’ll take one.”

Over Alexander’s head, above the beer taps (bierschenke), stacked upside down and ready to pour, were 10 bottles of Austrian Schnapps; each graded at 35% alcohol. A different fruit appeared on each label.

7 Stern, brau, Vienna, Austria, spittelberg, ratskeller, local, hidden, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, potato, salad, schnapps, price, tom lane, dine, food, microbrewery, garden, purity
“Of course I speak English.”

Alex,” I asked, “what is the true flavor used for schnapps, real Austrian schnapps.
Apple,” he said. The schnapps arrived next, before dinner.

The bar waitress appeared with a Vienna smile; she set a menu on the bar.

Do you speak English?” I asked.
Of course I do,” she said.
I’m Tom, what’s your name?
Alexandra,” she said.
Of course it is,” I replied.

Why this place appeals to me
A food critic once observed that the quality of the food declines as you rise and improves as you descend. I.E. have a drink at the restaurant in the sky, eat in a ratskeller. I descended ten steps to enter 7 Stern Brau.

7 Stern, brau, Vienna, Austria, spittelberg, ratskeller, local, hidden, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, potato, salad, schnapps, price, tom lane, dine, food, microbrewery, garden, purity
Beer Garden at 7 Stern Brau

The sign outside read BIERGARTEN, but the ten steps down? Copper kettles gleamed from behind the bar. Walking through 7 Stern, a rear door led up ten steps to a courtyard with trees, tables and local beer drinkers.

How Far Down the Block?
Spittelberg is a six-block neighborhood just north of Vienna’s inner ring. It is served by the Volkstheater subway stop. The cobblestone streets of Spittelburg will thrill the shopper traveling with you. [mappress mapid=”13″]

7 Stern Brau lies on the edge of Spittlebug. Gasthoff and restaurants, tables set with white linen and flickering candles on outdoor terraces, were mostly empty on a Monday evening in May. 7 Stern Brau was buzzing; filled with Viennese chattering in German. Real Austrian food was being served at prices well below those at the vacant tables of their nearby competitors.

Why you might be nearby? The Museums, the Austrian Folk Theater and Vienna’s English Theater.

Lesser Known Facts
Viennese have great pride in the quality of their water.

7 Stern, brau, Vienna, Austria, spittelberg, ratskeller, local, hidden, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, potato, salad, schnapps, price, tom lane, dine, food, microbrewery, garden, purity
Schnapps, ready to pour, click for a closer look

You don’t need to order bottle water in Vienna,” Willy, barman at Hansy Gasthoff said. The Hansy is across town from 7 Stern Brau, just outside the Praterstern subway stop.
I never do when beer is an option,” I said.
No, I mean when you want water,” Willy said, “Vienna water is pure, from the mountains.”

Water flows into Vienna from springs in the Lower Austrian Alps, reaching the Austrian capital 36 hours later; no pumps and under strict regulations. Vienna has declared their water White Gold and placed it under the protection of the Austrian constitution. In 1998, the Vienna Water Line Hiking Path opened following the water route from the mountains into Vienna! The head of the hiking path can be reached by public transportation for a leisurely walk back into Vienna . . . for a beer.

Local Recommendation
Drink Green; this concept can be overdone. Pesticides have allowed the US to feed the world, but that’s another tale. The Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law, ensures that beer made only from barley, hops, water, and yeast – no preservatives – can be brewed and consumed on site in Vienna

7 Stern, brau, Vienna, Austria, spittelberg, ratskeller, local, hidden, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, potato, salad, schnapps, price, tom lane, dine, food, microbrewery, garden, purity
Alexander drawing an unfiltered beer

Ask for a Weiner Helles; a 4.6% alcohol, unfiltered beer without preservatives. 7 Stern’s head brewer is a Slovak; from the land that gives us Czech Budweiser and Urquell.

Eat local; sample the German Potato Salad (kartoffsalat), Cabbage Salad (krautsalat) and Wiener Schnitzel

Something for Nothing
Roam the cobblestone streets of Spittelberg; potentially a free stroll. The shops, alternative restaurants will keep you busy for hours.

Categories
Europe Italy Siena; dine & dance

Siena, Italy: I Terzi, a local enoteca

Siena, Italy: I Terzi, a local enoteca
Via dei Termini 7, Siena, Italy

An enoteca features wine. Many Italian enotecas have introduced food to accompany their wine. Often the wine touted by the enoteca has been pressed in the surrounding hills; and the accompanying food harvested from the same local region.

Outside I Terzi at 8:15 pm one guy sat at the deserted table on the terrace; the temperature was 50 degrees. His wife and two teenage daughters were inspecting the menu posted outside the entrance. He called,

“Have you been to this place before?” It was almost dark, he wore a ski parka.
“No,” I said, “but those I trust recommend I Terzi over some of the more highly touted ristorante that surround Piazza del Campo and the Duomo.”
“OK, sounds like an endorsement.” Charles, an attorney from NY City gathered his clan, “We’ve only got one night in Siena,” he said as they entered I Terzi.

Why this place appeals to me

Michele, one of two partners in I Terzi, hails from Bari, in the south of Italy on the Adriatic coast. Michele’s grey hair flowed over his ears. He and his partner, Sergio, launched the enoteca in 1995; they added food in 2001. The marble counter at the entrance serves as both the welcome/reservation counter and as the carving board for the huge Bistecca Fiorentina.

Michele and his partner, Sergio, seem to know each guest arriving at I Terzi. Michele recognized me from my earlier visit to reserve a seat. As Michele conversed at a nearby table, he caught me eavesdropping. He turned to me,

We attended university together,” he said.

I Terzi, siena, italy, tuscany, enoteca, wine bar, restaurant, local, hidden, bar, food, chianti, tom lane
Your table at I Terzi

The wife of Michele’s longtime friend tossed me the look (lo sguardo) indicating she had been the audience for their remembrances before.

How Far Down the Block?
Via Banche di Sopra is the north route, leading to Piazza del Campo from the train station and the bus station. I Terzi lies east and downhill, one block from Via Banchi di Sopra.  [mappress mapid=”10″]

To reach I Terzi visit Nannini at Via Banchi di Sopra 24, departing the front door go straight(east), one block, down the alley Vicolo Beato Pier Pettinaio, turn left on Via dei Termine – you have arrived.

Why you might be nearby?
Siena evolved from the convergence of three ridges leading to the city center; the Piazza del Campo. I Terzi refers to the three ridges that carve Siena into thirds. Each of the three ridges is served by a main thoroughfare. From the north, visitors arriving by bus and train walk along Via Banchi di Sopra towards the center of Siena. Eventually you’ll find yourself amongst these throngs tramping towards the Piazza del Campo.

Lesser Known Facts
I Terzi’s building once known as Torre Rossa, housed Siena’s Ballanti family.

I Terzi, siena, italy, tuscany, enoteca, wine bar, restaurant, local, hidden, bar, food, chianti, tom lane
Wine decorates the dining room at I Terzi

Local Recommendation
I Terzi revises their menu every 15 days. Each day the enoteca offers five starters (antipasti), five first courses (primi) and five main courses (Secondi). Black Cabbage soup (cavalo nero) is a specialty.

Siena lies within Tuscany, and the wine choices cover some of Italy’s best. Chianti wine, produced in the region immediately north of Siena, is frequently dismissed by Americans.

The Chianti is defined by Florence on the north and Siena on the south. Vino della casa, the house wine, is usually Chianti in Siena. It is local, it is pure; relatively free of preservatives, and the first sip is hard to believe. Local fattoria, a country wine merchant, distinguish the fermentation/aging processes as Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Reserva.

The house wine usually has a story; a relative from the country who produces the wine that arrives in a large glass flask (fiascha) ready for delivery directly to your table. The second time you order wine at I Terzi, ask Michele or Sergio to guide you through their selection of 1800 bottles.

Something for Nothing
Take an after dinner stroll through the cafes and lights of Piazza del Campo, host of the twice annual Palio di Siena; a horse race contested by the 17 neighborhoods (contrada) of Siena. Piazza del Campo is only 200 meters from the entrance of I Terzi.

Categories
Europe Florence; Oltrarno enoteca favorites Italy

Florence, Italy: La Fiaschetteria; a local wine sipping place

Florence, Italy
La Fiaschetteria: a local wine sipping place
Via de Serragli 47r, across the Arno River, the Oltrarno

After dark in April 2013, in the Oltrarno section of Florence, Italy, four blocks south of the Arno River, I’m saying goodbye at La Fiaschetteria.

(Translated from Italian)
“Arrivaderci Luca, see you next year. Each April, for five years, I drink your wine here at Fiaschetteria. We speak in Italian only. You say no English is spoken at La Fiaschetteria. Study while I’m gone. Next April we’ll speak English. Ciao Luca.” The next day I would travel home to Michigan.

One year later, April 2014, at the front entrance of La Fiaschetteria in the Oltrarno of Florence.

(Translated from Italian)
“Ciao Luca, it’s me, Tom. It’s been a year, I return to speak English with you my old friend.”
In English, I continue, “Have you been studying English the past year?”
Luca says in Italian, “No Tom, non ho studiato Inglese. Parliamo quest’anno in Italiano.”

The Oltrarno of Florence for centuries has been home to the artesians of Tuscany; cobblers, frame-makers, artists, jewelry-makers, lace-makers and musicians.

La Fiaschetteria, Florence, Italy, oltrarno, fiaschetteria, drink, local, hidden, undiscovered, bar, tom lane, river, Italian, artesian, wine, bridge, pitti, language, English
La Fiaschetteria is well stocked

Craftsmen and bohemians are served by several trattorias, bars, and just one fiaschetteria. Local residents arrive at La Fiaschetteria each evening to chat and fill their empty wine bottles.

Why this place appeals to me
“At La Fiaschetteria we only speak Italian,” Luca has been telling me for six years. His small fiaschetteria holds only 8-10 people inside. Luca’s patrons flow out the door and into Via de Serragli. There are no other Americans to be found amongst the 7 pm crowd. Luca’s customers, locals who live in the Oltrarno, across the Arno River, hear Luca proclaim that again this year we will be speaking in Italian, seize the opportunity to improve their English. Assisted by wine, we begin to communicate.

La Fiaschetteria, Florence, Italy, oltrarno, fiaschetteria, drink, local, hidden, undiscovered, bar, tom lane, river, Italian, artesian, wine, bridge, pitti, language, English
Looking in from Via de’ Serragli

A woman enters La Fiaschetteria with an empty wine bottle, hands it to Luca and says, “Rosso di Montalcino; riempirlo e un bicchiere.” Luca pours her a glass of wine from the spigot, exchanges the glass for her bottle, places her empty bottle under the tap and fills it with red wine. Her bottle is quickly corked with a barely noticeable press hidden behind the counter. Luca returns her bottle, full of Tuscan red wine and says, “Tre euro.” Translation four dollars.

How Far Down the Block?
Cross the Arno River on the Ponte alla Carraia (the Carraia bridge) heading south, leaving the Duomo and Piazza Repubblica behind. Walk directly ahead (south) 400 meters. One block from the bridge the street becomes Via de Serragli. [mappress mapid=”11″]

Why you might be nearby?
a) You’re in line at the Pitti Palace facing a one-hour wait outside the main gate. It’s getting late in the afternoon. La Fiaschetteria is four blocks away, b) Your wife, tired from shopping, is napping. You’re not tired.

Lesser Known Facts
La Fiaschetteria came to life in 1947 from the ashes of World War II. Luca’s father, with a hand from his grandfather, began serving Florentines. In Florence’s Oltrarno a post war fiaschetteria provided bulk wine for local folks to carry home, a glass at the counter, a place to chatter, smoke and imagine a better world.

La Fiaschetteria, Florence, Italy, oltrarno, fiaschetteria, drink, local, hidden, undiscovered, bar, tom lane, river, Italian, artesian, wine, bridge, pitti, language, English
Only Italian spoken

The great Florence flood of 1966 damaged all Florence. Water stood knee-deep in La Fiaschetteria. After Luca’s father died, his mother, Vittoria, ran La Fiaschetteria. In 1985, Luca, then 27 took over. He expanded the Tuscan wine selection stocked by La Fiaschetteria, stabilized the small interior and carried forward the Oltrarno tradition.

Local Recommendation
Luca shuts down the lights around 9:30 – 10 pm. Stop before dinner.

As La Fiaschetteria closes, consider Ristorante Al Tranvai, a small Oltrarno legend, located on Piazza Torquato Tasso just three blocks away.

Something for Nothing
Italian Language lessons; local Italians congregating at La Fiaschetteria from 5-9 pm plunge into conversation with limited English. An American guest can plunge right back with limited Italian. Add wine and everyone is fluent; no charge.

Maybe Next Year
Filli, blond, buxom and smiling stood alongside the counter as Luca poured the evening’s final glass of wine. It was 10 pm, La Fiaschetteria was closing.

(translated from Italian)
Filli said, “Luca and I will marry in May. We honeymoon in London.”
“But, Luca doesn’t speak English!” I said, “How will he manage in London?”
Filli replied, “Luca will learn English, so will I.”
Luca grinned as he wiped down his bar, ”Si, Tom, next year we will speak in English, Ciao, Tom. Ci vediamo”
“Ciao Luca, next year,” I said and waved goodbye to Luca and Filli.

La Fiaschetteria, Florence, Italy, oltrarno, fiaschetteria, drink, local, hidden, undiscovered, bar, tom lane, river, Italian, artesian, wine, bridge, pitti, language, English
The crowd at La Fiaschetteria flows into Via de’ Serragli
Categories
Cortez/Anna Maria; Annie's Bait Shop Florida

Cortez, Florida: ANNIE’S BAIT & TACKLE; Minnows, food, Heineken & cigars

Annie’s Bait & Tackle, Cortez, Florida (Bradenton Beach); An inter-coastal bait shop offering Heineken & cigars.

Why this place appeals to me

Annie’s explains their dining as EXTREMELY CASUAL – it is.

     “What time do you open shop?” I asked Bruce Shearer, owner of Annie’s Bait Shop for the past 18 years.

     “6 am, used to open at 5:30, but no reason any more, not busy in the morning,” Bruce said.

     “How come you’re not busy at 6 am, that’s when fishermen like to head out?”

     “They died,” the owner of Annie’s Bait Shop said.

     “The fish died out,” I asked.

     “No, the fishermen,” Bruce explains. “The old guys, down from Michigan, used to charter a boat for the entire season, one day a week, all winter December through April.  Now, an occasional old guy brings his grandson by once a year to show him what a rod and reel looks like.”

Florida, bait, intercoastal, cigars, Grouper, Cortez, dockside, on the water, Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, cold beer, locals, cheap meals, undiscovered, hidden, jogging, running, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, price
Annie’s sign from out front

Annie’s Bait & Tackle is local, but with a surprising touch of class.

Nancy pulled a cool Heineken from the cooler as I selected a Macanudo cigar from the humidor atop the bait counter.

“Need a cutter?” she asked.

Nice touch; a $7 cigar does not offend my yearning to go local.

How Far Down the Block?      From McKechnie Field spring training home field for the Pittsburgh Pirates it’s a nine mile drive.

From mid-crossing on the Sunshine Bridge spanning the entrance of Tampa Bay it is 37 miles to Annie’s Bait & Tackle.[mappress mapid=”8″]

Florida, bait, intercoastal, cigars, Grouper, Cortez, dockside, on the water, Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, cold beer, locals, cheap meals, undiscovered, hidden, jogging, running, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, price
Cortez Road Bridge from Annie’s Veranda

Why you might be nearby?      Social demands on Longboat Key have you seeking somewhere local to sip on a cold beer.  Grab the tender from somebody’s yacht and zip north to the Cortez Road Bridge, following the channel into Annie’s immediately northeast of the bridge.

Lesser Known Facts      Bruce Shearer once sold 15,000 bait shrimp daily to the fishermen pushing off from Cortez into the Gulf of Mexico.  Fishing in 2014 isn’t the same as the 1980’s, Bruce moved with the money.  Annie’s Bait Shop now serves cold Heineken with their signature Grouper Sandwich on the ten bar stools, four indoor tables or dockside on their … well, it’s just a dock..

Bruce, a refugee from Michigan – now proprietor of Annie’s Bait & Tackle, headed south in the late 1970’s with a stash of $1,800.  He stands the afternoon watch at Annie’s these days

Local Recommendation

     “What’s the specialty?” I asked.

Nancy, who came down from Cincinnati, was on duty at Annie’s. She said, “The Grouper Sandwich, 100%.”Florida, bait, intercoastal, cigars, Grouper, Cortez, dockside, on the water, Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, cold beer, locals, cheap meals, undiscovered, hidden, jogging, running, restaurant, bar, cheap meals, beer, price

Nancy was right.

Something for Nothing      Park your car, lace up your running/walking shoes and head over the bridge towards Anna Maria Island.  Round trip from Annie’s n the east side to the base of the bridge on the West side and back is 1.5 miles.  Continue on the Gulf, extend your exercise routine and return to Annie’s thirsty.

Categories
Martinborough, restaurant COOL CHANGE New Zealand

Martinborough, NZ: COOL CHANGE; a restaurant & bar in wine country

Cool Change; a restaurant & bar in Martinborough, New Zealand, 30 minutes south from Highway 2, New Zealand’s Wine Trail

What appeals:  On Tuesday, a lot of eating and drinking places in Martinborough close.  It was Tuesday and Cool Change would be open that night … and they had a bar.  Too few upscale NZ eating establishments have a bar; drinks are served at the table.

Jimmy, Cool Change’s afternoon barkeep, touted the special to be served later Tuesday evening; the platter of roast lamb served with Martinborough veggies and NZ potatoes. Two migrants from Minnesota sipped late afternoon beer at Cool Change’s bar.  He said they hadn’t been back since they left seven years ago.  She said they didn’t plan to ever go back.

Tirohana Estate; a boutique vineyard less than a kilometer from Memorial Square in Martinborough, offered white linen, their own wines,  veggies from their garden and the promise of top-notch service.  Tirohana Vineyard should have been an easy choice, but Cool Change was … more local.

Today's Special, Cool Change, Martinborough, NZ
Tuesday’s Doings

And Jimmy had already poured me a NZ pale ale.

How Far Down the Block?

If you’re driving Highway 2, the NZ Wine Trail, Martinborough is a 17 kilometer jog south – a pretty drive. Places never mentioned in travel books intrigue me.  Cool Change, located across the Kitchener Street from the well publicized Martinborough Hotel, was below guide book radar.

[mappress mapid=”4″]

 

Why you might be nearby?

You have been tasting at the vineyards surrounding Martinborough.  Quality vineyards stretch into town, their entrance a short walk from Memorial Square.

Lesser Known Facts

The name Cool Change was inspired by a change from city life and influenced by the Little River Band’s tune.

Local Recommendation

Returning at 9 pm, Cool Change was booming.  Platters of lamb came forth from the kitchen; every bar stool had been claimed.

Jimmy the barkeep morphed into the evening Maître D’, yet was easy to locate. His evening dress was the same as his 4 pm look; Venice Beach surfer dude circa 1968 featuring a loose white tee shirt, over-the-neck dirty blond hair and a three day growth. Diners in Cool Change’s dining room signaled for Jimmy’s attention.

My roast lamb platter had been reserved that afternoon.  Jimmy waved, confirming my lamb platter and pointing at an open table.

At 10:30 pm the dining room crowd had thinned, the bar in Cool Change still hummed.  A tri-athlete and a birthday guy sat side-by-side encouraging each other to drink beer.  Jimmy returned to the bar, he set a shot of Jameson Irish, neat, in front of me and said it was on the house.

Cool Change, TC cap
Service Award
Traverse City Cap

When traveling I take along baseball-style caps scripted with Traverse City, Michigan – my hometown.  For extraordinary service, a cap is awarded.  The cap does not replace tips or accolades, it is an added acknowledgement. Jimmy, the barkeep/Maître D was gracious during the brief award ceremony.  He set the cap atop several bottles behind his bar.

Something for Another Day

At 7 am, Wednesday morning not a car drove down Puruatanga Road as I jogged past Tirohana Estate.  How many diners did they serve last night?  Next trip, maybe.

I turned the corner and trotted into Martinborough, past Cool Change.

Cool Change, Martinborough, New Zealand (2)
Cool Change for the Lamb Platter
Categories
New Zealand Russell; old hotel, older drinking club

Russell, New Zealand: RUSSELL BOATING CLUB; a drinking place from another time

Russell Boating Club; a drinking place from another time located in Russell, New Zealand, Matauwhi Bay, the Bay of Islands

What Appeals?   The deck hangs over the bay, the bar offers a decent choice of booze and a satisfying selection of New Zealand beer. But, at the Russell Boating Club, it’s the characters.

Russell Boating Club, Drinking restricted
Drinking Restricted Rule not enforced

When locals tell a good story, the main characters often do the telling.  Sometimes in a really local place, you step inside their community.

In France refugees from the 1960’s are known as soixante neuf’s – sixty-niners.  One foot stuck in 1969, the rest of their self dealing with 2014.  These entertaining peeps are defined by what they are not; they are not fat, not well groomed, not impressed by wealth and not subject to silly drug laws.  They are the same entertaining folks we hung with in college … 69’ers in the Bay of Islands had found each other at the RBC at 5 pm on January 23, 2014.

On the deck outside the Russell Boating Club a slender man with gray hair, trimmed brush cut style, aged skin and an ear-ring sits on the bench of a picnic table.  He leads the dialogue with eight of his sailor/drinkers – all wearing colorless jackets and faded Bermudas. Two beers rest in front of the speaker; one finished, the other half drained.  This is their community.

How Far Down the Block?   Four blocks from the base of the pier in Russell, New Zealand.  The pier is Russell’s hub.  Follow Matauwhi Road out of town, when the road turns left, continue straight on.

Why you might be nearby?   A) You are staying at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel and you want to go local. B) While sailing New Zealand’s Bay of Islands a cyclone strikes; you need the protection of a Hurricane Hole. Matauwhi Bay is your refuge.

Russell Boating Club, Dinghy Dock
Dinghy dock
Russell Boat Club

Lesser Known Facts:   The sole display of social stratification within the RBC community is revealed at the dinghy dock.  Twenty dinghies are tied up at the Russell Boating Club; ten dinghies are powered by a small outboard motor, the other ten rowed in. Those rowing have to time their return trip based on the in/out flow of the 11 foot tide.

Standing at the bar, Ida Bircher, bartender, responded to her customer, “If you want help, don’t ask my husband.”  Community advice.

Ida, an Irish rover, sailed into Matauwhi Bay and the Russell Boating Club two years ago from Fort Lauderdale by way of Australia.  Ida controls how quickly beer is served. When asked to repeat her name, she said, “Ida. Like in Ida good time.”

Local Recommendation    Meals are served at the RBC on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  The price is a fraction of nearby alternatives.

A dinghy carrying eight was being rowed towards the RBC dinghy dock; the boat rode low in the water.  As the overloaded dinghy approached a hunched senior sailor, doing the South Pacific on a 24-foot vessel, scurried to help.  After a successful disembarkation, he passed by and whispered, “I’d rather assist on the dinghy dock than have to jump in.” Community wisdom.

Something for Nothing:   A) Feel young again at the Russell Boating Club without the cost of drugs. On this Wednesday eve in January 2014, the youngest person in the RBC was 51 years. B) Parking is free; either at the dinghy dock or in the lot for autos.

Categories
New Zealand Russell; old hotel, older drinking club

Russell, New Zealand; The Duke of Marlborough Hotel & Restaurant

The Duke of Marlborough; a hotel and restaurant in Russell, New Zealand                 

Throwback hotels with a bar full of stories grab me. The Duke’s history is the history of New Zealand; a well-kept wooden hotel, serving New Zealand food on their harbor-view porch. Located two steps from the base of Russell’s pier in the Bay of Islands, thirst is soon solved.

The Duke lies four hours north of Auckland by car; only a cyclone blocked the path. In the Atlantic basin, a tropical cyclone is known as a hurricane, after the ancient Central American deity of wind, Huracan. In the Northwest Pacific Ocean windstorms exceeding 74 MPH are called typhoons. In New Zealand cyclones are just cyclones.

Tropical Cyclone June arrived in Auckland the day after the 6.3 Wine Trail earthquake rattled me awake from an afternoon nap.

Waterspouts and low vertical wind shear are side effects of tropical cyclones; glad to be driving, not flying, to Russell.  Rain from the Cyclone June will be intense, but the 80 MPH winds should blow all rain right off the windshield.

How Far Down the Block?  The easy route north from Auckland international airport is Highway 1, with a final jog down Highway 11.  Two options will conclude the trip; either a car ferry from Opua with a final 8 mile drive into Russell, or continue north on Hwy 11 to Pahia, park the car and grab the people ferry for at 15 minute voyage to the pier in the center of Russell. The Duke of Marlborough lies at the base of the pier, along the Strand.[mappress mapid=”2″]

Russell is the quiet, proper, and affluent alternative to nearby summer holiday destinations.  In the 1830’s it was New Zealand’s epicenter for prostitution, whaling and the first Christian church.

Why you might be nearby? A) You’re meeting your sailboat for the late January Regatta in Bay of Islands; B) take an overnight break on your drive to 90 mile beach in the far north of New Zealand.

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The Pier
click me

If you’re staying at Eagles Nest where, rooms start at NZ$2,300/night and need a real people fix, The Duke is a five block walk down Tapeka Road. Don’t be conspicuous.

Lesser Known Facts:  The Duke was the first establishment licensed to sell alcohol beverages in New Zealand; however, not having a license did not deter competitors in 1840.  In 1840’s Russell was known as the Hell Hole of the Pacific. The Duke of Marlborough was called Johnny Johnston’s Grog Shop

Local Recommendation:  Reserve a table on the porch overlooking the Strand for dinner; consider the Fish & Chips – the Duke turns this peasant dish into fine dining.

Cocktail hour take a bottle of NZ wine, drive the eponymous road to Long Beach – less than a mile from your room at the Duke.  Be couth, bring a take-away cup and sip from a bench on the grass strand along the shore of Oneroa Bay.

Russell, 7 am
Russell at 7 am

Something for Nothing:  In the early morning hike (known as a tramp in New Zealand) to Tapeka Point overlooking the Bay of Islands.  You can shorten your tramp by driving to the end of Tapeka Road, park the car and tramp the final 800 meters to the point.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Michigan Sawyer; a microbrewery

Sawyer, Michigan: GREENBUSH BREWERY; a stop off I-94

How Far Down the Block?

The Tap Room at Greenbush Brewery is a half mile west of Exit 12 on Interstate I-94, just across the rail tracks in downtown Sawyer, Michigan. A two-minute zig. The Tap Room is located right next to the railroad crossing on Sawyer Road, the main street.

[mappress mapid=”1″]

Why you might be nearby

  • You are driving between metro Chicago (80 miles) and Northern Michigan (240 miles to Traverse City, Michigan).
  • You’re gambling at the Four Winds Casino (13 miles) and only have $10 remaining.
  • You’re at the Warren Dunes State Park (2.4 miles) and it’s raining.

Lesser Known Facts

Corvette Central, restoration parts maker, was founded in Sawyer, Michigan.  Greenbush stores its ales across the street from the Tap Room in a former Corvette Central site. Fork lift trucks porter barrels of beer across Sawyer Road from the storage house to the Tap Room.

Silas Sawyer built a saw mill in 1854, giving his name to the town.  His product was transported to the Chicago market from Greenbush pier, just a few miles away on the Lake Michigan shore.

Founder Justin Heckathorn, FOO (Financial Operations Officer) is a refugee from banking, and a former colleague of mine.

Founder Scott Sullivan, HMFIC (Head Man For Information Control), apprenticed as a furniture maker, website developer and home brewer.

Recommendation

Deep in the warehouse lay several barrels of Cream Stout aging in wooden barrels Greenbush Tap Roomthat once ripened Rye Whiskey. This Greenbush ale, called Delusion, is tapped annually.  Delusion might be sipped as an “after dinner” beer.  The Rye taste of the smooth dark stout suggests a cigar and political conversation.

Something for Nothing

Tasting sessions, often gratis, are conducted throughout the Midwest.  Here is the current schedule; verify your age, then click events.