Ghost of Dwight Drane

Very good. I hope they make it, because they are doing some good stuff there. The food is really good and has touches of class added to each dish, but not so over the top that it ruins the casual feel of the place. Their prices are VERY cheap given the quality right now....but I would think they have to go up in the future because margins look just too tight for the quality of goods they are using. You need turnover with all those draft beers. Everything we tried was good to great though.

Oh....Taro....I'm with you on a lot. I see Sam Adams Light being mentioned...and I do like it as it isn't a watery beer. But to me it's like playing -just the tip- when you can have a Sam Adams. Peroni and Moretti are the big italian beers. Can be a little dry, yes. I guess I will try and match beers when eating out at certain places. Tsingtao is good and will have with Tai, always a Soporo or Ichiban/Kirin with sushi. Red Stripe isn't a bad beer. Stella is a really great beer. I agree with Korab on Ex being better in Canada and Carlsburg losing their mojo. They are better in Canada as well. We used to always skip school for the NCAA tourney opening weekend and drink Genny Pounders. I miss getting those along with the different flavors of Orange/Cherry/Grape/etc. Crush bottles. Great...now I'm ready to drive to Wegmans for some Peroni and Sopressata. Thanks biodork for the mojo. All is well. You have to have some fun because you never know.

I do like Flying Bison line on tap. I like porters/stouts/reds on tap when out and they are pretty good all around. Genny is fine. I have a little ritual after a clean trip to Roswell and go to Anchor Bar for wings and Genny Cream Ale. Braedon....Export is even better on tap but nobody has it anymore. Molson also got rid of 24 packs of Ex in the states...which is a wallet killer. I just love it. It's not too harsh for someone who likes a "liquidy" beer, but has enough pizzaz to separate itself from Canadian/Blue. My 4:20 was Old English Ice. Everyone would make fun of me for it....but a 40 of that and a little puff-puff would put me in the zone. They don't make that anymore. I swear...all my favorite stuff over the years gets discontinued. I must have truly bad taste.

He forgot to tell you about the tonsilitis

I don't like wheaty stuff....I don't like IPA's....I don't like lite.....almost anything else is fair game. I think Sam Adams is by far the best quality line of the mass produced beers. Old Fezziwig might be my favorite. Molson Export is my favorite regular beer. I just can't get giddy enough about any small brewery or craft beer to make it a "favorite". There are plenty of good selections out there, but no must-have. I'm all for walking into Premier or Consumers and picking up a random 6 pack of something.

You sound like you have the Sabres' training staff diagnosing you

I think this is Schopp and The Bulldog circa 1996..... Great song either way. The Beck intro reminded me of the Curb soundtrack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv9xZ3UPKzk&NR=1

You need a better imagination. I ended up with 4 minutes of Chz and Kim Pegula doing a horseshoe dance in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP7AAYhmX8E

Pretty much that, except we'd add a Canada Dry lemon peel concoction. I can't find it in the stores anymore. All I know is I had my girlfriend and her cousin end up in my bed, "playfully" waking me up after a night of drinking these. The girls were happily lit, but not sloppy. After that I was a believer.

"OOOOOOOHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Aside from the culture and comic relief of familiarity for myself....you need to know a little about David Chase who put the whole thing together. The entire series was a metaphor for the demise of America using the Mafia as the metaphor. He showed the increasing dysfunction and infighting which led to weakness and eventual disaster. It is actually a very deep show just beneath the surface of violence and sideshows. I even think I have the finale pegged given Chase's knowledge of Roman/Latin history. I found it entertaining just on it's own. When you throw in the artistry...it's classic. Now I gotta go make a Gabagol sangwich.

Thanks. It looks like Drew makes Acid as well, that Korab suggested.

It's sort of funny how we are all about 85% on the same page. With the hundreds of cigars out there, still pretty much have similar tastes.

Hoyo de Monteray is a really good value. I've got some in the humidor right now. Another really mild cigar that is tougher to find is La Unica. It's good for someone not used to smoking, but nice enough for someone who just wants something simple.

Ooof....best gig ever.

Great stuff. I have never tried Drew estate, so I need to now. You really do have similar tastes. Rocky Patel won't let you down, and the Ashton VSG......I haven't had one in ages but remember it well. If I had to compare to a player....maybe a Scott Niedermayer. Just a really smooth draw with a tinge of pop and you can't go wrong. Rob on the other hand is more of a Marlboro Snus sort of fella. Arturo Fuentes makes a nice everything, but back in the day they could overcharge. I don't gravitate to the Churchill and just like the 20 minute smoke or so. It probably has to do with the fact that the horseraces are 20-30 minutes between each one. Drew Estate......I'm in....

I like CAO...they are a Pominville/Hecht sort of cigar. You can't get let down by it on the backend but it's upside is limited. They are a nice everyday smoke, especially if you can get a deal.

OK....since I am now marinating in gin and just broke into the Drane armageddon humidor, I will give you one of my gayest suggestions ever. Pizza....you do it with sausage, hot pepper and pineapple. My ex ordered this and I made fun of her to no end. Until I tried it. It was awesome. I think it's because you have the hot and the sweet and the salty all working together. Either way...a large and a 12 pack gets you through the day. Don't worry...no "I love Tim Connolly's game" secrets coming.

I know what you mean. I just think salary-cap wise.....A Cuban is like Dale Hawerchuck at $10 million a year, and a Dominican is like Mike Foligno at $2 million a year. I never went out of my way to get Cubans in Miami. I had friends that would always have a humidor full to impress, and of course I would mooch off of them, but I am more a quality/value guy. One of the best scores I ever made was the last year of the PBS TV auction in Buffalo. The Sabres were playing Ottawa in the playoffs and in the 3rd period, they put up a board of Duty Free Shop cigars. I ended up almost sweeping the board for like 40% of cost because everyone was watching the game!

Barnabov.....I'll use the lime juice in the Rickeys. The TEN doesn't have the strong perfume of a lot of gins, and when you combine it with the lime juice, it is smooth as can be. Oooh.....Fresca is a beautiful mixer. When I was a youngin' at the Mickey Rats I would live on Vodka/Squirt. Five Alive....I haven't had that in years but used to love it. I'll give it a whirl. Cheap Tequila gets me Hyde. I am usually a peaceful drunkie. I just talk louder and take my censor down a notch, if that is possible. Now I always have a bottle of Don Julio reposado at the ready as that is some smooth stuff. This is not good.....now you all got me drinking and ordering cigars online......

Duds...Tanquery is my go-to. Do you ever drink their TEN? If you want to obliterate a group of people in a hurry, including women, make a pitcher of Lime Rickeys with TEN. It goes down like nectar water. It sounds counter-intuitive to waste such good stuff in a mix like that....but I have seen the truth in action.

Very similar....although I go for the 4 1/2 - 5 range. (we're just askin for it now).... Dominicans are the best in my opinion. You can get a $5 Dominican that is just as good as a $20 Cuban, 95% of the time. If you think Macanudo is a little bland, try their Robusto. When I used to buy boxes, I would smoke the Robusto Hyde Park, and Partagas Black as my go-to. I like a little more punch to my cigars, so that's probably why I don't mind the shorter sizes. There are so many decent cigars out there but prices vary. I rarely smoke them anymore....but every now and then there is nothing better than going into a walk-in humidor and picking out 4 or 5 for a long weekend. The best cigar i ever smoked was an Arturo Fuente 100th anniversary that they only produced X number of. It was like the perfect woman....smooth and delicate yet strong with presence. You couldn't find them after Mike's got that small batch.

I would figure. I used to smoke them all the time. The office used to be down the road from Mike's Cigars in Miami and that made it just too easy. They would get all the General Cigar seconds and sell them for 30 cents on the dollar. They also would get all kinds of special editions and such. It was like walking into FAO Schwartz at Christmas. They are online but you can't always get the special treatment. Still great specials and solid prices.

When do the cigar reviews start pouring in?