Liz's Diamond Bar & Grill - Hopedale, MA

Liz’s Bar and Grille is tucked away at 1 Menfi Way, adjacent to the runway of the Hopedale Industrial Park Airport in Hopedale, MA.  Ample parking is available.  To whet their patron’s appetites, the entry way features a colorful hand written menu of weekly specials displayed on a Goose Island Brewery chalk board easel.  There was a busy lunch crowd seated at both the bar (which is surrounded by widescreen TV’s) and tables, probably enjoying some of those specials! 

  

We were seated at a table overlooking the outside dining area.   Even though it was a chilly December day, one can only imagine sitting out there enjoying a nice meal and a couple of brews in the warmer weather and perhaps watching a few planes take off or land!

Liz’s has a very substantial beer menu with 16 draft offerings and 20 varieties of bottled beer, ciders, hard teas and lemonades.  They also have a nice selection of wines and a full liquor license.

We were fortunate to be greeted at our table by owner Liz who took our beer and lunch order.  We chose Wormtown Blizzard of 78 brown Ale, Goose Island IPA, Bass Ale and Ithaca Flower Power IPA.  We also ordered one of her unique appetizers, fried green beans and for lunch the Rachel Burger, Grilled Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich, Buffalo Chicken Wrap and the Fish & Chips.

The beers and appetizer were served and as we munched on the fried green beans deliciously served with a just spicy enough chipotle dipping sauce and sipped our beers, we looked around at the décor and it was easy to see that Liz’s is a bar and grille that encourages patrons to enjoy music and participate in a variety of competitive activities.  There is a large stage and dance floor, dart boards and a pool cue rack mounted to the wall next to the dance floor.  A multitude of trophies were on display.  Tastefully located vendor related mirrors and signs add to the pub like atmosphere.

Liz returned with our lunches and asked how we liked the appetizer.  Receiving four thumbs up from us, she spent a few minutes with us giving us an overview of her business and the available activities she organizes and hosts.  

In reference to the stage and dance floor, we asked if she offered live entertainment and discovered that indeed she did on Friday and Saturday nights.  She mentioned that a pool table joins the cue rack occupying the dance floor area the rest of the week for organized pool leagues   Liz went on to explain that there are also dart leagues and Texas Hold’Em poker tournaments taking place on scheduled evenings from Sunday to Thursday.  For large groups there is a function room with a capacity of 150 people.

Liz hosted a holiday Toys for Tots night earlier in December working with the US Marines.  They amassed two full truckloads that will be distributed to needy children.  After the toy collection, the Marines and their significant others dined at Liz’s.  They all raved about how great the food was!  This was music to Liz’s ears as spreading the word about her food is one of her main business goals.  We told her she could add us to her list!  Additionally, all the extra in-house events and activities Liz hosts are helping her achieve that goal as well, by getting customers to spend more time at her establishment and sample more from her menus.

For a fun place to have a great lunch or dinner along with some great beers, Liz’s is not to be missed!  You might even get a chance to play a few games!!

For more information on Liz’s Diamond Bar and Grille, check them out at www.lizsdiamond.com or on Facebook @lizsdiamond  

Depot Street Tavern - Milford, MA

We visited the highly recommended Depot Street Tavern located at 45 Depot Street in Milford, MA on this cool rainy day.  The tavern is located in a building rich in local restaurant lore.  Prior to being purchased by Adam Hicks, who is also the chef, the tavern was formally a restaurant landmark that served the Milford area for decades.

Entering the tavern we were surrounded by the impressive collection of local memorabilia, most of it belonging to Adam, that decorate the walls and the open beamed ceiling.  The inclement weather did little to hamper the enjoyable dining experience being enjoyed by the bustling lunch crowd who were either sitting at the bar or at comfortable tables. 
     

We were greeted by Jennifer, who seated us and let us know that she would be our waitress.  She asked if she could take our drink order and when we said we’d all like a beer, she directed us to the nicely prepared, hand written wood framed draft beer menu on the wall featuring the 12 craft brews being poured that day.  Each beer is identified by its brewery, name and ABV.   20 varieties of bottled beer are always available along with an impressive selection of red and white wines.
 

We ordered a round of Flying Dreams Porter, Ipswich Oatmeal Stout, Epic Tart n’ Juicy IPA and Six Point “The Crisp” Lager.  When Jennifer served the beer we identified ourselves as the Brew and Chew Guys and asked if we might get the opportunity to chat a bit with Adam when he had a few minutes.
 

Turning our attention to the menu, the tavern has something for just about everyone! A full breakfast menu (Saturday and Sunday mornings), starters, soups and salads, sandwiches (called handhelds here), main dishes, desserts and a kids menu.  We noticed the prominently displayed menu board that is updated daily with offerings from most menu sections and includes daily specials.
 

Between the four of we chose the Crispy Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini from the selection board, the Chipotle Philly Chicken Chimichanga from the handheld menu and the fish and chips from the Mains.  All were excellently prepared, presented and very delicious.

We were fortunate to spend a few minutes with Adam, who thanked us for stopping by.  His passion for his restaurant and his community is obvious from the moment you meet him.  While we did not get the opportunity to meet her, Jess Bean is Adam’s business partner.  Together they have amassed over 40 years of culinary experience.  Adam prides himself in supporting local vendors by using their ingredients and products including dairy, breads, fruits, produce, pastries and seafoods in his dishes.  Same goes for local craft breweries (24 by count) by offering their draft beers 12 at a time on a rotating basis.

The tavern is open weekdays from 11 AM – 9:30 PM (closed Tuesdays) Breakfast is served on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with a Sunday Brunch from 10 AM – 2 PM.

The Depot Street Tavern is top shelf in all areas and a for a casual friendly dining experience, it is not to be missed.  Arrive early because the lines can be long…but well worth the wait!

For more information visit their website at www.depotsttavern.com or their Facebook page at Depot St Tavern.

Munich Germany - Oktoberfest and Technical University of Munich (TUM)

With late summer vacations still being enjoyed by the Brew and Chew guys, we just could not get together for our monthly lunch visit.  However the homebrewer of our team, Charlie, vacationed in Germany making a stop at the Oktoberfest Beer Festival in Munich as well as visiting the “Technische Universität München” (Technical University of Munich) research brewery so this month’s post is about his visit.

This year was the 184^th Oktoberfest that ran for 18 days in September and October.  It was attended by an estimated 6.2 million visitors from countries all over the world who consumed an estimated 7.5 million liters of beer that was served in beer tents (actually freestanding buildings).  There were 14 large tents and 20 small tents.  The mood was very festive and friendly with many attendees dressed in traditional German outfits

There were 6 beers from Munich area breweries served in the tents.  Decorative horse drawn wagons could be seen throughout the grounds delivering beer stored in wooden barrels.  All festival beers must be brewed according to the “Reinheitsgebot” (German Beer Purity Law), which permits only water, hops, and malt as ingredients.  Other non-barley-malt beer styles such as wheat beers are permitted, but must be top-fermented.

We found seating in the large Spatenbrau tent and enjoyed a liter or two of the traditional Oktoberfest beer delivered to our table by frauleins who amazed us with the number of steins they were able to carry!  The beer, gold in color with medium body and bitterness had a slight malt aroma and was tasty and refreshing.  All this with live music provided by a traditional German band located in the center if the tent.

Oktoberfest is not just a beer festival, it is also a full-fledged amusement park complete with roller coasters and other thrill rides.  Numerous vendors pitching their wares lined the walking areas between tents.   

On to the university for a tour of their research brewery.  TUM as it is known is located at the site of the Weihenstephan Brewery in Freising Germany, just north of Munich.  The brewery was founded in the year 1040 so they know just a little bit about making beer!  The research brewery is where students learn the art and science of brewing beer starting with the basic brewing process (wort creation, fermentation, bottling and aging) and can attain advanced brewmaster degrees in a variety of disciplines up to the PhD level! 

My host was Max, who is employed at TUM and a family member of the couple we traveled to Germany with. Max holds a PhD from the University with his doctoral thesis in advanced yeast strains and cultures.  I believe the term brilliant applies here!

Additionally, TUM is the location where German breweries take their beers to be tested for quality.  Not in the sense of how good tastes, but where or not it meets the national brewing requirements required to be awarded the seal of “Geschützte Geografische Angabe” (loosely translated as Protected Geographical Specification).  This is a round seal that is displayed on the beer label informing the consumer that the beer has passed the bar!

TUM also is the initial source for the Weihenstephan Brewery to trouble shoots any brewing irregularities that may occur.

We closed my visit and said good bye to Max with lunch at the Bräu-Stüberl beer garden located on the TUM grounds. We dined on beef goulash, potato dumplings, red cabbage and of course a Weihenstephan Hefeweizen.  Both the food and the brew were outstanding! 

A day to remember!

Pillory Pub - Plymouth, MA

Pillory Pub is located at 72 Water Street in Historic Plymouth Massachusetts.  The pub is just a stone’s throw away from the famous Plymouth Rock Monument.  Street parking is available as well as several parking lots within easy walking distance.

As we walked in, several patrons were tossing a game of darts, other groups were seated at the nicely set up bar area imbibing cold summer beverages watching the wide screen TV, while others including several families were enjoying their lunch seated on comfortable pub style chairs in the dining area.  At the front the pub is an additional row of chairs in the open air area of the pub that face directly out to the harbor.

The Pillory décor is very pub like and family friendly at the same time.  Wall hangings representing vintage beers and craft breweries, Massachusetts town signs and plaques representing local organizations are placed around the pub, all under slow moving ceiling fans.

Seated at our table we immediately noticed the great beverage menu located behind the bar that is hand written on a chalkboard featuring an impressive offering of 16 draft beers ranging from local craft breweries to  American adjunct lager beers (ie: Bud Light, Pabst Blue Ribbon, etc.).  Their ABV content, sizes and cost accompany each beer.  An additional area of “Craft Cans” and bottled beers completed the menu.  There are also card menus for summer drink specials and drinks celebrating Pillory’s 5 year anniversary.  A nice selection of wines, ciders and hard seltzers is available for the non-beer enthusiast.  Free WiFi is available with the password written at the top of the menu.  Very impressive!

Our Waitress, Toni, brought us the food menus and took our draft beer orders of Mayflower New World IPA, New Belgium Fat Tire, Bad Martha Vintage Summer Ale and Shark Tracker Lager.

Pillory’s food menu offers a variety of starters, salads, munchies, wraps and sandwiches, along with several lobster dishes, but simply put, the hot dog is king!  Over a dozen styles are available and after making some tough decisions, we settled on Reuben Dogs, German Shepard Dogs, Coney Island Dogs and BLT Dogs.  All are prepared with creative condiment combinations that represent the name of the dog and were delicious!  Side dish selections included chips, cole slaw, or baked beans.  We all chose the beans that had a tremendous spicy flavor that perfectly complimented the dogs.  We must admit that we doubled down on our order when Toni stopped by to see how we were enjoying our lunch!

Pillory Pub is famous for their hot dogs for sure, but additionally, the friendly staff, relaxing environment, reasonably priced menu items and extensive beer offerings make it a fun and relaxing place to enjoy your lunch while overlooking Plymouth Harbor. 

For more information and to check on upcoming entertainment and events visit their Facebook Page at The Pillory Pub

Blackie's Bulldog Tavern - Smithfield, RI

Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern is located 181 George Washington Highway in Smithfield Rhode Island.  As you enter the ample parking area you will immediately notice the impressive outside patio area on the left side of the tavern.  Once inside, the lunch scene was bustling with customers ranging from families with children, to business people, to tables of friends like us.  Blackie’s also has a private dining room located upstairs that is available for booking your party of up to 49 people.

   

As we were brought to our table in the separate dining area we passed several fun to read signs with entertaining quotes placed at strategic locations in the tavern as well as the bar that is home to a wonderful selection of local and national craft beers on tap.  Our waiter, Jeff, brought us the “Blackie’s Brewski’s” menu.  In addition to checking out the craft beers on tap, all of which accurately described their character, ABV and mouthfeel, we discovered that there are also over two dozen craft ales, IPA’s, lagers, wheats, stouts and porters available to be enjoyed.  Blackie’s also offers a selection of lighter beers from their “Usual Suspects” menu.   A wide range of wines and cocktails are also available on the menu.

We ordered Left Handed Milk Stout, Lagunitas IPA Whaler’s The Rise Pale Ale and Wachusett Blueberry Ale to enjoy while we turned our attention to the food menus which include cooked on premise smoked meat offerings, a unique “Paleo” menu and a “Kiddo’s” menu.  As Jeff served our drinks we commented on how well done and vast the food and Brewski menus were.  We then ordered our lunch selection of Reuben sandwiches for Ken and Charlie that are uniquely made with chopped (not sliced!) corned beef, sauerkraut, provolone on crunchy marbled rye; The Mushroom Marsala Burger for Gray, featuring (Pancetta Italian Bacon), provolone and several tasty spreads; and English style beer battered fish and chips for Jim featuring hand cut “skin on” steak fries and chopped slaw.  We finished off our lunch with two delicious desserts, the carrot cake ice cream sandwich and the seasonal cheesecake.  All of our selections were excellent.

While we ate, we were visited by both Angie, the co-owner and executive chef and Katy, the tavern’s beer manager, Angie is rightfully proud of her “expect the unexpected” approach to designing and preparing her dishes, using local products and ingredients and hand crafting every meal that is ordered.  Katy explained that the tavern strives for “Creative Inconsistency” with a mix of beer styles from local and national breweries to expose customers to many great beers that may not be household names and yet pair well with the wide variety of creative dishes that are designed and prepared by Angie.

Visiting Blackie’s Bulldog Tavern is a great experience for all. As Angie and Katy say, Blackie’s is for all ages….from 7 to 97!

 

For more information about Blackie’s visit them on Facebook at blackie’s bulldog tavern

Tavern 6 two 1 - North Smithfield, RI

Tavern 6 two 1 is located at 621 Pound Hill Road in North Smithfield Rhode Island.  As we went inside, the owner Monica greeted us with an enthusiastic smile.  Our table overlooked a recently completed outside eating area.  Multiple wide screen TV’s excellent for watching sporting events are located throughout the Tavern.  TV’s next to the outside seating area can be innovatively rotated to allow viewing from either inside or outside tables

  

The craftbrew focused décor sets the tone that the Tavern is THE place to go for some great beers.  Framed black and white photographs of local breweries are strategically placed high on the walls. Empty growlers, also from local breweries, are placed on shelves surrounding the tables serving as vases.

The Taverns reasonably priced menu features a variety of starters, soups and salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers and entrees complete with suggested wine pairings.  Pizza and calzones are also offered.  6 two 1 also has a promotion schedule from Sunday through Thursday offering food and drink combination specials.  

Our waitress brought us the beer and ale menu, which is one of the best we have seen to date!  Offerings were listed by style and had uniquely featured icons of pint glasses, bottles and cans representing how each beer was served.  The Alcohol by Volume or APV (the percentage of alcohol in the beer) and International Bittering Units or IBU’s (a gauge of the beers bitterness) figures were printed next to each offering.  The beer selection is unusually plentiful with16 drafts being poured today.   We selected Newport Storm Summer Wheat, Harpoon IPA and Ithaca Flower Power IPA.  None disappointed and were truly refreshing on this 92 degree New England day!

Lunches were ordered from both the sandwich and entrée menus. Ken chose the Chicken Bacon Wrap, Charlie ordered the Chicken Caesar Wrap, Jim had Fish & Chips and Gray the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich.  All foods are cooked to order with fresh ingredients and were very good.  The cole slaw side was very unique featuring large cuts of cabbage with creamy and delicious dressing.

In summary, Tavern 6 two 1 is bright and cheery inside and out with a friendly waitstaff and an enthusiastic and engaged owner.  The outstanding beer menu and suggested wine pairings with the menu offerings are sure to please even the most discriminating beer or wine enthusiast.  

For more information and to read the many patron reviews visit their Facebook Page Tavern 6 two 1

How It All Began

A little about the Brew and Chew Guys. From left to right: Gray was an FBI Agent who now enjoys keeping an old Cape Cod cottage in good repair.  Jim was in the food services industry and now volunteers his time with the Knights of Columbus.  Ken was a veterinarian and has the best self-landscaped yard in our town.  Charlie was in engineering professional services and is an avid home brewer

The ladies in the back row were the inspiration for BridgeToBeer!  All of us have been friends and neighbors for over three decades.

For quite some time the girls met in the early evening to play bridge, leaving us on occasion to fend for ourselves for dinner. We dined creatively on leftovers, pizza, maybe a beer, coke or a coffee.

Before we realized what had happened, we were all retired, and evening bridge became lunchtime bridge.  Our brigade of PB&J sandwiches began!

It was then that we had our eureka moment....Why don't we meet up for lunch while the girls are playing cards.  And so it began!! 

After our first few lunches where we shared our thoughts amongst ourselves regarding the food, the beer and the establishment itself, we randomly thought others would enjoy hearing from four retired guys like us.  Charlie mentioned that he could build a blog for us and every month we could add a post summarizing the establishment we had just visited.  We all agreed and soon thereafter  www.bridgetobeer.com was born.

Our requirements for the establishments we visited were simply that their menus needed to have a great or specialized selection of reasonably priced foods and offer craft beers that pair well with their food offerings.