Foxy Lady; Purple Haze

October 16, 2024 steveboilard1 Comment

I spent the afternoon meeting several old friends (sequentially) in downtown Sacramento. It was a perfect California fall day: the morning started out with a light rain, then the sun came out and the temperature got into the low 70s.

So I found myself sitting outdoors as the venerable Fox and Goose pub. It’s a British-themed restaurant and bar that’s been a popular Sacramento destination since 1975. (I intend to be at next year’s 50th anniversary celebration, on January 17.) Fox and Goose resides in a historic brick building that was originally constructed for the Fuller Paint and Glass Company in 1913. It’s one of those places that doesn’t follow trends. My favorite menu items have been there for decades now; there isn’t a TV in sight; and much of the decor now qualifies as antiques.

*Bronze fox and goose sculpture in front of Fox and Goose, created by former Sacramento lobbyist Richard Ratcliff.*

I had come to share a pint with my good friend Peter. But realizing that I still had a blog entry to write, I asked the bartender to instead make me a Halloween-themed cocktail. He suggested the Violette Haze, which he believes is the most Halloweenish of their fall specialty drinks. Here’s how the menu describes it: “Real del Valle Blanco tequila, Banhez mezcal, pomegranate, jalapeno syrup, lime, Creme de Violette.” The bartender explained that the Creme de Violette is the secret ingredient that gives this drink a distinctive purple color that, to him, gives off a Halloween vibe. Let’s try one!

Conceptual Soundness: The ingredient list is a little “busy,” but I like the general thrust: Take tequila and its cousin mezcal, dress them up with some unusual and sharp tastes (pomegranate, jalapeno), and add a purple liqueur for color. I’d call it intriguing and creative. 4 points.

Appearance: This drink is appealing enough. The color is more a pink-violet than a deep purple, and that means it loses some of its Halloween cred. But the dried lime wheel floating at the top is somewhat gnarly and unexpected, like a desiccated body in a watery grave. I’ll give it 3 points, which would have been kicked up to 4 if the color were darker or the glass were rimmed with black sugar.

Taste: I have to admit, the bartender warned me that this wasn’t one of his favorite drinks. And he added that the brand of lime juice they use tastes a little unusual. And he told me he’d be surprised if I enjoyed the taste. I have to give him credit; he certainly can’t be accused of over-positioning this drink.

I don’t think the lime juice tasted bad per se, but it is definitely too dominant in this drink. The jalapeno taste does get through, but the Creme de Violette doesn’t have a chance. It’s a delicate liqueur, flavored with violet petals. Even the smoke from the mezcal seems to get lost among the stronger jalapeno and lime. I’m afraid this drink only earns 1.5 points for taste.

Ease of Preparation: This drink uses six ingredients (not counting the garnish), and a couple of those ingredients are probably not in your home bar. Mixing the drink, though, isn’t complicated. I’d call the job of making this a mid-level lift. 2 points.

Total Treat Score: 10.5 points/16 points. I don’t think it would be worth buying a bottle of Creme de Violette. But if you happen to be in downtown Sacramento, you could do worse than pop into Fox and Goose and order one of these, just to celebrate the season. And maybe I’ll see you there at their 50th anniversary!

Out of Her Gourd

October 15, 2024 steveboilard3 Comments

Everyone, it seems, likes to decorate their home for the Halloween season. Some go for the scary look, such as the house I saw in Benicia last weekend that had blood splatters and decapitated mannequins. Others seem to be aimed at young children, with friendly ghosts or cute bats or (somewhat confusingly) Minions. But even if you’re not into Halloween per se, it does seem that virtually everyone puts out a pumpkin or two. They might get a real pumpkin that they’ll carve on Halloween, or they might get one of those plastic, light-up pumpkins. (Our daughter-in-law found a high-tech pumpkin whose face is animated while it sings various songs.)

My point is that pumpkins are de rigueur for Halloween. And our house here at Chasing Phantoms Headquarters is no exception. You see, my wife has gone all-in on the pumpkin theme. How all-in, you ask? Well, I’ll show you a few pictures, and you see if you can spot the pumpkin display that graces our home:

If you picked any answer, you’re right. They are all actual, unretouched photos of the Pumpkin-mania that’s descended on our home.

So, surrounded as I am by the festive gourds, I figure that today’s Halloween Cocktail should somehow feature a pumpkin. So here’s my contribution to the pumpkin theme:

Today we’re making a Pumpkin Pie Martini, as described on the Pioneer Woman website. Who said I’m not open to new experiences??

Conceptual Soundness: This is a drink with pumpkin puree, rum, vanilla vodka, maple syrup, half-and-half, pumpkin pie spices, and whipped cream. Here’s how Pioneer Woman describes the drink: Made with real pumpkin puree (which your PSL is most likely not) and topped with a dollop of frozen whipped cream that melts into a heavenly foam topping, this recipe is equal parts fall dessert and fall cocktail. You had me at “heavenly foam topping.” Any drink with the key words “pumpkin pie” and “martini” is a sound concept indeed. 4 points.

Appearance: Admittedly, everything looks good in a martini glass. But this drink has a distinct pumpkin/syrup color, a creamy texture, and nice dollop of whipped cream. To me, that’s both inviting and alluring. If only I’d had something to rim the glass with. But that’s on me, not the recipe. I give this 3.5 points.

*In the words of The Big Bopper: Oh, Baby, that’s a-what I li-i-i-ike!*

Taste: I really wanted to like this. I was anticipating something like a boozy milkshake. Alas, my first sip was a disappointment. The flavors seemed off. It might have been the spices, which seemed like a risky addition. Or the uncooked pumpkin puree might have been too dominant. Or maybe it was the uneasy interaction of the whipped cream with the rum and vodka. Whatever the reason, that first sip was a disappointment.

The second sip, however, was a different story. Maybe my taste buds just had to acclimate to the unexpected flavor. But that second sip was pretty good. The third was great. The final sip was in nectar-of-the-gods territory.

I know what you’re thinking; You think the accumulation of alcohol in my bloodstream weakened my judgement. But I really think this is a solid drink. The flavors, while unexpected, come to grow on you. (Literally.) I confess I ended up making myself a second glass. But I settled on my rating (3 points for flavor) before that indulgence.

Ease of Preparation: It’s more work than I’m used to for a cocktail, but it’s not a huge lift. You need to chill your martini glass and freeze a few dollops of whipped cream ahead of time. Otherwise, you just throw everything into a shaker with ice. The only item I had to go out and purchase was pumpkin puree; everything else I had on hand. (Technically, I didn’t have vanilla vodka, but Frontier Woman says I can just add vanilla extract to my plain vodka). 2.5 points.

PS: While gathering supplies at the bar, I noticed some additional pumpkin decor. It’s endless!

2024 Halloween treats · Halloween Cocktails

That’s So Raven

October 14, 2024 steveboilardLeave a comment

Attentive readers will recall that I recently returned from Poe Fest in Baltimore. Edgar Allan Poe produced a large number of poems and short stories in his short lifetime, though most people today could probably only name a few of them. One of those well-known works is his poem “The Raven,” which Poe published in 1845. He was paid $9 for it.

*The last stanza of the poem, in Poe’s hand.*

Though it never made Poe rich, the poem made him famous. It has been reprinted in countless publications, and various artists have tried their hand at illustrating the atmospheric, spooky tale. At Poe Fest I had the opportunity to admire 27 steel-plate engravings that famed illustrator Gustave Doré made for an 1884 edition of “The Raven.” (Sadly, Doré died just months before that publication saw the light of day.) Poe had himself died in 1849, so Doré couldn’t consult with the author when he made his illustrations. Still, it’s a haunting series of etchings.

Indeed, I was so taken by the etchings that I immediately purchased a modern volume that includes Dore’s illustrations, along with the original text.

*Nice Addams Family house on the cover.*

Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, I see that the publisher managed to mar Poe’s prose. Some of the words have changed (“farther” instead of “further,” “thus” instead of “this”), and the punctuation is quite different from that used in more authoritative texts. However, this does beg the question: How do I know which version of “The Raven” is truly authoritative? I was unable to find the full poem in Poe’s handwriting (which to me would be the gold standard), but know that we here at Chasing Phantoms are on the case!

*Clearly the bottom of this page contains a couple of obvious typos.*

All this talk of “The Raven” leads us to today’s Treat of the Day. This week we’re shifting our focus to Halloween-themed cocktails. Providentially, I stumbled upon a recipe for something called The Raven. It combines 1 oz rum, 1 oz vodka, 1 oz. Blue Curacao, and 1/2 oz Chambord. A quick check of my bar confirmed that all those ingredients are present, so let’s make one!

Conceptual Soundness: I think the concept here is simply leveraging the Raven name by making a dark, almost black, drink. It’s not a bad concept, although it’s not especially inventive. Let’s give it 2.5 points.

Appearance: Strictly following the recipe, the color is not especially dark; its mainly just Curacao blue. So I added an activated charcoal capsule (left over from an earlier Halloween effort), which seems to have done the trick. Now my drink is dark like a raven–it clearly screams “Halloween.” That’s worth 3 points.

Taste: This drink tastes festive, or at least it comes across as something that’s special and different from your average cocktail. There’s a lot going on here: The first thing you taste is the rum, and then the vodka’s extra boost of booziness hits you soon afterward. Next you notice the sweet citrus from the blue curacao. On the finish, you get more sweetness and some distinct raspberry notes from the Chambord. Those various layers actually works together quite well. The Raven has two ounces of 80-proof spirits, plus another 1.5 ounces of 25-proof liqueurs, so it’s probably not a good idea to pound these drinks. Ask me how I know. 4 points.

Value/Ease of Preparation: As we shift our Treat Reviews to cocktails this week, the rating category of “value” will be replaced with “ease of preparation.” This category combines the ready availability of ingredients, the hit they make to your wallet, and the complexity of the recipe. In the case of The Raven, this is a simple drink to prepare. The ingredients are pretty much staples in a well-stocked home bar. I give it 3.5 points.

Total Treat Score: 13 points/16 points.

MAILBAG

Attentive readers will recall that our first Halloween treat review this month was the Starbucks Racoon Pop. We gave it a middling score of 8 out of 16 points.

Loyal reader Detlef K reports that his granddaughter recently got her hands on a raccoon pop, possibly as a result of her mother having read our review. Sadly, the little tyke didn’t seem too taken by the treat.

BTW: We’re told that this is a girl who has no problem shoving lasagna and zucchini into her water glass and drinking the soggy mess.

2024 Halloween treats · Halloween · Puns

It’s Easy Being Green

October 13, 2024 steveboilard1 Comment

Today’s Halloween-themed spotting is at the home of son Ian and daughter-in-law Katelyn. It’s a 12-foot skeleton that makes even me feel short. Note his smaller companions lounging on the porch. What, that’s not scary enough for you? Then check out the scene at night:

*Even more spooky: The skeletons on the porch have fleshed out!*

Note how the scene becomes spookier with the addition of unexpected color–in this case, the red and blue light that washes over the whole scene.

The folks at Mars, Inc. seem to understand this principle, and have applied it to the inveterate Snickers bar. Specifically, in an effort to dress up the candy bar for Halloween, they have changed the color of the nougat from light tan to “ghoulish green.” Let’s determine whether this is a trick or a treat.

Conceptual Soundness: Many food purveyors will try to goose sales by giving their product a holiday tweak. Examples include red and green M&Ms, green beer, and eggnog ice cream. Such moves are intended to renew interest in the product and create a sense of ephemeral exlusivity. In this case, Mars has taken a classic candy bar that everyone knows well, and added green food coloring to the nougat. It’s definitely different and does radiate a bit of a Halloween vibe. That’s worth 3 points.

Appearance of the Treat: The most noticeable difference is the green wrapper. And in case you’re colorblind, they print the words “Ghoulish Green” just under the traditional Snickers logo. Now, I’m not sure there’s anything “ghoulish” about green. I assume the word choice had more to do with alliteration.

If you remove the wrapper, the candy bar looks identical to any other Snickers bar you’ve eaten. But bite into it (or cut it in half, as I did) and you see that the nougat is the exact same shade of green as the wrapper.

Now, these are “fun size” bars, which means they’re less than an ounce. You probably will eat it in two bites. So that leaves just those few moments between the first and second bite to admire (or even notice) the green nougat. Still, it’s novel, and the color is truly putrid. As a Halloween gag (if you’ll pardon the pun), it’s worth 3 points.

Taste: These taste exactly the same as any other Snicker’s bar. The “ghoulish green” nougat has no impact on the flavor. Now, in my opinion, the Snickers bar is a delicious candy, with the ideal balance of caramel, nougat, chocolate, and peanuts. But if you’re going to hype a candy as being redesigned for Halloween, shouldn’t you also give it a new taste? Maybe a little mint, which is suggested by the green color? Or substitute pistachios for the peanuts? The people at Mars missed a huge opportunity here. Treats sporting a different look should taste different.

Now, I should probably admit here that, to me, Halloween Oreos, with their orange filling, taste much better than regular Oreos. I realize the package says “same great taste,” and the ingredient list is identical to regular Oreos. But somehow I find the Halloween Oreos to be far tastier than the regular ones. I am open to the possibility that the visual appearance of the Halloween Oreo somehow tricks my brain into thinking I’m tasting something different. But that’s OK. As we know, the placebo effect can cause genuine health improvements in clinical trials. So, as far as I’m concerned, if I think the Halloween Oreos taste better, then they taste better.

*“Same great taste” my ass; these taste much better than the run-of-the-mill Oreos.*

Anyway, my point is simply that the “ghoulish green” Snickers do not taste any different than regular Snickers. So I can’t give them any points for taste. Zero points.

Value: The fun-size “ghoulish green” Snickers come in a bag that also includes “ghoulish green” Twix bars. You get 35 bars to a bag, which costs $12 on sale at Safeway. That works out to 35 cents per bar, which really isn’t bad. Let’s give it 3 points.

Total Treat Score: 9/16 points. If you like Snickers, then you should get yourself a bag.

Speaking of bags, our mailbag received the following item which is evocative both of The Birds and Poe:

2024 Halloween treats · churches

Pumpkin on a Pike

October 11, 2024 steveboilard2 Comments

Today I’m in Bodega Bay (pop: 912), the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. And if that isn’t a good Halloween tie-in, I don’t know what is.

Several of the iconic buildings from the movie are still going strong over 60 years later. Checkitout:

*St Teresa of Avila Church (on right), then.*

*And of course even non-historic places are trying to get in on the act.*

*Meanwhile, while we were enjoying coffee on the deck….*

Somehow, I managed to get through my cappuccino without having my eyes pecked out, so it’s on to our Treat of the Day:

I happened by one of those independent, upscale candy shops that cling like barnacles to the quaint Main Streets of small, tourism-oriented towns. It was here this pumpkin pop called to me through the window.

This little treat is made by the Mendocino Chocolate Company, and it’s irresistibly adorable. Money was exchanged and moments later I was the proud owner of a pumpkin on a stick.

Conceptual Soundness: This is a white chocolate pumpkin that’s been colored orange and stuck onto a rolled-paper stick. You’ll recall my earlier rant about putting treats on a stick where there’s no logical reason to do so. This is one of those cases. Why couldn’t I just eat the pumpkin candy by hand, as I did with yesterday’s Ghirardelli square? I can’t get behind this creeping stick-iness. Zero points.

Appearance of the Treat: It’s undeniably enchanting. The orange pumpkin head, with well-defined features rendered in chocolate icing, is friendly and slightly quirky. The ribbon is festive, with matching orange jack o’lanterns on a chocolate-brown background. I do now recognize that the stick helps to secure the ribbon, and thus it might not be as superfluous as I initially thought. I’ll give one point back for conceptual soundness. In terms of appearance of the treat, I award the full 4 points.

Taste: Hack! Gag! Never has such a cute candy tasted so revolting. Clearly the “confectioners” (emphasis on the “con” part) decided to pump their “candy” full of wax to aid in the molding process. Eating this pumpkin is reminiscent of eating a candle. I suppose there must be some white chocolate in the pumpkin, just as there must be some worthwhile programming on network TV. But in both cases you need to search for it. While I was gnawing on the edges of the pumpkin the little face seemed to adopt a mocking look, as if to say “who’s the real sucker here?” It would be malpractice for me to award any points for taste. Zero points. In fact, this is so foul, I’m taking back that bonus points I awarded to the stick for supporting the ribbon.

Value: I parted with $2.75 to get this “treat.” Now, to be fair, as a purely visual Halloween prop it’s perfectly delightful. And $2.75 ain’t a bad price if it tasted decent. But it doesn’t. I’ll give it one grudging point.

Total Treat Score: 0 (conceptual soundness) + 4 (appearance) + 1 (stick bonus) + 0 (taste) – 1 (disgust factor) + 1 (value) = 5 points/16 points.