Oh yeah, about that sandwich...

Okay. So let me explain my delinquency in sampling sandwiches and updating this blog-o-mine. It all started when I went to Deluxe over on 114th and Broadway. I sat, ordered a tunamelt and a Sam Adams. Guy brings my brew, I'm waiting on my melt when along comes the waiter. Plateless. No diner china in hand. Problem? He didn't realize that tuna melts weren't on the evening menu. That woulda been well and good if he'd told me BEFORE I ordered. Especially since I actually sat and waited til 5 so that the menu could switch over so that I could actualy HAVE the damned tuna melt in the first place. But alas, it was not to be. Since I'd already had brew in hand (and I was quite hungry) I went ahead and ordered a turkey burger and it was good... But it wasn't what I show up at a diner for, dammit! The hostess was quite the cutie with a lovely figure, tho... So that kinda made up for the missing melt. ;o)

So after that I went on a drought for about a month. I know! I couldn't believe it myself! But one Friday night, after hanging out and drinking and partying with some co-workers, we found ourselves at this diner on 17th street at like 2 in the freakin morning. Now, I know I shouldn't have a tuna melt and fries at 2 in the morning, but hey, my blog has been in serious arrears in terms of updates, and I gotta do what I gotta do right? Right. So even tho I don't remember the exact address of the diner or the name, I do remember that they made a pretty damned good open-face tuna-melt sandwich. On rye, a limited choice of cheeses but a choice nonetheless ( I went with the muenster, by the way, excellent choice, do try it), The muenster was nice and melty, didn't burn in any patches and maintained it's cheesey integrity after every bite, as opposed to coming off in one long sheet (never a good sign when that happens!) and the tuna was good on it's own. SO to that diner on 17th street that I can't remember the name, good job! While Cafe Intermezzo's tuna melt remains king of the hill, I give your tuna melt three and a half tomatoes!

p.s. I know summer's at her end and I have yet to produce act two of the summer brew tour, rest assured I HAVE been about the business of sampling summer brews and I WILL get to act two before I move into the Oktoberfest section of my brew tour, so look for that!

The Summer Brew Tour, Act One...

Last summer at my friend's wedding I bumped into Samuel Adams' Summer Ale. Aside from the 21 year old single malt scotch later that evening it was all I drank. Yeah, it's that good. So this year, with the advent of The Tuna Melt, I decided I was gonna go on a "Summer Brew Tour". Now I know it ain't summer yet, but the early bird gets the worm, right? Right. So I started my tour off with Sam Adams' summer ale which, as I already explained is an excellent wheat ale brewed with lemon and a mysterious old school brewing spice called grains of paradise. I dunno what the hell those grains are, but I will not refute their claim of heritage. I can't keep enough of this stuff around and come September, I'll be sad to see it go.


The next summer brew I tried was Magic Hat Brewing Co.'s Hocus Pocus. Magic Hat is a Vermont based brewer who specializes in unique and clever flavor blends and the Hocus Pocus is no exception. It's a very light ale that doesn't rough up the palate and goes down easy. Not on the same level as Sam's summer ale, but there's definitely room for a lil Vermont Magic on my summer tour. Currently I rank it a strong third on my lil list. Give this brew a shot if ya see it in your freezer or supermarket.


The final brew in Act One of The Tuna Melt Summer Brew Tour is Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale. I have to admit, I was kinda disappointed in this summer offering from this great NYC brewer. The flavor just didn't do it for me. Admittedly, it's MUCH better when it's ice cold, but brews tend to warm as you drink them unless you're a guzzling fool, then it's easy to love. I prefer a brew that maintains its taste and flavor as it warms. Brooklyn Brewery's summer ale just doesn't do that.

That's it for Act One. Act Two is just around the corner, so stay tuned and keep 'em cold!