In My Not So Humble Opinion

Archive for May, 2008

Official Announcement:
The Molson Coors Brewing Co. has been named the official ethanol provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held in Denver Aug. 25-28. Molson Coors will fuel DNC vehicles with ethanol from waste beer.

Unless it was backwash, or beer that was left out, open so that it got warm and flat, I’ve never had the term “waste beer” enter my vocabulary. In those instances, it was more like, “What a waste of good beer.”

Convention organizers aim to make the event “the greenest convention possible.” Other sustainable initiatives, in addition to using ethanol, include mitigating carbon emissions and cutting down on waste through recycling to a preference for organic food served at convention events.

While I’m at it, I just want to mention that certain terms have been used so much in preparation for the political farce that is the DNC, I just want to scream. “Green” is the biggest offender, followed closely by “carbon footprint,” “zero-waste,” and “carbon neutral.” The planners have gone absolutely nuts trying to prove that Denver is the greenest city in the US, by requiring all vendors to follow a rediculously strict list of rules that they would never follow under normal circumstances.

The latest example of the extent to which the DNC planners will take this lunacy is the list of requirements for food vendors. A short exerpt:

Fried foods are forbidden at the committee’s 22 or so events, as is liquid served in individual plastic containers. Plates must be reusable, like china, recyclable or compostable. The food should be local, organic or both. (Uh, here in Colorado, with our short growing season, local doesn’t necessarily cut it. And, the organic requirement will send costs through the roof. Will the DNC pay, or will vendors lose, just for the opportunity to participate? Get your money up front, folks.)

And caterers must provide foods in “at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white,” garnishes not included, according to a Request for Proposals, or RFP, distributed last week.

It’s not about saving the planet. It’s about perception and political posturing. August 29 will not come soon enough.

I love onion rings. Not enough, though, to put up with bad ones. They gotta be good, which means they absolutely must be hot, crisp, with the right amount of crunch and fresh onion goodness.

We went to Rock Bottom Brewery in Loveland for dinner Thursday night. Their onion rings were greasy, soggy, and ice cold. Husband’s meat loaf dinner was mushy and tasteless, too, by the way. So, for an informal review of Rock Bottom Brewery, I’d have to give it one point out of ten. The one point is for the friendly, although somewhat inattentive, waitress. The atmosphere was average – what you’d expect for a large chain. Big, new, crowded, noisy.

But, back to the onion rings. I’ll give you a list of the top three places to get stellar onion rings, and a couple to definitely avoid.

#1 and the absolute best: Runza. There are no Runza Restaurants in the Denver area, so I have to stop by their Loveland restaurant to get my fix. Unfortunately, I am very rarely in Northern Colorado, so I don’t get these very often. If you’re in Lincoln, Nebraska, you may remember Rock & Roll Runza – art deco 50′s interior and wait staff on roller skates. It was a fun destination. Too bad they went corporate.

#2 and a strong contender: Sonic Drive-In. I’ll qualify this, though, with a disclaimer: it definitely depends on which Sonic you go to, and when. You want to go when they are busy, so the onion rings are absolutely fresh when you get them.

#3 Dewey’s All-American Grill. Their rings are plentiful, crunchy, and divine. They’re served all stacked up on a post, which is fun. Bonus: the dipping sauce. Good enough to lick the bowl. Double-bonus: friendly, attentive wait staff, a zillion tv’s tuned to every game you’d want to see, and you don’t have to eat in your car.

The bad: Okay, I’ve already mentioned Rockbottom Brewery. Another forgettable: Denny’s, where the onion rings are worse than the ones I make at home (which, by the way, I dump out of a bag and put in the oven).

The absolute worst onion rings of all time: Burger King. Chopped onions in a soggy batter that soaks up grease without getting crunchy. Ick.

I meet people at Caribou Coffee on a regular basis. They have good Chai, don’t play Paul McCartney on their sound system, and have totally free wifi. Their prices are competitive, they shy away from snooty-sounding names for their beverage sizes, and their staff is genuinely friendly.

One location, at 1400 E Hampden in Englewood, CO, has gone another step to prove they are better than those other guys, and now provide free power, too. A power strip encircles the public seating area. You can browse the net, and recharge your cell without fighting for an outlet. Way to go to make life even better for all of us harried, laptop-laden entrepreneurs!

This week, they handed out samples of coffee to take home to brew. I got a little bag of “Columbia,” enought for a small pot. Husband brewed it, and gave his review, as follows:

Step on up, kids, for the thrill of a lifetime. Watch the lobsters quiver with fear, climbing over each other to get away from the claw, descending slowly, and taking them to their final resting place…your stomach.

Of course, you can’t have a game with live animals without PETA getting their furr in a snit. They say it’s “demeaning to the lobsters.” Sure. Much less demeaning than just sitting in a tank at the grocery store, where kids knock on the glass, stick their hands, and whatever else they’ve got, into the tanks, and eventually take their final ride in a box or plastic bag.

I’d hate to demean a lobster. I’ll just go beat up on some broccoli while I play with my bonzai kitty.