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What's Your Favorite Dive-Bar Snack?

partysugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:45:42 -0700

Recently I read an interesting article in 7x7 magazine about the pleasures of dive bars. It got me thinking about dive-bar food. You don't have to admit that you frequent dive bars, but 'fess up: What is your favorite dive bar snack?

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Say Cheese! Pancetta Smoked Mozzarella Skewers

partysugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:15:42 -0700

A couple of weeks ago I read an article on the Atlantic's food blog that recommended making a grilled skewer appetizer with smoked cheese cubes wrapped in pancetta. The story reminded me of a delicious tapa I had years ago in a Spanish dive bar. Anxious to re-create the dish, I headed to the store and purchased thinly sliced pancetta and smoked mozzarella. There's really no recipe, you simply wrap a 1/2-inch cube of cheese with pancetta, skewer, and place on the grill. This is where I ran into trouble. The cheese melted before the pancetta could fully cook, sticking to the grill. I transferred the skewers to a frying pan to try and salvage them, but the cheese continued to melt, clumping together. While the final bite tasted wonderful, the technique needs some fine tuning.

Do you have any advice for getting the pancetta to cook before the cheese melts? Have you ever made cheese skewers?

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Happy Hour: Kasteel Cru Lager

partysugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:00:44 -0800

Last night when I was out and about San Francisco, I came across the cutest little dive bar, The Black Horse Pub. Virtually a hole in the wall, this eclectic "deli" has a bathtub behind the bar filled with various European brews. When I asked the delightful bartender for the lightest bottled beer, he pulled out a beer I had never heard of before: a French lager called Kasteel Cru.

This interesting and refreshing beer is made with champagne yeast fermentation. While all beer has carbonation, Kasteel Cru has the fizzy effervescence normally found in sparkling wine. With its frothy head, and clean, crisp flavor, the golden-colored beer is incredibly drinkable. When sipped, it tickles the throat.

Kasteel Cru is best enjoyed in a special pilsner glass that resembles a a stemless champagne flute. If you're a beer aficionado, I highly recommend seeking out this bubbly beer. Has anyone else tried it?