Today I went with some people to The Meddlesome Moth in Dallas.  Its a damn shame I discovered this place on my last night here instead of my first, otherwise I would have just been there every day as much as possible.  The image for today is of the first flight I ordered which was called “Captain Keith.” The flight is named after their Beer Guru Keith Schlabs, but I had to order it for obvious reasons.

As a beer lover, the place is fantastic.  The beer selection is large with 25 or so on tap and 100 or so for a selection of bottles. (I’m doing those numbers from memory, but if I’m wrong, I’m pretty close.)  Keith Schlabs came out and talked to us for bit. They have contacts all over the country so they’ve got a lot of the great microbrews from Stone to Dogfish Head to Allagash to everything in between. They also work hard to represent great microbrews made in Texas. In fact, they have a flight of Texas beers which lead us to discover (512)’s Peacan Porter from Austin which tasted great and I consider the beer find of the day.

Keith also shared they’ve been open for about a year and are really serious about exposing people to good beer.  That’s something I can really get behind.  It helps that their wait staff was also extremely knowledgeable about the beer they were serving and could make excellent suggestions. Also, in talking to the staff they were knowledge about about the beer world in general even if they don’t have it on the menu. I love that sign of passion about what they are doing.

They also have an amazing menu which I think would make many foodies join the dance of joy the beer lovers were already doing.  Since we were just snacking we had two small things: The Hungry Farmer, which was a fantastic cheese and meat plate, and the Sweet Fennel Meatballs, which were out of this world.  If the rest of their food is even half as good as what we had you can do no wrong.

As I mentioned on Twitter earlier today: If you love beer and you are in Dallas and you do not go to The Meddlesome Moth, I loath you.

Bonus images because, hey, the place was that awesome and worth it.

The beer was excellent and I highly recommend a visit.  Just don’t be too scared off by the exterier and neighborhood.

One of the parts of the beer that really warmed my heart was the handle on one of the urinals.  It really showed what I feel to be the true heart of good old American macrobrew light beer…  See for yourself…

Inspired by the Wingin’ It beer photo stream and my visit to the Brickskeller last night, I’ve decided to start doing a similar thing here. I forgot to get a picture of the Orval Trappist Ale I had last night, but luckily, I can snag one off their web site.

I also had an Oskar Blues Ten Fidy again, mostly because I thought I’d never get that awesomeness again. The guys at the table next to us suggested a Maredsous Dubbel or Triple. I went with the Dubbel. It was awesome.

On a geek note, right now I’m just uploading this into wordpress. I’m not sold on using flickr, but I’m not sure why.

The bottom used to say “Hank Yo” which I liked better than just “Yo” as it seemed like some dude named Hank signed it.

I have such 5th grade humor.

But the multi-player games are a little addictive at Crystal’s Party Bar in Crystal Lake. Like many suburban bars, Crystal’s has that all-in-one motif: A dance floor for clubbers. A bar menu and playoff games for the sports bar set. Fireplaces and couches for the lounge lizards…

But it’s the video gaming that sets Crystal’s apart. More Dave & Buster’s than Crobar, Crystal’s is adorned with flat-screen televisions at each of its first-floor booths, allowing interactive game play from just about anywhere in the bar…

And with Xbox and PlayStation2 consoles securely attached to the first-floor ceiling, patrons can play their favorite video games at any of the individual booths.

Just sign up, turn in your driver’s license at the DJ booth and you’ll receive a game and two wireless controllers, manager Brian White says. The bar staff will handle food and drink orders while you play (appetizers and sandwiches are available until 10 p.m.).

I think this is a great idea for a bar, its just too bad its too far out. I’ll have to drag Sarah out to check it out sometime. If only because their video Texas Hold’Em is a big draw.

I’ve always wanted to open a geek friendly bar, and I’m not sure this is it. Although, it has all the items I’d want in my place, except maybe wireless networking of some sort.

The party music, though, in my bar would be relegated to Friday and Saturday night. The rest of the week I’d like to keep it somewhat sane so someone could bring thier laptop and do some coding and drink a beer. Or maybe play Quake or something. Of course, I’d have a large beer selection.

However, running an bar would take a set of skills and a bunch of capital I don’t have. I’ll have to keep the dream alive. A place like Crystal’s Party Bar makes me think I’m not totally crazy.

Another feature I’ve been considering more recently is how to make it somewhat kid-friendly, or at least have a kid-friendly night. The video games certainly help there, but I’d also like people to feel free to bring their toddlers. If only for my own selfish purposes.

FYI, I’m experimenting in this post with using the WPGallery plug-in.

Today I ask for a moment of silence, my brothers and sisters in mass alcohol consumption, because on my way to the train today I noticed large FOR RENT signs in the windows of the establishment now formerly known as Bud’s. Rubbing my eyes, I looked again, and they were still there, but this time I also noticed that the sign board was devoid of message.

There is a yellow 8.5×11 sheet of paper taped on one the doors which probably has a message of thanks for the years Bud’s existed, or at least a “sorry, we’re closed for good!” As I had 4 minutes to catch the train, I didn’t stop to read it, but I will on the way home and try to take a picture with my phone.

If they died due to missing a large influx of cash each Tuesday or because their service and beer selection just went into the shitter, we may never know. But please, I beg, a moment of silence for an establishment that: gave us food when we were hungry; that reserved our corner 99% of the time; that let us master darts; that thought were were thespians; that gave us the centurion club to finish over and over; that saw Brian White drink said club faster than any man in history; that saw a beer tab and tip much larger than 4 men should reasonably create; that gave us waitresses who were, after training by us, without parallel; that taught us it was a bad night when “(beer + liquor) > food” evaluated to false; that gave us shelter in times of peace and times of strife; and, most importantly of all, that gave us alcohol when we were sober.