The Breakfast Club Christmas Dinner

#SecureThePorch - Accomplished 7:40 AM 

It was good to be back at Bobby's after a brief hiatus. Everything about the place was just right. The back porch was empty and waiting for us, the pork roll and bacon were crispy, the waffles and pancakes were smothered in butter and syrup, and the potatoes and eggs were cooked to perfection, All that with a large cup of coffee to start the weekend and there is nothing to complain about. 

We had a big crowd this week. Rutgers football is over as well as the conference championships. Nothing is left in College Football but the playoffs and the bowls. I need a strong showing in the secret CFB bowl pool. There is a rumor flying around that I may be banished from the CFB season pool all because I don't always submit my picks in a timely manner. A first place showing may be the 'end-around' I need to convince these guys that I belong.

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Pat & Jim - You deserve a big thanks for putting together the annual Breakfast Club Christmas dinner held at The Old Bay restaurant in New Brunswick. I am sure it is not easy to satisfy everybody with the date, restaurant, the menu, etc. But one thing is certain, we are always in good hands when Pat and/or Jim are in charge of scheduling social activities. The food was delicious, the service excellent and the company and conversation were second to none.  Every time I turned around someone was handing me a plate of cajun food as big as my head. Typically I never bring food home because I always finish what is on my plate but that would have been impossible at The Old Bay. The portions were enormous.

Jim - there aren't many guys who can pull off wearing a Christmas tree with blinking lights that doubles as a sweater but you did it well.

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Mike B. - You saved the day. Last week my sump pump failed to work resulting in a few inches of water in my basement following a few days of heavy rain. Of course, Cindy, my wife, urged me to check on the basement and I assured her I would but failed to see the urgency. The next day, I had two inches of water in the basement and a foot and a half of an angry wife. Mike, the son of a plumber, answered my plea and showed up with all sorts of wrenches, valves, converters, pipes, saws, tools, etc. Within 30 minutes, all water was removed from the floor and the pipes were bone dry. Mike, if your IT job doesn't work out, you'd make a great plumber.

Following our plumbing work, we figured we were entitled to a few choice beers. When I offer Mike a beer I know have to be on my 'A' game. In addition to being the son of a plumber, he is also a connoisseur of craft beer. I had been sitting on a beer from my Vermont selection, called Double Dose IPA. It is a collaboration effort between Lawson's Finest Liquids and Otter Creek Brewing Company, two very fine breweries in Vermont where craft beer is on fire. This beer is an American Double/Imperial IPA rated 95 by Beer Advocate and has an ABV(Alcohol by Volume) of 8.5%. Drinks well, hazy and copper in color with an off-white head and a healthy amount of sediment by design. Personally, I favor the IPA's that are heavy on aroma which is absent in this beer but I would definitely consider this beer very good.

Mike offered up a beer called Citra Ass Down by Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse. Citra Ass Down is also an American Double/Imperial IPA with an ABV of 8.2% and rated 88 by Beer Advocate. This is a very hop forward American style IPA. Brewed with Pale, Vienna, Munich, and wheat malt for a solid base for all American hops, focusing mainly on the variety “Citra.” These hops have a very distinct citrusy and tropical fruit flavor and aroma. Poured from the can, delivering a healthy head with an amber color, this beer was very drinkable and worthy of it's rating.

Both beers were very good and very strong. I am starting to figure out why I wasn't in the mood too much for beer at the Breakfast Club Christmas party. The Double Dose by Lawsons is only available in Vermont and ot overly produced. Citra Ass Down is available on rotation...I.E. It is hard to get and is not widely distributed.

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My son Mark brought a bit of 'Bern' to the spirited discussion we had about the announcement that Carrier will be keeping roughly 1000 jobs in Indiana that were scheduled to be moved to Mexico. Some 'Berners' fear all U.S. companies will now have the government hostage. This logic seems to be a bit of a stretch to me and born in the belief that all corporations are evil. For one, Governors are always making deals to keep and attract companies. In addition, if anyone is going to be held hostage, I would rather the private sector hold the government hostage rather than the reverse. The government is supposed to work for it's citizens, not the other way around. After digesting all that has been said, I believe the bottom line is the Trump administration is expected to be kinder to business than the Obama administration has been. If taxes come down and regulations get cut, businesses may have an incentive to stay. Only time will tell but I just don't see a down-side at the moment.

But, Mark and all offspring of the BK Club, don't be a stranger. Although the BK Club is a think-tank of sorts, it's always refreshing to hear what the next generation is thinking.