Dirty Hot in Tempe, Arizona

This last weekend, we traveled to Tempe, Arizona, for the USC v. ASU football game. Home of the "dirty hot" girls, Tempe is hot, dusty, and pretty much revolves around drinking and football at the ASU campus (For those of you who are unaware of "dirty hot" it's the girls with bleach blonde hair overlaying a dark brunette under layer. It is an epidemic at ASU).

November 6, 2009

We checked into the Four Point Sheraton on Rural Rd across from the campus. For $100 a night it was pretty nice and the staff was extremely helpful.

I was annoyed that since we booked on Expedia, I wasn't eligible for Starwood points. LAME. It was already really late so we immediately changed and headed out to Mill Ave, the street of debauchery.

Our first stop was Zuma, a sports bar on Mill. As luck would have it, our friends happened to be at the same bar! We ended up partying with them at their table near the door until one of them deliberately poured a beer on a "dirty hot"..... twice. We were promptly kicked out right after our friend had bought a whole round of beers. Not to be outdone, the boys popped the bottles into their back pockets and walked out of the bar.


We then barhopped to Mill Cue Club and The Library, but thanks to getting out too late the bars were singing last call within an hour so we headed back to the hotel. Not before we ate a street dog and took down two slices of pepperoni pizza each. The street dog vendor was awesome!


November 7, 2009

Slightly hungover, we woke up and walked down Rural to University on our way to our friend's hotel to sit out by the pool and begin the next day of drinking. What is it about college football that makes people fratty alcoholics? Thanks to the remains of alcohol eating away at my stomach, we were forced to stop at Chompie's on the way.

Chompie's is a New York deli in Tempe, Arizona (That should have been my first clue). It has a great atmosphere with an outdoor patio where we were seated. I ordered "Le Cafe Francais" which is crepes filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, onions, and tomatoes topped with goat cheese, parmesan and served with fries. I took one bite and pushed the plate away. The goat cheese totally overwhelms the taste of everything else and I LOVE goat cheese. Also, the "crepe" had the texture of a soggy burrito.


The boyfriend ordered the "Bagel Breakfast Skins" which are two bagels cut in half with the insides carved out and filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, onions, fries and topped with melted cheddar cheese and sour cream. This was more acceptable although by the time it came out it was cold. It took forever to get our food and someone seated after us was served before us. That pisses me off especially when I'm hungover and hungry!


After our "meh" meal, we walked across the street to the Quality Inn & Suites to meet up with our friends. We called multiple cell phones but no one answered. We decided to sit by the pool until they called us back. Once they did, we realized that we were at the wrong hotel laying out by the wrong pool. Whoops...

At this point it was getting close to game time so we went back to the hotel, changed and then took the free shuttle to the stadium. The best part about our hotel is the free shuttle. The driver is hilarious and will take you wherever you want for free. He even picked us up at 3am last night from the bars!

Immediately upon arrival at Sun Devil Stadium the boos began. It didn't help that the fastest way to our seats was past the ASU student section. One guy yelled down to my boyfriend, "I'll take care of her for you." YIKES. Finally, we made it to our seats which were AMAZING. Granted the stadium isn't that big so almost all the seats are good but these were great.


The game, on the other hand, was not so great. The final score of 14-9 Trojans was only because the awful ASU quarterback threw the ball right to one of our defense players who ran it back for a touchdown. Our offense literally didn't show up at all and our defense got penalties every other play. We did enjoy talking smack with the two ASU fans behind us who were a fun bunch. They booed every time their awful QB was put in. Poor guy!


Two major highlights of the game were the fireworks and the stadium food. They would set off fireworks any time ASU scored. For stadium food, they had chicken fingers, garlic fries, and a cart that had caramel apples and chocolate-dipped strawberries. They were outrageously expensive but I bought some anyway.

After the game, we went to a house party at an apartment complex near Taco Bell on Rural. It was pretty much 15 USC guys, an apartment full of "dirty hot," and me. The hour we were there featured one of our friends tackling one of the girls to the ground, a round robin of taking pulls from a fifth of Jack, and one of our friends making out with a random girl without permission on our way out the door. At least that was the dare, but he pussed out and just kissed her on the cheek. She was not impressed.


Off to Mill Ave we went already pretty plastered. We went to The Library and then to a club called Whip. We were there only momentarily because no one could stand anymore. We finally gave up and went home.


November 8, 2009

We woke up today feeling AWFUL. I don't think I've felt this bad since Day Three of Amsterdam! I had really really wanted to go hot air ballooning today but the only times available at 6:30am (which we clearly missed) and 3pm which would cut to close to our plane ride home. So, we decided to head into Phoenix via the tram and wander around to see the sights.

The tram is super slow, but cheap. It even provided a little entertainment when a guy got off who hadn't bought a ticket and was promptly tackled to the ground by one of the officials. Apparently, they take tram tramps seriously.

Unfortunately, downtown Phoenix is anything but exciting. We had lunch at Uno Chicago Grill. Maybe it was just that my tastebuds were fried but the pizza and chicken alfredo we ordered was pretty bland. My chicken was crunchy. It's too bad because the interior of the restaurant was really cool.


From there we went to the Arizona Science Center which is four floors of interactive science displays. It was definitely meant for people way younger than us but there were some cool exhibits. One should the vibration of a guitar string depending on how tightly it is wound and another was a 15 minute video about Arizona that featured an earthquake, heat lamps, and a little rain falling from the ceiling. You could also pay extra to ride on the tight-rope bike. In retrospect, I wish we'd done the 3-D shark show in the iMax theater there. Oh well.


Next we walked through Heritage Square near the Science Center which features the Rosson House built in 1895. You can take tours of the house but we weren't that interested.


By this point, we were bored to death and it was getting close to our departure time at the airport so we headed towards the tram. I took pictures of St. Mary's Basilica and Chase Field on the way.


While at the airport, I reflected back on the weekend. I have to say that Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona are two of the most boring places I have ever been. Granted I didn't do any outdoor activities due to lack of time but a nice hike still isn't going to get me to come back. I also was super disappointed in the food. Most of it was average if not awful. That is with the exception of Einstein's Bagels in the Southwest terminal. I had the turkey bagel sandwich which hovered close to excellent so at least I left with a good taste in my mouth.


Overall, I don't think I'm headed back here unless it's to see the Dodgers beat the D-Bags.

Meet Me in St. Louis

This is more of an addendum to my post yesterday about the brewery tour, but I wanted everyone to know more details about St. Louis like the food and the hotel. Hopefully, I will be able to see more of it on my next trip but work comes first right?

November 3, 2009

We stayed at the Westin near Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. It's a nice hotel although the lady at the front desk was neither intelligent nor motivated. They were also out of contact solution - boo. They did honor my Starwood points though - sweet.


The room was also quite nice although there wasn't much of a view.


On the otherhand, dinner there on Tuesday night was quite good. The restaurant is called the Clark Street Bar & Grill and the first night we ate in the bar.


We split the chopped iceberg salad which had Mandarin oranges which added a sweetness to contrast the sharp taste of the blue cheese dressing.


We also split a margarita pizza. They have a huge wood oven so the pizza was thin, crispy on the edges and gooey in the middle...mmm.

Lastly, we had the key lime cheesecake for dessert. When it came out I was a little afraid of the stunning green but it still tasted like good ole key lime. Delicious.

We spent the rest of the night preparing for our meeting at Anheuser-Busch the next day.

November 4, 2009

We were up early and off to Anheuser-Busch headquarters for our meeting. Afterwards we stopped at the hotel for lunch before going on our tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery (see my previous blog) Lunch wasn't very good. The "Simple Green Salad" was too simple and the white bean chili was thick and pasty. Not a great lunch considering how good dinner the night before was!


We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the brewery and then went straight to dinner with the client at Mike Shannon's Steak and Seafood restaurant. Mike Shannon is a famous Cardinal baseball player so the restaurant has a major baseball theme with bats carving into the walls and rows upon rows of back-lit baseballs. It has an upscale, yet fun atmosphere which was perfect.


We split the Tuna Two Ways appetizer, which featured an Italian tuna dish and an Asian tuna dish. It was okay.


I also had The Wedge salad which also was okay.


Then I had the Sweet Potato Fries with smoked ketchup which were delicious and the Tenderloin Filet which was very good. It was a little rare for a medium steak I thought but still delicious.


We were much too full for dessert but I did get a shot of the client's Lobster Ravioli which looked incredible (I'm allergic to shellfish so I couldn't tell you how it tasted).


From there we walked back to the hotel ready to work late into the night to prepare for tomorrow's meeting.

November 5, 2009

Another day of meetings and food. For lunch we took the client to Sage Urban American Grill, which is right next to the brewery. One of my favorite things about St. Louis is that Shock Top is on tap everywhere you go - it is by far one of the best A-B beers around but usually hard to find. Except in St. Louis.


Sage is a great little restaurant bar. For appetizers, we shared a plate of Gus' Pretzels with mustard dip. They were piping hot and had just the right amount of salt. No wonder Gus is so famous in St. Louis!


For my entree, I had the Trio of Mini Sandwiches. I choose the Tuscan Chicken, Beef Tenderloin, and Buffalo Crispy Chicken sandwiches. They are really more like sliders. The Beef Tenderloin was delicious, the Crispy Chicken was a little too spicy, and the Tuscan Chicken was totally bland.


Here's a look at what the rest of the group had.

Greek Chicken Wrap with hummus, tomato, cucumber, red onion, olives, spinach and romaine with balsamic dressing and feta cheese. This wrap was huge!

Baby Spinach Salad with sliced mushrooms, almonds & sun-dried tomatoes tossed with warm bacon dressing and garlic herb croutons. She also got it with grilled salmon on top which she said was nasty because it had clearly been thawed and then grilled.

Mardi Gras Quesadilla with blackened chicken, andouille sausage, Cajun rice, and cheese. This looked amazing.

Overall, I thought it was a good lunch but not a spectacular one. I am still dreaming about the pretzels though. So good.

From the restaurant, we grabbed our suitcases and headed towards the airport. On the way I was able to get a quick glimpse of the famous St. Louis Arch.

Overall, St. Louis is a fun city for a couple days but definitely a little small to live in. I hope to be able to see more of it on my future work trips.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Welcome to the original Anheuser-Busch Brewery. While in St. Louis, I was offered the opportunity to take the behind the scenes brewmaster tour of this 150-year-old National Historic Landmark. The tour takes about 2.5 hours and takes you through all the stages of the brewing process.


To start off, the main thing to know is that Anheuser-Busch still uses the exact same recipe and brewing process for Budweiser today as they did over 100 years ago. The reason they can talk so freely about both the recipe and the brewing process is because the only secret ingredient is the yeast. Anheuser-Busch still uses the same strain of yeast as they did 100 years ago to ensure that a Bud today tastes exactly like a Bud from 1880. This top secret strain is only accessible by four people in the company and was even frozen throughout Prohibition to ensure that it wasn't lost.

Here is a chart of the brewing process. I'll be using it to show you each step along the way.


Are you ready to start the tour? Make sure you have your hat and your safety goggles on!


MILLING (Step One)

This step is simply the milling of the rice that is used in the recipe. Back when Budweiser was first brewed rice was a main differentiator ingredient for Anheuser-Busch because it was expensive to get. Thus, by using rice in their recipe, A-B made Budweiser a more sought-after, high-end product.

MASHING (Step Two)

The milled rice is mixed with water in a cooker while the barley malt is mixed with water in the mash tank. Once the rice is boiled, it is combined with the barley in the mash tank and then, yes, MASHED. The mashing process breaks down the starches in the malt grain into sugars that can then be fermented. There are two types of sugars that result: the ones that are responsible for the calories and the ones responsible for the alcohol content. The rule of thumb is that the lower the calories the longer the mashing. At only 55 calories, Select 55 must be mashed for 8 hours!

STRAINING (Step Three)

Once the malt has been mashed for the specified amount of time, it is then strained. The result of the straining is a mixture called wort, a clear, sweet amber liquid that is then used in Step Four.

BREW KETTLE (Step Four)

The wort is transferred to giant brew kettles . Based on a specific schedule and amount, hops are then added to the wort while it boils. Hops are added to the sweet wort to create the spice of beer. It is also what is responsible for giving each beer its unique flavor, aroma and character. Originally, hops were added to the brew kettle in their true form but this was a costly endeavor. Now, they use hop pellets which can be easily added to the brew kettle using a garbage can. Once the mixture is ready, it is put through the wort receiver to cool it to the desired temperature.

PRIMARY FERMENTATION (Step Five)

Now, it is time to introduce the mystery ingredient, Yeast, which is added to the wort in the primary fermentation tanks. This is the part in the process where the wort is turned from a sugar mixture into alcohol. It is after this step that the mixture can officially be called beer. This usually takes about six days.

BEECHWOOD LAGERING (Step Six)

Most brewing processes end with Primary Fermentation once the beer is produced. However, Anheuser-Busch believes in quality which is why they have an extra step in their process.

Beechwood Lagering gets its name from the layer of beechwood chips that are placed at the bottom of holding tanks. Once this layer is in place, the beer is then poured into the tanks and a yeasted wort called Kraeusen is added. This process allows for the beer to completely ferment and can take a little more than a week for some beers to finish. The result is a naturally carbonated beer with a deeper flavor. Anheuser-Busch then recycles the chips as soil for playgrounds in St. Louis. Isn't that sweet?!

FINISHING (Step 7)

Now that the beer is close to perfection, it reaches the final step of the brewing process. Here it is filtered and chilled to prepare it for packaging. It is put in 32°F tanks for two days which allows the beer to settle into its final state. It is then filtered one last time before it is ready for the best part of the tour: Tasting. While tasting occurs at each step in the process, there is a final quality control checkpoint during the filtering stage. This is also when the official A-B Brewmasters taste the beer to ensure it meets the grade. Each of A-B's breweries ship tasting samples to St. Louis daily as this is the brewery where the Brewmasters gather. We got to taste Budweiser that was only 37 minutes old!

FILLING / PACKAGING (Step 8)

This last step is not really part of the brewing process but is a part of the overall business (obviously). This is also one of the cooler parts of the tour as you can see the process of how the beer is put into bottles, labeled, and packaged. Anything in bottles if pasteurized during this process so that it can be stored and shipped at room temperature. Kegs and draftbeer, on the otherhand, must be kept cold at all times as they are not pasteurized. The packaging lines fill over a million cans and bottle every day.

That ends the beer portion of the tour, but they don't stop there. There is one more stop: The Clydesdale Stables. This building is also a National Heritage Landmark and was the original stable used by the Buschs over a 100 years ago. Unfortunately, their house is no longer standing but was located nearby. The stables house all the horses, a couple Dalmatians, as well as some of the original wagons. It also houses Jake, the Guiness Book of World Records holder for biggest Clydesdale ever to be born!


The tour ends at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Museum, full of rich historical facts about Anheuser and the Busch legacy. They also have a gift shop with all sorts of merchandise. Unfortunately, they seemed to be out of the Growler.


While many beer companies provide tours of their facilities, the St. Louis Brewery is one of a kind. Each room is steeped in American history, and the presence of the Clydesdales and original architecture create a true link to this nation's past from the first Budweiser to Prohibition to the annual Super Bowl commercial. Anheuser-Busch really is an American legacy and I felt honored to be a part of it.