Exhaustion and pride.

Thanks to everyone who came out to sample the Bank Street Brewhouse yesterday afternoon and evening. It was a fine start for us, and we'll be working to iron out the kinks as the next stage (brewery installation and exterior work) begins.

I apologize about the food/kitchen confusion yesterday. I was confused, too. I did a fairly poor job of articulating the lunch time vs. dinner time information, and we hadn't quite gotten an "interim" snack menu in place ... then, to top it off, we ran through a big volume of edibles at lunch with no time to prep the evening.

Chef Josh let most of the kitchen crew go home and sleep, and put together an impromptu evening menu of soup and a cheese plate that went over quite well. The beer was flowing freely, and the atmosphere was festive.

In the context of our previous experience, the Bank Street project throws a few curveballs. We've always done a day-long pizza and sandwich menu; now, at Bank Street, we have a kitchen and a creative menu that make different demands in terms of time, and with the way that I must conceptualize the marketing plan. It'll take a couple of weeks, but we'll get there. Tuesday through Saturday will be lunch and dinner menus, with snacks (cheese plate, etc) in between. Sunday will be a different (and currently evolving) plan for the food, perhaps a lighter bill of fare (salads, soups) for YMCA patrons and weekend bicyclists.

NABC beer, Southern Indiana wines, a small list of selected spirits and craft sodas will be available at all hours.

Ironically, with my out-of-town guest Kim in tow, and seeking to expose him to as many good things as possible over the weekend, we actually left Bank Street Brewhouse early Friday evening and went to La Rosita's to dine. We could do this because the staff was completely on task, which feels good.

Rosita's was packed, too, and in all three seating areas. The food was wonderful as always.

Thanks again for the support. We have plenty of work to do, and are exceedingly optimistic about the prospects.

New Tacos La Rosita open on Grant Line Road near NABC.

I apologize for the scattershot postings and brevity. There has simply been no time this week to write, and I remain unable to re-establish a "compositional" routine in the ongoing absence of my office computer, which is being repaired following a mother board flame-out.

Permit me to pass these good tidings to readers: The much anticipated rebirth of Tacos La Rosita, the taqueria arm of Israel Landin's sit-down Mexican eatery on Market Street in New Albany, has been launched in the new location across Grant Line Road from the New Albanian Brewing Company. It's now adjacent to the liquor store in what we've always called Grant Line Center -- across from the school, and on the same side of the street as K-Mart. We can see the banner from NABC's parking lot.

I haven't been over to check it out, but I'm told that Israel has a beer permit. Hell, we could take a keg over there on a two-wheeler, so it might yet be possible to have Israel's delicious authentic Mexican food with a Progressive Pint of Mt. Lee or Elector.

Cilantro and hops? Who needs Miller Chill?

Authentic Mexican cuisine deserves better than Carta Blanca, et al.

Yesterday the Curmudgeons walked a few short blocks to New Albany’s La Rosita Mexican Grill for what has become a twice (at least) weekly authentic Mexican feast, courtesy of the culinary wizardry of chef and owner Israel Landin.

As Israel and my wife discussed Catholic theology and the phenomenon of Santeria, I noticed a five people at a nearby table that seemed about to collapse from the weight of colorful dishes, and their food made me hungry, except that each was drinking a Mexican beer straight from the bottle, with the redundant lime wedged in the neck.

That part of the scene almost gave me nausea. Such superb examples of Mexican cuisine … and such lackluster Mexican beer to go with them.

Part of it may have been that the last time I dined at La Rosita on the occasion of our recent pub crawl through New Albany, the festive nature of the evening caused me to shed longstanding inhibitions and order a Carta Blanca, sans lime, in an effort to compare the flavor with my 1980’s memories of it. I expected to be disappointed with what I recalled as a pervasive blandness. Instead, I was disgusted by the overpowering essence of corn flakes. No wonder limes are used. It’s the only way to hide the corn.

These ruminations aren’t to be taken as a jab at Israel, who is both a wonderful person and a gifted cook. Rather, they are to reiterate (again) how sad it is that ethnic restaurants so seldom have challenging beer lists. Each time I eat at La Rosita, I imagine the beer that would accompany my food, but it isn’t available, and given Israel’s scale of operation and his personal priorities, it isn’t likely to be any time soon.

A boy can dream, though. Time, perhaps, for the long-awaited cooperative venture between Israel and myself, wherein he produces a multi-course Mexican masterpiece and I find microbrewed beers from America for an intelligent pairing.

Call it the Progressive Mexican-American beer dinner. Anyone out there game?

Downtown NA pub crawl Wednesday night.

In honor of the honorable Don Barry, world traveler, scholar and the author’s cousin, who is in town for a brief stay before jetting to New York and Europe for the usual round of summer frolics, those of us forced to remain here are going to do something previously thought impossible: A pub crawl of ... yes ... downtown New Albany, with Don in tow.

That’d be a pub crawl with good beer, and not the area standard of swill. It ain't Bamberg ... but it's better than before.

This largely unplanned event will take place on Wednesday evening (May 30). We will be meeting at the Baylor residence (1117 E. Spring) at 5:30 p.m., and then decamping by foot to the nearby La Rosita for culinary succulence. Stated simply, there is no better Mexican cuisine in the Louisville metropolitan area than that prepared and served by Israel Landin and his family.

After various morsels, we’ll walk down Market Street and examine the Bistro New Albany’s expanded libations list, which now includes top shelf liquors. Founded in April, 2006, the Bistro New Albany offers fine dining in the historic New Albany Inn hotel building at 148 E. Market. It has an excellent, atmospheric patio, and four or five NABC beers always on draft.

Later, we’ll stroll around the corner to the brand new Connor's Place for nightcaps and cigars on the patio. Connor’s Place, with relaxed sports bar ambience and casual dining in a historic building at 207 E. Main Street, is former BNA partner Dave Himmel’s labor of love. It has another knockout outdoor seating area and two NABC beers always on tap.

Afterwards we’ll walk back to the starting point via Main Street and 11th. Readers and friends are invited to join us at one or all of the stops.