Category Archives: Lifestyle

Features, Food and Drink

Foodtastic: Cooking Up Some 3 Bean Chili

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One of the dishes that I have loved for a long, long time is chili. My Mom cooks it a few times a year (especially in the colder seasons) and I always look forward to it when she makes it. With many of my friends being amateur level gourmands that frequently offer up samples of their own wares, it was only a matter of time before I started boasting my own branding of the stuff. Of course only a few select number of friends have been able to try it out and now with the new personal blog, I decided to discuss my most recent cooking adventure with the stuff. I hope that you like our take on this concoction.

Before going any further, I wanted to say that this was not at all a conventional chili recipe that used only the typical meat and kidney beans along with a dose of spicy seasoning. In my view of it, chili can be looked at as a bit of a pot luck recipe where anything goes depending on what you have at hand. With this in mind, I decided to try some very different ingredients this time around to see what came of it. Let’s begin with what you’ll need to mix it up.
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Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Duke’s Restaurant

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You readers remember our good friend in Metal Steve Keeler right? If you don’t for some reason, let me sidetrack a moment and remind you how Steve not only runs Rock Fantasy, an establishment that we wrote up for Metal Edge magazine a couple of years ago and expanded upon HERE, but he also has the dubious honor of being the person who recommended that we start going to Duke’s Bar on 19th Street off Park Avenue South.

Logo - Dukes Bar

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Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Rudy’s Bar & Grill

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I forget who first told me to check out Rudy’s Bar & Grill down on 9th Avenue around 44th and 45th Street but its a cool little place to visit, even though it can be kind of crowded depending on when you visit the place. The sigh outside is easy enough to notice on a clear night but its the next sight that really gets your attention.

The big standing pig at the entrance is the sure sign that you have reached Rudy’s. I went in here once or twice with some friends when we were getting crowded out of Smith’s Bar right up on 8th Avenue. Folks who know me well, know how I’ve been using Smith’s as my pre-concert launching point for shows that are at B.B. King Blues Club and the Nokia Theatre as each are in very close proximity to the bar. Let’s you get that one last round before heading into the show. Sometimes financially this is a very good option LOL. Anyways, so examining Rudy’s for a second, its a cozy place and very dark in some sections but its workable.

The beer selection is straightforward and priced to sell. Take a look at the menu shot below and tell me if I am wrong in this. I’ve gone with my conventional Coors Light bottle or a Rudy’s Red pitcher. Before you ask, yes I was sharing the pitcher. Mind you it does go quickly either way. While this is not pictured, Rudy’s is also known for serving up free hot dogs and this is a pleasant treat to go along with the beer if you enjoy those kind of delicacies. I know that I don’t mind a couple when I am in Rudy’s.

One of the other points some friends like about Rudy’s is the open porch in the back which I guess is depending on the weather because they let you go out there and if you smoke you can bring your beer along with you. I sure don’t mind the no smoking law since I am not a smoker but I can feel for the smokers who would have to leave their drinks behind and stop the time with their friends to do it. This lets them remain in the mix in some fashion.

Check out Rudy’s if you happen to find Smith’s a little too crowded or just want to sample the beer I mentioned and enjoy a free hot dog as well. Their link is below.

Official Website: http://rudysbarnyc.com/

Lifestyle, Tourism

“Place Yer Bets”, “Place Yer Bets”

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Last month I was in Atlantic City and wandering around the premises of the hotel after a not too productive session of slot machine play. I must admit that while the thrill of winning always appeals to me, the actual visuals of some of the slot machines really piques my interest but therein lies the dilemma – You are NOT allowed to take photographs on the casino floor.  That bothered me a little bit as a photographer since there are so many cool machines out there.  I have seen a Star Wars and Star Trek one, an Ebay one and many, many more.  I am sure that even KISS has its own machine but I just have not seen it yet.  Moving along.  As I wandered the hotel lobby I happened upon this icon of the hotels history and snapped a shot. It was apparently the first ever slot machine to be installed. Feel free to utter awed sighs of amazement.

The plaque above this relic reads “This is the first legal slot machine in Atlantic City and was installed on the Resort’s International casino floor in 1978. It can be identified as the first machine by the number 1 on the lower right side of the cabinet. Since that time more than 14,900 different machines……” Sadly I blocked the rest of the sign but I guess it’s pretty safe to say that there are now over that many machines in this particular casino floor and since there are numerous casinos to enjoy on the Atlantic City Boardwalk we are likely talking about a couple of hundred thousand in total. That is surely a lot of money coming in and all the more reason that we should finally have gambling of this kind be legal in New York State. I think casinos on the West Side highway would be awesome for tourism. Something to think about.

How To See This: Go to Atlantic City, NJ to the Resort’s International hotel and casino and wander the lobby until you chance upon it.