Love Christmas music or not, lots of great live music choices in Gloucester tonight

Those of you who like Christmas music are in luck tonight.  Fly Amero is signing Christmas songs with his brother J.B. and Allen Estes at the Rhumbline tonight starting at 8pm.

Then catch the Local Music Seen with Allen Estes 2011 Christmas Special at 11pm on Cape Ann TV Channel 12 (originally aired last year) featuring Dan King, Daisy Nell & Capt. Stan, Ann Marie, Bradley Royds, Inge Berge, Chelsea Berry, Dave Sag, Courtney Reid and Allen’s son Dylan Estes.  Here’s a video of many of the performers singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. (see more air times here)

Of course, there’s lots of other excellent music in town (not necessarily Christmas — see full schedule here), including Dennis Monagle with Marina Evans, Joe Cardoza and Dave Brown at Minglewood Tavern starting at 9pm.

Here’s something you don’t see every day – and a bit of heresy too

OK, you’re probably already downtown at the Middle Street Walk, and you’ve already decided you’re going to the GMG XMAS party at 6, right?  Now Joey’s all dump the kids with a babysitter and get your naughty on and make some bad decisions and burn down the neighborhood.  Got it. But in between all that, you  might want to sneak away for a quick set of this guy at Minglewood Tavern — guaranteed to be something you don’t see every day.  He even made a funny little teaser for tonight’s show?  You just gotta respect anybody who goes to that much trouble to promote his Gloucester gig!

NOW FOR SOME HERESY
Just in case you feel like bucking the tide, you could consider a quick appearance at Bodin’s and duck out (sorry Paul) in time to catch the Cape Ann Big Band in (dare I say) Manchester … Nope, I didn’t get struck by lightning.  You won’t either.  But you absolutely will be struck by their awesome sound.  And tonight you get to hear one of my favorite singers, Renee Dupuis perform with them.  Just sayin’ you gotta choice.  Here’s a slightly wobly video, but with good sound, featuring some of the band’s hot solos and killer horns.

MORE HERESY AND A BIT OF IRONY
I just can’t help pointing out the irony of my most favorite, irreverent singer/songwriter of all time, Inge Berge as Fireside Dining.  But that’s how it’s being billed at Castle Manor Inn tonight.  Perhaps, during dessert, you could request this song:

Or it’s sequel:

More Inge Berge videos here.

Hot and Spicy Gloucester

If variety is the spice of life, then Gloucester & Cape Ann are hot and spicy this weekend with an impressive variety of live music at over 2 dozen shows.  Rock, Blues, Jamband, Jazz, New Orleans, Folk, Classical, Funk, Latin, Reggae, Soul, Ska, Celtic, DJs.  Whatever you want, you got it.  Check out the complete live music listings for Gloucester & Cape Ann here.  Often you get multiple genres on the same stage.  Here’s one of our favorite local bands, The Runaround Sound, downstairs at The Middle East in Cambridge fusing Latin & Ska into a single song.  You can dance to them at Minglewood tonight.

Minglewood Tavern Really Is Great

They are really hitting it on all cylinders with great specials every night of the week, a great drink menu, one of my favorites on a hot day is a cranberry margarita concoction that one of the best bartenders in town Brian Eastman makes-

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The wood fired pizzas are excellent-

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and the best salad in town the blackened chicken cobb, just bursting with flavor-

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Kid friendly too-

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Brian Eastman forwarded me this story about why we love crispy stuff in reference to my soggy French fry rant (Minglewood also has outstanding crispy on the outside/fluffy on the inside hand cut French fries)

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Why Humans Are Crazy for Crispy

Are you in this video? Depends on were you were on May 5 …

If you were at Minglewood Tavern on May 5, you just might be in Brad Byrd‘s new video On My Way Down shot by Hollywood Director Brandon Rose that night.  If you can’t remember May 5, perhaps you’re the one dancing, singing the words and pointing in the air at 1:24 seconds into this video.

You may remember our series on Brad’s hit video Zero to the 101 shot by Brandon on St. Pat’s day (here’s some behind the scenes footage of that shoot).

Brad is Allen Estes‘ guest on this week’s Local Music Seen, which premieres tonight at 6:30pm on Cape Ann TV Channel 12.  It’s a half hour of excellent music and fascinating dialogue between two of Cape Ann’s best songwriters.  Plus you’ll get to hear three songs by Brad and Allen’s new song The Trouble with Me.

When the show is over, you can choose from half a dozen live music venues tonight with music for every taste you could imagine.   See the full live music schedule here.

Have you seen the sun today?  It’s coming back and will be here in full force soon enough, which is a good reminder to save $12 by getting your tickets now for the Gloucester Blues Festival on Saturday August 11 at Stage Fort Park.  See you there!

Joey C Burgers & Fries Video ~ No limp dick here!

You saw the photo.  You read the rant.  (If you weren’t paying attention  click here.)  Well here’s the video.

Notice Ed in the foreground eating half of Joey’s fries.  Don’t you think Joey & Ed make a cute couple?

Attention Restaurateurs- French Fry Rant and Kudos

There are more than a couple of  joints in town that can cook a great burger but there are only one or two that cook an exceptional burger and then pair it with exceptional french fries for under $10.  The two that come to mind are Minglewood Tavern and Passports.

The key to exceptional fries IMO are their crispness on the outside and soft fluffiness on the inside.  If you go to Passports ask for the “Joey Fries”  They aren’t on the menu but they are hand cut done well and are killer diller just like the ones at Minglewood.

For other great french fries in town go to Leonardos.  They have it down.  Even if you get them to go they package them properly so when you get to where you going they still retain that crispness.

There isn’t much more disappointing in the french fry world than a soggy fry.  So if you are running a restaurant locally ask yourself “Are my fries soggy?’  If the answer is yes, then take whatever measures necessary to figure that shit out.  Your sales will increase and the people who patronize your joint will no longer say, yeah, the burgers are really good but the fries are soggy and limp.

If you have any questions as to the quality of the french fries you serve your patrons here’s what you do.

Hold the french fry from one end.

If the fry has any sag to it that is a fail.

Heat the goddamn oil up.  Use a different kind of oil.  I dunno, I’m no chef, I’m not getting paid to figure this stuff out.  All I’m trying to do is make your food better so you can increase your sales.

If the chef you pay inst willing to figure it out, get a new chef.

So to sum up this post- Soggy Limp Fries are unacceptable.

Fix this.  Please.  Thank you.

Minglewood Tavern Burger Below-

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That’s some french fry excellence right there boy!

Celebrate “Fat Tuesday” & Help Y Teens Rebuild New Orleans

This year, Mardi Gras happens to be during School Vacation Week, so Lat43, Minglewood  & YMCA have cooked up a grand family party and concert to benefit the Y Teens trip to New Orleans in April.

The fun begins at noon at Latitude 43 with balloons, masks, beads, family style Cajun specials and more.

Then Charles Neville joins Henri Smith and his band New Orleans Friends & Flavours at 7pm at Minglewood.  Concert Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.  If you liked them at Celebrate Gloucester, you love this up close, personal chance to see them again.

10% of all proceeds from concert tickets, food and drink will be donated to the Y Teens Rebuild New Orleans III trip. Plus, the YMCA will sponsor barrel raffles featuring great prizes.

See the poster & list of teens going to New Orleans, below:

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The following teens have committed to work diligently to help put families back into their homes:
BRIAN AMERO, COURTNEY ASHWELL, KATHARINE BOUCHER, COLBY FERRIS, SHANNON GALLAGHER, TYLER HURST, ALEX JONES, NICK LUCIDO, JARED MARSHALL, JOEY O’BRIEN, EMILY OHRTMAN, ZOE O’LEARY, EMMA OTTENHEIMER,  ZEKE PASQUARELLI,  KEVIN REDMOND,  MARIAH SALAH, EVAN SHAY, JENNY SONIA, ALI STEER, RINA TAKAHASHI,  STEVEN VERGA,  ZACHARY WHITE, ANDREW WIDTFELDT, BRITTANY WILLIAMS, NIKKI WILLIAMSON, CALEB WNOROWSKI

Minglewood Tavern Again Open For Lunch Everyday

If you were like me and jonesing for one of Gloucester’s best burgers at lunch for the past couple of months and gone by Minglewood only to have found tehm closed for lunch fear not my friends!

They are now re-opened and serving up one of Gloucester’s best burgers and killer hand cut steak fries.

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Not only that but they have a different deal going on 7 nights a week.

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The Minglewood Tavern at Lat 43 T-One Day Photo From Donna Ardizzoni Hop Skip and Go Naked Tonight!

The crew will be there around 7:30 tonight.  Buckle your chinstraps kids- we’re going in deep!

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Check out North Shore Dish’s reporting on the opening here-

Gloucester’s Latitude 43 Unveils New Sibling: Minglewood Tavern

Minglewood Tavern at Lat 43 First Look Video

Brian Eastman and Ethan From Walker Creek give Good Morning Gloucester The Skinny On the Floor To Ceiling Renovation

We’ll be sure to let you guys know when the Minglewood tavern will be open

First Look- Minglewood Tavern At Lat 43 Under Construction

Brian gave me a tour of the completely redesigned Minglewood Tavern (yes you heard the new name here first) at Latitude 43. 

There are a ton of new features including the wood fired oven and new center bar being built out of recovered wood by the folks at Walker Creek.

Video coming later

click the pictures for the full sized versions-

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