Monster B's

Stamford, CT
http://www.monsterbs.com/

Food Menu / Draught Beer Menu / Bottled Beer Menu

Happy Hour: M-F, 4-8pm
$3 draught pints, Half-priced appetizers

If you’re a 20-something living in Stamford, you may not be aware of this, but there are bars outside of the Downtown area. That’s right, it’s true. One such place is a little slice of heaven called Monster B’s, located on Glenbrook Road.

What’s so special about this place?

First and foremost, it’s the beer selection. With 30 beers on tap and more than 180 bottled, there’s plenty of room to explore. In fact, last year they won a “Best of the Gold Coast” award for their incredible beer selection! If you come here and order a Bud Light, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Second, they have a friggin' party bus. That's right, you can call Monster B's and have them pick you and your friends up for a ride to the bar. They'll even give you a ride back. I'm not sure of the details exactly, but I've got to say this is one of the greatest ideas of all time. Even better than the Keytar. Check out the website for more details.

Third, the music selection is surprisingly tolerable. Albeit, at one point we were subjected to Hole and the nauseating quasi-musical stylings of Courtney Love, but the rest of the tunes were A-OK. Live, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters – that sort of thing.

This might seem a minor detail, but at Brickhouse, an overcrowded bar with an irresistible Wednesday deal that we’ll chronicle soon, the music has me thinking homicidal thoughts. Lady GaGa, Pitbull, Sean Kingston – a who’s who of people we’d like to see put in a space shuttle and shot towards the sun.

But I digress. We went to Monster B's for Happy Hour, which just may be the best in Stamford: $3 for every beer on draught, and half-price for most appetizers. I had the loaded nachos; $9.99 normally, $5 at oh-so-beautiful happy hour. They were super cheesy and loaded with chili. I’ve had better, but they certainly hit the spot. My beers were a Great Divide Titan IPA, A Brooklyn Brewmasters Reserve Cuvee de Cardoz, and Abita Purple Haze. Three totally different beers, all satisfying. This is the place to go to discover something new.

[ Kyle interrupting here] I also had a Great Divide Titan IPA, but followed it with a Lagunitas IPA and a Captain Lawrence Captains Reserve Imperial IPA. I guess you can figure out that I like IPA’s (That’s India Pale Ale if you were wondering)… In the food department I had a dozen wings doused in Monster B’s own Hero Sauce. I was warned by the waitress about the heat level of this sauce but did not waiver from my decision. Hot damn! Those were hot. Tasty, but scorching. If you’re not familiar with hot sauce, don’t be a Hero. [Done, just had to say my piece]

‘Twas a hootenanny of a good time. How can you go wrong with 3 flavorful beers and a plate of nachos for $14? You just can’t. But this is Food Plus Beer. Every establishment has an emphasis. Are you coming to Monster B’s mainly for the grub, or for the Tedy Brewskis (look it up, non-football fans)? The tribe has spoken. In the case of Monster B’s…

Food vs Beer?

Beer wins. Fatality.

-Ryan

*Since the draught beers aren't updated on their website check out the comments to this post for the beers available when we went on 8/26.

Food for Thought #1

You know, not every entry can be about massive double cheeseburgers and sweet deals. Well, OK, yes it can.

But there are a lot of philosophical matters in the world of food, and Food Plus Beer aims to tackle those as well. We will call these posts "Food for Thought," because it's a brilliant pun of Good Humor popsicle stick proportions.

Warning: This entry contains Non-FPB-Approved Dining.
At Food Plus Beer, we encourage culinary exploration – after all, your next favorite food could still be out there somewhere, unbeknownst to you. But this exploration could lead you into a moral dilemma.

New Zealand Dog Barbecue
The above link is a story of a relocated Tongan (native of Tonga…don’t worry, I had to look it up, too) man living in New Zealand who caused a whirlwind of controversy when he decided he’d had enough of his Staffordshire terrier, so he beat it over the head with a hammer, slit its throat, and ate it.

“Damn…Why didn’t I think of that?”
New Zealand law states that citizens can kill and eat their dogs, as long as they’re killed humanely. And what’s more humane than being bashed over the head with a hammer?

This man grew up in a part of the world where eating dogs is no big deal. I mean, we love to eat cows, even though it freaks out our wacky friends in India, right? Perhaps our aversion to eating our beloved terriers is nothing more than typical American ethnocentric attitude.

So let’s put it to a poll, shall we? You’ll notice the burning question lingering to the right.

Would you ever try dog meat?

-Ryan

About Us

For the launch of our blog we wanted to give you some fun content first, however we didn't say anything about us (the bloggers)! So here goes:

We're two young lads from Stamford, CT who have been eating food since before our baby teeth and drinking beer for longer! We believe this experience makes us exceptional critics, connoisseurs, afficionados and so forth. Here is a little insight into our favorite foods and beers.

Kyle

Favorite Foods:
- Lobster
- Baby Back Ribs
- Philly Cheese Steaks

Favorite Beers:
- Ithaca Flower Power IPA
- Stone IPA
- Victory Prima Pils

Favorite Snack:
- Beef Jerky

Favorite Topping:
- Bacon

Favorite Thing Wrapped in Bacon:
- Scallops

Ketchup, Mustard, or Mayo?
- Mayo

Ryan

Favorite Foods:
- Pizza
- Wings
- Burgers

Favorite Beers:
- Brooklyn Lager
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
- Blue Moon

Favorite Snack:
- Now Defunct...The Legend of Guacamole Doritos

Favorite Topping:
- Bacon

Favorite Thing Wrapped in Bacon:
- Bacon

Ketchup, Mustard, or Mayo?
- Bacon


See our latest post below!

Stamford Restaurant Week Summer 2009

I'm a day late in posting this, but I'm sure you'll manage. Yesterday, Monday, August 17th, was the first day of Stamford's Restaurant Weeks, which will continue for the next two weeks until Sunday, August 30th. Restaurant Week gives you the opportunity to get a full 3 course meal (most restaurants offer an appetizer, entrée, and dessert) for a fixed price with choices from a special prix-fixe menu. Although you may be able to find some deals, beware, not everything is worth it.

Here's the chart of participating restaurants (click for menus):

$10.09 Lunch and $15.09 Dinner

Black Bear Saloon Kujaku Japanese Restaurant SBC Restaurant & Brewery Tigin Irish Pub & Restaurant*

$10.09 Lunch and $20.09 Dinner

Remo’s Brick Oven Pizza Company Republic Grill Asian Bistro

$19.09 Lunch and $30.09 Dinner

BUtterfield 8 Chez Jean-Pierre Columbus Park Trattoria Emme of Capri Ferrante Market Restaurant** Mitchell’s Fish Market Mona Lisa Ristorante Telluride The Capital Grille

*Call 203-353-8444 for details
**Dinner Only

Stamford Downtown Restaurant Week '09 Site

I've taken a brief look at most of the menus and in general most of the lunches to me seem like pretty awesome deals. The majority of lunch menus are nearly the same as the dinner menus and are significantly cheaper. But who goes out for a big lunch? As far as dinner goes, I think your best bet is to try the restaurants that are generally more expensive to begin with. Although $30.09 per person may seem like a lot, some of the restaurants on the list are serving entrees that usually cost more than that.

Take The Capital Grille for example – If I were to go there I'd order:

Clam Chowder: $8
Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Shallot Butter: $42
Creamed Spinach: $9
Flourless Chocolate Expresso Cake: $7

Total Normal Cost: $66

There are other menu options that you could choose, but they all come out to about the same total cost. With restaurant week you can eat at a great steak house with 50% off. However, some deals suck. Black Bear thought it was a great idea to offer only an entrée, say their Southwestern Burger, for $15.09 when it usually costs only $9.99 – go figure!

Anyway, check out the menus and decide what you like best. Post some comments and share your thoughts on any of these restaurants or deals!

OTHER NEWS:

While you're doing Stamford restaurant stuff, make sure you sign up for the free iShop Stamford Downtown Card for 10% off selected restaurants and stores.

New York City Restaurant Week has been extended through Labor Day (weekdays only).

Boston Restaurant Week continues through Friday, August 21st.

And although unrelated to food and beer, everyone hates taxes, so I thought I'd remind you that it's Tax Free Week in Connecticut this week until August 22nd, for all clothing, shoes, and accessories under $300.

-Kyle

Double Bacon Cheeseburger

Well, it's been 5 months in the making...let's get this baby goin'! Ladies and Gentlemen... Food plus Beer! Hey everyone, this is Kyle, and here's a little man-feast I whipped up that's packed with bacon both inside and on top.

Ingredients:

1.5 lb Ground Chuck 80/20
.5 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Bacon
½ Large Onion (chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (crushed)
2T Montreal Steak Seasoning
1T Barbeque Sauce

Poppy or Sesame Seed Rolls (classic buns won’t be able to handle these big boys)
2 Slices of White American Cheese per Burger (don’t get singles)
2 Slices of Monterey Jack Cheese per Burger
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Cut half of the bacon into 1 inch pieces and sauté. Set aside the rest of the bacon for topping.
   
   
2. When bacon is getting crispy add chopped onion and continue frying until onion is soft
   
   
3. Drain half of the grease from the pan and let the remainder cool
   
   
4. Once cool, combine mixture with all remaining ingredients (excluding buns and cheese) in a bowl (use your hands! It’s the easiest way by far)
   
   
5. Divide mixture into as many patties as you like. When it comes to burgers the bigger the better, so I made 3 massive patties. Make your patties a little thinner in the middle so they don’t turn into meatballs.
   
   
6. If you’re burgers are really big, I recommend starting each side on high heat and then lowering the heat. Flip burgers only once during cooking. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the bacon to put on top.
   
   
7. When done, flip burgers once more and add your cheese for the last 2 minutes (until it melts)
   
8. Drop it on a lightly toasted bun and add desired toppings
   
9. Proceed straight to Burger City, first stop, Bun Town. As always, wash it down with a cold beer.
   
   

You can feel the intensity in my eyes. That's me, Ryan. Hi. Eating this burger was guttural. Primal. I felt like a lion tearing apart a zebra on the Serengeti. A zebra covered in melted cheese. I mean, come on, stop it. Food this good just isn't fair. But it wasn't just food. After all, the site is called Food Plus Beer, ain't it? We complemented this Meatapalooza by throwing back a few Longhammer IPAs, a sexy hoppy little number with a 6.5% ABV (Alcohol by volume, stupid) and a slight malty finish. Bottom line? I'd do it again. Right now.

-Ryan

The Ginger Man: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Beer Dinner

I think it's a bit pricey but for those who are interested, it's $65 per person for 5 courses paired with 5 beers at The Ginger Man in Norwalk, CT. Here's the email:

It's that time again! On Monday, August 10th, The Ginger Man will host the
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company for this month's beer dinner.

From Chico, California, Sierra Nevada is one of the premier craft breweries in the world. The company is tirelessly dedicated to the green effort and devotes considerable resources to technologies involving recycling, fuel cells, solar energy, heat and carbon dioxide recovery, and even green transportation for their distribution truck fleet. And all the while, they make tremendous beer!

For those not familiar with our beer dinners, your $65 ticket is all inclusive: 5 courses paired with 5 beers, tax and gratuity. The evening kicks off promptly at 7pm, cocktail style--check in, meet your friends and enjoy hors d'oeuvres. 4 courses follow, including a cheese plate and dessert.

Further information about the beer selections and food menu can be found here in PDF or on our website.

Please call or come in to purchase your tickets. Due to the high demand for beer dinner seats, we are unable to offer a refund for cancelled tickets. Feel free to contact us at info@gingermannorwalk.com for further information.

We look forward to seeing you there!