Theshackseffect

<+Kat_Pope> gosh don't you guys have anything to say about LGBT stuff. come on nerds, let's have a scientific debate
<+mavhc> what is there to say? Sorry people are idiots, but they'll die soon

++ | --

Thanks Maffu

 

Despite the fact that they’re usually the backdrop for some epic fight scene, a few of the bars depicted in movies are pretty sweet watering holes. Some of them happen to exist in real life,…

Welcome to Day #2 of the AoM sandwich project. Last month we asked readers for their best sandwich recommendations. Out of 483 submissions, we picked 20 to highlight here on the site each weekday during the month of April. At the end, we’ll publish all the entries into an epic man-sandwich cookbook. Enjoy.

Today’s Sandwich: The Bleu Cheese & Teriyaki Meatball by Ben

When I saw this entry I didn’t even have to think about whether this would make my cut. I knew it would. Meatballs, two kinds of cheeses, an English muffin. It combines all my favorite things! Can it live up to the hype I’ve created, though?

The Ingredients

• English muffin
• Bleu cheese dressing
• Swiss cheese
• Teriyaki meatballs (couldn’t find pre-teriyaki-flavored ones as Ben recommended, so I bought meatballs and sauce and mixed them together)

Step 1: Toast and Schmear the Muffin with Dressing

Toast the English muffin and “give each side a thorough schmear” with the bleu cheese dressing.

Step 2: Get the Meatballs Ready

I believe Ben used some leftover teriyaki meatballs for his creation, but I didn’t have that convenience. I mixed together some cooked (in the microwave) beef meatballs with a good helping of teriyaki sauce. Did the job just fine, if I don’t say so myself.

Step 3: Put Meatballs on Muffin

Place meatballs onto the muffin. I made two sandwiches, mainly because I was hungry. Ben suggested 4-5 per sandwich, and that’s exactly what I did. He also suggested cutting them in half, but they were small and tender enough that I figured I would be alright.

Step 4: Add Swiss and Top 

Add a slice of Swiss cheese to the top, let it melt for a few seconds, and then top with the other half of your muffin.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Taster’s Thoughts

This was an excellent sandwich, overall. The meatball/bleu cheese combo was fantastic, but it was really the teriyaki flavor that stole the show. And in a good way. I love teriyaki, so it was perfect. If I had to change anything, I might use a croissant to better catch the juices, and I might use real, crumbly bleu cheese instead of dressing. What a great jumping off point for combining flavors though! Thanks, Ben!

Related posts:

1. AoM Month of Sandwiches Day #1: The Breakfast Reuben
2. Upgrade the Humble Bologna Sandwich + AoM Month of Sandwiches Group Project
3. Dim & Dash: The Best Man’s Toast
4. Grilling Basics: Building a Better Burger
5. 5 Ways to Use Your Turkey Leftovers

A set of four stainless steel shot glasses that can be stacked and tucked into a leather case. Restoration Hardware’s solution for impromptu drinking sessions with your buddies.

• Hat Tip
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Welcome to the first day of the Art of Manliness Month of Sandwiches!

A few weeks ago I published my suggestions on upgrading the humble bologna sandwich. At the end of the post I asked readers to leave a comment with their favorite sandwich recipe. 483 of you deliciously delivered. Jeremy (AoM’s newish editor and community manager) and I then combed through all of the sandwich submissions and picked 20 that we’re going to highlight during April. Each weekday this month you’ll find a new delicious sandwich recipe complete with photo instructions on how to construct it. I’m really looking forward to this. I’ve already made a few of these user-submitted sandwiches and all of them have been fantastic. Hopefully you’ll glean some new ideas to add to your sammich repertoire.

At the end of the series we plan to compile all the sandwich submissions into an epic man-sandwich recipe book.

A note to all those who shared a sandwich I’m going to be highlighting: I know I won’t make it as well as you, with all your exact signature touches. This is just one guy’s first-time go at it.

Today’s Sandwich: The Breakfast Reuben by Dan W.

I love breakfast and I love Reubens, so I had high hopes for this sandwich. Did Dan W. let me down? Let’s find out.

The Ingredients

• Rye bread. Marbled is Dan’s preferred rye of choice, but he says dark or light rye work great, too. I couldn’t find any marbled rye, so I just went with dark.
• Swiss cheese or emmentaler (I used Swiss)
• 1 egg
• Pastrami, corn beef, and roast beef (I just used a bit of pastrami and corn beef)
• Horseradish sauce
• Ketchup
• Sauerkraut

Step 1: Fry Your Egg

This is what makes the Breakfast Reuben a Breakfast Reuben. Fry up an over-medium egg. Dan suggests keeping the yolk a little runny. Don’t know how to cook an over-medium egg? Check out our comprehensive guide on how to cook eggs.

Step 2: Place Cheese and Egg on Piece of Rye Bread

I over-cooked the egg a little. Oh well.

Step 3: Layer Meats and Kraut

Add your pastrami, corn beef, and roast beef. Be as generous as you want. Top it off with a big heap of sauerkraut.

Step 4: Add Ketchup and Horseradish Sauce

Add your “Russian Sauce” by squirting some ketchup and horseradish sauce on top of your glorious pile of cheese, egg, meat, and kraut. I could have taken the extra step of mixing the ketchup and horseradish sauce together, but I was hungry.

Step 5: Top with Bread

Ain’t she a beaut?

Step 6: Eat!

Taster’s Thoughts

This is a solid sandwich. Savory and filling. The addition of a fried egg to a traditional Reuben sandwich is a deft touch. Despite being called the “Breakfast Reuben,” I probably wouldn’t eat this sandwich for breakfast. It’s too salty for my tastes to start my day off with. It’s a great sammy for a lazy Saturday lunch, though. Two thumbs up!

Related posts:

1. Upgrade the Humble Bologna Sandwich + AoM Month of Sandwiches Group Project
2. Grilling Basics: Building a Better Burger
3. Breakfast Basics: How to Make Better Eggs
4. Fire Up the Grill: 5 Mouthwatering Recipes for Your Memorial Day Weekend
5. 5 Delicious Ways to Use a Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken

[Illustration: Robyn Lee]

Someone hit the music, Game of Thrones is back! Now fetch me a horn of ale and pour one for yourself because it is time for the Drinking Game of Thrones. Is alcohol necessary to enjoy GoT? Certainly not, but since Cersei Lannister plays the worst drinking games, I see it as my duty to the Serious Eats realm to provide a suitable replacement.

Spoiler Alert! If you have not watched all of Season 2 yet, catch up! (And don't read the game below until you're up to speed.) Got Season 2 already under your belt? Then read on, Macduff.

The Necessary Details

Game of Thrones is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire book series by author/protagonist-torturer George RR Martin. It takes place on the fictional continent of Westeros (and partially in neighboring Essos) which has been united after generations of fighting. Basically, the show is about sex and stabbing intrigue between powerful families in something like the Middle Ages, set against a fantasy backdrop where frozen zombies lurk beyond a really tall wall, and the birth of three dragons (thought to be extinct) has reignited magic in the world.

Here's a very brief rundown of where we left our heroes/villains, in case all you can remember from last season was some beheading and nudity.

Arya Stark: The youngest daughter of Ned Stark and Caitlyn (Tully) Stark was on her way to the Wall when she was captured by the rival clan, the Lannisters. She managed to escape with her pals, perpetually-shirtless Gendry and the hottest of hot pies, Hot Pie, thanks to the help of Jaqen H'ghar, a Faceless Man (assassin) from the mysterious isle of Bravoos. And she did all of this without anyone figuring out that she was the missing Stark daughter, which seems ridiculous until you remember that milk cartons don't exist in Westeros. We don't know where Arya and her homeboys are headed, but we do know that Jaqen gave her a coin and the words "Valar Morghulis" before changing his face to what I imagine David Schwimmer looks like these days.

Robb Stark, The King In the North: The Young Wolf leads his armies south with nothing but success on the battlefield and nothing but problems away from it. His mother, Caitlyn, has freed his prized captive—Jaime Lannister, "the Kingslayer," brother of Queen Cersei Lannister—in hopes that returning him will convince Cersei to return Caitlyn's daughters, Arya (who Cersei doesn't have) and Sansa Stark (professional whiner and Cersei's reluctant drinking buddy). So now Robb's bannermen are upset about the missing captive, and his supposed best friend betrayed him and captured his castle at Winterfell. If that weren't bad enough, Robb decided to break his vow to marry a daughter of House Frey and got himself married to a field nurse with a removing-foot fetish. Though in Robb's defense, I'd foresake my gods for Oona Chaplin, too.

Theon Greyjoy: Betrayed his best friend Robb. Molested his sister. Got verbally abused by his father. Got verbally abused by his men. Killed, burned and hanged two small children. Screamed the Westeros equivalent of "YOLO (Language NSFW) ." And got knocked unconscious by his own men. All in all, things are looking great for Theon.

Tyrion Lannister: Tyrion was last seen kicking ass, taking names, and winning Emmys. After giving one of the best speeches in TV history, he successfully lead the defense of King's Landing against the invasion of Stannis Baratheon, only to have one of the Kingsguard attack him. He's recovering with a nice slice across his face, stripped of all his power and being watched while he sleeps by a creepy old man.

Stannis Baratheon: After a failed invasion of King's Landing, Stannis retreated to Dragonstone to engage in some auto-erotic asphyxiation and fire-play with his red priestess, which might be only sentence I could write about Game of Thrones that is actually less kinky than it sounds.

Jon Snow: Lord Snow is currently prancing through the snow with his new Wildling pals on his way to meet Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall. Meanwhile his Black Brothers of the Night's Watch are digging latrines at the end of the world, which is not so bad according to the always chipper Dolorous Edd.

Daenerys Targaryen: Dany was last seen wasting all of our time with her meandering story where she spent most of her time losing a battle against walking and forcing HBO to blow its entire CGI budget on dragons that can barely toast bread. Until Strong Belwas shows up all that Daenerys is is the Mother of is Boring Subplots.

Supplies You'll Need

Lamprey pie, anyone? If Game of Thrones makes you hungry, then you have something in common with George RR Martin. If you're looking for something other than Dothraki cooked dog, might I offer some seared duck breast with red wine and figs? And don't be stingy with the wine.

Personally, I'll be enjoying a horn of ale, (Brewery Ommegang even released a special Iron Throne beer for the occasion) but mead is another option. Or you could take a page from King Robert's playbook, skip the boar and opt for MOAR WINE!

The Game of Thrones Drinking Game

Now that you're armed and ready, it's time to play the Drinking Game of Thrones. Remember, we're not trying to eat and drink our way to an early grave. This game is for entertainment purposes only.

Take a Sip

1 Sip: For every time there's a "squelch" sound of a sword cutting through somebody. You'll know it when you hear it.
2 Sips: For every Tyrion one-liner. Which is just about any time he speaks.
2 Sips: For any topless scene. Unsip if the topless woman is Ros. Because Ros is terrible.
3 Sips: For every time someone calls Jon Snow a "bastid." Take a bonus sip if he gets all brooding and does that face that Kit Harrington does instead of acting.
3 Sips:For every time a raven brings a message. Bonus sip if someone remarks "Dark wings, dark words."
4 Sips: For every time the supposed master strategist, Stannis Baratheon, makes an obviously wrong strategic decision.

Take a Swig

1 Swig: For "I am Daenerys "Storm-born" of House Targaryen! The Mother of Dragons! And blah, blah, blah." Bonus swig if this 20 minute diatribe ends with "...and I will take what is mine by fire and blood!"
2 Swigs: For every instance of good King Joffery just being the douchiest douche that ever douched.
3 Swigs: For every severed limb. Bonus sip for a decapitation. Double bonus if this happens outside of a battlefield.
3 Swigs: For anyone getting hot liquids or molten metal poured over their heads.
3 Swigs: HODOR!
4 Swigs: If something bad happens to Tyrion. Like getting kidnapped. Or attacked by hill tribesmen. Or locked in a Sky Cell. Or getting tried for murder. Or almost getting attacked by more hill tribesmen. Or having his sister plot against him. Or having half his face hacked off. Or...

Slam It

Slam Your Drink: If any major character dies.
Slam Your Drink: If there is the rare male full-frontal nudity. Season One gave us Hodor's "Little Giant" AND Theon Greyjoy's "Mini-Kraken."

Drink for the Duration of:

Any "sexposition" scene. What's "sexposition?" It's like exposition, but with boobs.

Stop Drinking If:

You find yourself "bending the knee" before the Porcelain Throne.

So who else is excited for Season Three? Got any ideas for rules I missed? Send a raven in the comment section below.

About the Author: Vinny Mannering is a red-bearded raconteur with a penchant for sarcasm, ice hockey, and good beer. You can listen to him praise beer and loathe society on Twitter.

Let's be friends! Gab with SE: Drinks on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. Keep in the loop with our weekly newsletter.

[Photographs: Linda Xiao]

If you like an Old Fashioned, you should probably be sipping on a Pioneer Spirit when you go to Raines Law Room in NYC. You'll find it in the "Stirred and Strong" section of their menu; this whiskey-forward cocktail is an original take on the classic.

"I love using domestic spirits," says head bartender Meaghan Dorman, who gives the drink a stiff base with Vermont's stellar WhistlePig rye. She adds more East Coast flavor by way of New Jersey's Laird's apple brandy. "Lots of people are unfamiliar with Laird's, so this is a nice way to introduce them to it. Some people correlate apple brandy with green-apple martinis, and it's nothing like that. It's more like an apple whiskey."

The apple brandy speaks to the whiskey's warmer notes, and the WhistlePig rye brings plenty of peppery spice to the glass, but little burn, thanks to ten years in the barrel. "With age, it moves away from the toffee-vanilla profile of younger whiskeys, into more of a hazelnut, fruitcake flavor," notes Dorman.

She plays up these autumnal undertones, sweetening the cocktail with orgeat. An almond-based syrup with a touch of flower water, the orgeat stands in for the Old Fashioned's sugar cube. Keeping with tradition, Dorman adds a couple aromatic dashes of Angostura bitters.

She builds the drink right in the double rocks glass, adding a large ice cube and giving it a stir. She tops it off with a substantial orange peel, expressing the citrus oil before setting it in the glass.

The decidedly stiff outcome will delight whiskey drinkers and—especially when drunk slowly (careful standing up if you're doing it any other way)—open unacquainted eyes to the wonderfully versatile world of apple brandy and the nutty nuances of rye.

Get the Recipe

Raines Law Room's Pioneer Spirit »

Every now and again, I stumble across something online that makes me smile. Sometimes it's an incredibly well-written article; other times it's a preview of an album I've been wanting to hear. Then there are the times when all it takes to put me in a good mood is the thought of a single-serve soft chocolate chip cookie in a cup. 

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