This is where I hope that most of the fun happens.

I am going to ask a question:  Is there anything better than getting together with close friends on a warm summer night, drinking your favorite beer, the grill getting heated up for steaks with some great music playing?

It’s not a trick question and I doubt there will be many negatives to it.  It’s more of a way to get folks in a state of mind…and in this section, the default state of mind is one of relaxation, laughter and enjoying being with people you care about.

Nancy (my absolutely wonderful wife of 32 years this October) and I love to cook for each other.  But we most enjoy cooking for others.  And the group of friends we have been blessed with, well, lets just say we are all willing guinea pigs to each others culinary experiments.  And for the most part, we rarely pull away from the table hungry.

There will be stories here…some of mine and I sincerely hope a lot of yours.  The intention here is to find out what are some of your favorite microbreweries, micro distilleries and craft wines in your area.

Also, if you have a favorite place to eat and this could be a place as fancy as you want it to be down to your favorite BBQ joint that has the best pulled pork sandwich you ever had in your life.

I’ll lead it off, just to get the ball rolling.

One of my favorite microbrewery is Deschutes, originally out of Bend, OR and established in 1988.  They have roughly 21 beers but my all-time favorite is their Black Butte Porter.  It is a smooth, dark porter that isn’t heavy and in my opinion, goes with just about any food group.

And one of our favorite BBQ places is a place called Stan’s BBQ in Issaquah, WA.  They are a Kansas City style place (must explain all the Kansas City Chief memorabilia around) that sells their pulled pork by the pound.

If you go there, I would recommend (if there are two of you) to get the Who’s Your Daddy combo.  This gives you 3 ribs, 1/2 lb. of pulled pork, 1/2 lb. of beef brisket, 2 links and 2 choices of sides.  I like their coleslaw and Nancy raves about their baked beans.

So here is where I hope to see some great grilling tips, places to eat and to try out some different beers.  It’s always better to share than to hoard, right?

Got some favorites?