Years ago, when I first started watching The Iron Chef, Morimoto was always my favorite of the bunch for not only the incredible-looking dishes he served up, but also for his winning personality. He’s a guy who comes off as charming, humble, and altogether likable in whatever he’s in, whether it be the original Iron Chef program, its American remake, or the countless other Food Network shows he’s appeared in. Several months ago, I talked about my trip to Bobby Flay’s restaurant in Las Vegas, the Mesa Grill, and while it was definitely a cool experience and the food was wonderful, in my mind Mr. Flay is no Morimoto and the chance to eat at Morimoto’s restaurant in Philadelphia was far more exciting to me.

My wife and I made reservations a few days prior. Unfortunately, because we were planning on eating Saturday evening, we were only able to nab reservations for 9pm. I don’t mind eating late, but for the meal we were about to be served, dining well into the night was not ideal.

You see, friends of ours had eaten at Morimoto’s and recommended the Chef’s Choice, or “Omakase”. The idea behind the Omakase is that it’s a sampling of different items on the menu with the intent of giving you a feel for Chef Morimoto’s dishes. The Omakase ranges in price from “$80 – $120 and up”, the price apparently increasing with the quality of ingredients, according to our waitress. We decided to “cheap out” and go with the $80 option.

But first things first: the bar.

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In downtown Philadelphia, down an narrow hidden alley, sits the oldest continuously-run pub in the city, McGillan’s Old Ale House. It’s one of those places that immediately hits you with its charm the moment you walk through the doors. Dimly-lit with wooden beams lining the ceiling, McGillan’s is the quintessential old-time tavern. My wife and I walked through the doors and were immediately greeted by the bar’s owner, who told us to sit wherever we’d like. We chose one of the tables near the fireplace and took a look around.

Lining the walls were the typical bar decor: old pictures, sports news clippings, and a seemingly random collection of antique nick-nacks. But looking through the menu, we discovered that this building contained a boat-load of history.

From their website:

Shortly after the Liberty Bell cracked and long before ground was broken for City Hall, McGillin’s Olde Ale House threw open its doors. Its beer taps have been flowing since 1860 — making it the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia. McGillin’s has outlasted Strawbridge’s, the Civil War and even Prohibition.

Hit the link for a few photos.

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It was about three years ago that our good friends Savory Cade and Cap’n Rawkenschpiel introduced us to Sailor Jerry. At the time, our rum of choice was Captain Morgan and to us nothing could ever replace it. And when Savory and Cap’n first told us about the Sailor, claiming that it was far superior to our beloved pirate, we simply wrote it off as another impostor akin to Calico Jack and Admiral Nelson.

Shame on us!

One sip of the Sailor and we were sold. Not only was it stronger than Captain, it was smoother and mixed better with Coke. And as a bonus (depending on your point of view), it made us even more surly during podcasts. We never looked back and Sailor Jerry and Coke has been the favorite mixed drink of Drunken Gamers Radio ever since.

On a drunken Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, I stumbled out of an Irish pub (more on that later), rounded the corner, and saw the sign for the Sailor Jerry store. I rubbed my bloodshot eyes and looked again. Could it be? An entire store dedicated to the greatest rum ever distilled?

Xanadu!

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Over the course of my brief existence, I’ve found that travel energizes me, makes me more aware, and – dare I say it – makes me a better human being. When I go too long without leaving my home base I become more bitter, cynical, and less appreciative of our world and the creatures that populate it. It’s easy to watch TV or read the news and throw out half-informed opinions or come to conclusions that are only partially educated. But nothing compares to getting out there in person. To put it more eloquently:

“Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel’s immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way” Ralph Crawshaw

Aside from travel, I’ve always wondered if I was more interested in the history of my favorite past times than the actual past times themselves. Take music, for example. Once I got to college I realized I was less interested in becoming a virtuoso than I was in the stories of the composers and the history of the art; hence my decision to take on the second most useless degree in existence: music history. And when it comes to gaming, I can guarantee I spend more time reading about games and discussing them than I do actually playing them.

I don’t have enough interest in American History to refer to myself as “buff”, so let’s just say I’m a casual fan. Yes, I’ve been known to spend entire days watching multi-part series on the History Channel detailing the presidents and the history of each individual state, but I don’t have the Declaration of Independence committed to memory, nor do I know the particulars of each major battle of the Civil War. That being said, I was excited to get the chance to spend a day in Philadelphia; to be able to see historical landmarks that I had been reading about since I was a kid, and to simply spend time in one of America’s great cities. I’ve been to many places around and outside of the United States and have always come back with valuable experiences, but I’m surprised by what I came away with during one solitary day in Philadelphia.
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