Posted by: Andrew Holt in Nightlife, Music, Food on
Dec 28, 2009
Walla Walla finally has an upscale night club with dancing. Ladies and Gents, may I present to you . . . The Red Monkey! - I know, I know, the name does not reflect the major upgrade in night clubbing that "The Monkey" represents. But let's excuse the owners for their strange taste in names and, rather, applaud them for opening a true dinner dance club that does not cater solely to the 24-and-under crowd and their rap music.
In fact, before 9:30 on a Friday night, "The Monkey" more closely resembles a classy Sports Bar than a Dance Club with its multitude of large flat screen televisions strategically placed throughout the establishment. The dinner menu is solid. Everyone in my gang seemed to be happy with their burgers, barbequed pork and salads. I had the chicken quesadilla which was tasty and not too salty . . . a good thing.
As the night progressed, the Happy Hour crowd and early dinner couples began to dwindle and were replaced by the younger crowd. Not a problem. There's actually a dress code and young ladies entered dressed to the nines, wearing a myriad of sultry pant and skirt ensembles, instead of the usual jeans falling off the hips or pajama bottoms. And the lads looked nice, too: Collared shirts, dress shoes and jeans, instead of the normal oversized hockey jersey, the ball cap to the side and unlaced monster sized basketball sneakers.
As a male in his mid 40's, I felt quite at home. It's the type of place folks in their 30's to mid 50's have been aching for since I moved here in 2003 -- a place to go dancing that plays music we recognize and makes you feel like you're having a "night out" instead of getting in the way of the drinking duels of 22-year-olds who didn't have the time to comb their hair before making their motley appearance. The constant presence of security folks shows that "The Monkey" doesn't want to be a haven for macho man fights. God bless them.
Posted by: Catie McIntyre Walker in Wine on
Dec 21, 2009
Nope. I'm not talking about a new slushy wine drink found at the local corner convenience store. Ice wine (or
Eiswein) is about a frosty little shriveled grape that produces an intense sweet nectar like no other.
Frozen grapes were used to make wine during Roman times, as far back as AD 23. And you might think it is easy as putting the grapes in the freezer, but it's not that easy if it is an
authentic ice wine or
Eiswein.
The history behind these little bottles of Mother Nature's nectar started in Germany post-Roman ice wine in the 1830's. The winters were harsh and grapes were typically left on the vines to be used later for livestock feed. Winemakers later noticed the frozen grapes were producing a sweet concentrated juice. Since temperatures of 20F( -7C) or below are required, we mostly see ice wines produced in Germany, northern states of the US and the biggest production now comes from Ontario, Canada.
Posted by: Becky St. Clair in Tradition, Business on
Dec 14, 2009
It was cold, but I didn't care. That's the way it was supposed to be. I rubbed my gloved hands together and giggled quietly at the fog escaping my lips every time I breathed. I felt like I was five years old, going with Grandpa to pick out the very best Christmas tree.
I wasn't with Grandpa, and I certainly wasn't five years old. I'd been out of college a couple of years and was with my husband of only slightly longer. We were getting our very first real Christmas tree as a couple (before we'd only had the two-feet-tall potted ones from Wal-Mart), and had decided to go the route everyone was talking about: Klickers.
Before then, I'd only ever known about Klickers strawberries. People around the Walla Walla Valley love Klickers berries and buy them year-round. Turns out Klickers is so much more than berries.
Posted by: Sam McLeod in Events, Downtown on
Dec 07, 2009
If you missed it, the Walla Walla Veterans Day Parade was a classic-five fire trucks, one cement mixer, one cherry picker, one subcompact sporting a banner "Friends of Gays and Lesbians," lots of old guys on motorcycles, plenty of Model T's, and some proud veterans. The Touchet High School Marching Band led the parade. They played "Louie, Louie." I love this place.
