The Harbor Happy Hour Project: 8th St. Ale House NEW and IMPROVED Happy Hour!

Today's Happy Hour factoid: Were you aware that happy hour has been illegal in the Republic of Ireland since 2003 under the Intoxicating Liquor Act? Ah, the Irish....they certainly love their drink!

Speaking of Ireland, today's Happy Hour locale has a bit of the ol' country vibe, most likely due to the fact that it's run by the same folks that operate Galway Bay, an excellent Irish pub out in Ocean Shores. It's got that cozy, welcoming, community-living-room-slash-pub vibe that I adore. We go there a LOT. And, when I heard that they re-worked their Happy Hour menu, I came down right away to check it out.

The most notable changes are the addition of pizza to the food selection, and wine is added at a very reasonable $3 per glass. They also offer ALL micros at $3 a pint, instead of just their house brew on the old menu. I decided to try the pizza, which is offered with a red or white sauce, and your choice of various toppings. Our waitress informed me that the happy hour pizza is a half-portion of the regular menu size (which runs ~$15 or so, making this a pretty awesome deal).

 I also had a glass of the house red wine....and, frankly, I'm not a wine snob in the least, so I can't even tell you what type it was, or the brand or anything. I just like wine that tastes good. My thin-crust pizza was delicious and just the right amount of food for a light dinner. Add a $2 salad from the menu and you've got yourself a pretty filling dinner. Our friend Nathan had the Chicken Strips & Fries, and claims that this place has the best on the harbor. Pretty awesome for 5 bones.

 (Nathan claims these chicken strips are the best, and possibly the cheapest, around!)

Overall, I give the 8th St. Ale House Happy Hour a very esteemed score of 10 out of 10 for several reasons: the wide selection of options, the prices (my pizza and glass of wine was just $8 plus tax and tip), the "just-right" atmosphere, and the fact that I can ride my bike there within a couple of minutes. Do yourself a big ol' favor and check them out at 207 8th Street in Hoquiam. I'll probably see you there!

Dinner from my Helsing Junction Farms CSA Box: Week 12

This week, I anticipated the arrival of my CSA box with a bit more enthusiasm than usual, because guess what?! The corn is finally here! And this isn't just any corn....the corn that HJF grows is candy sweet and mouth-wateringly yummy. It's the kind of thing that tastes better than any processed food out there...and that I really think could convert a veggie-loather into a veggie-lover!

Usually I grill my corn, or roast it and eat it straight from the cob. But I had stumbled upon a recipe that I was eager to try, which would also make good use of the pint of cherry tomatoes that also came in this week's box. It's a pasta recipe combined with a lovely saute of fresh corn, cherry, tomatoes, basil, and parmesan. Thanks to this season's warm weather, I even have a nice, healthy basil plant growing on my deck to contribute to this recipe. The end result was fantastic! I've never paired pasta with corn, but all of the flavors came together beautifully. I'll definitely be making this at least once more before all of these candy-sweet seasonal veggies are gone for the year!

Tagliatelle with Corn and Cherry Tomatoes

(adapted from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• Kosher salt
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
• 1/2 pound fresh tagliatelle
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiana
• 6 basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

1.Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

2. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and add the garlic and the crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown color, remove it and discard. Add the grape tomatoes and half the stock and season with salt. Simmer the pan until the tomatoes have wilted and let off their juices. Add the corn and the remaining stock and simmer until the corn is cooked through.

3. While the corn is cooking add the pasta to the pot of salty boiling water. Cook the pasta until the water comes back to a rolling boil plus 1 minute. Remove the pasta from the water and add it to the saute pan with the tomatoes and corn. Add about a half a cup of the pasta cooking water and cook until the water has evaporated and the sauce clings to the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat. Toss in the parmigiana, basil and a big drizzle of high quality extra-virgin olive oil. Stir or toss the pasta vigorously. Divide the pasta between 2 serving dishes, sprinkle with a little more grated parmigiana, and serve immediately.