Black and Bleu (and Green) at Coopersmith's

After the first meeting of our fiction workshop for the semester, I met up with MC at her apartment and we walked over to Coopersmith's, a popular Old Town pub and brewery, to have dinner. Above is the Black and Bleu Burger, a charbroiled patty topped with Gorgonzola cheese, two strips of bacon, and a pile of caramelized onions. The bacon wasn't crisp enough but on the whole the burger was juicy and smoky, with the bun fresh and just sturdy enough to contain the artery-clogging mass.

Once I bit into the burger I realized I should have requested a salad on the side instead of mashed potatoes. The spuds that appeared were buttery, dense, and skins-on, which made them tasty but much too hearty to pair with the hefty burger. To wash it all down, I asked for a pint of Sigda's Green Chili, which is a "crisp golden ale" infused with Anaheim and Serrano chilis. It's now my favorite beer to order at Coopersmith's—the heat of the chilis was just right, not overwhelming but noticeable in every sip, and enough to have brought a flush to my face by the time I finished. Without that beer, I don't know if I would have made it to the end of my plate.

After dinner, MC opted for ice cream from the adjoining Ben & Jerry's. I considered a scoop, but with the lingering of green chilis on my tongue and a belly full of black and bleu, it was really just time to get myself home for a nap.