CHOW 284

October, 2011

Feasterville, PA

The committee has reformed!

It's been a long time since last posting, as one of the founding members of the LITT Committee relocated. There was a reunion over the summer at South of the Border, but as I seem to have forgotten to post about their LIIT, I assume it was forgettable.

So this would have been a posting about Johnny Apple's offerings in the bar department, but when the committee got there, the lights were off and no one was home! We turned to the trusty Droid Thunderbolt and added restaurants to the map, and ended up at Chow 284.

Some members voiced reservations about the place since there were only four cars in the parking lot, but it was still early, so we went in. The place was half bar, and the bar was front and center. Not a bad sign.

We sat at the bar and Josh, the bartender, came up and introduced himself. We asked how his LIIT was and he claimed to make a good one, and also threw in that he worked well under extreme scrutiny. (....hmmm....) Orders were placed. Food, too.

Ahh, food. Best crabcakes I've had in ten years. Sweet potato fries with raspberry dipping sauce. A pickle for good measure. Outstanding! But I digress...

Josh delivered the tall, amber concoction. There was a good quantity of ice, but not so much that you got the idea they were trying to save money on alcohol. It was well-mixed, thank goodness. There's nothing worse than plunging your straw into the drink you've been anticipating only to be punched in the face with whatever alcohol is living at that particular depth and nothing else. Yes, bartenders, that's called a shot with a straw in it.

It was obviously strong, but didn't have the shiver factor of being strong without technique. Like a guy with big arms who has no need to roll up his sleeves, the strength was there without showing it off. It was easy to drink and enjoyable. It was remarkably less sweet than most other LIITs, especially the premixes. Hard to decide on that count; obviously iced tea should be sweet, but with all the "lemonades" we have come across, was less sweet a good or bad thing? Honestly, I still don't know. There was also a...tingly? sense about this LIIT, a completely new sensation, and it was intriguing. Have to get to the bottom of that.

All in all, this LIIT was a departure from many of the others, almost a completely different animal altogether. Due to other commitments, we could not stay to enjoy a second one and answer the lingering questions about sweetness and tingle, so a return trip is most likely in order. Look for an update in the near future!

Taste: TBD

Throwdownability: 8

Kick: 7

Quantity: 9

<---- This is Josh, looking confident. (Members of the LIIT Committee must remain anonymous and have been removed from this photo for their own protection.)