August 27, 2024 - Tap + Dogs, Puchi, Poolooza '24, Heffroning
A busy and fun summer week of Braves games, stand-up comedy, new tap houses and live music.
Nuggets of Information: Beer, Hot Dogs & Mayo
Thursday we met up with our friends, and recent empty-nesters Diana & Josh Kite at Chamblee Tap & Market, a Taproom & Micro Food Hall that opened near us last month. They feature 20 beers on tap, several wines on tap, and even a cocktail on tap (Wild Leap’s Strawberry Mango). Lucky for me, they have a very nice selection of non-alcoholic beverages at a great price point. Something for everyone! While their plan is to have the food hall participants fully set up this fall, until then those food vendors offer pop-up food each night. On our visit, South End Smokehouse offered up excellent BBQ for purchase. Lisa chose the Sticky Ribs, and I opted for the combo plate – Brisket and Pulled Pork. Both were very good.
As we picked Diana and Josh’s brains for what it is like being without children at home (spoiler: they love it) more and more of our friends showed up. First – Kevin & Kathy, then Donna & Mark, then Heather & Nate, then Gary, then Ari, Kevin & Mary and their kids. We sat outside, enjoying the neighborhood feel and the great weather. In the next couple months, a new sports bar with a rooftop deck will open across the street. That whole area is really coming together.
Special Event Update: Back in the June 25th edition of Boo’s N.E.W.S. I wrote about the upcoming hot dog eating battle between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi on Netflix. At the time, the details weren’t announced yet, but now they are! The competition will stream live on Netflix from HyperX Arena Las Vegas, located at Luxor Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef takes the first bite on Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.
Duke’s Ball Cap Giveaway - Despite a strong showing by some Hellman’s fans, the winner of the Duke’s Ball Cap Giveaway is Mike Foy, who not only submitted a great picture, but showed us just how versatile Duke’s Mayo can be. Mike leads the Shrimp Boil at our pool (more about that below) and uses Duke’s for his “Special Sauce.” Of all the entries, Mike’s was the only one that I actually got to try - and as always, it was delicious. Congrats Mike - I’ll order your cap today!
Enrichment: Bucket List
Last week was just a bit busy. After moving Samantha into her apartment in North Carolina, we came back to Atlanta, then Tuesday morning I caught an early flight to Richmond for a few work meetings. Wednesday afternoon I flew back to Atlanta, jumped in a Lyft from the airport, and headed directly to Truist Field for the Braves game. Ben Hillhouse invited me, as part of my shameless birthday request to go to Braves games, and it was an extra special outing.
Ben’s company, Boehringer Ingelheim, is the Official Animal Health Company of the Atlanta Braves this season, and specifically sponsored the game we went to. Their company logo is prominently displayed inside the home and visitor's dugout during games at Truist Park. One cool perk was their partnership with the Braves to distribute 15,000 Ozzie and Puchi Albies bobbleheads (the Atlanta Braves 2nd basemen and his adorable pup!) at the gates. These bobbleheads are adorned with the NexGard® Plus logo, reinforcing Boehringer's designation as the Official Animal Health Company of the Atlanta Braves. This partnership goes beyond branding to shine a light on Boehringer's invaluable work with shelter animals. As the presenting sponsor of the Atlanta Braves Foundation's pet adoption program this season, their aim is to help shelter animals find homes. Alongside the Ozzie Albies Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of shelter animals this Braves season and into the future. This collaboration with the Atlanta Braves serves as a testament to Boehringer’s strong commitment to animal health and the communities they serve. One of the highlights was when the Boehringer Head of U.S. Animal Health Randolph Legg presented a check for $20,000 to the Ozzie Albies Foundation.
Ben and I were joined by our good friends David McCarthy and Dan Zanger, and we all had big fun. One special surprise was finding Henry Cutler sitting in our section! I’ve known Henry since t-ball days, and the connection between the Boohers and Cutlers has been well documented in these pages. Henry attends Kennesaw State, which is just up the road from Truist Park. Braves games for Henry are as convenient and common as movies or bowling for most people.
The game itself was ... unusual. Not only did Freeze lose his race against a fan, but the Bucket won the Home Depot Tool Race. Neither is supposed to happen. Sure – I've heard about the Freeze losing. But the Bucket winning? No. That just isn’t right. The other tools gave Bucket a big head start, then when they usually pass by, they all bumped into each other comically, leaving a clear path to victory for the little pail that could.
Overall, it was a really fun night, with beautiful weather, great friends, surprise encounters and unexpected upsets. Thanks, Ben, for inviting me, and thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim for sponsoring the Braves and for the work you do with shelter animals!
Workshop: Sweet Life on Deck
As if a 2-day business trip, Braves game, trip to a new local beer/food place and dinner/stand-up comedy wasn’t enough, this week also featured GainsboroughPoolooza, our all-day music festival, with a Shrimp Boil! I started this event back in 2016, mostly for my own selfish desire to watch incredible, talented musicians perform all day at my favorite pool. And eat Mike Foy’s Shrimp Boil - with Special Sauce!!
Our lineup this year featured Cousin Eddie, Hairless Whisper, The Ray Minors and Trey Boyer Band. Everyone was REALLY good - click on their names above to hear examples. Plus – folks jumped up and played with each other, so even though we had a special All-Star Jam at the end of the night, there were All-Star collaborations throughout the day. The weather was spot on – a big improvement from last year, when storms came through and delayed us a bit. Lisa had to work Saturday night, but got to spend a couple hours beforehand, floating in the pool, listening to the music, and enjoying the delicious Shrimp Boil food. The pool was packed – so many friends there. It really is one of my favorite days of the year. Big thanks to the bands, the fans, the Shrimp Boilers, and the Pool Board!
Selected Content: What Are You… A Comedian?
Last Friday, Lisa and I joined up with Tracy & Daniel Weiss for dinner and stand-up comedy. For dinner, we went to CT Reforma, in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The restaurant is cool and stylish, which pairs well with our own cool and stylish personalities. We started off with a couple appetizers – Ceviche, featuring lime cured raw Red Snapper, red onions, cilantro, avocado, cucumber, habaneros & Leche De Tigre, and Guacamole, which was served with chicharrónes. I love chicharrónes! My entree was Tacos de Canasta, three Mexico City style "Basket" tacos, with cilantro, onions and salsa on the side. Great food, great conversation…
After dinner, we made the short drive to the Punchline Comedy Club, located at the Landmark Diner. The headliner was John Heffron, who won the second season of Last Comic Standing. Heffron was really funny. His style isn’t to do one joke after the next. Instead, he just talks about his life and experiences, very conversational. A decent amount of what he talked about was related to his age – which happens to be our age – so highly relevant and hilarious. After the show, we went and met him – he was super friendly and took his time with each guest. Great guy.
Heffron has finished his Southern tour dates and is heading up to the Pennsylvania/Ohio/Michigan area. Check out his tour schedule, and if he is coming to a club near you, please try to go see him. Here’s a clip of John from 9 years ago explaining from his Gen X perspective what it was like when you heard a song on the radio back in the day.