Bridget 75

In 1898 the French army adopted a new field gun (we’d probably just call it a canon) that is widely considered to be the first modern artillery piece. The Materiel de 75mm Mle 1897, which saw extensive use in World War I by the Allied Forces, was commonly referred to as the “French 75” by English speakers. On October 23, 1917, the first artillery shells fired by the US Army in World War I were fired by a French 75 that the soldiers had named “Bridget.”

What does this have to do with drinking?

In 1915 a Scottish barman named Harry MacElhone was running The New York Bar (later called Harry’s New York Bar) in Paris. It was there that MacElhone named a new cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne on his menu the French 75.

Bridget 75
¾ oz Bonded Applejack
¾ oz Gin
¾ oz Lemon Juice
¾ oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Champagne

Combine all but champagne in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe and top with champagne.

As Fall has eventually found its way to Sunny Southern California, 320 Main decided to take the drink that took Paris and, eventually, New York and other points West by storm, and give it a bit of an American twist and Fall flavor. A little bit of apple goes a long way to making this refreshing drink feel at home among cooler temperatures and red and orange leaves.

Notes:
● It is often debated whether the French 75 originally called for gin or - as many people know it - with Cognac. While there are some notable references to the drink being made with cognac, the earliest references all seem to point to gin as the original base-spirit.
● Noted cocktail historian (yes, that’s an actual job that your guidance counselor hid from you) David Wondrich has pointed out that the combination of gin, citrus, sugar, and champagne can actually be traced back as far as 1867, when Charles Dickens encountered it during his travels to America (though Dickens specifically mentions Old Tom gin, which would have had a different flavor).

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Guilt-free Holiday Feast with Beach Fitness

Now at 320 Main, we specialize in American food which brings to mind hearty comfort food- Mac & Cheese, Meatloaf, Steak & Potatoes, and we have that, oh boy do we have that! BUT like anything in life, dining is about moderation and balance. We love our new Walnut Pesto Caprese and Ahi Poke dishes and so do our trainers down at Beach Fitness. Bryce and Barbara, owners of Beach Fitness here in Seal Beach, have become great friends of ours and many of their hard working clients are loyal guests of 320 Main. With the holidays approaching, we teamed up to present the Guilt-free Holiday Feast, a four-course holiday inspired meal, with a dose of healthy holiday eating tips from Bryce Turner.

Bryce & Barbara

In true 320 Main fashion, the event started off with a delicious Pisco Punch featuring Encanto Pisco, fresh lemon & orange, clove, pineapple shrub & sparkling wine. 

Pisco Punch

Our first course was Quinoa Walnut Stuffing & Kale Chips with a bacon-wrapped date. Beach Fitness is a proponent of the Paleo diet so Head Chef James Wilschke created a menu that followed the basic principles of Paleo and featured the following- meats, fish, nuts, leafy greens, local/seasonal vegetables and seeds. Walnuts are an Omega-3 rich food and were featured throughout the meal.

Quinoa Walnut Stuffing

The Ginger Squash Soup was made with our housemade chicken stock, fresh ginger and butternut squash. Bryce educated the crowd with good advice for sticking to a healthy diet during the holidays. Tips included pausing between meal segments to avoid over-eating, looking for healthy substitutions when cooking classic recipes and if headed to a party, offering to bring a dish that fits your diet.

Ginger Squash Soup

Next up we enjoyed a Waldorf Salad with bibb lettuce, grapes, celery, apples & honey walnuts with a champagne vinaigrette.

Waldorf Salad

The Main Course featured a 320 Main favorite, the Surf & Turf. This dish features marinated Prime hanger steak, black tiger shrimp, spicy seafood cream sauce and ratatouille.

Surf & Turf

One of the best pieces of advice for the night was to have less food but use higher quality ingredients. We all like to celebrate with our family and friends and indulge during the holidays but that does not have to mean over-indulging. Keeping this in mind will help you enjoy the holiday season & make your CrossFit trainers proud! 

We finished up the evening with a cocktail, the Rusty Nut- Walnut Liqueur, Benedictine & Pampero Rum.

Jason Preparing The Rusty Nuts

The night was a blast for us at 320 Main, Chef James Wilschke and the kitchen staff had a great time developing and serving the menu and the guests enjoyed a sumptuous feast and walked away guilt-free!

Jason Schiffer Original: The Detroiter

“Do I want a beer or a cocktail?”

This is a question I hear a lot when people sit down at the bar. It's an age-old debate among people who want a refreshing drink. Do you want the sour or bitter notes of a cocktail or perhaps the hoppy refreshment of an ice cold beer. Sometimes though, you don't have to make a decision between the two.

People familiar with 320 Main's cocktail list will likely already be acquainted with the Michigander, Jason's Applejack sour with a dose of Cynar Amaro and honey syrup. It's sour, bitter, sweet, and strong – everything you could want in a cocktail.

What customers might not know is that no drink ever remains unchanged for long. Every drink is merely a gateway – a starting point for creating a new drink. You would be hard-pressed to find a cocktail that no bartender had ever looked at and thought, “I wonder what would happen if I tweaked it just so.”

One day, Jason decided that he wanted to perform such an exercise, and chose as his inspiration the idea of beer cocktails. Beer cocktails are not terribly new, you can find them in a lot of bars with a large beer presence. Jason recognized the potential of enhancing the already popular Michigander with the qualities of a good beer and the Detroiter was born.



Detroiter
3/4 oz. Bonded Apple Brandy
1 oz Cynar
3/4 oz. Lemon
3/4 oz. Honey Syrup
2 oz Stone IPA

Add all ingredients to the shaker and shake hard without ice to flatten the beer. Add ice and shake again for about 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned Glass and top with fresh IPA. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

The deep, rich and sour flavors of the Michigander pair beautifully with the astringent and herbal notes of the IPA. Apple, hops, honey, and a bit of a smokiness all come through and leave you thinking of the leaves of autumn and warm fire places on cold days.

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Matt “RumDood” Robold is a bartender at 320 Main and, in his spare time, runs RumDood.com, where he writes about rum, rum cocktails, and rum history.

Menu Spotlight: The Prime Double Bone In Pork Chop

320 Main Sous Chef Alex Dale showing off his pork tattoo.
When we said we were crazy about pork, we meant it.

Pork. It's the other white meat. And right now we can't get enough of it at 320 Main. (You saw our post on Pork Belly Medallion Centerfold.)  You could say we've gone a little pork crazy. How can  you blame us? Pork is not only delicious, it is also generally a healthier choice of protein than red meat. These reasons and many more are why we'd like to introduce you to our Prime Double Bone In Pork Chop. 

As you take your first bite of this dish, you'll understand why it is 320 Main owner Jason Schiffer's favorite item on the menu. Many pork dishes are dry, but not this juicy entree. In each bite you get a wonderful dichotomy: the moist, tender inside, and the salty, caramelized, seared outside. Don't even reach for the salt shaker, because this Babe (piggy pun intended) is seasoned to perfection. This savory hunk of pork is served swimming in a zingy pool of 320 Main's homemade whole grain mustard pilsner sauce (made with Mama's Little Yella Pils). To finish off this fine autumn dish: a side of roasted red pears, carrots, and onions. The pears are a wonderfully mild and sweet addition to compliment this savory dish.

Come in soon to try the Prime Double Bone In Pork Chop or one of our limited time seasonal menu items. 

Pairs Well With: "The Michigander" cocktail. A Jason Schiffer Original.