By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Summer is very close to being over. I was thinking the other day of a summer drink my father used to drink on occasion.

I have mentioned in the past that my sister and I used to make my father’s drinks for him quite often.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

I am eating a lot more tofu in the past five months than I have in the past five to ten years.

The only time I ate more was when living in China and Taiwan, which makes perfect sense, especially in Taiwan. 

I bet I ate some sort of tofu dish five times a week.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

As a tyke, my father had me and my sister making him his drinks on weekends, just before dinner. I became quite proficient at making Manhattans, Old Fashions, Martinis and Gibsons. Our reward was the fruit that was left over, like the cherry or cocktail onions. I hated olives (still do), so there was no reward for martinis.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

A dish that I put on my menu in Taichung, Taiwan when my kid brother left our restaurant was Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Fred had left fM (our restaurant) and although our parting was not a bad one, he took all the people from our kitchen, barring one.

I was the bar guy of our operation and Guan Wei, the one kitchen person left, was not exactly chef material.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Bacardi is a monster spirits company. I realize not everyone realizes what a liquor behemoth Bacardi is. This became apparent to me when I came to Taiwan and started to become aware of how huge some spirits were and how the industry was changing.

Compiled by Dick Perue

GATT Correspondent

As “Indian Summer” approaches, everyone, especially the hungry and lonely, is invited to “Gather at the Table” for a free meal and fellowship Monday evening, Sept. 1, from 5:30 to 7:00 in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the corner of Third and Bridge Streets in downtown Saratoga.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

There was a time I didn’t eat many eggs and that means egg sandwiches too.

That all changed when a girlfriend got me to eat an Egg McMuffin. Smitty (first name was Laura and last name Smith) got me to try a lot of different things, from skiing to food.

We were together for seven years, so her influence was strong in ways I still see now.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Dessert Cocktails were my focus last week and I realized there are quite a few that one story could not get all the ones that I find really great. As I said last week, “My exposure to dessert cocktails was fairly limited until I opened my own restaurant/bar in Taichung, Taiwan.”

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

I don’t make many desserts, especially if it requires baking, but when I had my restaurant in Laramie called Lost and Found, I discovered the Berry Apple Betty.

In truth, it was the person who I hired to do my desserts that introduced me to this wonderful taste treat.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

My exposure to dessert cocktails was fairly limited until I opened my own restaurant/bar in Taichung, Taiwan. 

When I worked at the Hotel Wolf, my first summer in Wyoming, they had the Grasshopper and Brandy Alexander as dessert drinks. They were both made with vanilla ice cream and were creamy and smooth. 

I have written about them before and given the recipes.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

I love Thai food. That is no secret. I could probably eat Thai food every day if allowed.

Once I went backpacking through Thailand for two weeks. I have been to Thailand probably a dozen times, but two weeks was my longest stay.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I recognize that if I had not worked in bars overseas, there is a strong chance there are many liquors I might never have been exposed to. I am not sure which job or country exposed me to more different spirits.

An interesting one that has only one brand available in Wyoming is ouzo.

It is from Greece and Cyprus.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

I love vegetables and recently, I have been told, vegetables have to become an even stronger component of my diet.

That is no hardship for me.

I broke out my Wok and decided to use a recipe from my Taiwan days. It has some of my favorite vegetables, fairly quick and healthy.

It is called Mandarin Cauliflower and Broccoli.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I don’t know if I would put bananas as one of my favorite fruits, especially if they are ripe to very ripe.

If they are a little green, then I do enjoy them tremendously.

I make smoothies with ripe bananas all the time. It is rare for me not to use a banana in a smoothie.

I also enjoy a banana milkshake.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon Count Comet

When I first opened fM (it stood for Fred and Mike) Bar and Restaurant in Taichung, Taiwan, it was with my kid ex-brother-in-law and a financial backer.

Three years went by and we were successful, especially the bar, and we were only open for dinner. Fred wanted nothing to do with lunch.