The BOTL group was invited to dinner at the 100 Club in Portsmouth, NH by DarkMan and hosted by Rick Gadway (owner of Federal and Top Shelf Cigars). We all gathered at Rick's store in Portsmouth to see the store that turned 90 and prompted our journey to the East Coast.
The town of Portsmouth is a cool and quaint harbortown near the Maine and New Hampshire border. Entering the town, you're captivated by the old buildings and bridges that are seen in the distance. The old Portsmouth Brewery is right downtown, but more about that later.
After finally gathering the group of 24, which was attended by cigar dignitaries Pete Johnson, Ernesto Carillo, Jaime Garcia and Janny Garcia, we walked a block over to the 100 Club. A bit of ball-busting and good-natured ribbing ensued and Rick brought us up to the top floor, that houses the 100 Club. Here is where the shock and awe comes into play. Hard to put into words, but think of the coolest restaurant you've ever been to and add the wow factor of having some of the greatest guys you're lucky enough to know, together with this great group of cigar luminaries in a venue like no other. All, including Pete, were taken aback by the elegance of our surroundings. The table was set for 24 people!! Immediately behind Pete, Derek and Hendy, was an outdoor balcony that overlooked the street level shops. Add to this,the fact that we had the largest full moon in 18 years. (useless bit of info, unless you were standing on the balcony of the 100 Club overlooking the harbor)
On to dinner. We started with a raw bar that included jumbo shrimp cocktail, fresh Maine lobster, and oysters. A nice salad was next. (weeds to me, but gourmet to some) It was now time to present Rick with a gift from his out of town guests. We bombed him with 2 bottles of Opus One. He graciously accepted and thanked everyone for their attendance and well-wishes. Next was the main entree. A beautifully cooked filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Dinner was a build-up to DarkMan's well planned secret. As many know, Hendy's bday is coming up, and Jerome decided that he needed a special dessert. Jerome had a local cake shop make a cigar- shaped cake that was made to look like the Portugese RE. Hendy's reaction was typical, a few muttered curse words in Jerome's direction followed by a heartfelt thank you.
Dinner complete, and the Hendy roast now concluded, we moved back to Federal for a few cigars and some laughs. Rick proceeds to tell us not to break out any of our own smokes because he has reached into his "cigar vault" and broken out some things he feels are smoking well right now. Needless to say, NOBODY was disappointed. Rick invited us back to the cigar lounge where he, Pete and Ernie entertained and educated us with their vast musical and cigar knowledge. (For a hint into Pete's musical taste, look up a song called "My Dick") We hung out for about 3 hours and a lucky few were able to sample the latest offering from Portsmouth Brewery called "Kate the Great". A ridiculously tasty Imperial Stout.
I realize this was long-winded, but I wanted everyone to see how the Top Shelf/ Federal Cigars crew rolls. I can't thank Jerome, Rick, Derek, Ben and Matty enough. This was a truly memorable night. I don't know how we'll ever top it, but I'm game, if you are!
(pics in a bit)
The town of Portsmouth is a cool and quaint harbortown near the Maine and New Hampshire border. Entering the town, you're captivated by the old buildings and bridges that are seen in the distance. The old Portsmouth Brewery is right downtown, but more about that later.
After finally gathering the group of 24, which was attended by cigar dignitaries Pete Johnson, Ernesto Carillo, Jaime Garcia and Janny Garcia, we walked a block over to the 100 Club. A bit of ball-busting and good-natured ribbing ensued and Rick brought us up to the top floor, that houses the 100 Club. Here is where the shock and awe comes into play. Hard to put into words, but think of the coolest restaurant you've ever been to and add the wow factor of having some of the greatest guys you're lucky enough to know, together with this great group of cigar luminaries in a venue like no other. All, including Pete, were taken aback by the elegance of our surroundings. The table was set for 24 people!! Immediately behind Pete, Derek and Hendy, was an outdoor balcony that overlooked the street level shops. Add to this,the fact that we had the largest full moon in 18 years. (useless bit of info, unless you were standing on the balcony of the 100 Club overlooking the harbor)
On to dinner. We started with a raw bar that included jumbo shrimp cocktail, fresh Maine lobster, and oysters. A nice salad was next. (weeds to me, but gourmet to some) It was now time to present Rick with a gift from his out of town guests. We bombed him with 2 bottles of Opus One. He graciously accepted and thanked everyone for their attendance and well-wishes. Next was the main entree. A beautifully cooked filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Dinner was a build-up to DarkMan's well planned secret. As many know, Hendy's bday is coming up, and Jerome decided that he needed a special dessert. Jerome had a local cake shop make a cigar- shaped cake that was made to look like the Portugese RE. Hendy's reaction was typical, a few muttered curse words in Jerome's direction followed by a heartfelt thank you.
Dinner complete, and the Hendy roast now concluded, we moved back to Federal for a few cigars and some laughs. Rick proceeds to tell us not to break out any of our own smokes because he has reached into his "cigar vault" and broken out some things he feels are smoking well right now. Needless to say, NOBODY was disappointed. Rick invited us back to the cigar lounge where he, Pete and Ernie entertained and educated us with their vast musical and cigar knowledge. (For a hint into Pete's musical taste, look up a song called "My Dick") We hung out for about 3 hours and a lucky few were able to sample the latest offering from Portsmouth Brewery called "Kate the Great". A ridiculously tasty Imperial Stout.
I realize this was long-winded, but I wanted everyone to see how the Top Shelf/ Federal Cigars crew rolls. I can't thank Jerome, Rick, Derek, Ben and Matty enough. This was a truly memorable night. I don't know how we'll ever top it, but I'm game, if you are!
(pics in a bit)
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Glad to have all you guys up here was a GREAT weekend.
