Monday, November 5, 2007

Once More Into the Yaoi

I was at Yaoicon again this year, 4th time attending. But, I'm not here to review the con, obviously I like it, but I must admit I go because it gives me a set time/chance to go into San Francisco.

Anywho, the restaurant reviews from the trip:

California Grill @ Marriot San Mateo - I sat at the bar the three times I stopped in. Hmmm. Well, the booze is standard hotel bar price. Same with the food, no surprises there. The bar staff were mostly absent. Oftentimes myself and/or others at the bar would be looking around for service and the bartender was nowhere to be found. And then we'd often have to wait over 10 minutes for them to show back up. Only one of the bartenders during my stops in was there the whole time. She was on top of things, she was friendly, she was great. The others, when they bothered to be there, were incompetent. My first stop, I ordered a second guinness five times and never got it. Then, I asked for the check for my one guinness, I waited 25 minutes and never got my check. I had to ask another staff member the cost and just left the cash on the bar. My third stop in I ordered onion rings, which were OK but nothing really good and the bartender waited until I was already well into them before bothering to get me a plate for ketchup and a napkin. Almost every bar I've been to gives you these things almost immediately after you order food and all give you them before the food arrives. Again, biggest complaint was the absolute absence of the bartenders.

Miyako in San Francisco Japantown - Don't bother. There are so many good Japanese restaurants in Japantown that I would recommend waiting for a table at one of the others before going to Miyako. I ordered my favourite dish, Katsu don, which is a deep fried breaded pork cutlet with eggs and onions over rice. The rice was kinda cold and rubbery, like it was from before and had been microwaved. The eggs were almost completely uncooked. The pork cutlet was acceptable but had turned soggy from the uncooked eggs. My friend's dish was even worse, she barely touched it. The only reason we tried Miyako was because we wanted to try a new place instead of going to our usual stop and it was open before most of the others. We will not go again, and I recommend you never do.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

A Disparate Confluence of Many Things

OK, this review post is going to cover a range of things so no theme.

First and foremost the matter of Apples. Apple season is starting and we are being blessed/cursed with a sudden explosion of apples in both quantity and variety. This is a curse because that means confusion and sorrow for so many. Different people like different attributes in their apples but there are some apples that just aren't for unadultered consumption that are sold for such. This apple boon is a blessing because it means rarely seen apple varieties are finally available. Stay away, far away, from the mealy apples(average red apple I'm looking at you) during apple season. These are acceptable when they're the only thing that's available all throughout the rest of the year, but now that there are choices, don't waste your money and mouth. For my money the best apple to buy is one that I've only been able to find during apple season. The oft unheard of Jonagold. This is the perfect balance of firm flesh and mealiness. You get the nice snap when you bite into it, but it doesn't feel like a block is in your mouth like a Granny Smith does. It's a sweeter apple so it's perfect for kids. I've gotten bags and bags of Jonagolds as kitchen manager for outdoors events where I've had to appeal to and feed 150+ people and there's always people asking if they can have more while the Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples go to rot. I've had people come up afterwards and say how impressed they were with the apple. As a child I was forced to eat an apple a day and as a result can barely stand the sight of apple products now. I seek out and buy the Jonagolds. The Jonagolds look like Fuji or Gala apples so be sure to read the labels to make sure you're getting the Jonagold. You won't be disappointed.

I just watched the movie "Knocked Up" and must preface this review with the statement that I can't stand most chick flicks, and all comedy aside, this was a chick flick. That being said, I didn't think that much of the movie. Yes, parts were funny, and Heigl is pretty to look at, but really about 30 minutes in I was done. It started as a comedy and devolved into chick flick and I lost interest. I didn't need to watch the movie to know how it was going to end. I didn't need to see the gratuitous "comedic" nudity. Really, they best parts of the movie for me was seeing one of the "Firefly" actors telling Heigl's character to "tighten" with his associated hand movements.

Final review of this post: The Tap House. Another Vegas hole in the wall, it has won awards in years past for both it's Pizza and it's Chicken Wings. So, I tried both. I had the meat lovers pizza which was good but really not outstanding. It was well balanced if a little short of meat for a meat lovers. There was nothing bad about it, it just didn't outshine other pizzas. Now the Twice Baked Cajun Wings were a different story. Wow. I was already full from the pizza but I couldn't stop eating the wings. They were spectacular. They weren't too hot but had a nice heat that lingered for a while. They were meaty not thin, they were just a bit salty and I love salt, they were flavourful, they were just wow. This is what a hot wing should be. Not some poor overly deep fried scrawny little nothing dripping with bottled hot sauce. Because really, most hot wings taste the same because the restaurants are pulling from the same 3 supply companies and buying the same 5 bottles of sauce. As for the restaurant itself, it's a standalone rundown looking building with a darkened interior and a bit of Italian flair to it's standard pub decor. The service is pretty good and the food doesn't take too long to show up. Just remember, order the wings.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Broadway Pizza and Grill

I'm posting this as a standalone because I failed to post about it in my last SoCal Eats review. If you're ever in Long Beach I highly recommend stopping by Broadway Pizza and Grill.

If you've seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" you know what the owner of this place is like. The Greeks invented everything, and his knowledge of Greek history, no matter how wrong, is still more right than yours. But, don't argue with the man, he's a good guy and his food is excellent.

The tatziki is the best I've had outside of the Vegas Greek festival. He does what so many places should, but don't bother to do. He drains some of the moisture out of the cucumber and yogurt via cheesecloth. This makes for a thicker, tangier, more intensly flavoured tatziki.

His meat lovers pizza is greasy but oh so good. He uses real bacon too, which is so incredible it must be experienced. You'll never want Canadian "bacon" on your pizza again. I miss the pizza. I really do.

His pita is not like what you'd get in the local supermarket appearance wise, but it tastes like standard pita, and it's made fresh. Now, when I say standard pita, I mean the fresh stuff not the mass produced shipped across state lines variety that you often find.

The service is minimal, I mean it's a walk up and order, get your drink from the rack of fountains, and sit down with a number on your table kind of place. But, if the owner is around and feels like coming out and hanging out, which he did when I was there, you're in for a treat. If you know your food and he realizes that you truly appreciate his food, he'll start giving small samples of stuff for you to try.

The next time I'm in Long Beach, I'm definitely going back.

A Star Hidden in Dust

OK, I have to say, whomever was in charge of creating the trailer for Stardust should be shot. The trailer makes the movie look like utter drek. Trailers usually contain the best parts of a movie so as to better entice consumers into going to the theater. So, when the trailer looks hideous, one can only assume the movie will be as well.

This is not the case for Stardust. I haven't laughed like that in a while. The costuming was good, the acting was good, the dialogue and situations were good, the sets were nice, the effects were good. Pretty much everything was good. Nothing really spectacular, but nowadays you're lucky to get good across the board. There were really only two weak points. The story was a bit thrown together, things seemed to lurch slightly from one act to the other, but not so badly that it threw off everything else. The other weak point was what they did to the looks of the men in the town Wall. The man who played Humphrey is actually quite attractive but in the movie it looked like a drag queen did his hair and make-up. The main character is not at attractive man. Yes he looks better with the long hair later in the movie, but he's still not what most people would call handsome. Really, the movie would have done better if Tristan were played by the actor who played the young version of his father shown in the beginning of the movie.

What's also nice is the movie had a little bit for everyone. There's the romance for the chick flick fanatics, there's sword fighting for the action crew. There's political intrigue, can can, pirates, witches, high speed chases, dropping boobs, there's even a built in peanut gallery.

All that being said, this is really a highly entertaining, see with your friends, underrated movie. I think it was well worth the price of full admission. And I think it's a shame that a good movie like this is doing so poorly when a stinky pile of poo like Eragon did well.

Yeah, if you haven't seen Eragon yet, don't bother. You'll just end up wanting your money and the two hours of your life back. I'd go into detail about how terrible everything in Eragon was, but really, the movie is so bad it's not worth the effort to describe how bad.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

SoCal Eats Again

Yes yes, more restaurant reviews, but hey, I like food.

White Harte Pub - Finally, finally, a British pub I can love. They even have an outdoor space for people who want to smoke. Everywhere are TVs playing the current football(soccer) game. Service is friendly and the menu, while limited, is good. The fish and chips were good, and the curry dipping sauce was a very nice surprise. I will definitely go back when I'm in the area.

Miss Peaches - The only Soul Food restaurant I could find in the Burbank area, it has it's regulars but I think it's due more to the atmosphere and lack of competition than the quality of the food. The first thing I have to say about Miss Peaches is stay away from the Mac and Cheese. Don't even think about it, I don't care how much you love it, I don't care if you're used to the box stuff, don't order it. Box mac and cheese is heads and shoulders above the stuff at Miss Peaches. That's how bad it is. The cornbread and hushpuppies are good, and the hushpuppies have a nice heat to them. The collard greens seemed to be popular with the people who were obviously regulars but I don't eat them, so I didn't order them, so I can't speak to the quality. I got the smothered pork chop or rice and they brought out smothered chicken on rice. I took a bite before I realized it wasn't what I ordered and it was good, but again, not what I ordered. Oh, and the rice was cold. They fixed the mistake quickly and I dug into the pork chop. The chop was tough and over cooked. The rice this time was room temperature but still, rice is meant to be warm or hot. The gravy on the rice and pork chop was good, but couldn't save the dish overall. I do have to say one of the big pluses of the place was the service. They weren't the fastest, but everyone was extremely friendly and responsive. They had some of the best service I've had at a restaurant, or anywhere, in quite a while. Ultimately, I'll go back to Aunt Rosalee's for my sould food if I can.

Corrals - This is one of the few 24hr places in Burbank and that's a definite plus. The place looks like an old school diner along the lines of Denny's or IHOP, but the menu was a pleasant surprise. There were the diner standards along with gyros, pizza, and the like. They also had a very posh looking selection of desserts in their dessert case. I'm talking tiramisu and mocha cream cakes and other artery clogging delights normally associated with high end bakeries. Thankfully I only noticed them on the way out, otherwise I would weigh a few more pounds now. The chocolate shake is really, really good. I think they add a little chocolate malted to the mix because there was something else enhancing the shake and not just straight chocolate ice cream. I didn't order any food, but the people I was with all cleaned their plates so I'm guessing it's not too shabby. I will probably be going again in a couple weeks and will have a better report on the food then.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Rte 15

Anyone who has made the drive along I15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas has seen the signs for the "world famous" Mad Greek and Alien Jerky.

Well, after many years of passing by these places without stopping in, I finally gave in.

The Mad Greek - Not at all what I expected. This is really a burger joint with a few Greek items thrown on the menu, cheesy "Greek" decor, and not much else. Honestly, there were more burgers on the menu than Greek dishes. Now, that's not to say the food wasn't good. The Lamb Gyro was pretty good, and they put the tatziki on the side so you could add as much or as little as you wanted rather than smothering the thing with tatziki like a lot of places do. The Calamari was good, nice and lightly battered, and they gave you a lot of it, which made the prices a little more palatable. The rice was pretty good, and the pitas were a nice surprise, a little different than usual. Keep in mind that it cost me over $20 for an appetizer, a soda, and a gyro. Service was a bit iffy, but hey, it's a fancy McDonalds, I wasn't expecting all that much.

Alien Jerky - Wow. All that advertising for what? Maybe 5 variations of Jerky at $8 for 4oz. Talk about a rip off. I swear there were more t-shirts and hats and even pistachios than jerky. The jerky is nothing spectacular. It's not great, but it's not bad. I'd stick to Jack Links or maybe trying to make your own(I'm partial to the Good Eats method), either option would be cheaper and just as tasty. STAY AWAY from the pepperoni flavoured beef sticks. Blech. Blech. Blech. Buy the ones at Costco, you get a whole container for the same price and the quality is far better. The pepperoni flavoured beef sticks are pretty much red colored flavourless squashed together meat crumbs with some chile powder squeezed into plastic tubes. The taste is unappealing, the texture is unappealing, you get weird plastic red flakes on your hand from touching them. Don't waste your time with the Alien Jerky store (unless it's to use the bathroom), don't waste your money buying it, don't even waste the gas taking the exit off I15 for it.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Viva Ventura Pt2

Yes, part 2 has arrived. It will probably be a while before part 3 since this turned out to be a much more expensive month than I expected, mostly due to all this eating out.

Sahara By Bahador: I went for the $6.99 lunch buffet and it was well worth it. I've never had Persian food before and it was very good, even if a bit of it wasn't to my taste. I highly recommend the chicken kabobs, and the herbed rice was very popular, even though not really my thing. The service was good and the waitress was very friendly, showing my ignorant self what was available on the buffet. This is a definite recommend for lunch on a work day.

Crazy Tokyo Sushi: This place has reader's choice awards and is pretty highly rated but I wasn't impressed. I've eaten a lot of Japanese food at a lot of places in many different areas of the world. I know what to expect and I didn't get it. Now, I didn't have sushi, I had an entree, Tonkatsu, and I had some of the Chicken Teriyaki. The portions of the meat were decent but it came with a tiny portion of rice and a cucumber salad and that was it. For the price for each entree, I'm used to getting tempura or something in addition. Also, the tonkatsu barely had any sauce on it and the chicken teriyaki had almost too much. Service was decent. I won't be going again, especially given the vast number of other Japanese restaurants nearby.

Gyu-Kaku: This is one of those Japanese grill places where you choose your meat or vegetable, choose what sauce it is marinated in, and then they bring it out to you and you grill it yourself. Now, I'm used to getting this kind of place in an all you can eat format where you can use their sauces or combine them to make your own. So, Gyu-Kaku was a disappointment in that sense, but was good in every other. At Gyu-kaku you pay by the plate of whatever. Now, this is fine for light eaters but people who like to eat will walk away much poorer or still hungry. The food was good, the sauces were good, the service was good. I went with a few friends and I think this is the best way to go, that way everyone can try a little of everything and people who have never done this before always seem to get a thrill out of it. The only drawback besides it not being buffet style was how packed the place was. Once all the tables were filled, someone at one table could not get up unless somebody at another table moved out themselves. It was a small inconvenience, so it doesn't detract too much, but this is definitely not a place to go if you don't like crowds and being crowded.