If you been down in Atlanta lately, you'll know why they call it Hotlanta. It was 94° today - and 94 here is like 120° out west. I remember playing golf in Vegas at Vegas national when it was > 100, they let us play for practically nothing. Anyway, the golf course here seemed moderately crowded and there is no lack of people running and walking anywhere around town. The decks of the pubs are crowded also. Summer in A-Town, is worth the sweltering heat. With Summer comes the Highland art festival, Decatur concerts on the square and art festival and much more. Good thing there is a lot to do, because there is virtually nothing on TV until football season. Meanwhile I have been enjoying the world cup, I like USA to pull the upset in game1 against the Czechs.
So lately I have been using my dehydrator a lot (I am always so proud of myself when I use any kitchen gadget more than once). I can't same the same for the hot sandwich maker - which I used to make 10 Cuban sandwiches in a row and then it became a doorstop. And then there is my food processor -I have a big expensive one and an little $8 one. Some how I never use the large one... it just never does what I need. The $8 one I must use everyday, which becomes a pain in the ass when making a lot of food. Then there is my juicer and the smoothie blender. The juicer is too powerful and I broke the plastic canister of the smoothie thing. I have also recently rediscovered the food saver, but I lost the damn accessory that is needed to seal food saver containers :(. Anyway there is no lack of things to make in my Deni dehydrator, but there is no reliable place to see how long things take... which usually means it takes forever and you are doing a lot of checking. Sort of like when you set an oven of cleaning, you have basically just planned your entire day. If you have never made homemade beef jerky - you are missing out. I found a new method called hot pickling (and people say UGA is a bad school... but apparently they are producing research to improve our lives). I recently order a comal to make my own corn tortillas, and I have been using the crap out of that. Just gimme and excuse to make corn torillas! The first time I used it, I set the panholder on fire.
So if anyone knows of any good new places around here - let me know. It seems like a lot of the stand-bys like have really gone down hill. I went to MF Sushi the other night, and they were out of 5 things I wanted... when did they become a bring your own fish place? At least the whole weird flavored ice cream fad seems to have passed. Anyone remember that? Let's not forget it is summer - and summer means gazpacho. I already tried my first attempt at gazpacho this year. Wasn't crazy about it... the jicama didn't do it for me. I think I will still with my standby gazpacho recipe from my buddy wolfgang. I tried Oakhurst Grill again, this time I ordered off dinner menu, and they have a very interesting take on veggie lasanga. Their dish has no pasta, and only Ricotta cheese, placed between layered veggies - floating in a stew of light mashed potatoes, marinara and oil. I was pleasantly surprised after my bad breakfast experience there (I had some underdone bland potatoes). posted by Keith at 5:37 PM
I don't know if you've heard, but I go to Las Vegas every once in a while. I am fascinated and a little sad with the way that the place has changed since my first trip - as a 21 year old. Don't get me wrong... it is not like the magic is gone. Sure things have become impersonal, corporate ... and frankly, a little cheesy... ok a lot cheesy. In fact, Las Vegas is California with better tourists and nicer restaurants. But the magic is still there. Where else can you eat Mall Chinese for lunch and Five Star Cuisine for dinner (in the same building), where else can you buy 5 t-shirts for 10 dollars and one jacket for 5000, where else can you play Keno while eating your breakfast, where else do beautiful women wearing almost nothing expect you to stare at their chest and rear ends and where else can you see billionaire CEO's (and their thousand dollar hookers) rubbing shoulders with tattoo covered, beer bellied yokels? You know, many people try to tell me Las Vegas is about greed, gluttony and materialism. Well those people just don't get it. Las Vegas is about self awareness. How often does one find themselves in a place where they can get virtually anything, anytime? People that are insecure won't like Las Vegas. People that haven't realized that life is about much more than money... won't like it here. Survival in Las Vegas is simply about living. It is about risk, reward and self control. Gambling isn't fun is you are willing to part with the money. You are, more often then not, paying a high premium for the lights, drinks and adrenaline provided by Casinos.
Given my take on things, there are relative changes that I have noticed in the spirit of Las Vegas. The paradigm has shifted from classy, personal casinos, operated by the mob and entertainment folks... to corporations (big ones). The Las Vegas hotel ownership has woken up to the reality that this business, like any other, is a simple numbers game. Get the folks to stay and play on your terms. And since some very large corporations have stepped into that role by operating most of the largest casino, hotels, those terms have come to be crappy odds. This means higher minimums, lower odds, slanted rules (like dealer must hit soft 17), being nickel and dimed at even the nicest hotels and much higher thresholds of playing to get comps. I can remember when you could just sit down at any sportsbook and get doused in free booze. Now-a-days, you need drink tickets (given sparringly with bets in that book).
This time I am staying at the Westin Casuarina. Make no mistake it is a Westin, the rooms are well planned and impeccably decorated. But the Spa and Pool are a little lame (even compared to other Westins). The casino is really kind of sad. It is small and sort of depressing and the music is just awful (I think they are letting the starbucks pick the tunes). Nonetheless, the other larger casinos are taking a page from the starwood strategy book. Properties like Bellagio and theHOTEL have ultra luxurious rooms for the regular guests (not just VIP's). Cab service has gotten more expensive and worse around here (which is odd given the legislation to improve it). The club scene here just seems to get more and more crazy. After hours places like Drai's have large crowds until 6 am. The Fashion Show (mall) is so damn big, they should have cabs inside it. posted by Keith at 10:36 PM
It is hard to reflect on the last 2 months without remembering the Terri Schiavo saga. Every once in a while, I need something to remind me why I hate god damn politicians so much... and this was it. You know, I had a friend in The Ukraine who told me this story even dominated the news on BBC (the only channel there). Most situations are not black and white, and yet it is so easy to choose sides for everyone.
While it is clear that her wishes were not documented and thus it is unclear whether she wanted to be kept alive in a vegetative state, there is one thing that was abundantly clear. Terri was in fact a vegetable. Her brain scan from two years ago shows that her gray matter has been at least 80% replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. Anyone who thinks she had any chance to live a normal life... is dangerously naive, not too smart or a liar. I found it curious that pro-life groups couldn't even consider that she might not have wanted to be kept alive sans brain function. To a person, anyone I know expressed their desire to die if they were ever like that.
Personally I look at life as the time from one culinary experience to another. Entrees are like the special people we meet in our lives. Each one unique and each experience, an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves and how our sense of taste interacts with all of the earth's wonderful flavors. The way most people think about money and sex, I think about take out. Lucky for me, I happen to live in Decatur. In Georgia, when it comes to eating there is a 10 mile radius (includes Decatur, VA-Highlands, Inman Park, Candler Park and Little 5 Points) and then there is everywhere else.
For instance, many people eat the same thing for breakfast... even prepared the same way. Not I. Instead I often go to sleep dreaming of the homemade cathead biscuits, chocolate covered mice and sticky buns that I can only find at Pastries a-go-go. Other times I find myself imaging the chilaquiles con huevos from La Kermex with eggs over medium and homemade salsa verde. Other times I am craving a biscuit and bean cakes from the flying biscuit and those times nothing but the eggsceptional breakfast will do. Of course Radial's excellent coffee and burrito de huevo is worthy of my affections. For brunch the Eggs Benedict from Joli Kobe is simply unequaled (unfortunately this chef walked out on them). For a truly organic experience, Belly general store (in the highlands) offers a truly unique assortment of gourmet treats... everything from chicken salad to fresh squeezed fruit and veggie juices, plus prepared entrees such as the mole scramble taco. But Belly's cupcakes (usually made around 11) and excellent coffee make this place worth the drive for me. Thumbs up diner used to be located in downtown Decatur and then moved to Inman Park. I still love it though. Their excellent omlettes and stone ground grits make this place special and their whole wheat biscuits are the icing on the cake. In the former location of Thumbs Up, Crescent Moon has become a mainstay for a greasy spoon breakfast. While it is not as good as Thumbs Up, their breakfast heap is officially the most dense food item ever stuffed into one take out box.
Man cannot live on breakfast alone though. Unfortunately many of us are trapped in one or two neighborhoods by where we work. But even being in Norcross, I have managed to fall in love time and time again. Perhaps the most unique and carefully prepared food I have found can be had at Silvia's Pastry. Although the place is a takeout pastry shop (and the pastries are great) the hot entrees (like a taqueria menu) are absolutely incredible. Aside from the homemade corn tortilla's (made to order) the mole chicken falls off the bone and the mole sauce is the best in town (made with just the right amount of chocolate). Also worth mentioning is the Consomme de barbacoa with brisket. Sia's looks like the kind of place that looks like you'd need a better job and reservations to eat there, but surprisingly it is a good deal and easy to get in to for lunch. The menu there has a little bit of everything, but if you are adventurous, the business man's special is just what the doctor ordered. Each day a different soup and two entrees and served up for under $15. For example, you might get a bowl of Lobster Bisque (which is superb there), Sashimi Tuna, and roast duck on a bed of risotto. Down to the road from Sia's you will find Atlanta's best tapas place, Barcelona. What makes this place unique is some of the wonderful preparation of tapas such as duck breast prosciutto. What really makes a meal here memorable is their incredible homemade salad dressings. In the forum shopping center, you will find J.Alexander's they have good Tortilla soup once per week, plus a few decent salads in the rotation, and of course the warm honey croissants which may ruin your appetite, but they will keep you coming back. For sushi there are a number of decent places in the Norcross area, but the best 'bang for the buck' is the sushi / sashimi lunchbox specials at the Yakatori Grill. Their sushi chef George also manages to liven up an otherwise hum drum menu with his excellent and unique assortment of rolls such as the spicy tuna entree, the double-it-up roll. For gourmet fare (aside from Sia's) Grace 17:20 offers those of us trapped in Norcross some very tempting and eclectic menu choices. Though some combinations seem to have gone awry, others are truly memorable such as their exceptional chicken salad.
Well suddenly I find myself overcome with hunger... stayed tuned for my next entry: "Dinners I dream of." Happy Holidays!
Election 2004 Maybe it is just me getting older... but I don't remember elections being like this. I certainly don't recall everything ramping up this early.
Based on Bush's spending spree during this term is office, one thing I wanted to commit to was voting against him. But Kerry is making it very difficult. He seems to have pressed my buttons recently with this outsourcing thing. OTOH, Bush seems too timid to say what he ought to be. That is the United States is great because our economy is based on one principle more than any other, and that is wealth is desirable in this country and the way to get that wealth is to please the consumer at any cost. This atmosphere of competition is what makes our standard of living so high. Walmart, for example, is able to offer similar goods (to their competitors) at cheaper prices, often by trading with China. Thus Walmart is China's 8th largest trading partner (that is among every country in the world...pretty stunning). Threatening this system will detroy us much quicker than any terrorists could.
My thoughts on the 9-11 commision: Who the hell is does Thomas Kean think he is? First he takes part in this media circus (as any public hearing is) and then when faced with public concerns he says "stay out of our business." Messsage from the great unwashed to Kean: FUCK YOU. Keep in mind that most (if not all of this testimony) has been heard by a private panel. Also keep in mind that most of these motherfuckers were too busy to hear it then. Now all the sudden when the cameras are rolling these assholes cancel their regular appointments with their call girls and begin their painstaking search for the truth. I find it ridiculous that anyone could consider that a panel made up of politicians could avoid become political.
Any person that gets into a car accident during rush hour in Atlanta should be shot immediately.
Perhaps you've never been in rush hour in Atlanta but it is absolutely horrible in every direction. Yet, everyday there is no shortage of avoidable accidents and incidents to fuck up everybody's mornings and afternoons. Now I certainly understand that we lose focus once in a while, maybe you are looking down trying to grab that joint you dropped in your lap ... but for god's sake, pay attention during rush hour. Your wreck is screwing everyone.
President Bush: You don't get to pick who investigates your administration.
While I am not a huge fan of W, I honestly don't think he is guilty of any malfeasant relating to the war in Iraq. Nevertheless, isn't a commission of his choosing a truly pointless exercise? Even politically this makes no sense. Wouldn't you think that his supporters think their is no need for an investigation? On the other hand, what are the chances that his critics will care what the findings of the commission of his choosing say?
Not every male in the United States is unable to get an erection
Although anyone with a television set would think so. During this year's Superbowl we were treated to ads for Viagra, Levitra and the '36 hour pill' Cialis. The Cialis ad boasts its 36 hour duration and then states "Although a rare occurrence, men who experience an erection for more than 4 hours should seek immediate medical attention." For the cost of doctor's visit, my advice is to seek a Asian Spa or whorehouse. Note to drug makers: come out with a drug to get us laid. The assumption that so many dudes have horny wives, girlfriends or mistresses who they cannot screw and it never occurred to these individuals to seek a medical solution (besides cocaine) just seems flawed to me.
Note to fat people: Low-Carbs are not the answer to all your prayers
In other words drinking a beer with less carbs won't do much for that potbelly, when you drink 12 of them. Though you may feel a bit lighter on your feet when you beat up your wives, you will still wake up fat. In my mind the whole aktins craze is frankly a little annoying. What people do with their own diets is certainly not my concern, it seems as though the number of restaurant orders that are a pain in the ass has climbed to an all time high. Besides, food scientists are coming up with ghastly low carb foods when they could be inventing things I would like to eat.
If your cell phone ring plays an entire song, you are a schmuck.
Cell phones have evolved to the point where the ring can be changed to a radio quality version your favorite hip hop songs. You know what else does that? A radio. Yet people do not walk around restaurants, events and businesses playing their radios. Why do you suppose that is? Perhaps playing 50 Cent in the middle of dinner is not appropriate? I will make you all a deal, you can keep your obnoxious ring tones, that make you so happy, and I will smack you in the back of the head every time it rings... then I will be happy also.
Congressmen (or women) that tell a sob story about their childhood while they have the floor should be replaced with someone that can be taken seriously
Or better yet why not hire a violin section to strike up a sad tune behind them. I could just imagine a sad vignette accompanying a teary eyed Dianne Wilkerson (Senator D) as she recounts her past bouts with racism as she debates ... gay marriage??? Funny thing is, I actually agree with her stance on this issue... but lady there's no crying in government! Point of order, senator Wilkerson: "we don't care about your dumb story."
.... that's it for now, more to come when I have more time! posted by Keith at 5:46 AM
