Spagio

After Cirque du Soleil we went to Spagio for dinner. We got a bit turned around in our directions but we made it in plenty of time.

Pretty little rolls of wheat and french bread with butter and/or olive oil.



Here's the crab cake with arugula, tomato compote and the remoulade sauce cream base on the bottom. This was delicious. Very meaty chunks of crab and the tomato compote added with the remoulade sauce was a great contrast. 



This giant thing is the beet napoleon  with layers of delicious goat cheese between it and a small circle of walnuts with a side arugula salad. Not only was it huge but delicious. I love beets.



Here you have what's known as a "beef revelation", kobe beef braised short rib with wonderful marscapone cheese polenta and braised root veggies. This was an enormous portion of 2 large pieces of spare rib.




Here's the duck breast with red cabbage and a little bread dumpling. Again, huge portions! Ann really enjoyed the duck and could not begin to finish it all in one sitting.



If you're in Columbus and in the mood for a hearty portion of food to go with your extensive wine list choice try Spagio, you won't regret it.

Potbelly Sandwich Works

I needed some lunch before my doctor's appointment and I'd never been to Potbelly before.

I ordered the loaded potato soup. Pretty tasty, very creamy and with good sized pieces of potato.



I ordered the Italian sandwich with hot peppers and mustard. I love toasted subs on fresh bread. The cold cuts on the Italian sub hit the spot.



Here's a close up of the sandwich before consumption.



It was a lot better than I was expecting for a chain. They have some good options but seemingly not a lot for vegetarians except for salads.

The Classy Pig

We're trying to lose some weight. What does this have to do with ribs? Well, this past weekend was the All-You-Can Eat Ribs weekend at Montgomery Inn. I knew how that would turn out. Pat would have eaten about 2 slabs of ribs. I was able to talk him into trying The Classy Pig instead. Portion Control!

Pat grew up in Ludlow about a block away from the Classy Pig. We arrived for dinner to a warm welcome.

I ordered the side salad with champagne vinaigrette. Pretty tasty, romaine lettuce, red onion, tomato, dried cranberry. I inquired on the dressing, it's not house made but it was very good.



I ordered the brisket sandwich with corn pudding and fresh cut green beans. I'll admit if I see the words "fresh cut green beans" on a menu, I am very skeptical. In this case they were 100% honest. These were fresh young green beans with a fresh snap to them in a little bit of a garlic sautee. Very delicious and fresh. The corn pudding was very delicious, it was a corn bread/corn pudding very sweet and hearty. It was some of the best corn pudding I've ever had.



Here's the inside of the brisket sandwich. It was very tasty. It had a slight peppery flavor to it, a wonderful smoky flavor and it was incredibly juicy. They further made my day by toasting the bun preventing sogginess. This was some of the best brisket I've ever had.



Pat ordered the half slab of ribs with fries and macaroni and cheese. He enjoyed the fries and macaroni and cheese. Their ribs were just as well flavored as the brisket and very large hearty portions. Their sauce is another high point. I inquired on it and they told me that like the sides and desserts that it was house made. There were occasional bits of onion in the sauce which accounted for the sweetness. It was beautiful and dark and a great consistency.



This was a welcomed surprise and I will definitely be back again. I would really like to try their fresh ground burgers.

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Predicting Movie Remakes of the Future: Working Girl

First part in a possible future series of film remake predictions. Maybe I won't be writing in agony so much, if I can see the train wreck coming.

I lay awake this morning and something popped into my insomnia stricken brain. It was a fear that had lain dormant for some time and awakened without provocation and explanation. I had no choice but to ask my almost slumbering husband the question.

Me: Pat, you know how they remake every movie now because nobody has original ideas that everyone wants to see.

Pat: Yeah.

Me: Well what if they remake a movie I love?

Pat: You'll probably hate it.

Me: They're going to remake 'Working Girl'. I just know it!

Pat: Yeah, you'll hate that.

So how would the casting of that movie go?

Here's a key to follow along:

Original Cast:

Jack Trainer: Harrison Ford

Jack Trainer is a no-nonsense businessman who has been involved with Katherine. He becomes involved with Tess when she takes over for her boss while she is recuperating from a skiing injury to her leg skiing in Switzerland. He's a sly negotiator and knows his way around the New York mergers and acquisitions world and strives to avoid obscurity.

Casting Notes: Has to be classically handsome and able to pull of wry wit with charm and without being too much of a douche bag.  Must be as attractive as Mick.

Tess McGill: Melanie Griffith

Tess is a street-wise secretary who has always dreamed of something better. She is tired of the seemingly class based struggle in the New York business scene and needs to find a way to carve her niche and change her career. While house sitting for her boss she discovers that Katherine had stolen one of Tess' ideas and began marketing it as her own which would lead to a large promotion in addition to hefty proceeds from the merger. Tess has been wronged before by Mick and isn't looking for love.

Casting Notes: Should be a smart cookie, but not unbelievably smart. Must be as attractive as Katherine.

Katherine Parker: Sigourney Weaver

Katherine is a cultured educated businesswoman who did not get where she is by playing by the rules. She lures Tess into a false sense of security not long after her arrival and convinces Tess that she is a mentor to her. She feels both enticed and threatened easily in a predominantly male environment.

Casting Notes: Powerful and smart, attractive and cunning, she should embody savvy business practices as well as shrewd romantic networking. Must be as attractive as Tess.

Mick Dugan: Alec Baldwin

Mick is a typical Staten Island man. With greased hair, leather jacket, and machismo to spare. He loves Tess but she quickly realizes that he'll never leave Staten Island and she knows what that life will entail.

Casting Notes: Has to embody NEW YORK! The accent, the manner of dress, and the macho attitude. Must be as attractive as Jack.

Oren Trask: Philip Bosco

Oren owns a television communications company and is constantly being plagued by offers from his Japanese competitors who want to assimilate his company.

Casting Notes: Loveable patriarch of a New York institution. He suffers no fools or liars. Oren can cut you to the quick without you even knowing what happened.

Phyllis Trask: Barbara Garrick

Oren's daughter who is the subject of a few scenes because of her wedding. She is a spoiled princess.

Casting Notes: This would be a good opportunity for a cameo of a well-known celebrity not normally known for acting. Ideally, a musician or other non-reality shows celebrity.

Cynthia: Joan Cusack

Tess' best friend and confidante from their days in the secretarial pool on Wall Street. Cynthia is Tess' connection to where she came from.

Casting Notes: Again, the accent is a must. Eccentric makeup and dress is required. She has to be able to tell it like it is and be an endearing to the audience.

Ginny: Nora Dunn

A co-worker of Katherine's. She is the only character that could discover Tess' artifice while Katherine is out of the country.

Casting Notes: Age not an issue. She is snide, rude, and dismissive of those outside her "class." Her only skill seems to be in gossip and party planning.

Doreen DiMucci: Elizabeth Whitcraft

Mick cheats on Tess with Doreen when Tess is supposed to be at night school. Things end up working out well for Doreen and she and Mick are seen as a happy couple at Cyn's engagement party and subsequent party.

Casting Notes: Again NEW YORK all the way! She has to have a glint of trashy around the edges. She has fancy plans and pants to match. Must be less attractive than Tess.

Hollywood Version:

Jack Trainer: Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBouf

Tess McGill: Anne Hathaway

Katherine Parker: Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Bell

Mick Dugan: Chance Crawford, Channing Tatum

Oren Trask: Nicolas Cage, Ricky Gervais

Phyllis Trask: Lady Gaga (can also sing the end credits song)

Cynthia: Amanda Seyfreid

Ginny: Bryce Dallas Howard

Doreen DiMucci: Blake Lively

Industry: Complex Wall Street Banking Instruments

Version I Would Actually Enjoy:

Jack Trainer: Ryan Gosling, Jude Law, James McAvoy

Tess McGill: Katherine Heigl, Amy Adams

Katherine Parker: Emily Blunt, Jennifer Garner

Mick Dugan: James Franco, Timothy Olyphant

Oren Trask: Alec Baldwin

Phyllis Trask: Megan Fox, Katy Perry (can also sing the end credits song)

Cynthia: Liv Tyler

Ginny: Michelle Williams

Doreen DiMucci: Mila Kunis

Industry: Mergers and Acquisitions

Update Hurdles:

Title:

I would be delusional if I thought they'd keep the name the same. It can't be simple like 'Working Girl'. It has to be something dumb like 'It's a Living', 'Bringing Home the Bacon', 'Love Merger'. But then again, they're not being inventive enough to even write a new movie, they probably won't tinker with the title.

Social Networking/Technology:

I don't know how WG would get updated to today's level of electronic media saturation. When Jack meets Tess at the bar and he pretends not to be himself the 2011 Tess would have pre-stalked him on Facebook or found his QR tag first.

Music:

I was never a huge Carly Simon fan so the idea that music like hers would be absent from WG2011 is fine by me. Who is a contemporary artist that could convey the mood of the movie? Beyonce, Florence + Machine, Adele, Duffy. 

God let a quick death take me before the dailies on this monstrosity come out. 

Stupid Text Conversations with My Mom 2/24

In apropos of nothing.

Mom: Will you fix me a pack of bacon, I can’t get it as crisp as the oven. I will give you a pack of bacon or sausage if you do this for me.

Me: Where did that come from?

Mom: What do you mean?

Me: I mean it was out of nowhere. Are you having bacon dreams?

Mom: Just hungry for bacon sandwich.

Me: Aren’t we all

Mom: Ha ha ha lolol. Will you do it, if not I have to get everything ready to cook.

Me: Sure

Mom: Thx, if I’m asleep when you get here, wake me up.

Seriously? Bacon sandwich cravings. It’s like her parents are gone for the weekend and wants to eat cookie dough and bacon all weekend. I swear, she cannot be killed.

All You Can Eat Ribs this weekend at Montgomery Inn

February 24-27 is All You Can Eat Ribs at Montgomery Inn. I'm not sure if we'll be going this year since Pat put the hurt on the place last year. We're tying to eat smarter this year and NOT like we're trying to win a Japanese game show.

If you are so inclined the price is 19.95 per person. Don't get smart either, it's for dine in. You can't bring your Fred Flintstone car up to Montgomery Inn and get a lifetime supply of ribs for $20!

I recommend eating earlier in the evening because the all you can eat ribs ensures that you'll be waiting for a table. I am not a rib person, as you may already know. So if you are also not inclined for the Flintstone platter you can enjoy their pork chops. They're some of my favorite pork chops that I've had.

Recipe: Cashew Chili

This is the recipe that I entered into the Park + Vine Vegan Chili Cook-off. I found it online but I had to edit it heavily because the proportions were out of control.

Cashew Chili

Ingredients: (I used all organic ingredients)

    1 green pepper, chopped
    1 medium onion, chopped
    3-4 ribs celery, chopped (optional)
    2 cans kidney beans, cooked
    2 cups corn, cooked (I used canned organic corn)
    3 - 4 28oz cans tomatoes, canned (depending on your volume preference)
    2-3 teaspoon chili powder
    3 drops tabasco sauce
    1 teaspoon cumin
    3-4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 teaspoon basil
    1 teaspoon oregano
    1 bay leaf
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    1 - 2 cup cashews

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, wok, or dutch oven, melt about 3 Tbsp margarine.  Saute onion, green pepper, and celery until tender crisp, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add everything but the cashews.  Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavours.  (NOTE: you can simmer this dish as long as you like, just don't add the raisins and cashews until 30 minutes before serving time.)

4. Stir in the cashews.  Simmer until cashews are tender, about 30 minutes.

Beef O'Brady's

My preference was to go to Rio Grande Mexican in Newport but they were too full on a Friday. Live and learn. We ended up at Beef O'Brady's. If only there was some clue in the horrible name that it would be so terrible.

We started out with their Cheesy Bacon Pub Chips. Chips were bland, cheese was just greasy and the bacon was... I think not really bacon. It's hard to think that for some restaurants that bacon is some sort of luxury item that you "just can't afford" to sprinkle it around like glitter. This "facon" was large chunks and if you tasted it alone it was oddly chewy and tasted of fake smoke flavor. Bizarre.



Patti had the quesadilla and it was instantly forgettable. Again, greasy. Not a lot of Chicken and hardly any other flavoring.



I had the fish and chips. It again was incredibly bland. It tasted fresh however it had no flavor whatsoever. It came with a dill tartar sauce. Which at first sounds like a great idea. I love dill. But this sauce was not great.



It didn't help that there was a pack of rabid 8 year olds chugging down sodas and hitting the arcade. I guess that's what I get for going to a sports bar. Our server was very sweet was very attentive to us, it's not her fault the food is bad.

Pho Lang Thang

This is the first time that I'd spent any real time at Findlay Market. We went to Pho Lang Thang before going to see Cirque du Soleil. Heavenly. You're greeted with a wonderful smell. If you've had pho before, you may know the smell. The smell of the delicious broth.

We shared an order of the salad rolls which had pork and shrimp, basil, cilantro and noodles with a smoky peanut dipping sauce. Very tasty. I love the clear wrapper for these salad rolls. Something about them just says "summer".



I happen to have been back another time in the progressing week because I had a dream about Banh Mi sandwich (below). I ordered the fried spring rolls because they were out of the salad rolls. They were quite delicious with pork and mushroom with a wonderful fish dipping sauce.



Here's the plate of garnishments for the pho. Lime, jalapeno, bean sprout, thai basil and cilantro.



Here's the pho bo vien that I ordered with meatballs. Very tasty. I so love the broth that comes with pho and the little nest of noodles at the bottom.  I add all the garnishes to the bowl and chow down.



Here's the pho bo tai with sliced steak. Very delicious. On my subsequent visit I ordered this pho as well. Very delicious with the freshest tasting beef that you could ask for. How fresh could you ask for when the temperature of your soup cooks your fresh rare steak?

Let's get honest here. This is more than just soup. This is one of the healthiest soups that you can eat. Never mind the fact that the broth is lovingly prepared with several ingredients that you might not expect (radish, cinnamon, anise, clove, ginger, cardamom). Never mind the fact that it's amazingly clear in spite of the lovingly layered spices mentioned above. Never mind the fact that it's so piping hot and aromatic when it comes to you that it cooks raw meat in your presence. Never mind all of these things. It's clearly delicious. 

 

Below is the magical Banh Mi sandwich with pork. That's Banh Mi Thit Nuong, if you're nasty. The pork is a lemongrass marinated pork that tastes like no other pork that I've ever tasted. There is also the option of this delicious pate and jalapenos. There is also pickled carrot and daikon which also defies deliciousness. The pickled veggies are a sweet pickling and not sour like you might think. There is also a nice helping of garlic butter mayo and cilantro on this french baguette. I tell you - I had a dream about this sandwich. It may be the most delicious sandwich that I've had in my entire life.




This is going to be my new Wednesday or Thursday lunch spot since they're open late those days. MMMMmmmagical banh mi sandwich. I just so happened to receive a Vietnamese cookbook for my birthday. Hopefully I can venture into the wonderful world of these delicious recipes soon. I know a ravenous pho fiend that will test it for me.

Banana Leaf Modern Thai

Sigh. I so wanted to enjoy Banana Leaf.

We arrived at 5pm on Saturday before a party. Vegan Ashlie came with me as she loves Thai food and she was my willing accomplice. The decor of Banana Leaf is beautiful. It's an older house with beautiful contemporary details in the decor down to the pendant lights, color choices and beautiful bench seats. Your walk from the parking lot will lead you through a small little garden with statues.

I'll admit that I am not familiar with Mason, but I'm not certain I'm in the mood to drive all the way out to Banana Leaf for Thai. Unless it's knock your socks off good.

We went over the extensive menu and I decided to play it safe with Tom Yum soup which is a hot/sour soup which I chose to have with shrimp. It would have went a long way with me if they would have taken the tails off the shrimp before serving the dish. I dislike floating shrimp tails in the bowl.

I thought that it tasted very good. I could have done with less soup for maybe a cheaper price. Perhaps a $4 bowl that was smaller?

There were fresh mushrooms and tomatoes in the soup that made a great flavor with the lemongrass.



VeganAshlie attempted to order the same dish and get tofu as there was a "vegetarian" option. The server quickly told me that Tom Yum would not be the best choice for that because the broth was still chicken. Huh? Vegetarian soup made with chicken broth? Okaaaay. Ashlie ordered the Tom Ka soup which we were told was the same as the Tom Yum but made with a coconut milk base instead.

While she enjoyed the soup at first she said after a while it just tasted too sweet. After she fished all the tofu and veggies out of it she was pretty much done with it. I tasted it and it was indeed a smoky sweet but still, a sweet soup. Another case for the $4 bowl.




We then moved on to entrees. I played it safe with Pad Thai which was good, but I've had better for cheaper. It just wasn't anything special. The presentation of it was absolutely beautiful. It was presented on a banana leaf (get it?) then there was a small pile of crushed red pepper, peanut, lime and bean sprout for garnish.



Ashlie ordered the Drunken Noodle which came out the first time tasting and looking absolutely beautiful. However, it contained egg after she explicitly ordered it without egg and with tofu to make it vegan, the server repeated the order exactly. She ended up sending it back.

In the meanwhile we had to request refills on our beverages from another server because our server was nowhere in site.

After a few minutes her replacement arrived and it was, well, greasy and rushed. While they did remake it to her original specifications it seemed that they rushed a bit too much in the remake and the noodles were stuck together and the whole dish just sat in a puddle of grease.



It's funny I guess because while we were waiting for our check which we had to ask for I was telling Ashlie the story of how when I was at Senate we split a bill and somehow I got charged for both halves. Well, guess what happened? I got charged for both halves.

I told the server and he said he didn't actually run the credit cards. Is that normal? Was he not qualified to run credit and the manager had to? I might have preferred he took a crack at it since I got charged double for my food. The problem was quickly corrected. And by corrected I mean that they voided the 1st transaction and correctly charged me. So instead of being without $26 for mediocre food, I am now without $78 until the bank hold is lifted on the $52. Whatever.

Yes the food was okay and yes the problems were both corrected and apologized for. But come on! It was only 5pm! We were 1 of 2 tables in the restaurant. How hard could this have been? They are really going to have to step up their game in the future.

Stupid Text Conversations With My Mom 2/21

Mom: If you go out tonight can you get me a pair of size 10 flip flops?

Me: Mom it's February. Nobody has flip flops now.

Mom: Try the dollar store.

Me: If they don't have them at Wal-Mart why would they have them at the dollar store?

Mom: They'll be cheaper at the dollar store.

Me: It's not a question of price. It's the simple fact that if they're not at the Wal-Mart yet they probably won't be at the dollar store. I wish you could be logical about this.

Mom: Ok Ok, I'm wrong again.

Me: Don't be so dramatic. I'm just saying you have unrealistic expectations.

Mom: Ok

Me: I never said I wouldn't look.

Cirque Du Soleil - Dralion

What a fun start to my birthday weekend! I still had not been to sleep on Friday morning so I went and got my new license picture. Not too shabby. I took a small nap in time to get to Pho Lang Thang for lunch with Ann. I also had time to swing by Chocolates Latour to pick up my Valentine’s day gifts. We then headed to Columbus for Dralion. We made pretty good time and the show was great! This would be my 4^th Cirque du Soleil show and it was my favorite so far. A couple of the other ones were a bit too dramatic for me and a little melancholy. This one was great. After Dralion we went to Spagio for a tremendous dinner. I suffered from a bout of wine napping in the car on the way home but I blame the seat heater.

 

Today I am working some overtime and then I have no idea what I have planned yet. Maybe break out the wok I got for Christmas and make some Ming Tsai recipes.........

New Domain

If you are reading this you are at the new electronic home of FlourPower! Ain’t the internet grand? If you would have told me 15 years ago that I would give a thing called a “google” $10 of my hard earned money and in exchange I would have. . . well nothing tangible but an “electronic presence”. I would have probably put down my hot dog and said you were crazy. But here we are. Enjoy the same site at a new address. For 2011 I plan on blogging more, for one. As well as posting more recipes that I’ve found or created that I find intriguing. Thanks for coming along with me.

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Cake aka "Chocolate Bomb"

We call this the chocolate bomb because it’s so fudgy and dense due to the lack of eggs. It’s so good and easy your non-vegan friends won’t care that it’s vegan.

 

Vegan Chocolate Cake

 

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 cups vegan sugar *note below*

6 tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda  

1 teaspoon salt  

3/4 cup vegetable oil  

2 tablespoon vinegar  

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cup cold water  

 

Directions

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth. Bake two greased, floured pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes two layers of a two-layer 9-inch or 8-inch round cake, or one small sheet cake. When cool, frost it.

 

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

 

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup vegan margarine (I use Smart Balance)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup agave nectar or maple syrup

 

Get the vegan margarine out of the refrigerator in advance, it works better if your margarine is soft.

In a blender, or food processor, combine the cocoa powder, margarine, vanilla and vegan sweetener. Blend until smooth.

It is possible to mix the frosting with a hand mixer, but make sure the vegan margarine is very soft or else it will take a long time to get all the lumps out.

Enjoy! This recipe makes enough frosting to frost a whole cake. I made it for cupcakes and had a lot of extra frosting left over.

 

*NOTE* What is vegan sugar you might ask? Plain ol’ white sugar is filtered through charcoal. Most commercially produced sugar gets it’s charcoal derived from animal bone. There’s no way to know from the bag whether the white sugar you’re about to buy is from sugar beets (which don’t need filtering) or from sugar cane. So no, white sugar itself is not a animal byproduct, the processing of it may include an animal by product and as such, usually is not used in vegan cooking.

 

Don’t lose hope, there are options! You can substitute corn or maple syrup or you can use what I use, organic sugar. I buy this at Kroger or Wal-Mart from a company called Florida Crystals and it’s sugar cane juice sugar. It’s certified vegan and certified carbon free. So you’re doing something good for yourself and something good for the environment. And you get a nice chocolate cake out of the deal. Sweet!

 

Recipe: Guacamole

Not to brag..... but some have said that it tastes better than Chipotle’s guac. And it wasn’t me that said it!

4 ripe avocados (should be firm, but should have a slight yield when you press in a spot on the avacado, they shouldn’t be squishy)

2 or 3 ripe limes

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, mince (to taste)

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (kroger is the worst at having these ingredients) walmart has the best selection of cilantro

Kosher salt to taste (you may not think Kosher salt is important, but it is)

• Chop the garlic and jalapeno peppers. I use a small food processor and pulse to the minced size is achieved.
• Chop cilantro and set aside.
• Halve the avocados, remove pits and scoop out the meat and place in a bowl (non-metal).
• Add minced peppers and garlic.
• Halve 1 lime at a time and squeeze juice into the bowl of avocados.
• Stir with the pastry blender until enough juice is in the guacamole that you can taste the lime flavor and the guacamole is not too soupy.
• When you have used the pastry blender enough to mash some of the avocado down and left the desired chunkiness you can switch to a wooden spoon. (Try to avoid metal as much as possible to avoid browning the avacados).
• When you have the right consistency start adding your salt and cilantro to taste. I like mine salty and spicy so don’t be afraid if you are using up to 1/8 of a cup of salt. It spreads out a lot.
• Once the cilantro is added you may need to add the juice of ½ to 1 whole lime to get the right consistency.

The above recipe makes about 4 cups of guacamole.

The main tool that I use to mix my guacamole is a pastry blender. If you are unfamiliar – it looks like a handled round metal tool with 5 or 6 tines on the bottom. This keeps the guacamole from being too creamy, leaving just enough chunkiness. If you do not have a pastry blender a fork or a potato masher could work.  

Plans to Perk Up My Birthday Week

I don’t know if it’s because I’m approaching 30 closer and closer this year, if its a slight funk of depression that has not left me for a while or if it’s just being irritated about my birthday in general. I’ve never not been excited about my birthday. Ever. So more than not being excited I’m a little pissed that I’m not really elated at my approaching birthday. Here’s my little laundry list of things I’m going to do to try to set myself up for success this week.

 

 

1. Some point this week I have to go to Taylor Mill and personally retrieve my medical records. (That will not be fun)
2. Friday - Renew Driver’s License and registration. (I may need to fiddle with my hair to get it to look good for that photo)
3. Friday - Pho lunch with Ann at Pho Lang Thang
4. Friday - Going to Columbus to see Cirque du Soleil’s Drailion with Ann. (French Clown Action!!)
5. Friday - Going to dinner after Cirque to Spagio
6. Saturday - Working Overtime. (gotta pay for all that Pho and French clowns somehow)
7. Saturday - Hopefully will be going to Beerfest with Pat
8. Sunday - Going to the Zoo (stop by the Zoo and send me a tweet/text if you want to catch up with me)
9. Sunday - Reservations at Nada for 10 people after the Zoo.

 

 

I haven’t even given thoughts to what gifts I want this year or what people might give me. So unlike me. I am usually equipped with an exact answer of what I want and anticipate receiving gifts. Oh well, maybe the birthday gods will smile on me between here and Sunday.

 

 

Magnum Opus

I’ve been working on a memorandum since May. It is now 24 pages. I’m afraid that if I finish working on it, I may die. Just like Charlotte. Either that or spider babies will come out of it. Either way, I’m screwed.  

Would you all still love me if I were royalty?

From the Bockfest site there is this delightful little tidbit about the annual Sausage Queen competition. I think I possess the qualities that they are looking for. Would you still love me if I were a reigning monarch?

Sausage Queen

Finals held Saturday, March 5, 2011 from 7PM to 9PM

The renowned (and sometimes notorious) Sausage Queen helps lead the Bockfest Parade by carrying a symbolic tray of Bockwurst sausage. The Sausage Queen is Bockfest royalty who is anointed in the least aristocratic manner we could create: a gender-neutral pageant that has multiple preliminary rounds in local bars. Winning contestants receive prizes, but are mostly vying for the honor and prestige of being the 2011 Sausage Queen.

In the weeks leading up to Bockfest, each participating venue will select its Queen contestant for the 2011 finale, held at the Hall during Bockfest. At each venue, a panel of "expert" judges (i.e. easily bribed) will determine the best applicant based on the following criteria:

• Personality: Good traits will include a love of bock beer, a sense of humor, and a taste for meat. The personality round will involve a series of questions posed to the contestants by the judges.
• Presence: The contestant must look good carrying a sausage and have diva tendencies. The presence round will involve a very short catwalk turn while sporting a string of bockwurst.
• Talent: Whatever "talent" you think a Sausage Queen should possess is good enough for us.

Rules For Competition:

• There is no admission fee.
• There is no need for registration prior to the night of the competition (except that the Final Judging will only be open to winning candidates from the preliminary rounds.)
• Contestants should register at the venue prior to scheduled start of the competition. Registration form is also available HERE.
• The Sausage Queen will rule until the following year's Bockfest Sausage Queen Competition. It will be virtually impossible to commit any act unbecoming of a sausage queen sufficient to cause revocation of the title.

Contestant Requirements:

• Contestants must be at least 21 years of age.
• Contestants must have an appreciation for bock beer and sausage.
• Contestants must be available to compete in the March 5th Final Judging and available for the Bockfest Parade on March 4, 2011. The Queen must not be too much of a diva to show up to these events on time and must be capable and willing to traverse the full parade route.
• Contestants must be open-minded and fun. The competition is gender neutral. It is open to all shapes, sizes, and varieties of potential Bockfest royalty.
• Manner of dress is up to each contestant.

At each of the participating venues, a winner will be selected to participate in the final round.

• Tuesday January 25, 2011 - Grammer's FIRST ROUND COMPLETED!
• Friday February 18, 2011 9P - Washington Platform
• Sunday February 20, 2011 9P - Below Zero Lounge
• Tuesday February 22, 2011 9:30P - Arnold's Bar and Grill
• Saturday February 26, 2011 7P - Milton's Prospect Hill Tavern

The final round will be held at Bockfest Hall on Saturday March 5, 2011 at 7P.

 

Stupid Text Conversations With My Mom 2/2

Why buy a slightly expensive Dell pc only to cloud it up with pricey cheat programs to run your pogo.com games while you sleep so you can get badges? Is there any way that a tiny program that automates your computers actions so that it resembles playing a flash game on the internet could not be a virus? I doubt it highly. Texting back and forth, back and forth with my mother trying to explain this concept to her. Sigh. She is like a big child. I wish I had a big bowl of pho to crawl into right now. Like anyone cares if I have a badge in Word Whomp anyways.

Pizza Heaven Bistro

First night in Phoenix we ended up here. I had a Groupon and I was ready to eat. After the 30 plus hours in the car I wasn't sure I was up to anything heavy. So I had the Penne a la Greca which had feta, olives, sun dried tomato, zucchini. Very tasty and light. Pat and Phil shared a giant pizza called Carnivori which had an absurd amount of meats but they enjoyed it. I had a nibble of it. The crust is really good here. They have a fluffy homestyle crust that bakes really crisp. We had great service and the decor was inviting.

Floyd's Kitchen

Thank you restaurant.com for having insanely cheap certificates. We went to Floyd's which took some finding. It had a very nice interior. Hardwood accents, stainless steel and movie photos everywhere. Pat had a bacon macaroni and cheese. He ended up not liking it because of secret red peppers that were not listed on the menu. Not their fault - Phil ate it so no loss. I had a caesar salad - pretty good. I had shrimp scampi which was really good. They did the cream sauce to where it was that great balance between creamy and buttery. Not too much of either. Phil had the spicy chicken parmesan on the recommendation of our server. He said it was light on the spicy but otherwise good. Pat had the French dip which he enjoyed. Pretty tasty. It was a great place to go on a weeknight, coupon or not.

Indulge Burgers and More

I bought a Groupon for here a while before we went on vacation. We spent some time in Scottsdale on one of the days and found Indulge. It has a cute atmosphere of stainless steel with hip accents. I love the whole approach. Your menu comes on a little “scantron” style form where you fill in bubbles next to your choices. You can choose the bun, meat, toppings, sauces. Everything.

We started off with the parmesan chips which were exactly what they sound like and delicious. 

I had a burger with blue cheese, garlic aioli, sautéed mushrooms. Pretty fabulous. 

Pat had this Vesuvius burger which has cheese inside the beef patty. I know. He really liked it though. 

I don’t know how I’ve gone through life and never had Woodchuck Hard Cider before? I ordered one here and it has changed my life! Those babies taste just like apple juice. They don’t even taste alcoholic.

That being said I’m sure you can ascertain that they have a decent bar. If you’re in for a new experience and tired of the same old burger try Indulge!

 

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers

During our 30 hour trek from Phoenix back home to Cincinnati we got to stop for some delicious foods. We were not able to be seated at Coco’s (now I’m not sorry) so we went to Freddy’s. Something unheard of in Ohio. I liked the old style diner feel of the restaurant and was excited about hamburgers, hot dogs and custar. OH MY!

Here’s one of the Freddy’s Steakburgers in action. This was possibly one of the best burgers of my life. We have a steakburger when I am from but it cannot compare. Delicious beef seared to perfection.

Here’s a delightful Chicago style hot dog. I gotta have my hot dogs! This one was perfect. A Chicagoan wouldn’t know the difference – except for the bun. No poppy seeds. I frankly didn’t care though. 

Here you have the custard. Nice smooth and thick Vanilla custard with turtle toppings on it. This was a small and it was almost too much to take. After that burger and hot dog I almost couldn’t eat any of it at all. But I managed. 

Matador

I was surprised after eating at Matador that they have some really low reviews on Urbanspoon. I had a great time there. There’s some convenient street parking out front. I thought the decor was really nice. It had a good vibe. Their house salsa is some of the hottest stuff I’ve eaten. Maybe it’s because I’m a gringa, maybe it’s because I’m from Ohio. Who knows!

I had a chimichanga which was delicious. Very moist chicken and what tasted like a house made flour tortilla. 

Pat had the tacos with beef and he was really happy with them. He thinks that maybe – they were the best tacos he’s ever had. Super fresh ingredients, nice staff and reasonable prices. 

I would totally do Matador again.

Famous Uncle Al's Hot Dogs

I had to have a hot dog on vacation! I needed to stop for something light and wish I could have stayed for more food. I ordered the San Antonio dog which had chili, cheese, bacon, onion and jalapeno. It was really tasty. Wonderful steamed bun, fresh chili, fresh ingredients. I love Vienna Beef so pretty much put anything on it and I'll eat it. Well, not anything. I hope to go back to Phoenix and stop by Uncle Al's again. Delicious food by some really nice people.

Crystal Palace Saloon & Restaurant

I ate in Tombstone,Arizona! I know I sound like a dumb tourist but I frankly don't care. I loved every second of it. Our trip to Phoenix was really a lot of fun. We drove all OVER that state in our sad little rented Prius.

We dragged our friend Phil down to Tombstone with us and he endured it with good humor. We arrived at nearly sundown which bummed me out a bit. I wanted to see more of the sights in the day time. Like when else am I going to see Boot Hill? So we decided to go on a nighttime Murder Ghost Tour so we had some time to kill. (get it, murder...kill... nevermind) We ended up at Crystal Palace upon some good recommendations of the townspeople. Your servers are decked out in old-timey showgirl dresses that would have been in fashion when Doc Holiday was around. I ordered a sirloin steak and Pat had a ribeye. Both were well cooked and served with smashed potatoes and creamed corn. Their creamed corn was really tasty. It tasted freshly made. The potatoes were really good as well. The steak was seasoned well and cooked perfectly. Phil had a nice sized burger and thought it was good.

Sitting in an environment with such history just kinda made us want to drink some whiskey. But we did not. All in all Crystal Palace is good, affordable food in a really unique environment!

House of Sun

I have been going to House of Sun for a while now and it's just pretty straightforward American-style Chinese comfort food. Some highlights of their restaurant is a fish tank if you want fresh lobster or fresh tilapia of which they have a couple varieties of each. When I showed up it was very near closing time and I think I made them a little mad.

I got Mongolian Beef which I always name "The Dance of the Onion and It's Many Gifts" If you've ever had Mongolian Beef you might know what I mean. It is a time to get rid of all your onions in the kitchen! I've had it with 3 types of onion (pearl, white, scallions). In this case it just had scallions.



I had their hot and sour soup which is my favorite. It was a little strong on the vinegar flavor but it compensated with nice egg strands and mushrooms.



They make a good egg roll here and have some of the spiciest mustard known to man. You ever eat something with the Chinese mustard and did not think to angle it correctly so the mustard goes right on your tongue? I swear I think that Athena is going to burst out of my skull when that happens.



If you're in the area swing by for a nice lunch. They have a few unique items on their menu.