Pheasant Glass

Packing for a trip in the 21st century

2008-05-22T11:51:00.001-04:00

You know, it's really funny how things evolve. I remember the days of my childhood when packing for a trip meant that my mom would get the suitcases out of the closet a week in advance, and then we would pack it piece by piece over the course of a week. And once you had packed the suitcase you were done. Even 10-15 years ago, the process of packing for a trip wasn't that much different, except that with washers and driers it came down to spending 3-4h on the last day before the trip for packing your clothes.

Packing for a 2 ½ week business trip today, I realized that things are quite different now. When I'm on the road that long, I need all my gadgets to be loaded up with "stuff" and ready to roll. So I spent all morning today doing the following:

Purchased latest songs and albums on iTunes, updated my list of podcasts, and sync'd with my iPhone
Cleared out e-mail inbox and To-Do list by getting last few items done and replying to the latest string of e-mails
Charged my Sony DSC-T50 camera and made sure that the memory chip is empty
Charged my Sony HDR-TG1 video camera and made sure that the memory chip is empty
Emptied the photo directory on my laptop so that it has 20GB available to receive new photos or videos during my trip
Printed out e-Tickets and made sure that I also have them on my laptop
Charged my Kindle, sync'd my subscriptions, and purchased 2 more books on amazon.com (I normally do this on the road, but this time I'm going to Europe, so I have to download everything before I depart)

So what it boils down to for me is this: packing for a trip in the 21st century = 3 ½ hours of getting gadgets ready and ½ hour of throwing clothes in the suitcase.

What's your packing ritual these days?

Upcoming travels

2008-05-21T19:35:00.001-04:00

A little over two weeks of travels coming up shortly - nine days in Austria and a week in Orlando, FL - and we are departing tomorrow. Expect to see more reviews and restaurant critiques here on Pheasant Glass soon...

XML Aficionado: New release of Altova tools

2008-04-29T09:17:00.005-04:00

Just a quick pointer to invite you to check out the following blog post about the new version 2008 release 2 of the Altova product line that adds support for Open XML across multiple products...
XML Aficionado: New BIG "minor" release of Altova tools

Ozumo

2008-04-25T21:16:00.001-04:00

I have been to Ozumo many times before, and it is always a great pleasure to return to this trendy and excellent Japanese restaurant in San Francisco.

Ozumo is probably most famous for its Robata grill items, but I personally am a big fan of the sushi chefs at this fine establishment.

Make sure to sample the Poke on Kappa-Maki as well as the many more exotic choices of Nigiri and Sashimi and don't be afraid to ask for a Negitoro Temaki (hand roll) - it's not on the menu, but they will be glad to make it for you.

The sake list is impressive and many great sakes are also sold by the glass. This is definitely the place to try a sake flight and sample different sakes from various regions in Japan.

Getting a reservation can be tricky and it is highly recommended that you book in advance or that you are flexible with the time. For larger parties of 8-10 people they have two rooms that are somewhat secluded, but you need to ask for availability and a certain minimum consumption is required for these rooms.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Bernardus Lodge

2008-04-24T21:05:00.000-04:00

Hidden in Carmel Valley, the Bernardus Lodge is a fabulous retreat and spa. The rooms are spacious, have built-in fireplaces, and are kept in a rustic design that makes this truly a place to "come home" to after a long journey.

As the valet takes care of your car and luggage, you are greeted in the lobby, which is really a super comfortable living room with crackling fire in the fireplace. You are offered a glass of wine while you wait for the concierge who escorts you to your room - and you do the check-in right in your own room. Truly a clever idea and a wonderful way to make the arrival process even more comfortable.

We stayed only one night on our trip up the west coast, but the breakfast was certainly one of the best breakfasts we had on the entire trip. And we were sad that we had to leave without enjoying some of the highly recommended spa treatments. We will need to come back one day and stay for a week...

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Linn's Bakery - Olallieberry Heaven

2008-04-23T20:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, the olallieberry really exists. It is a cross between a loganberry and a youngberry. The taste is somewhere in the spectrum between a blackberry and a raspberry - I'd say about 60% blackberry and 40% raspberry.

Linn's Bakery in Cambria is famous for their Olallieberry pie and a serving of such pie a la mode is exactly what we had for lunch.

In addition to pies, the olallieberry can also be turned into lemonade, iced tea, and a very delicious smoothie. Pies, jams, and other olallieberry products cans also be ordered online.

If you have a bit of time left after lunch, visit some of the antique shops in Cambria, or check out the strange collection of devil-ducks at the local pharmacy.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊ (4 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Madonna Inn

2008-04-22T20:37:00.001-04:00

The Madonna Inn near San Luis Obispo seems to be a fun place to spend a night on first glance. Located enroute from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the California Central Coast, the hotel's claim to fame is that all of its rooms have been decorated in different styles and that pink is a favorite color of the owners.

Unfortunately, the rooms appear to never have been redone in their 30+ year existence, leading to a rather unpleasant smell as you enter the rooms. The carpet is a grayish and worn color where one stain blends into the next, the bed covers look faded and the entire room had a creepy feeling to it.

My daughter had rack of lamb in the "Gold Rush Steak House" that is part of the hotel and is decorated entirely in pink (despite the name). Unfortunately the lamb did not appear to have been fresh, as my daughter became rather ill that night and managed to add another stain to the carpet....

We were very happy to leave the place in the morning and continue our journey. In retrospect, we should not have stayed there in the first place. Any Best Western or even a road-side Motel 6 is almost certainly a better choice!

Our rating: ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ (0 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel

2008-04-21T23:15:00.002-04:00

If business or pleasure brings you to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, or Los Angeles, consider a stay at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, which is now a Four Seasons property. Everything about our stay was simply perfect and the hotel managed to exceed our expectations in various areas - even for the standard we are used to see at other Four Seasons locations.

The service was simply amazing and everything was executed on a level of perfection that your rarely see. To give just a few examples: the concierge called us a few days ahead of our arrival to see if we needed help with any reservations and organized VIP experience tickets for Universal Studios for us. Upon arrival, the door man inquired about my name as he opened the door of our car. By the time he had reached the rear of the car to unload the luggage, he greeted my son with the words "And you must be Calvin" - obviously having received all our family member names from reception via some secret service wireless gear. Very clever!

The rooms were great, the beds super-comfortable, and the breakfast was flawless as well. We can highly recommend the Wilshire Eggs Benedict with black truffles.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Spago - a little bit of Austria in Beverly Hills

2008-04-21T21:10:00.001-04:00

Spago is certainly the flagship restaurant of Wolfgang Puck and the Beverly Hills location, opened in 1997, maintains a cutting-edge role as a creative culinary force, with a combination of Spago classics and Austrian-inspired recipes from Wolfgang's childhood.

Coming from Vienna, Austria, we thought it would be only fair to conduct a little "Austrian review" of Spago to find out how true to Puck's roots the dishes are - even when the chef is not personally in the kitchen anymore.

The first pleasant surprise is that the menu contains four dishes (2 appetizers and 2 entrees) marked with an * and identified as original recipes from Wolfgang Puck's grandmother's recipe collection. All the other dishes are also nicely selected and offer a fresh fusion of Californian and Austrian cuisine.

The wine list has quite a few Austrian wines and for our dinner we picked a bottle of the Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner from the Kamptal region in Austria. This is a very fresh and fruity white wine that goes extremely well with fish, but is also great with meat dishes.

We tried three of the four original grandmother recipe dishes: the Wiener Schnitzel was enormous and very well prepared. It could easily measure up to our expectations, although the portion of potato salad that accompanied the dish was definitely too small when compared with Vienna standard portions.

The Kärntner Käsenudeln were remarkable and delicious - although they led to a lively discussion between the authors of this blog, whether they were true Käsenudeln or more related to the Osttiroler Schlipfkrapfen (sometimes also called Schlutzkrapfen). After some research we concluded that they were indeed Käsenudeln - the mint in the filling was a clear give-away.

The Goulash was spicy, yet the beef was tender and could almost be cut with a fork - exactly the way it should be.

For desert we had the Kaiserschmarrn, which was truly fabulous and airy. The true connoisseur of Austrian cuisine would, of course, need to notice that it was almost a cross-over between a Kaiserschmarrn and Salzburger Nockerln, which gave it a fluffiness that is rarely found in pure Kaiserschmarrn.

Unfortunately the low-light conditions in the restaurant made our photos come out too dark and lacking color and appeal - they would simply not do the dishes justice, so we decided to instead include a photo from Wolfgang Puck's own website above.

But our overall impression of Spago was that it does without any doubt deserve its reputation - even when you measure the Austrian cuisine by Austrian standards!

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

The Stand - a vegan paradise in Laguna Beach

2008-04-20T23:31:00.000-04:00

California has, of course, always been a place where you find more health-conscious food choices than on the east coast

or in any other part of the country. But a vegan sandwich stand is still something a bit out of the ordinary - even for CA standards. The Stand is located just ½ block off Pacific Coast Highway (CA 1) in Laguna Beach. The extensive and colorful menu has all sorts of delicious choices for burgers, wraps, burritos, pita pockets, full entrees, as well as a vast selection of smoothies. This place is truly a vegan and vegetarian paradise, because the food selections are not limited to just tofu, but includes all sorts of vegetables and preparation styles to provide true variety.

For our lunch we had a potato burrito, a bean burrito, an avocado and hummus pita pocket (pictured on the right), and a peanut butter cookie, as well as a few delicious smoothies.

The only small disappointment was that we would have expected a vegan place to also be a bit more conscious of the environment and have recycling bins for paper/glass in addition to the trash bin.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊ (4 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Bread & Cie - Best Bakery in San Diego

2008-04-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

After the disappointing hotel breakfast at the US grant on the previous day, we started our trip north on Pacific Coast Highway (CA 1) with a breakfast stop at Bread & Cie in San Diego.

What a treat - this place truly deserves to be called the best bakery in San Diego. From the fantastic blueberry turnovers to the eclairs, the entire selection of pastries is to die for and presented in a beautiful glass display next to amazing looking cakes and pies that made us seriously consider having a round of dessert right after breakfast.

You get to pick your choices in front of the glass display, place your coffee order, and pay at the register - then they bring everything to your table when it is ready. The variety of breads on display was also breath-taking and we bought an olive bread as well as some sourdough rolls for the trip up the coast.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Confidential

2008-04-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Here is some confidential information for you: the Pheasant Glass team will be traveling up the West Coast from San Diego to San Francisco - following the Pacific Coast Highway - over the course of the next week and will be reporting on various culinary adventures as time permits and wherever Internet connections can be found.

While in San Diego, we discovered another top-secret location that we need to tell you about: the Confidential Restaurant and Loft is a hip bar located on Fourth Street in San Diego that features a fantastic mix of music, excellent food, and drinks.

All food is served tapas-style, meaning that the portions are small and meant to be shared with friends - and you probably want to start ordering 5-6 dishes for a table of 4. The drink selection is quite exquisite and I would recommend a White Orchid Martini (see photo above) for starters. It's Grey Goose vodka with elderflower syrup - not something you get to try every day.

The lobster bisque is very intense - almost an explosion of flavors - and comes with some delicious foam on top - it is served in a small cup, so you probably want to have one soup per person rather than sharing. Sadly, however, they were out of oyster shooters on the day we were there, but those sounded delicious, too, at least from what we could read in the menu....

It is also this unfortunate absence of oyster shooters as well as the missing-in-action carpaccio that resulted in a one-point deduction from the maximum possible score for an otherwise quite memorable dining experience that night.

A few more notable dishes include the hearts of palm salad (pictured above) and the amazing Coca-Cola basted baby back ribs (on the right), as well as the salmon, and the deconstructed pizza.

The service was fast, friendly, and competent, rounding off an altogether top-notch dining experience that was accompanied by hip music. So whatever top-secret business brings you to town, make sure you conduct it at Confidential on Fourth Street in San Diego.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊ (4 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Breakfast at the US Grant's "Grant Grill"

2008-04-18T10:52:00.001-04:00

The US Grant in San Diego certainly has a great reputation and is part of Starwood's "The Luxury Collection" of hotels. It also came recommended by our American Express travel counselor.

When we arrived on Saturday, the service quality was excellent - from the valet staff to the front desk to the concierge, the hotel lived up to our expectations. The hotel has undergone substantial renovations a few years back, and the lobby is extravagant, yet inviting. The rooms have been redecorated in a stylish way, although it appears that a fashion statement was more important to the interior designer than the comfort of guests. The sofa in the above picture is opposite the TV in the suite, and it is perhaps the most uncomfortable sofa I ever sat in. Also, the choice of fabric does no accommodate high traffic use, the settees look stained. We know for sure that the rooms are being cleaned, because a dirty rag was left on our suitcases.

For breakfast we went to the Grant Grill in the hotel. The breakfast menu was well designed and the Wedgwood china, silverware, and table setting looked promising.

Imagine our surprise, when we were told upon being served our coffee and tea that they were out of English breakfast tea. But this was only the foreboding of things to come. Even though the restaurant was only 20-25% full, it took forever until we were served. When the food finally arrived, the pancakes that my daughter had ordered were covered with blueberries, but once she pushed those aside, the entire stack turned out to be severely burnt. Needless to say, we sent them back. One would imagine that an egg over-easy is one of the more-easy items on the menu to get right. Au contraire, the egg was undercooked and covered with grease. Likewise, the "Gold Yukon Potatoes" turned out to be hash-browns that were raw on the inside and burnt on top and bottom.

This was also the point in time, when service quality went downhill. Not only did we have to wait for the toast and pastries for another 10 minutes, by which time the eggs were already cold, but we were also confronted with an empty salt shaker and no sight of the waiter for those entire 10 minutes. When the pastries finally arrived, they turned out to be soaked in fat to the point where a huge grease stain was left behind in the bread basket. Upon serving the check the waiter asked if everything had been alright, and instead of waiting for our answer concluded for himself "All is well, that's good to hear."

We respectfully disagree...

Our rating: ♦ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ (1 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Shibuya at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas

2007-10-19T22:37:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure of having dinner at Shibuya twice this week: on Tuesday I invited our trade show booth team to celebrate a successful presence at the IBM Information-On-Demand conference and trade show in Las Vegas, and on Thursday I ate a quick bite at the Sushi bar before seeing KA by Cirque du Soleil.

Shibuya is located in the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas and features regular restaurant tables, teppan-yaki style tables, where the chef grills at the table, and a fantastic Sushi bar right below a gigantic virtual aquarium.

For our trade show team dinner we set at a regular table and were served by a very competent, friendly, and knowledgeable waiter.

To start the evening off we had cocktails, and I can only highly recommend the Shibuya Cocktail: it is a delightful Vodka- and Sake-based drink with crushed sake-flavored ice, that give it a unique texture and taste. Not too sweet, but also not too dry. If you like Cosmopolitans, you will definitely enjoy the Shibuya Cocktail, although it is not nearly as sour as a Cosmo.

The Sake menu at Shibuya is simply impressive. They boast the largest selection of Sakes in the country, and while I cannot verify that claim, it certainly sounds plausible, given that their menu is practically a book. The sakes are nicely organized in separate groups between the honjōzō-shu, ginjō-shu, and daiginjō-shu. When you order a bottle, the waiter brings a little "business card" for each guest that describes the Sake that is being served. We had two junmai-daiginjōs and they were equally exquisite. My favorite was the Wataribune from Ibaraki Prefecture: light and pure, with subtle hints of pineapple and peaches.

The appetizers are inspired and range from Kobe-Beef-Tataki to Toro-Tartar. They are all wonderfully presented and simply delicious. Make sure to order some Edamame and a seaweed salad to share for the table, and don't skip the Miso soup. It is also a good idea to order a few appetizers and share with friends to take in all the different tastes.

While the menu certainly has a wonderful variety of warm dishes that are probably excellent, we didn't try any of them. I simply cannot help it: when I'm faced with a spectacular Sushi bar, that's what I'll have. The Sushi menu has a broad selection of Nigiri, Nori-maki, and Temaki, and all the fish is freshly flown into Las Vegas for them. The O-Toro that I had melted like butter and was just wonderful. There is a Spider-Roll (soft-shell crab) on the speciality side that is to die for. And I can also highly recommend the Negi-Toro (or Toro Scallion) maki. An inspired combination is the Yellow Tail and Jalapeño maki - the spiciness of the Jalapeño very nicely compliments the Yellow Tail and is slightly subdued by the Sushi rice, so as to not be totally "in your face".

The only thing on the menu that I disagree with, is the Hinomaru roll - Buffalo Mozzarella and basil in a Sushi Roll? Who's ever heard of that combination? However, John Judy actually tried the dish and insisted that it was not only delicious, but also argued that it is permissible to try such new cuisine cross-over variations. I don't know about that - when it comes to Sushi I'm a bit of a traditionalist....

But during my second visit I saw many other people order the dish, so I guess it must be pretty good - maybe I'll try it some day, during a future visit to Las Vegas.

On my second visit I also had the honor of sitting right at the Sushi bar in front of Master Sushi Chef Yoshinori Nakazawa, who directs a team of 5 sushi chefs and they are truly experts at the art of creating Sushi.

Watching Nakazawa-san work his magic up-close was inspiring and made the visit to Shibuya a mesmerizing experience. And the Sushi tastes even better when you sit right at the bar and it appears in front of you the very second that the chef has finished his creation - and a true creation it is, with all the detail that goes into making each piece.

If you are brave enough to leave some room for dessert, you will be aptly rewarded. My favorite is definitely the Mochi ice-cream, which comes in 3 flavors and is just spectacular. A thin layer of Mochi wrapped around fruit and green-tea flavored ice - heavenly!

To end the evening, I recommend a cup of hot Genmaicha to round things off.

In my opinion, the Sushi at Shibuya is at the pinnacle of Sushi restaurants in America, and puts Shibuya on par - if not even above - our favorite Sushi places in San Francisco. More on those in a future review here on the Pheasant Glass blog.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ (5 out of a possible 5 diamonds).

Atomic Cafe, Marblehead

2007-09-22T20:00:00.002-04:00

What a great last day of summer in New England. Fall starts tomorrow, but today's temperatures are in the high 70s and it's just beautiful out there.

Talking of which, I just got home from lunch at the Atomic Cafe, and liked it so much that I thought I'd share a few thoughts and some photos (nothing high-res, just a few snapshots taken with my iPhone during lunch today).

Over the past few months Atomic Cafe has become a new staple in Marblehead due to it's central location, great food, and excellent coffee selection.

Located on School Street - right next to the Marblehead Little Theatre's newly renovated Firehouse - the Atomic Cafe sports 4-5 booths for seating 4, 3 tables for seating 2, a small bar overlooking school street, and a few comfy chairs. Their official address is 14 School Street, Marblehead, MA 01945.

In the summer you can also take your drink outside to the two benches in front of the cafe, or enjoy your beverages in the sun.

The Atomic Cafe offers WiFi interet access to patrons for free, and you can easily connect with your laptop (or iPhone) and utilize fast connectivity while enjoying your Frozen Cappuccino or other fine beverages.

Talking of coffees - I can't even begin to describe how good they are, as I wouldn't be doing them justice. Luckily, there is already another great blog post on barismo that goes into great detail about he espresso shots and doubles, so you should read that. Another great blog reaction is on (a)musings.

In addition to the usual selection of sandwiches, wraps, and panninis, the Atomic Cafe offers a few signature dishes that are both inspired and delicious.

This Grilled Pesto and Goat Cheese sandwich on the left is what I had for lunch today, and it is simply "to die for". As such it has quickly become one of my favoites. Equally impressive is the Caprese Twist or the Swanky Chicken. The selection of cakes and other sweet treasures easily out-performs Starbucks and their coffees creations, inspired teas, and smoothies are spectacular.

There is also a second sister location of the Atomic Cafe in Beverly, but I haven't tried that one yet. I will plan to do that in the upcoming weeks for some work lunch, since my office happen to be in Beverly, too. It will be interesting to see how the two locations compare, especially since the one in Beverly was already established in 1996, whereas the Marblehead location is fairly new.

Our rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊ (4 out of a possible 5 diamonds).