What I Learned Today - MG's CIP

New Recipe: Blue Cheese-Abatta Burger-Jita

2009-05-31T13:29:00.005-04:00

It's a mouthful whether you're saying it or eating it. But, Man! What a mouthful!

We had just gotten back from our bi-weekly trip to the grocery. Each parent got a cart, a child, and a not-so-specific idea of what we needed. My kinda trip. That means we had to "Garlock" the grocery - a phrase coined by my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Basically, it means you go up and down every aisle, regardless of what's on your list, to be absolutely sure we don't miss out on some randomly placed aisle-cap-o'goodness.

So we lug our 40 bags of staples and such back to the house and I begin my next bi-weekly tradition of trying to figure out where to put all this crap since the fridge is perpetually full of leftover filled tupperware and tubs of butter with 2 teaspoons left in it.

Once I have the fridge packed to the gills and the effort of me and two sub-four year olds is needed to close the door, it's time for lunch. I look at the items I have yet to find a home for sitting on my counter.

A loaf of fresh Ciabatta bread

Ground Beef

Stilton Blue Cheese

Green Peppers

Vidalia Onions

Mayo

Macaroni Salad

Chips

It's like the food gods were sending me a not-so-coded message. I chose to listen.

Here's the Recipe for the my latest creation of deliciousness:

The Burger - loosly based on the Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy depending on who in Minneapolis you believe is the originator of the delicacy. Matt's Bar or the 5-8 Club. I like the first for obvious reasons):

Cut a piece of the Ciabatta that you will be using for a bun - mine happened to be the size of my outstretched hand - any bigger and the structural stability of the burger becomes suspect. Cut it horizontally to make a top/bottom of the bun. Set aside.

Take enough ground beef to fit just smaller than the ciabatta - match the shape as well. Now cut in half and make two thinner-than usual patties.

Crumble your cheese on one of the patties - leave a border un-cheesed on the patty.

Place the other patty on top. Crimp the edges (see, there was a reason for the border) to keep in the cheese.

Grill as you like it.

The Spread - Garlic Lemon Mayo Spread

Spoon more than the normal amount of mayo for a sandwich into a small bowl. Remember, that Ciabatta is rather pourous

Add lemon juice. The amount is up to you. Keep in mind that when you taste it you should note hints of the lemon. It shouldn't be overpowering.

Add in your favorite garlic mixture. I'm a big fan of the Tastefully Simple brand. Not overpowering, rehydrates in your mix quickly. Good stuff.

The Jita - short for Fajita of course

Put 2 tbsns of oil in a saucepan

Slice Onions and Green Peppers, place in pan on med-low heat - we're just sweating these

Add Oregano, Salt and Pepper to taste.

Sautee until the onions are translucent and the peppers start to wilt a bit.

Now we're ready to assemble.

But Ciabatta on the grill just long enough to grill-mark them.

Add your spread liberally to both top and bottom slices

Add the hamburger patty

Top with additional cheese (either the same or a new one - I went with more Stilton Blue)

Cover with the Jita
Add chips to the sandwich place. Slice the burger in 1/2.
Open up a beer and enjoy

This is one of the best burger concoctions I've come up with at home. Give it a try and let me know what variations you put to it.

Stay hungry, my friends.

Philadelphia, PA Eats: Part 3, The Phinal chapter

2009-04-23T12:47:00.002-04:00

Seriously, I’m still here:

Ok, here we go again. This installment is the Phinal Philly Phood Phoray (Sorry, couldn’t resist). I’m once again gastronomically guiding you around the Center City area of Philadelphia (with a few side trips in between). I’ve been on a tear recently: I have not eaten at the same place for dinner in the last few weeks.

This Post’s Highlight City: Philadelphia, PA Eats: Part 3

Fast Food

Here’s the standards list: I still characterize food as “fast” much like my mother does – I have to unwrap it. Usually wait in a queue, national chains, multiple states have them.

Joe’s Pizza on 16th – This was a recommendation from a friend. Solid pizza, authentic-ish Italian (at least everybody in the kitchen was speaking Italian). Couple of slices and some cheese sticks fill up the gut.

Oh So Good – That’s both the name of the place and a review by yours truly. It’s a pay-by-the-pound take out, buffet place neat the office with the most eclectic food choices I’ve seen in one place. Chicken Salad to Grilled Chicken, Portabella Mushrooms to Sesame Chicken, Beef Tips to Ribs and Salads. And I tried most of them. Only 1 of the items was so-so, the rest were, yep, Oh So good… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Morning Calm Deli – Quick, tasty sandwiches. Needs more condiments though. Chicken Parm and the Italian are both tasty. If it hadn’t been lunchtime I would have picked up a mix-six pack from a decent beer selection. Not too bad.

Pizza Zone on Chestnut – Big slices, good variety, and open when I need a quick pie fix. And there always seems to be a soccer game on… Odd, but tasty.

Mid Range Places:

These were places I needed to order from a menu, but could sit down and have my food brought to me. But you still get paper napkins and plastic “we don’t care if you steal it” cutlery:

Little Pete’s Diner – Did a Google search for “Best Philly Breakfast” and this place made the list. Can’t go wrong with a diner, right? Right! I tried the scrapple with home fries, eggs, sausage, toast and a drink for less than $10. That’s a serious deal. And from sit down to fork in mouth was about 7 minutes. That’s why these guys are one of the best in town. I’ll be back here.

The Fieldhouse – Went here to watch the OSU – Texas bowl game on a Monday night. (It’s a Texas stronghold, by the way. Take from that what you will). I had the jerk chicken wrap with Pineapple salsa. That was after the cornmeal breaded calamari. Great texture, perfectly cooked. And it’s a great place to watch a game. This place must be rocking on football Saturdays. It’s huge! Try it out.

McGillin’s Olde Ale House – This was another recommendation from a friend (thanks Michelle!) Not exactly what I was expecting from all the things I’d heard about it. It’s the oldest Ale House in Philly (opening when Lincoln was in office back in 1860). Great atmosphere, just smaller than expected. And the food – holy cow! I had the stuffed/breaded shrimp special. Great appetizers too. I’ll need to come back here to try something else from this multinational menu.

Houlihan’s – One of the old standby’s from home. The nachos were ridiculously huge, too much sauce caused about 1/3 of the plate to get soggy though. Terrific burgers (even if they were out of Swiss… didn’t they know I was coming?). Always good in a pinch.

Fado – Turns out I had been here a couple of years ago, but didn’t realize it until I was in and seated. Service was great, Fantastic Irish Fare. Go with the Guinness BBQ Chicken Sandwich. That’s if you have room after the Sausage rolls topped with Asian slaw for the appetizer. Atmosphere is great for watching a game too. It’s always funny to hear an Irish Brogue speaking intelligently about both American Football and Hockey. Too much.

Marathon Grille – There are a few of these around Philly, I was at the one at 19th and Market. I had a solid burger with interesting topping options (Piquillo peppers and gruyere for me please). Great texture on the fries – may have been double fried – but the Caesar needed more dressing and smaller chop on the leaves. (yep, nitpicking here) You can do a build-your-own option on sandwiches as well. Good, quick service. Not too shabby.

Sky Partners Asian Bistro – Another airport place. Decent food, horrible service. Got the spicy Thai noodles and had to walk up to the bar – twice – to ask for water refills. Had to get the water since there were no refills on the $2.50, 75% ice Sprite I got. Seriously people – you’re not squeezing the lemons and limes by hand here.

T. A. Flannery’s – Looks like a small, Irish joint from the outside… Whaddya know? It IS a small Irish joint. Good food. Get the Wiz on your fries if you can afford the arterial trauma inevitable. The Rueben and Burgers are very good. Great corned beef (of course). Good place for lunch in the neighborhood.

Elephant and Castle – Went against a ‘pan it’ recommendation to try it anyway – big mistake. Worst sit down meal I had in Philly. Calamari was rubbery, aioli tasted like it was 40% salt, burger was raw, fries were cold. I was disgusted. Seriously, if you can’t do a burger and a sauce you should be shut down.

South Street Souvlaki – Actually tried to go to this place once, found out they were renovating (after walking the 2 miles to get there) and ended up at Fado’s that night (see above). Glad I went back! Had to get the Souvlaki, of course. Great sandwiches, good sized app, and got out for a very reasonable price. Recommend it.

Nodding Head Brewery – Gotta love a place with thousands of bobble-head/belly/insert-body-part-here figurines for décor. I had the Charcuterie Platter (fancy way of saying “meat and cheese plate”) could only have been better if you put it on a stick and deep fried it… hmmm…nevermind. Rasta man jerk chicken sandwich with plantains was also a solid menu item. Don’t forget to try the brews. I recommend the Monkey Knife Fight… just it’s fun to order!

Salumeria – If you look closely, you can see the sign for this place in a scene from National Treasure where they duck in Terminal Market. Mainly it’s a deli counter with dozens of seriously quality meats and cheeses. On the other side, there’s a small sandwich and salad counter. I did the chicken parm sandwich, antipasti and the mozz and tomato salad. Like I was back in Rome!

Dutch Eating Place – Another Terminal Market great. This is just old fashioned, comfort food. Reuben, pot roast, mashed potatoes, fresh cut fries, and fresh squeezed lemonade. Two of us got out of there with stuffed bellies and happy faces for $15 with tip! Amazing quality and value.

Good Dog Bar – If you want a happenin joint with great bar food – check this place out. There is actual seating upstairs (I think) and a dive-y type bar downstairs frequented by the college types. I met some friends from school here and we were all thrilled with our food. I had the Grilled Shrimp Salad and the Grilled 3 Cheese sandwich (go to their menu and look up the descriptions – SOOOO much more than their titles). Holy good bar food Batman! Best surprise of my stay.

Devil’s Alley Pub – Had a pleasant surprise for lunch here. Got fried green tomatoes and a terrific Cuban sandwich. Not what you’d expect from an Irish pub. This place is always hoppin at night too. Check it out.

Jim’s Steaks – Yep, had to do it. I went to Jim’s for a cheese steak. Wasn’t impressed. The Steak was dry and bland, there was very little cheese (I got one with provolone and one with wiz) and the bread fell apart when I bit into it. I should have gone back to Geno’s or Pat’s instead.

Upper Crust-ier Type Joints:

These were nicer places. Linen on the table, you feel under-dressed in jeans and/or without a jacket. Probably not places I would try if I couldn’t charge it in after fasting for breakfast and lunch to save up the Per Diems.

The Continental – Another one of the Starr Restaurants. I actually made unintentional happy noises while eating my appetizer. That’s a first. The chicken was quite tasty as well with the Arugula salad. A bit pricey for me to make a habit of, but still worth trying out. The décor was really funky too. Multiple floors, multiple bars and one of the most well-appointed bars I’ve come across in quite a while. Easy to see why Starr is able to build an empire.

Porcini’s – Pretty tasty Italian, BYOB joint. Intimate setting (read “small”). Portions were ok. But the dishes were pricy for what I had. If cost isn’t a concern though, a solid Italian place.

Smith and Wollensky’s Steakhouse – Went here during Restaurant week and got “the dish” Filet, Potatoes… nothing special. I wasn’t impressed for the pricing. Was really expecting to be knocked out based on the reviews. Clearly more of a status place than a foodie place based on my one experience.

TRIA – This is by far my favorite place in Philly. Lauded as a wine, beer and cheese bistro, I was expecting some snobbery and had my best “sure, I know what all these things are” face on. Didn’t need to use it. Staff was super-approachable, extremely well educated on each menu item and the signature items as well. I received excellent recommendations and swore to come back again. Try the cheese stuffed figs on prosciutto. Exquisite! I broke my own rule and went back a second time my last night in town. What does that tell ya?

Thanks to Philly for a TREMENDOUS culinary journey!

My Great Herbal Experiment, Year 2

2009-04-23T09:50:00.009-04:00

So last year, I did some math in the late spring and realized how much money I was spending on fresh herbs at the local grocery. The herbs themselves weren’t necessarily bad, but the fact that I would forget about that Basil in the crisper drawer after using two leaves until it started to go bad just bugged me.

So I started the herb garden. Nothing extensive, about a 5’ by 8’ plot in an existing garden. I cleared out the existing bulbs from that area, bought the seeds and then went to talk to my neighbor. His daughter has quite the green thumb, and with mine being not so tinted, I worked out a deal with her. She helped plant, weed and water, and I paid her (yeah, I’m the real hands on type ; ).

She did a great job. I had a ton of stuff out there: about 6 varieties of tomato, basil, parsley, lavender, sage, multiple oreganos and basils, a few chives and a couple of transplanted bits like mint and pepperoncini.

The wins:

Basil, Oregano and Chives whenever I wanted them. This was great and led to my ruining of omelets for my wife since she will now only eat them with the fresh herbs. I do love Sundays in the summer!

Introduction to a couple of new items I hadn’t tried before: Dark Opal Basil (a bit more bitter than the sweet, but makes a fantastic dark pesto), and lime thyme (aside from the rhyming, it was pretty tasty on chicken – just a hint of the citrus).
One Pepperoncini – stuffed with a garlic cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. A small appetizer (especially if you know me) but a decent victory in my book.

The Losses:

Deer: Those antlered fiends got to every one of my tomato plants eating everything that popped up. In doing so, they also trampled a number of other items getting to their juicy treats.

Squirrels: I’ll show you deer! I’ll move the pepperoncini up to my deck! Ah…huh? Who knew that squirrels apparently like a little kick. They got all but the one delicious specimen. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t caught one of the little buggers red-pawed. I’m pretty sure I heard it laughing at me as it left.

Lessons Learned:

So here we are in year 2 of the Great Herbal Experiment. I’ve made some changes – here is a list of things I’ve modified.

Much larger area – everything was haphazardly placed last year due to space constraints. My fault, not the neighbors. Tripling the area should help that.

Fencing – I hit the local Home Depot and got stakes, wire fencing, the whole works. That should keep those deer away.

Careful seed selection – Based on our eating habits, ease of growth, and unused pieces from last year, here’s the list of what made the cut this year
a. Tomato – 5 varieties
b. Sweet Peppers – 2 types
c. Hot Peppers – a bunch of these
d. Basil – about 3 times as much as last year
e. Oregano – the same
f. Chives – these I actually left outside the fenced areas – never really bothered last year
g. Sage – 2 packs
h. Parsley – used a ton of this last year
i. Scallions/Green Onions – always good to have on hand
j. Rosemary – We eat a lot of chicken
k. Cilantro – I’ve got killer Chicken Salad, Guacamole and Corn Salsa recipes
l. Peas – Last minute suggestion from the other neighbor as they will grow up the fencing.
m. Sunflowers – No, not to eat. My daughter just wanted them, and she’s pretty cute.

Arrangement - This year I took the time to lay out the pattern I wanted.

Earlier planting – I waited until late May last year. This time, we’re in the ground in mid April after that last cold snap we had.

Marked Locations – I did a bit of this last year, but it was more “in this area” rather than the straight lined, staked markers I’m using this year.

Miracle Grow – Really didn’t use any fertilizers last year. But my neighbor swears by the stuff. We’ll see how it works out.

The kids are involved. This is kinda the fun part for me. I got them some small starter pots and now they are watching to see when things start coming up. It’s a mess, but a good learning opportunity for the young’uns.

I’ll post updates as I get them! Wish me luck – and please post any suggestions that you have for success!

The Comcast Experience HD Video Wall – Biggest TV in the World

2009-03-19T08:32:00.007-04:00

So I’m on my way to lunch with my client in Philadelphia and she asks me “Have you been to the Comcast Center yet?” Can’t say that I have… so off we go. She tells me that it houses the world’s largest television. You have my attention, says the videophile. We walk into the Comcast Office Building and I’m expecting to see some big projection screen. But it’s much cooler than that.

First up came this picture:

Not bad, says I. That’s pretty big. But the configuration confuses me. Why would you have it break up with an opening in the middle. That just seems like bad planning… But wait, there’s more!

Holy Shnikies! The ENTIRE wall is a video screen! The background is showing the same wood paneling as the adjacent walls, so it looks like there are floating screens. Now I’m seriously impressed. This thing wouldn’t fit on the broad side of my house! (though, I’d be willing to let them try. Imagine the neighborhood movie nights ; ) And the Clarity – It’s like Super-HD on speed.
Here are some stats and details from their listing on the Go Philadelphia site:

Most stunning of all, however, is "The Comcast Experience," a 2,000 square-foot LED screen projecting computer-generated images so realistic, you'll think they're jumping out of the wall. With a resolution 500% greater than that of an HD television, the Experience is a remarkable technological and artistic achievement. The video wall, a giant HD video screen that is actually the largest four-millimeter LED screen in the world, is located right in the building's publicly accessible main lobby, so everyone can enjoy it.

…Technology

Utilizing a technique called “3-Camera Panorama,” which involves placing three high-definition cameras side-by-side and filming everything from spectacular nature footage to urban landscapes, a seamless, wide-screen vista is created.

This realistic imagery offers 10 million pixels of clarity — five times the resolution of hi-definition TV — supplemented with computer-generated images of amazingly realistic quality, producing a vivid virtual world.

The system that delivers the content to the screen has the ability to make a pre-designed selection from a bank of hundreds of images. The selection from the delivery system is random in nature, in order to create an array of ever-changing imagery.

Click to read more about the World’s Largest LED Screen.

The only weird part to me? Why wouldn't they be showing something that, I don't know, actually airs on Comcast? Maybe they couldn't get an appointment with the cable guy. I know I've had my issues with that one ; )

Philadelphia, PA Eats: Part 2

2009-01-11T12:53:00.001-05:00

The Saga Continues:

As I finished up my travel for 2008, it’s time to do another installment on the eating escapades over the last couple months. I’m still in Philadelphia and MAN does this city know how to eat – if you missed the first post, check out Philadelphia Eats: Episode 1.

Otherwise, you know what I’m doing here: Eating at as many new places as I can find. Giving my 30 second thoughts, and moving on to the next place. So, without further ado:

This Post’s Highlight City: Philadelphia, PA Eats: Part 2

Fast Food

Here’s the standards list: I characterize food as “fast” much like my mother does – I have to unwrap it. Usually wait in a queue, national chains, multiple states have them.

There were lots of duplicates in this category overlapping with the first post: Au Bon Pain, The Corner Bakery, Dunkin Donuts, Faunbrook Catering (pretty much every Wednesday for lunch in Exton), The Pita Pit, Primo’s, Primo’s and more Primo’s – So here are the new ones this leg of the journey.

Wendy’s – Yeah, I know “them again?” What can I say? I do love a good value menu. Right down the street from the hotel. Eat [great might be a stretch] even late. Check! – As expected.

Chinese place on Market at 21st – I’m pretty sure there is one conglomerate that supplies and runs every Chinese place like this: Standard one page oversize menu with green and red text. Super close-up square pictures of entrees above them counter that appear to have been fading since 1984. And the exact same fluorescent red sweet and sour sauce in the pseudo-tupperware container. That’s probably why the name didn’t stick with me. That said… there’s a reason I keep going to these places. Sesame chicken, pork fried rice, crab rangoon and an egg roll. Can’t go wrong.

Pagano’s – Last day in town was not great. Pagano’s is a newer place that opened in the plaza where the office is located. Slick looking counter/deli type joint. However breakfast is not their strong point. Breakfast sandwiches should be no brainers. Should have been a tip off when the woman next to me was complaining about hers. Over cooked eggs, bland bagels, forgot the cheese… Won’t be back before noon – they get one more try though.

Asian Chao at PHL Airport – Worst meal I’ve eaten in Philly. Bourbon chicken was charred, Orange Chicken was dry, No sweet/sour sauce available, over-deep-fried egg rolls… and a glass of sprite that was a good 85% ice… Seriously? Skip this place in terminal F. I should have gotten the Sbarro…(*sigh*). That goodness I had enough smarts to hit Primo’s for lunch.

Mid Range Places:

These were places I needed to order from a menu, but could sit down and have my food brought to me. But you still get paper napkins and plastic “we don’t care if you steal it” cutlery:

Aya’s Café – Mediterranean fare near the office, pretty laid back, cozy atmosphere, not terribly big – but big enough. I had the Babaganoush and the Shawarma (thanks to Guy Fieri for doing that one on Guy’s Big Bite or I never would have know what the heck it was). De-friggin-licious! The Shawarma especially. Compatriots had a couple of their huge salads. I’ll be back there several times.

Day by Day Restaurant – A client favorite – we saw several people from the office while we were there. It’s easy to see why. Good food, reasonably priced, and the staff remembers you if you are a regular. I tried the Havarti and Turkey melt. There was a hint of citrus in there too that balanced perfectly. Nice even meal – as expected. Daily menu items on the big board like Seafood Lasagna that made it a tough decision even with the smaller total number of options.. I might try that next time I see it. Can’t tell you the last time I saw a bowl of crumbled desserts as an enticement to get something to go from the pastry counter – good idea.

World Café Live – Very interesting joint. Two stages for live music. We happened to be there on a night without a performance – tough luck. Everyone liked the Antipasto Mista. Good Italian style munchies to get started. The burger was spot on. Check out their site to see who is there when. An eclectic mix, but some pretty well known names at the same time. I’ll be back.

McKenzie’s Brew House – Check this place out more for the beverages than the chow. The Unicorn was a party favorite. I also tried a couple other varieties (the Abbey 8 was out of stock unfortunately). The food was average. Calamari is one of those “cook for a minute or cook for an hour” things if you believe the guys on food network. I think mine was in for about 10 minutes - fairly rubbery. The sliders and fries were about what you’d expect. And when they say “spicy,” dem wings is SPICY. It took about 10 minutes for the “eye sweats” to stop. I’d go back and try something different – both liquid and solid.

Mix Brickoven Pizza – Good place for a quick slice and a sandwich. My sandwich needed something – mayo, or more of the balsamic vinaigrette that came with. Was also a little light on the meat for a flank steak sandwich. The Spinach and Mushroom slice with wheat crust was different, but very tasty. Hit the spot.

Upper Crust-ier Type Joints:

These were nicer places. Linen on the table, you feel under-dressed in jeans and/or without a jacket. Probably not places I would try if I couldn’t charge it in after fasting for breakfast and lunch to save up the Per Diems.

Marigold’s Kitchen – Very small place (I believe there’s an upstairs too, I just didn’t see it. They’re located in a college area up at 45th and Larchwood. We were looking for it, had the address and still almost missed it. The food was quite good, if small. I had the Mussels (yeah, that’s right, Matt ordered seafood on purpose) and the Hanger Steak. Another BYOB joint. Expensive for the area and the portion sizes in my opinion. Don’t leave without dessert though, you’d be missing out.

Brasserie Perrier – I have mixed feelings about this place. The Halibut was very well done. But the tuna tartar was a different texture than I was looking for (not good or bad, just different). The vegetable complement (Spinach, seasonal veg gratin) was about average. However the Brussel sprouts were delicious – pan seared with pancetta. As many of my favorite TV chefs say “It’s always better with bacon.” I may even get my wife to eat them like this. Overall, it gets a pass. Not bad, probably not a return to – especially with all of the places I have yet to go.

Pietro’s – Supposed to be a pretty good pizza place. I wasn’t in the mood for a slice though. I can, however, highly recommend everything we had. From the Fried Mozz wrapped (I contend it was more draped in rather than wrapped) with Prosciutto, to the Vitello Scallopino over Linguini al Funghi (My Italian Prof would have a field day redlining this one) – all was delicious. The surprise for me on this one was the Arugula Salad - simple, straight forward, and an exquisite honey vinaigrette dressing. Delish!

Buddakahn – One of the top 3 meals I’ve had in the last year. It’s another one of the Starr Restaurant Empire (Like Alma de Cuba and the Continental, et al). Pricey items, but well worth the money. Everything is served family style to encourage sharing. We did the Tuna Pizza, the Black Cod and the Sea Bass (yes, you read that right… Matt ate a whole mess-a-seafood!). And it was all delectable! Don’t forget to try the Wasabi mashed potatoes, the green been salad or the Japanese Eggplant side dish. If I have the boss’s credit card, I’ll head back here in a second!

Watch for more from Philly!

The Fabulous Food Show and Cleveland Wine School – at 11:00 AM?

2008-12-19T13:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I have a good excuse for this one.

A couple of weeks ago, I took off Friday from work for 2 reasons. 1) My daughter (and her cousin) were having a joint birthday party in the evening, and 2) It was the first day of the Cleveland Fabulous Food Show (that’s the name, not a review).

I managed to get tickets to the Guy Fieri 12:30 show – which were row two center section by the way (had no idea about that until I got there) – so I headed over when they opened at 10:00 to make sure I saw everything.

First off, there were a TON of exhibitors. Everything from gadgets to restaurants, local food stores, Ohio favorites. If you’re looking for a new salsa or Barbeque sauce, this is the place for you. There are lots of samples if you’re willing to wait in line. I’m usually not that patient. I cherry picked the short lines, waited for a couple brands I had heard of before, and made it to the back of the floor by about 10:45… What to do now?

What’s that sign say? Free wine tasting instructional class at 11:00? First come, first served… Guess I just filled up the next 30 minutes!

Aside from the obvious plusses to this one, there class was really well done. Marianne (check out Marianne’s Wine Blog ), the owner of the Cleveland Wine School gave us a quick overview of the school. Including details like “Open wine tastings on Fridays and Saturday – Bring your own food.” It sounded pretty cool. She said people bring different breads and cheeses… then she launched into the teaching portion of the program. The only cheesy part was an “accidentally served red-wine-gone-bad” which was obviously staged to show what not to drink – which was still very informative and showed me that I had, in fact, had bad wines before.

So What else did I learn? Well, here’s the top 15 (No significance to the number – just happens to be the good stuff) in no particular order:

Acid cleans the pallet at tastings – that’s why you should have the foods along with wines.
Tanins protect wine from oxidation – that’s why the reds can last longer than whites.
Good white wines can be served warm (see her for detail on what constitutes “good” be
Why swirl the wine? It causes minute amounts of agitation and evaporation that releases aroma
Pale colors indicate “younger” wines – “Older” wines will be darker as some of the oxidation has already taken place.
When the pros taste, the do that swishing motion (like with mouthwash). This is done to allow the most surface coverage within the mouth and to release the acid. You can determine the body of the wine this way.
Speaking of acidity, that seems to be the main determiner or what foods do or should not go with certain foods. Sauvignon Blanc because of it’s high acidity in general, for example, goes weil with any chickens and fishes served with lemon or other citrus.
White wines get darker as they age, Reds lose color.
If a red wine has lost color, it’s said to be an older wine – more than 3 years old.
The small sip offered to you when trying a wine is not to see if you like the wine. It’s to make sure the wine hasn’t gone bad. You already bought the bottle so no sending it back. If you think it’s gone bad, the proper etiquette is to request “Another of the same”
Tannins also make the mouth feel fuzzy – her words, not mine.
When tasting – the slight opening of the mouth and inhaling is to determine acidity of the wine. The more the mouth waters, the more acid.
The highly acidic wines should always be served with food at gatherings.
TCA is bacteria in corks that are driving the industry to explore synthetic corks and screw tops
Decanting softens the wine. When the air gets in, the oxygen aerates the tannins making it a softer texture.

Wow – that’s a mouthful. And I was writing quickly, so if any of this is off, please leave me a comment so that I can correct it. And check out the food show and the Cleveland Wine School. Both are time well spent when you would be working otherwise.

Adding to Technorati

2008-12-06T14:53:00.001-05:00

Learning all about how to do this stuff...

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Scylla and Charybdis: The wha-who?

2008-12-04T10:12:00.005-05:00

I did my daily check into Woot.com today to see what they had on the docket. (HD TV adapters for analog TV’s. You know, the “As of February, 2009, your analog tv with just an antenna will cease to work” warnings you’ve been hearing about for a year now. This thing fixes that apparently. I’m on DirecTV, so I’m set anyway). Anyway, they typically have some goofy product description or exchange preceding the tech specs of the product.
In the midst of this one I see this sentence:

“…Between the Scylla of digital conversion and the Charybdis of the Pinnacle 880e PCTV Ultimate Stick, the good ship That Old TV is about to crash on the rocks of redundancy.”

Between the what and the who?

So I turn to my old friend Google Search Bar, who in turn shoves me over to Wikipedia:

Scylla and Charybdis are two sea monsters of Greek mythology who were situated on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria, in Italy. They were located in close enough proximity to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too closely to Scylla and vice versa.

Interesting:

But what other Sea Monsters top the list? Here are the top 5 in my book:

· The Giant Octopus Thingy: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea/Pirates of the Carribean/etc.
· The Loch Ness Monster – Ahhhh Inverness - technically not in the sea, but it's a water dweller
· The Kraken – Clash of the Titans (Part Octopus/Part Crab
· Godzilla – While he spent most of his time on land, He came from the water
· Giant Sea Serpent – On every map before 1500.

Want to find some more mythical creatures? Check this out. Found it looking for a description of the Kraken:

The Mythical Creatures and Beasts Wiki

Lots of stuff I didn’t know there… probably gonna keep it that way.

The Macallan - a tasting event

2008-12-03T14:28:00.003-05:00

About 2 week s ago I had the opportunity to attend a Macallan Scotch Whisky tasting. (First off, there’s no ‘e’ in Scotch whisky. ‘Whiskey‘ is an Irish spelling from what I understand.

I was alerted to the event by my buddy Badger, a Philly local, who I went to college with. He sent me this Find a Macallan Event link and I signed up for the same one he was on.

We (Badger, Paul, Phil and I) were all able to gain admittance to the event at the Liberty Museum in downtown Philly. What a Great event! By coincidence, my brother Joseph had just attended the same event (with a different host) in Chicago the weekend prior, and also gave it high marks.

Here’s how the tasty goodness went down. Upon arrival, you are given tokens for beverages (one for most, sneaky bastages get more than one). I was a huge fan of the cheese and cracker table. Aside from it’s obvious responsibility-based implications, it was also quite delectable. Then you go into the presentation room. Nicely appointed, mood well set. And Graham, our “brand ambassador,” was certainly a character.

Negatives: (And I’m nit-picking here – because it was free Macallan. Grain of salt, people!)

I’ve been to other whisky tastings in the past – the most recent being Johnny Walker Scotch Whisky (also sans ‘e’). That one, by the way, led me to purchase a bottle of Johnny Blue through an offshore excursion. (“I like to shop at the Duty Free shop.” You know you were silently singing that in your head… ; ) The previous experiences were much more educational on what to look for in a good Whisky. “Look for the nutty flavor,” “… the fruity aroma,” “… the hint of orange or flowers.” I was expecting this to be very similar. However I didn’t get much of that during the actual tasting.

Positives:

The Macallan – that should be self explanatory. The 18 year, I believe, was featured on Lost in past seasons. They don’t do that for Wild Turkey (no offense). The Scotch was delicious. The flight we were indulged with included the 10 (for the token), then while seated: the 12, 15, 17 and 18.

That alone is enough to promote this event. Also take into account a very detailed description of the distilling process, the barrels used, the people (and their remarkable noses) that determine what make up a batch. These were great anecdotal references to how and why The Macallan is what It is.

By the way, there was a great presentation by Graham, the Cheese table (both previously mentioned), Belgian Chocolate (was presented with the 12 year, but I found the 15 year was more ‘simpatico’ to this particular olfactory offering). Not to mention the Ginormous flat/touch screen that bore the information presented to us. That was just cool.

What was missing:

The one question that I posed to my cohorts was around why there would be two labels with but one year difference. Specifically, the 17 and 18 year. Why so different in taste, or so similar, that they needed separate incarnations.

Then came the goody bag: We received some flyers (etc, etc), some tasting glasses – one each, and a little flip book. I didn’t open the book until I was unpacking from the trip. Then I found the answer to my question:

It’s around the casking. The Macallan is casked in both Sherry Oak and Bourbon Oak barrels:

Bouron Oak – Houses the 10, 15, 17, 21 and 30 year Macallans
Sherry Oak – Houses the 12, 18, 25 and a different 30 year Macallan

The Sherry versions are darker in color (due to what is absorbed from their homes). And each bottle tells which type of barrel that particular libation arises from.

So there you go boys, one more mystery of the universe uncovered.

New Music [For me anyway] – Link Wray

2008-11-30T14:19:00.002-05:00

I always like finding new musical artists, or seeing a new publication by a known favorite. By the way, if you care: Jason Mraz – Thumbs up… Guns N Roses… No dice.

So when my brother-in-law put together a site proposing the induction of Link Wray to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (that’s right, it’s still in Cleveland!), it got my attention – for a few reasons:

Eric doesn’t do websites – it’s my sister’s genre. But I took a look and I’m pretty impressed. Very well done, especially for a first effort.
Eric DOES do Music. I’m constantly impressed by the names he puts in front of me. Old school blues, shows he’s been to, artists I should try out. Los Straightjackets to Buddy Guy. He Knows music.
Eric’s more or less a quiet guy in general. For him to put a site together means I should take a look.

So here’s what I found:

First off – you can check out his Induct Link Wray site. http://inductlinkwray.com/

Great bio information there. Well researched.

I’ll try to give you the Wikipedia Link Wray highlights

Wray was noted for pioneering a new sound for electric guitars, as exemplified in his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble", by Link Wray and his Ray Men, which pioneered an overdriven, distorted electric guitar sound, and also for having, "invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarist,"[1] "and in doing so fathering," or making possible, "punk and heavy rock. “

The Music:

Peruse some of the history that Link Wray has been part of. That’s right, Raw-Hide… That alone should be enough to get you to read further. Carry on.

Singles

· Rumble
· Raw-Hide
· Comanche
· Slinky
· Vendetta (as Ray Vernon)
· Trail Of The Lonesome Pine
· Ain't That Lovin' You Babe
· Jack The Ripper
· El Toro
· Big City Stomp
· Rumble Mambo
· The Black Widow
· Week End
· Run Chicken Run
· The Shadow Knows
· Deuces Wild
· Good Rockin' Tonight
· I'm Branded
· Girl From The North Country
· Ace Of Spades
· The Batman Theme (with Bobby Howard)
· Ace Of Spades
· Let The Good Times Roll (with Kathy Lynn)
· Jack The Ripper
· It's All Over Now Baby Blue

Albums:

· Link Wray & The Raymen
· Great Guitar Hits by Link Wray
· Jack The Ripper
· Link Wray Sings And Plays Guitar
· Link Wray
· Mordicai Jones (w/ Bobby Howard)
· Be What You Want To
· Beans and Fatback (rec. 1971)
· The Link Wray Rumble (rec. February 1974)
· Stuck in Gear
· Bull Shot
· Live at the Paradiso
· Apache
· Wild Side of the City Lights
· Indian Child
· Shadowman
· Walking Down a Street Called Love - live
· Barbed Wire

Now that you have the background – go check out the site and sign the petition if you’d like to make an impact on the history of music.

I, for one, will affix my virtual John Hancock to this one.

Well done, Moore.

Mandir, The largest Hindu Temple in … Houston?

2008-11-26T10:46:00.003-05:00

I had the pleasure of working with a couple of gents on my last engagement in Houston who kept me laughing even through the rough patches. That’s one of the best ways to deliver success in my opinion. One of the other positives that I got from this particular trip was a little Indian cultural education.
Our technical genius, Sahadev, suggested Pete and I accompany him to a temple he had found. No religious agenda, no ritual requirement type things. He just knew of our interest in learning, world religions and architecture. It was hands down the coolest thing I saw while in Houston.
From their visitor pamphlet:

Mandir [A place of paramount piece]

Welcome to the first traditional Hindu Mandir of its kind in North America. Experience hours of discovery and enjoyment at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. The Mandir is a masterpiece of intricate design and workmanship, replete with its 5 towering white pinnacles, 12 smooth domes and glittering 136 marble pillars. Over 33,000 pieces of Italian marble and Turkish limestone were hand-carved by skilled craftsmen and assembled by volunteers in just 16 months. Ancient Indian arts, traditions and philosophy have been encompassed in this house of devotion and worship that is a testimony to human commitment. The Mandir opened to all after the Murti-Pratishtha ceremony was performed by his Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj on July 25, 2004.

Wow, that’s a lot to digest. So let’s break it down this way. Top 10 things I learned from Sahadev and company that trip, in no particular order:

1) There is symbolism to the architectural domes and peaks – They represent the mountains as the saints meditate in mountainous regions and temples are supposed to provide such environments on entry.
2) I’m not a huge fan of authentic Indian candies – at least the one I had that night (sorry SK).
3) There were several animal/human forms depicted throughout the temple. The elephant God, who helps in preventing obstacles, is Lord Ganesha who is the son of Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati. Those figures with musical attachment represent the importance of music associated with the religion. Some of the Gods and Goddesses sported their own musical instruments. Goddess Saraswati plays Veena, a string instrument, and Lord Krishna plays flute…
4) Indian music is much more tonal than rhythmic – in some cases. And Sahadev’s brother is one heck of a vocalist (Sahadev wouldn’t let me hear him sing himself, but from what I hear, he’s not too shabby either.)
5) There was a side chamber where men and women entered separately below the structure. We removed our shoes and walked into a type of shrine. There was a small figure in a fountain representing the young Swami Narayan (known as Neelkanth Varni) who is the founder of the Swami Narayan Sect. We each took a vessel, poured water over the head of the figure – a symbolic prayer/offering for spiritual upliftment and fulfilment of wishes. So far, mine is still being answered – it’s an ongoing hope.
6) You must wear pants! (Pete, I’m looking at you). But they will provide a wrap if needed. Just don’t try to leave with it. (I’m still looking at you Pete).
7) Only take pictures from behind the reflecting pool. Much like any other religious facility, there is a decorum that accompanies any sacred place. Play nice people.
8) Each Swami is the sect leader starting from the first one to the current leader and hence their religious status.
9) Hindu temple tour guides are some of the coolest people ever. I think this guy we had spent maybe an hour with us. No hand out for a tip, no hustle you through, just a volunteer who wanted to educate. That’s a pretty cool community where people gives of themselves just to pass on what they have learned to those who ask to know.
10) Rules surrounding what Sahadev prefers to eat are so both binding and liberating. Many places, he was limited to an appetizer and a dessert. Insanity… or Genius?! I’ll let you decide.
Want to check it out yourself? Here is the Houston Mandir’s Site.

Or if you are in India, Sahadev suggests you check out the largest temple in New Delhi, India.

Thanks for the experience (and help with this post) Sahadev!

Where I Ate: City: Philadelphia, PA - Episode 1

2008-11-21T22:37:00.002-05:00

So I’m back in PHL, waiting for the flight gods to grant me permission to embark on yet another trip home. (Please keep your fingers crossed). I’m getting ready for food week. Turkey, Stuffing, um… well, that’s enough for me for a week probably. I started thinking about my first few weeks working here in Philly. I’m working with someone who is even more into trying new restaurants that I am – imagine my joy! And we’ve put a hurting on the Frommers/Zagat/Family and Friend Recommendations list. PLEASE send me any recommendations you have. That’s where a lot of the best meals come from. Unless you don’t like me, then keep it to yourself ; )

This Post’s Highlight City: Philadelphia, PA

After my post on Houston eating, I learned not to try to memory dump this stuff and have been keeping rather up-to-date records of my culinary crusading. And with the proliferation of fine establishments that promise to fill the next few months, I thought I’d better do this locale on the installment plan. Overall, there have been a bunch of reasonably priced, really delicious foods that have crossed the pallet thus far. Here’s the first batch:

Fast Food

Here’s the standards list: I characterize fast food much like my mother does – I have to unwrap it. Usually wait in a queue, national chains, multiple states have them.

Wawa – Kind of a 7/11 with a custom sandwich shop. Hit the spot after a day of travel. Though I did expect a different condiments set to come recommended on a Philly Cheesesteak…in Philly. Where’s the Whiz?

Subway – As expected from one of the largest national chains. Actually got to sit outside and eat. Nice change of pace.

Au Bon Pain – Breakfast and lunch. Good breakfast sandwiches, tasty but small lunch items. I really need to have a combo (two sandwiches or soup and sandwich) to be satisfied, much like at Pot Belly’s in Houston.

Dunkin Donuts – Many of my breakfast spots have one thing in common – some breaded device covered in Egg, Cheese and a big honkin slice of meat. No real shock here. Standard.

Faunbrook Catering – A woman with a lunch table set up in the building next door to the Exton Office (outside of Philly). Really tasty sandwiches – Pastrami Reuben, Good sized Salads – Try the Pork Stewp (Stew and Soup). Really good on a cold day. Sandwich, Soup and Chips for $7? Seriously? Sweet!

Primo Subs – Go find this place. Good authentic east coast hogies and subs. I have been here a couple of times already. Small, standing-room-only waiting area at the one by me. But it’s worth it. Try the Sicilian, or my favorite thus far: the Suprimo. This is my kinda sandwich. Just be prepared if you order the “Whole” portion: “Do you really want all of that?” Um. Yes. All three times…

Papa John’s – Ahhh, the old college standby. To be fair, I was watching Monday Night Football, so I really just wanted to veg out and nosh on something familiar. Mission accomplished (sans banner and flight suit).

Potbelly’s – Like a shining beakin through the mist… a familiar sign of comfort and quality. I found it accidentally on my way back to the hotel from the R5 Suburban St Station. On 17th I think. Wreck and Italian please. I may start the Potbelly’s tour and just go location to location like a Dave Matthews Band groupie.

Gia Pronto Café – Across the street from the office (yes, I know you’re zoning in on my client… keep trying). There wasn’t a clear line or way to order, and the folks working seemed content to let me stand there and not be waited on… so I probably won’t be back. It’s a shame, because I liked the paninis. Try the Panini Gia Pronto (I always assume the sandwich named for the place should be good. The Panino Prosciutto is also tasty. But then, anything with Prosciutto is tasty.

The Corner Bakery Café – Breakfast for me please. Apparently the difference between the Smoked bacon and Cheddar Panini and the Commuter Croissant (aside from the ingredients) is foil. Both were delicious, though I should have grabbed some condiments. I would recommend asking for all thing you are taking to-go to be wrapped. The Plastic just allows for steam to make things soggy (don’t get me started on burger side dishes). A place I would go back to, but I would try something different.

Mid Range Places:

These were places I needed to order from a menu, but could sit down and have my food brought to me.. But you still get paper napkins and plastic “we don’t care if you steal it” cutlery:

SaladWorks – Yep, that’s right fair readers… I had a salad for lunch. Walked to the restaurant too. I’m darn near healthy this trip ; ) Good sized portions. Had the Honey BBQ Chicken Salad. No caffeine free drinks in the soda machine – weird. They have sandwiches / panini’s too.

Ruby Tuesday’s – Right across from the hotel. I do love me a good all you can eat salad. Wait staff wasn’t great. Very friendly, but no drink refills and they never brought my additional condiments back in 25 minutes. The food was good though – as expected.

Monk’s Café and Tavern – Highly recommended and well worth it. Not only is this a Belgian restaurant with fantastic food, but they sure know how to pair a meal with a beer. “A Delerium for my friend, and I’ll have a Chimay Blue please.” That earned me some ‘he may know what he’s talking about after all’ points me thinks. I had the cheek appetizer and a veal sandwich. Leave room for dessert. You won’t be disappointed.

Upper Crust-ier Type Joints:

These were nicer places. Linen on the table, you feel under-dressed in jeans and/or without a jacket. Probably not places I would try if I couldn’t charge it in after fasting for breakfast and lunch to save up the Per Diems.

La Viola – Small Italian one room place – maybe 20 tables, seemed to be run by a family. Delicious Antipasta Mista (check for the specials). I had the Chicken stuffed with Spinach and Cheese. Wonderful. Don’t forget to pick up your bottle of wine before you come in – this place is BYOB.

Penang in Chinatown – Nice Malaysian Place (I guess anyway, it was my first time at one). I apparently like Mee Siam – whatever it is. And the wings are good. Look for the Pancakes (especially if you get a seat near the kitchen) very cool preparation method by guys who have been doing this for a while.

Byblos – Great little place that apparently turns into a hardcore Mediterranean / Middle Eastern night club in the wee hours. I tried the Babaganoush, Saganaki (Ooo-pah!), Mee-sookah (pretty sure that’s spelled wrong). Interesting Moorish architectural/design motif as well. I’m told the Huka Pipe is something to experience… I’ll just watch from over here.

Alma de Cuba – Cuban place. Tried the Pistacio encrusted Rack of Lamb on the bed of mixed grees, Mofala and Chorizo. Um… YUM! The Fire and Ice Ceviche (Special that night) was also delicious – and I’m not what you would call a seafood guy. If you get a chance to get out here (especially on someone else’s dime) I recommend.
Watch for more from Philly!

Where I Ate: City: Houston, Texas

2008-11-07T12:39:00.002-05:00

Warning: This may be the longest thing I’ve written since College – If you want to skip to the good stuff, scroll down and work backwards. Though, I think you’ll be ready for a meal if you start at the top and head down at a normal pace.

As I sit in Philadelphia’s wonderful airport (actually, the airport is quite nice – lots to do and an abundance of power outlets – it’s just the on-time service that sucks), I’ve found another good establishment to nosh on some vittles while I await the inevitable return to the home state. I started thinking about my last engagement. I manage to get to a number of different eating establishments when I travel for work.While I haven’t built up a good list yet (though I’m well on my way this trip already), I’ll start you off, fair reader, with the highlights from my last traveling gig:

This Post’s Highlight City: Houston, Texas

From memory, this is a pretty comprehensive list of the establishments I frequented. I challenge Sahadev and Pete to find holes in the places I ate with them. Some are pretty standard; some are a bit off the beaten path. For the most part, I've gotten better about getting outside of my comfort zone, while still being sensitive to cost… for all our sakes, that’s a good idea.

Random Bar:

First, a shout out to a very cool place I never would have found on my own. My cousin D happens to be a bartender while attending school in Houston at a place called Dean’s Clothiers. I loved the vibe of this place. Live Music, Inventive combination of History and Invention for the Décor (especially love the bathroom wallpaper – no joke) and of course, the staff is friggin cool as sh…ifting gears:

On to the food Jeeves!

Fast Food

Here’s the standards list: I characterize fast food much like my mother does – I have to unwrap it. Usually wait in a queue, national chains, multiple states have them.

McChevron – A McDonald’s/Chevron Station/Convenience store – All your gassy needs in one place. While I have only seen McD’s combined with a Walmart before, I still classify this as Chain food – Quality as expected.

Sonic: This was my first time there. I’ve been watching the commercials from Cleveland for about 3 years now, and I finally get my chance! … Eh [insert shoulder shrug with palms up] Food was ok, but service was so-so. Slow, no condiments offered or brought to the car (and no way to order them). Pricey for a quick burger. The get a ‘Push’ – They get one more shot just in case it was a bad day.

Panda Express: My weekly dose of Sweet and Sour chicken – As Expected – ask for extra sauce. My first attempt at General Tso’s – he’s a top five commissioned officer choice.

Pizza Hut – Not much that varies here, advertised as a sit down place, but no lunch buffet, Still: tasty, quick, hit the spot.

Domino’s - Ditto, but they need to figure out how to process a credit card online. If I don’t want to talk to someone, I sure don’t want to talk to them 3 times to give them my money. Still… it’s pizza, always a crowd pleaser.

Burger King – The crown lives on – and they’re open REALLY late. Thanks for that. As Expected.

Cici’s Pizza: Have to keep this in the lower eschelon due to quality. I preferred the old school Pizza Hut buffet, when it was a novelty, busy, and the pizzas turned quickly. This stuff got cold. Salad and pasta were cool, but there were only 2 varieties of pizza I went back to. If you are going to go here – go when it’s busy. It’s good then. Otherwise it’s ‘next morning, coffee table’ pizza.

Panera: Another standard for good, quick lunch. I rarely get anything other than the Frontega chicken, an Asiago bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese, and a huge honkin water… why mess with success?

Mid Range Places:

These were places I needed to order from a menu, but could sit down and have my food brought to me.. But you still get paper napkins and plastic “we don’t care if you steal it” cutlery:

Hilton Garden Inn – In this grouping only because of my criteria. Good expansive breakfast, Room service is OK. About average for a hotel.

Random Chinese place…first day on our own lunch: didn’t catch the name of this place, but it was our first day on site. Wait staff wasn’t terribly friendly, no free refills on 12 oz soda’s (start of a nasty trend) and the portions weren’t really sizable. For the price – which was also small – I should have ordered two portions. Not bad, not great – plenty of room to improve next time… and so it did.

The Mexican place that didn’t speak English – 45 and Sam Houston Parkway – Terrific Authentic Mexican food. Make sure you can translate (which I was able to due to 4 years in High School and years of being ridiculed by my central/south American architecture compatriots). Highly recommend the enchiladas.

Pappa’s on Westheimer – True Texas Barbeque. Pappa’s are all run by the same family, from what I am told, each family member has a different branch. Good stuff, BIG portions, a little more vinegary that my tastes would first choose, but BBQ is like an Operating System and College Football – no manner of convincing will make you change your mind as to what you like. Overall, thumbs up. Try the Carrot Cake – no joke.

Pot Belly’s : By far the best “I wish I’d known there was one of these here from day one” stumbleupon’s of the trip. I have had these in Chicago and DC. Get the Wreck… and the Italian… maybe a couple others. My ONLY criticism is that the sandwiches are relatively small for what I like in a deli-type sandwich.

Pappadeux (At the airport) – Relative of Pappa’s. Almost moved up to the next category, but being an airport… paper and plastic. Great burgers, tasty Calamari, and a pleasant dark wood atmosphere in the midst of a hoppin airport.

Fox SkyBox (At the airport): Similar setup to Pappadeaux (Same physical orientation in fact) but mush more sports-bar. Good apps, tasty beverages. The nachos could be a bit crisper, but still got me through my queso fix.

Taco Cabana: Here’s the good thing I have to say about TC: Salsa bar. However if you have a Moe’s in the area, it’s no contest. Go to Homer’s best friend’s place. Thumbs down.

Random Small Italian Place near Sam Houston Parkway – Can’t remember the name of this place. Another “Stumble Upon.” Pete and I went here. Typical Italian Deli type place, but with tables. Very little English spoken, but craving-soothing food. Big negative – No free refills on 12 oz cokes that were mostly ice. Didn’t go back.

Outback Steakhouse: Bloomin Onion, Battered ‘Shrooms, 12 oz Ribeye w/ au jus… ‘Nuff Said.

Cheddar’s: Another nice place. I think these are a chain, but I haven’t seen them anywhere else. Went there a ½ dozen times – that should mean something. Great portion size if you like sides. Burgers are good, service is quick and friendly. Overall, probably the place I would have made a regular spot if I got to choose everyday. Job well done.

Red Robin: Yes, they offered it… I partook: Bottomless Fries. My record was 4 orders, then it was time to get back to work (or as I put it “afternoon naptime”). Loved the inventive burgers. The Hawaiian, the Barbeque, etc – all just a little different spice mix to make you do the Scooby Doo head turn (insert “ errr? Shaggy?” sound effect here)

Upper Crust-ier Type Joints:

These were nicer places. Linen on the table, you feel under-dressed in jeans and/or without a jacket. Probably not places I would try if I couldn’t charge it in after fasting for breakfast and lunch to save up the Per Diems.

Benihana’s – Good food, not enough variety for a meat-a-tarian. In fact, my vegetarian friend didn’t even find enough to get a meal out of. It get’s a push.

Forno’s – Terrific little Italian place up on Westheimer. Crispy Calamari, Oven fired authentic Italian Pizza’s (Try the Campagnia). And friendly service. Went back whenever I could.

Santo’s – Mexican place in a strip area that had a nice bar area for the sports lover, and seating for the more normal diner. Great Stuffed peppers (Chile Rellenos – sorry for the spelling there). The avocado/cream/dipping sauce that comes with the chips is fantastic.

Rio Grande – Attached/Affiliated with the Hilton on Westheimer. Had THE BEST wings in probably 2 year. A Chocolate/Chipotle sauce on them that I wanted to use as a facial moisturizer… and kinda did unintentionally. DELICIOUS. Talked about these wings for about a solid week. Rest of the menu was decent. Tried a couple, wasn’t disappointed.

J. Alexander’s: Land, Drive to meet client, Sit down at a great restaurant… and try to look respectful of the expenses they will be paying. “I’ll just have a bacon cheeseburger please.” I fully plan to make up for this at a later date. This place has a fantastic reputation as a steakhouse – I just couldn’t make best use during a first impression. Burger was still damn memorable… yum!

Fogo De Chao: This one I built up to. Had a buddy tell me “You HAVE to go here.” He knows my carnivorous habits. So I got the Biz Dev guys to fund my client dinner – it was our end of project roll off dinner, and it was magnificent:

Picture this – Huge Salad bar (one full wing, yes wing, was CHEESE!), great bread, full bar… and everyone who had ever eaten there tells me to touch NONE of it! Because you have to save room for the meat. For those of you (like me) who don’t know what a Churrascaria is – here’s your learnin':

Men with spits of meat, right off the grill, walk around the restaurant. Want some, flip your table provided paddle to green… can’t fit any more in your gills? Flip to red… then chow down. 15 different meat selections ( I managed 12 – couldn’t find the other 3). Chicken, Pork, Beef… Happy, Happy, Happy. The Marinated Port and the Bacon Wrapped Filet were my favorites.

Rarely do I leave a city on a truly happy food note – Houston, Well Done.

Next Cities: – San Francisco, then Philadelphia.

A month of - Food!

2008-11-04T06:56:00.004-05:00

My sister recently started her 87th blog. I'm pretty sure she's one part vampire, one part redbull. Her most recent creations is "A month of..." It's a blog about one topic with guest bloggers each day.

She was kind enough to feature me Sunday with Matt: A month of Food: Day 2. (We'll talk later about why I wasn't day 1 sis ; )

Check out my recipe for Baked Pork Loin Pesto Rolls. It's fantastic! Not terribly healthy, but seriously tasty.

Thanks Angela!

I'm awake... I'm awake! (Stupid Alarm Clock)

2008-10-14T08:05:00.002-04:00

Wow, looks like I overslept... for a few months. Sorry about that faithful readers. Change of job, lots of traveling, family growing up quickly - all have lined my coffers with valuable material for this publication.

You know how you get into a groove, have a routine. Do certain things which at one time had a purpose, but then just became part of the day? Yeah, same here. So I thought I'd change it up a bit. Those of you who know me rarely have seen me in recent years without a Diet Pepsi in my hand - typically being emptied into my skull. Diet Pepsi has also been running a "Pepsi Stuff" promotion with Amazon.

Good news: I get "stuff" for my loyalty to a product and diligent entering of online codes.

Bad news: I get to see a fairly accurate tracking of just how much of this stuff I'm ingesting.

How much? Seriously? Yikes!

So I had a self induced Diet Pepsi ban - took two weeks off from all caffeine. No ill effects, no real change in sleep habits... so what's the big deal. For those of you with stock who had to endure the 21% drop in value: My bad. Take the long view. You'll be fine.

Enter Monday Night Football... and a sick daughter. Somebody needed a wake-me-up this AM. So I decided to figure out what the deal was. How does Caffeine actually pop these droopy lids open at 6:30?

Check this out.

Excerpts:

"... Caffeine is believed to work by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain and other organs. This reduces the ability of adenosine to bind to the receptors, which would slow down cellular activity. The stimulated nerve cells release the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline), which increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow to muscles, decreases blood flow to the skin and organs, and causes the liver to release glucose. Caffeine also increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Caffeine is quickly and completely removed from the brain. Its effects are short-lived and it tends not to negatively affect concentration or higher brain functions. However, continued exposure to caffeine leads to developing a tolerance to it. Tolerance causes the body to become sensitized to to adenosine, so withdrawal causes blood pressure to drop, which can result in a headache and other symptoms. Too much caffeine can result in caffeine intoxication, which is characterized by nervousness, excitement, increased urination, insomnia, flushed face, cold hands/feet, intestinal complaints, and sometimes hallucinations. ..."

Well, now you know.

Welcome back readers.

Baking Powder vs Baking Soda - what's the diff?

2008-06-17T10:20:00.003-04:00

I've long been confused by Baking Power vs Baking Soda. Yes, I know they are not interchangable, but they look alike, they are named similarly, what's the real difference between them?

Wiki?

Baking powder is a dry chemical used in cooking, mainly baking. Traditional baking powder was composed of a mixture of tartaric acid and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), a quantity of flour usually being added to reduce the strength [1]. When dissolved in water the acid and bicarbonate react and emit carbon dioxide gas which expands, producing bubbles to leaven the mixture.

Hmmm. Ok Mr. Big words, how about the Soda?

Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slight alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. The natural mineral form is known as nahcolite. It is also produced artificially.
Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda. Colloquially, its name is shortened to sodium bicarb. The word saleratus, from Latin sal æratus meaning "aerated salt", was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. The term has now fallen out of common usage.

You lost me at Sodium...

In plain english please?

Baking Soda: Sodium bicarbonate is primarily used in cooking (baking) where it reacts with other components to release carbon dioxide, that helps dough "rise."

Baking Powder: Baking powder is most often found in quick breads like pancakes, waffles, and muffins. Generally, one teaspoon (5ml) of baking powder is used to raise a mixture of one cup (200-250ml) of flour, one cup of liquid, and one egg.

So what's the difference? - Acid!!!

Substituting in recipes

Baking powder is generally just baking soda mixed with an acid, and a number of kitchen acids may be mixed with baking soda to simulate commercial blends of baking powder. The most common suggestion is to use two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. Vinegar (dilute ethanoic acid), especially white vinegar, is also a common acidifier in baking. Where a recipe already uses buttermilk or yogurt, baking soda can be used without cream of tartar (or with less). Alternatively, lemon juice can be substituted for some of the liquid in the recipe, to provide the required acidity to activate the baking soda.

Ahhh. Now I get it. Baking Soda + Acid = Baking Powder.

Mystery Solved

Dilbert and the Turing Test

2008-05-29T11:15:00.002-04:00

I was going through back issues of Dilbert recently and came across one where the pointy-haired manager does something idiotic (no shocker there). Dilbert makes the comment that he has just failed the Turing Test (Matt scratches his head with quizical look):

Goodbye Dilbert, Hello Wikipedia:

Turing test

The Turing test is a proposal for a test of a machine's capability to demonstrate intelligence.

Described by Alan Turing in the 1950 paper "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," it proceeds as follows: a human judge engages in a natural language conversation with one human and one machine, each of which try to appear human; if the judge cannot reliably tell which is which, then the machine is said to pass the test. In order to keep the test setting simple and universal (to explicitly test the linguistic capability of the machine instead of its ability to render words into audio), the conversation is limited to a text-only channel (Turing originally suggested teletype machine; more advanced screen-based have been assumed later).

"Ah..." says Matt - "Now I get it. "

That crazy Dilbert ; )

Social Media: Dog Blog - They Call Me Cosmo

2008-04-17T16:34:00.005-04:00

Some folks I met recently introduced me to their pup "Gingerbread Kase of Greygoose (aka Cosmo)" via the world wide web. Not in the traditional way, you know, like with photos, but by pulling up Cosmo's blog. That's right. First person - or first dog I should say - accounts of Cosmo's life straight from the pup's paws.

http://theycallmecosmo.blogspot.com is a quite comprehensive log of what's happening in the great white north.

I started looking into the secret life of online-animalia and was astounded by the number of sites and participants.

http://dogblog.dogster.com/

and here's a full list of cat blogs:

http://cats.about.com/od/blogs/Blogs_by_Cat_Lovers.htm

That's a dedicated group of animal lovers. Any other species that get a lot of airtime out there?

Technology: My New Headphones and How Speakers Work

2008-04-16T19:28:00.004-04:00

I drink a lot of diet soda. The brand I frequent the most has a promotion going on where you can gather points and get stuff from a major retailer - yeah, those guys.

Anyway,through caps, 12 packs, cases, 2 liters, and throwing a few parties I was able to amass the required number of points to get new headphones. I chose the V-Moda Bling Black Extra Bass in ear headphones. The only reason I mention the brand name (as I have avoided mentioning brand names thus far in this post so far) is that I have been so impressed with the quality of the the sound I get from these headphones.

I got to thinking about how speakers work. I, like much of my generation, watched Back to the Future and the super speaker that blew Marty across the room. I was wondering how a speaker can generate physical force... It's all about the pressure of a sound wave.

From HowStuffWorks.com:

"Sound Basics

To understand how speakers work, you first need to understand how sound works.

Inside your ear is a very thin piece of skin called the eardrum. When your eardrum vibrates, your brain interprets the vibrations as sound -- that's how you hear. Rapid changes in air pressure are the most common thing to vibrate your eardrum.

An object produces sound when it vibrates in air (sound can also travel through liquids and solids, but air is the transmission medium when we listen to speakers). When something vibrates, it moves the air particles around it. Those air particles in turn move the air particles around them, carrying the pulse of the vibration through the air as a traveling disturbance.

To see how this works, let's look at a simple vibrating object -- a bell. When you ring a bell, the metal vibrates -- flexes in and out -- rapidly. When it flexes out on one side, it pushes out on the surrounding air particles on that side. These air particles then collide with the particles in front of them, which collide with the particles in front of them and so on. When the bell flexes away, it pulls in on these surrounding air particles, creating a drop in pressure that pulls in on more surrounding air particles, which creates another drop in pressure that pulls in particles that are even farther out and so on. This decreasing of pressure is called rarefaction."

So to my untrained mind, I would guess that the act of creating these pressure waves can generate enough force to physically move air... and (while simplified and overdone for the move) the speaker blasting Marty across the room may actually be possible. Hold you hand in front of an old speaker with the cover off on a good bass line sometime and feel the slight breeze each beat creates to see what I'm talking about.

Enjoy that conference - and Share! Top 10 list.

2008-04-10T22:49:00.005-04:00

We have a fantastic mentoring/career counseling system at my current company (as many big time players do) and I am fortunate enough to have a couple of driven individuals who I am responsible for helping shape their destiny.

One of them is headed to the FITC Toronto 2008 Flash conference in Toronto shortly. I've been attending sonferences from the "Industry" side for a while - but it really changes when you get to the agency side in terms of what you should be involved with.

I put together my unsolicited advice on tips for attending a conference based on what I've learned over the last 10 years or so. They are outlined below:

Be the guy with the laptop... type up notes as you go. If you hand-write them, it'll take you too long getting unburied to send them out. And it'll be lower priority over project work.
If you can, send regular notes to appropriate people during/after each session you attend. Make them short. That'll increase the probability of someone reading them and being able to use them. If you have people on Twitter/etc. Do that as well. Just don't let it distract you from absorbing the content at hand.
Ask questions - you're going to have the cream of the crop at your disposal and these people love to spread the knowledge. So give them an opportunity to get to know your interest and deal out the info.
Business cards are key - when you meet someone (potential client, smart individual, speaker - whoever) keep a pen with you and jot notes on the back of it. And make it a goal to run out of yours... If you have any left you a) didn't talk to enough people and/or b)didn't enter enough fishbowl contests for iPods.
Go to the networking events. Don't be the guy wearing the lampshade at the end of the night, but be cordially aggressive in meeting people. Don't wait to be introduced.Introduce yourself. Engage for several minutes before handing out the biz card... standard stuff. I have actual strategies for this if you're interested.
Assume this is the only time you'll see these people ever... Likely not the case, but the more interest you show and contacts you make, the better the chance that you will continue that contact.
Ask for downloads - presentations, links, etc. Get collateral to reinforce the message so you can pass it on.
Plan your sessions ahead of time. Make a concerted effort to not only hit the things you want to learn about but when items may be of use but not immediately useful... keep them on your radar. On toss-up decisions, refer to number 6.
Visit as many booths as you can. Even if it's something you don't care about, there's always carry over to new learning. Capabilities, tools, whatever. If nothing else, you'll be able to tell someone "that won't work because I know what they do" when it's brought up. nowledge is key. I'm notoriously bad at this - and working on it.
Sleep - You're gonna need it to let your mind rest between days. The sponge gets saturated and needs it need it's cataloguing time.

So hopefully that gives some insight into things I've learned on attending these conferences. I've been to technical, marketing, operational, search, etc conferences - and these tips have helped me traverse them all and bring back value to those I work with.

Yep, it's me again. Done hibernating.

2008-04-10T22:41:00.003-04:00

I've had a fantastic (in my humble opinion) number of visits through my horribly lax last month and change. I apologize for falling off the map. But in my defense, it's for good reason.

I've been busy learning...

And organizing. I came into this gig without a plan - just a topic. And I stand by my topic. I like it and I've gotten some fantastic ideas and comments on that topic of continual learning. So now we refocus.

Each post will fall into one of these categories:

Food
Entertainment
Technology/Business
Everyday Life
Wildcard
Bonus!! - For any weekend posts that come up

This will allow me to focus my efforts and make sure those faithful subscribers - both of you (thanks mom and dad) know what's coming.

That said - here we go again.

Minority Report meets CNN

2008-03-06T15:06:00.001-05:00

Anybody been watching the CNN reports on the primaries? John King has this phenomenal interactive screen. It's all touch screen where he's doing some very iPhone type movements... then I start thinking, where have I seen this on such a large scale? Minority Report! That futuristic crime fighting tale with Tom Cruise. Same motions in most of the scenes. Very cool (and a bit creepy) to see them in action.

So the other thing I was reminded of while reminiscing was the Jestons. Let's look at the technology they had. Ok. We still don't have flying cars for everyone (but we do have them... LINK). But Treadmills, Video Phones, Robots, Automation, etc etc... there really isn't much that's missing.

http://www.uwstout.edu/lts/webid/avconf/jetsons.htm

Another fun thing to check out is how much Star Wars technology is in existence today...

Looks like we have the power of tomorrow...today!

Sciatica Says "Sit down."

2008-02-23T21:16:00.005-05:00

So I've had back issues for about a dozen years. I played intramural football in college. It was full contact with the pads and a bunch of top notch players who could have played varsity at other schools. That describes them, not me. I'm the guy who got to play against/with the talented bunch.

Then I spent a year in Italy with my inherent inability to "under-pack" I consistently carried 40 to 50 lb packs across Italy and continent of Europe as the opportunity arose. These things contributes to a couple of herniated discs, and the occasional pinched sciatica nerve.

It's been a couple years since the last flare up, however, my 2 year old and my 10 month old was playing "climb Mount Daddy" and, while in his wobble-and-fall-forward stage, aimed with his forehead and landed on those pinched vertebrae sending the nerve into twitchiness.

What's a Sciatica you may ask? (I assume you did... ; )

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that travels from the low back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg. The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical treatment. For others, however, sciatica can be severe and debilitating.

The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is referred to as a "radiculopathy", which means simply that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.
An important thing to understand is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem—of something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve—rather than a medical diagnosis or medical disorder in an of itself. This is an important distinction because it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve sciatic nerve pain. Common causes of sciatica are a lumbar herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease or spondylolisthesis.

Lots of words to tell me I need to stretch a lot before I try to swing a club at that conference on Monday... Ouch!

Super Delegates - No Capes please.

2008-02-23T21:05:00.003-05:00

So I'm becoming increasingly interested in the Democratic convention. Living in Ohio, (and traveling to Texas tomorrow) this is gonna be interesting. Then they start talking about these Super Delegates on TV. Whu-huh?

Here's a first, I'm snagging the whole wiki definition:

"Superdelegate" is an informal term for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the quadrennial convention of the United States Democratic Party.
Unlike most convention delegates, the superdelegates are not selected based on the party primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state. Instead, the superdelegates are seated automatically, based solely on their status as current or former elected officeholders and party officials. They are free to support any candidate for the nomination.
The Democratic Party rules do not use the term "superdelegate". The formal designation (in Rule 9.A) is "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates".[1] In addition to these unpledged "PLEO" delegates, the state parties choose other unpledged delegates (Rule 9.B) and pledged PLEO delegates (Rule 9.C).[1] This article discusses only the unpledged PLEO delegates.
The Republican Party also seats some party officials as delegates without regard to primary or caucus results, but the term "superdelegate" is most commonly applied only in the Democratic Party.
At the 2008 Democratic National Convention the superdelegates will make up approximately one-fifth of the total number of delegates. The unforeseen and unprecedented closeness of the race between the leading contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama following Super Tuesday has focused attention on the potential role of the superdelegates in selecting the Democratic nominee, inasmuch as in the aggregate they could come to be kingmakers to a degree not seen in previous election cycles.[2] Such an outcome would result in the first brokered convention since 1952.

So I know I said in my first post that I'd boot any comments that came from perpetuating someone's agenda... so don't do that. But I'd like some opinions.

Does it seem weird that a "delegate" system that was installed to vote for a nation that didn't have a quick way to vote instantaneously across the country... would then be modified to further limit the actual validity of the general popular vote?

Lemme know please!!!

Cool Cars - Kitt and Concept

2008-02-20T17:11:00.002-05:00

I caught the new Knight Rider show this week. It has some serious potential. I was a fan of the original back in the day. They do a good job of being true to the old school concepts and timelines, and there's even a cameo by the Hoff.

I went looking for details on the car and went to http://www.knightrider.com/ Logical, right? Nope:

Knight Rider Consulting, Inc. is a small Software Engineering and consulting company located in Central Wisconsin.We specialize in helping businesses become more efficient, by developing more effective and consistent work flows, allowing them to reduce expenses and increase revenue.

I think "aw, funny, they're doing the Oceanic Airlines one off site thing to promote the show..." Wrong again, it appears to be an actual company. They even have products named KITT and KARR. Funny stuff.

Here's the details for what I watched: http://www.nbc.com/Knight_Rider/ They even have the specs for the car. I gotta get me one of them.

The other car I saw that looked pretty cool is the new Lexus LF-A concept car. It's not bulletproof and can't change from a black Cobra to a blue Mustang, but it is seriously advanced (hence the term "concept car"). My favorite feature? The side view mirrors are actually cameras that point backward and project inside the car. No more pesky turning your head sidesays. What a relief.

Pretty soon you'll have cars that can parallel park themselves... Oh, right, they already do.