After last night's dinner my adorable V. said one of the funniest things I had heard in a while, and I just had to immortalize it here before I forget.
We had ordered the Tiramisu for dessert at Broadway Prime after our lavish feast of a dinner, and after the first bite V. was visibly disappointed by the consistency of the creamy layer on top.
"There's nothing worse than bad dessert -- it makes eating dinner a waste of time."
That didn't stop us from finishing the dessert though -- guess it wasn't so bad after all.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
carnivorous
With my birthday this week, this past weekend was a never-ending blur of carnivorous consumption. Some good eatin' fo' shizzle.
On Friday, we went to the newly opened Claimjumper at the Pacific Commons shopping center in Fremont. We had reservations for 8:15pm but they are almost a formality. You're in for a wait no matter what. We arrived early at 8:00pm to check in and didn't get seated until 8:30pm. But consider this -- if you show up at dinnertime without a reservation, expect to wait at least 1hr 45min. That's just crazy.
But all that aside, once we were seated at CJ's things were very impressive. We had a massive booth for the 7 of us, and the tables were so spaced apart that it almost felt like we had a private dining area -- noise level was high but I could hardly see any of the other patrons from where I was sitting. The menu is pretty varied and offered something for everyone, from vegetarian to full-blown carnivore (that would be me). I ultimately selected the 24 oz. Prime Rib with garlic cheese toast and cheese potatocakes. Ohhh baby. I couldn't finish it, not without suffering irreparable harm at least. It was good, but not great -- some quality seemed to be compromised to deliver such a large cut of prime rib, it was a little tough.
Fellow carnivore Ryan ordered a hamburger dubbed the Widow Maker with double-thick cheese, bacon and onion rings. Everything was ridiculously huge, and you see people walking out in droves with take-out bags and boxes after their meals, or should I say feasts.
On Saturday, I finished off my prime rib for lunch -- not too shabby. Then for dinner we went out with my dad to Dynasty Chinese Seafood at the Grand Century mall in San Jose. I've been to both the one in SJ and the one in Valco Mall at Cupertino, and the SJ one is much better. The food and service is great at the SJ location, whereas both suffer in Cupertino. Seafood is a specialty of theirs, so we ordered a Boston Lobster with noodles. They also have a $49 dinner special where you can order 4 plates -- this is actually a good deal plus it comes with soup. We had the crab meat and fish maw soup, followed by Seafood in a Bird's Nest, Beef and Scallops in XO sauce, Broiled Sea Bass, and Garlic Fried Chicken. It was all pretty good, but the Sea Bass is the real standout dish -- very nice. It's cooked to perfection and has a slightly crispy and sweet glaze on the outer edges... mmmm good. The lobster was decent but not outstanding for the price they charge... I think it was around $33 for the 2-lb critter.
On Sunday I was left to my own devices for lunch and being a little lazy, snuck down to the local 1/3 lb. burger joint called Bob's Giant Burgers. And they aren't kidding, the burgers are pretty big. The burgers there are good, not spectacular, but hey you gotta support the local joints sometimes, I'd much rather go here than McDonalds for sure.
For dinner, it was off to Santa Clara to meet up with my mom and wait for a table at the Cheesecake Factory inside Valley Fair Mall. They don't take reservations on weekends, but it wasn't too bad -- just about 30 minutes to get a table. We got a massive booth for 3 of us which was pretty funny. The booth had mirrors like the nightclub that Tony Montana liked to hang out at in Scarface -- good for evading the sniper fire, you know? This place is also known for their humungous portions, and I ended up choosing the BBQ Beef Ribs with Onion Rings and French Fries. Wow. You gain weight just looking at it. V. asked me, "is the meat tender"? And as if on cue to respond, the meat fell right off the bone I was holding and rolled off the plate onto my shirt, leaving a nice big BBQ trail. Boy did I look stupid walking around Blockbuster later that night with a big brown stain on my shirt. I compensated by drooling and slapping myself to embarrass V. even more.
Good times, I tell you. And then Monday morning, the day of reckoning at the doctor's office for my annual physical exam. The verdict: -3 lbs. The doctor said "good job, now try working on losing the other 20 lbs". It's gonna be a tough holiday season for sure.
Tuesday night, V. and I revisited Broadway Prime in Burlingame, and I ordered ... what else, prime rib. Yes, more prime rib. The 24 oz cut at CJ's wasn't nearly as satisfying as the 16 oz Broadway cut I had tonight. Fantastic. It's really about quality, not quantity here. But don't get me wrong, I was plenty stuffed when I wobbled out the door.
Ok, tomorrow I think I better have a salad for lunch. The guilt is killing me.
On Friday, we went to the newly opened Claimjumper at the Pacific Commons shopping center in Fremont. We had reservations for 8:15pm but they are almost a formality. You're in for a wait no matter what. We arrived early at 8:00pm to check in and didn't get seated until 8:30pm. But consider this -- if you show up at dinnertime without a reservation, expect to wait at least 1hr 45min. That's just crazy.
But all that aside, once we were seated at CJ's things were very impressive. We had a massive booth for the 7 of us, and the tables were so spaced apart that it almost felt like we had a private dining area -- noise level was high but I could hardly see any of the other patrons from where I was sitting. The menu is pretty varied and offered something for everyone, from vegetarian to full-blown carnivore (that would be me). I ultimately selected the 24 oz. Prime Rib with garlic cheese toast and cheese potatocakes. Ohhh baby. I couldn't finish it, not without suffering irreparable harm at least. It was good, but not great -- some quality seemed to be compromised to deliver such a large cut of prime rib, it was a little tough.
Fellow carnivore Ryan ordered a hamburger dubbed the Widow Maker with double-thick cheese, bacon and onion rings. Everything was ridiculously huge, and you see people walking out in droves with take-out bags and boxes after their meals, or should I say feasts. On Saturday, I finished off my prime rib for lunch -- not too shabby. Then for dinner we went out with my dad to Dynasty Chinese Seafood at the Grand Century mall in San Jose. I've been to both the one in SJ and the one in Valco Mall at Cupertino, and the SJ one is much better. The food and service is great at the SJ location, whereas both suffer in Cupertino. Seafood is a specialty of theirs, so we ordered a Boston Lobster with noodles. They also have a $49 dinner special where you can order 4 plates -- this is actually a good deal plus it comes with soup. We had the crab meat and fish maw soup, followed by Seafood in a Bird's Nest, Beef and Scallops in XO sauce, Broiled Sea Bass, and Garlic Fried Chicken. It was all pretty good, but the Sea Bass is the real standout dish -- very nice. It's cooked to perfection and has a slightly crispy and sweet glaze on the outer edges... mmmm good. The lobster was decent but not outstanding for the price they charge... I think it was around $33 for the 2-lb critter.
On Sunday I was left to my own devices for lunch and being a little lazy, snuck down to the local 1/3 lb. burger joint called Bob's Giant Burgers. And they aren't kidding, the burgers are pretty big. The burgers there are good, not spectacular, but hey you gotta support the local joints sometimes, I'd much rather go here than McDonalds for sure.
For dinner, it was off to Santa Clara to meet up with my mom and wait for a table at the Cheesecake Factory inside Valley Fair Mall. They don't take reservations on weekends, but it wasn't too bad -- just about 30 minutes to get a table. We got a massive booth for 3 of us which was pretty funny. The booth had mirrors like the nightclub that Tony Montana liked to hang out at in Scarface -- good for evading the sniper fire, you know? This place is also known for their humungous portions, and I ended up choosing the BBQ Beef Ribs with Onion Rings and French Fries. Wow. You gain weight just looking at it. V. asked me, "is the meat tender"? And as if on cue to respond, the meat fell right off the bone I was holding and rolled off the plate onto my shirt, leaving a nice big BBQ trail. Boy did I look stupid walking around Blockbuster later that night with a big brown stain on my shirt. I compensated by drooling and slapping myself to embarrass V. even more.Good times, I tell you. And then Monday morning, the day of reckoning at the doctor's office for my annual physical exam. The verdict: -3 lbs. The doctor said "good job, now try working on losing the other 20 lbs". It's gonna be a tough holiday season for sure.
Tuesday night, V. and I revisited Broadway Prime in Burlingame, and I ordered ... what else, prime rib. Yes, more prime rib. The 24 oz cut at CJ's wasn't nearly as satisfying as the 16 oz Broadway cut I had tonight. Fantastic. It's really about quality, not quantity here. But don't get me wrong, I was plenty stuffed when I wobbled out the door.Ok, tomorrow I think I better have a salad for lunch. The guilt is killing me.
Monday, October 02, 2006
shelby
Since I was going to be travelling to Arizona on business, I decided to splurge a little and rent myself something nice to drive around for a few days. After checking my schedule I decided to stay in Arizona a little longer and take a short daytrip somewhere, do some sightseeing. Last time I was in Arizona I was able to rent a G35 sedan that scooted around town quite nicely, but this time I wanted something more sporty. It wasn't long before I found myself reading up about the Hertz Shelby GT-H. Quite simply, it's a high-performance Mustang GT with some extra embellishments provided by racing legend Carroll Shelby's company, and made available exclusively through Hertz. It's a throwback to the "Rent-a-Racer" program Hertz had in the 1960's where you could rent a hopped-up Shelby Mustang GT350H. Aside from a general resemblance in shape, it also shares the black with gold stripes paint scheme with the old version. It makes for a sharp looking ride. I book it on the web and with my AAA discount, it's mine for $89.99/day with unlimited miles. Rock 'n roll baby!
So I arrive at the Phoenix airport and catch a shuttle to the rental car terminal. The new rental car terminal is stunning by the way, very nice and as large as some small airport terminals. I pick up the car from the Hertz garage and after a very meticulous inspection of the exterior they let me out onto the streets. Almost immediately I am playing with the throttle, listening to the sounds the car makes. The car comes equipped with Sirius radio, but I turn it down to hear the car's own tune. The modern Shelby GT-H is powered by the same V8 in the Mustang GT but has an upgraded performance intake and exhaust system that gives it an extra rumble and roar when you get on the throttle.
The car definitely garners attention -- the fat gold racing stripes, the bulbous front hood and billet aluminum front grille all shout look at me. Before I've even made it to the freeway I pull up next to a Pontiac GTO at a light. The driver rolls down his window and I do the same, giving him a nod and a grin, as he no doubt expects to see. "How is it?" he asks. "I just picked it up, but so far so good," I respond. Despite probably having a 75hp advantage over my ride, he nods with admiration and we part ways.
The rest of the drive to my hotel is uneventful, although I am able to sharpen my impressions of the car a bit more. The car is very comfortable cruising on the highway, and where the tightened suspension made bumpy streets a bit rough, it seemed well suited for higher speeds. Like many performance and luxury cars, the ride, handling and noise levels are deceptively damped enough that you end up going a lot faster than you think you are. 80mph feels like 50mph, and 100mph feels like 80mph... and next thing you know a state trooper's on your tail. I tried to keep it under 80 but just nudging the gas pedal the car wanted to leap forward and swallow the black asphault in front of you. That's V8 torque for you. Hot damn, I think I actually could see the fuel gauge needle moving down as I drove along.
Well for the next 2 days I didn't really get to drive it much as I was pretty much holed up at the resort and conference center for our training workshops. At least the food and accomodations were good (see other entries below). But when the work was done and Saturday morning arrived, I was ready to hit the road. One of my co-worker joined me as passenger and navigator, and we set off north of Phoenix.
The route I had picked was recommended on azcentral.com for driving enthusiasts, and it was pretty much what I had hoped for -- a nice drive up a mountain and down the other side. Traffic was a little more than I expected but we were rewarded with some great vistas and silky smooth roads. Along the way bikers waved and gave us the thumbs-up when they saw the Shelby GT-H. Coming down the other side we caught a glimpse of the red rock formations of Sedona off in the distance, and stopped for lunch in the small town of Jerome perched on the mountainside. The place we had lunch was questionably called the Haunted Hamburger but the burger and steak fries were not bad at all. And the view from their patio deck is quite nice.
After lunch we continued down the mountain and headed towards Sedona. The red rock formations as you approach the town are nothing short of breathtaking, I felt like I was driving up to the Grand Canyon, it was that level of natural and scenic beauty. Photos don't quite do the place justice, but in person it was like the rocks were glowing with red light. We found a few spots to stop and take some photos. Unfortunately there wasn't much time to do any more than that, we had to turn around and head back to Phoenix and catch our flight home.
My overall impressions of the Shelby GT-H? It's a great car to be seen in and fun to drive, but not as responsive as I would like. Unfortunately the rental version comes only with an automatic transmission, and I felt like the clunky transmission was slow to downshift and really robbed the car of its power. When I floored the throttle the car didn't accelerate with the sort of authority that I expected. Maybe it was the weight of 2 guys and their luggage in the trunk, or maybe the engine was somehow restricted in this rental version. My co-worker and I came away not that impressed, we'd both driven other cars that seemed to really push you back in your seat in a way that the GT-H did not. So the car has more bark than bite.
And our whole experience with the car soured on the way home. Somewhere along the way back the radio seemed to lose signal, and not only could we not hear anything on the Sirius radio, but we couldn't listen to the FM radio either. It was like the antenna broke off or something. The rest of the way back I was relegated to listening to the engine, wind noise, and the monstrous hood rattling with bumps. And as if to add insult to injury, I was charged an extra $50 by Hertz for bringing the car back an hour late. I was outraged that they would charge me so much for one hour, for that much you can rent another car for a whole damn day. That's just lame. They made this car out to be something special, and they even checked over the car when I brought it back as if I had rented it to steal parts off the car, or pry off the Shelby badging, etc. But c'mon, the car is worth what, $35,000 maybe? I didn't get this kind of anal scrutiny when I rented the G35. I tried to talk the manager into waiving the charge but he didn't seem to care about losing my future business and I had a flight to catch. The whole ordeal has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I doubt I will use Hertz again because of it.
scenic drives in Arizona: http://www.azcentral.com/travel/drives/travel_scenicdrives.html
So I arrive at the Phoenix airport and catch a shuttle to the rental car terminal. The new rental car terminal is stunning by the way, very nice and as large as some small airport terminals. I pick up the car from the Hertz garage and after a very meticulous inspection of the exterior they let me out onto the streets. Almost immediately I am playing with the throttle, listening to the sounds the car makes. The car comes equipped with Sirius radio, but I turn it down to hear the car's own tune. The modern Shelby GT-H is powered by the same V8 in the Mustang GT but has an upgraded performance intake and exhaust system that gives it an extra rumble and roar when you get on the throttle.The car definitely garners attention -- the fat gold racing stripes, the bulbous front hood and billet aluminum front grille all shout look at me. Before I've even made it to the freeway I pull up next to a Pontiac GTO at a light. The driver rolls down his window and I do the same, giving him a nod and a grin, as he no doubt expects to see. "How is it?" he asks. "I just picked it up, but so far so good," I respond. Despite probably having a 75hp advantage over my ride, he nods with admiration and we part ways.
The rest of the drive to my hotel is uneventful, although I am able to sharpen my impressions of the car a bit more. The car is very comfortable cruising on the highway, and where the tightened suspension made bumpy streets a bit rough, it seemed well suited for higher speeds. Like many performance and luxury cars, the ride, handling and noise levels are deceptively damped enough that you end up going a lot faster than you think you are. 80mph feels like 50mph, and 100mph feels like 80mph... and next thing you know a state trooper's on your tail. I tried to keep it under 80 but just nudging the gas pedal the car wanted to leap forward and swallow the black asphault in front of you. That's V8 torque for you. Hot damn, I think I actually could see the fuel gauge needle moving down as I drove along.Well for the next 2 days I didn't really get to drive it much as I was pretty much holed up at the resort and conference center for our training workshops. At least the food and accomodations were good (see other entries below). But when the work was done and Saturday morning arrived, I was ready to hit the road. One of my co-worker joined me as passenger and navigator, and we set off north of Phoenix.
The route I had picked was recommended on azcentral.com for driving enthusiasts, and it was pretty much what I had hoped for -- a nice drive up a mountain and down the other side. Traffic was a little more than I expected but we were rewarded with some great vistas and silky smooth roads. Along the way bikers waved and gave us the thumbs-up when they saw the Shelby GT-H. Coming down the other side we caught a glimpse of the red rock formations of Sedona off in the distance, and stopped for lunch in the small town of Jerome perched on the mountainside. The place we had lunch was questionably called the Haunted Hamburger but the burger and steak fries were not bad at all. And the view from their patio deck is quite nice.
After lunch we continued down the mountain and headed towards Sedona. The red rock formations as you approach the town are nothing short of breathtaking, I felt like I was driving up to the Grand Canyon, it was that level of natural and scenic beauty. Photos don't quite do the place justice, but in person it was like the rocks were glowing with red light. We found a few spots to stop and take some photos. Unfortunately there wasn't much time to do any more than that, we had to turn around and head back to Phoenix and catch our flight home.My overall impressions of the Shelby GT-H? It's a great car to be seen in and fun to drive, but not as responsive as I would like. Unfortunately the rental version comes only with an automatic transmission, and I felt like the clunky transmission was slow to downshift and really robbed the car of its power. When I floored the throttle the car didn't accelerate with the sort of authority that I expected. Maybe it was the weight of 2 guys and their luggage in the trunk, or maybe the engine was somehow restricted in this rental version. My co-worker and I came away not that impressed, we'd both driven other cars that seemed to really push you back in your seat in a way that the GT-H did not. So the car has more bark than bite.
And our whole experience with the car soured on the way home. Somewhere along the way back the radio seemed to lose signal, and not only could we not hear anything on the Sirius radio, but we couldn't listen to the FM radio either. It was like the antenna broke off or something. The rest of the way back I was relegated to listening to the engine, wind noise, and the monstrous hood rattling with bumps. And as if to add insult to injury, I was charged an extra $50 by Hertz for bringing the car back an hour late. I was outraged that they would charge me so much for one hour, for that much you can rent another car for a whole damn day. That's just lame. They made this car out to be something special, and they even checked over the car when I brought it back as if I had rented it to steal parts off the car, or pry off the Shelby badging, etc. But c'mon, the car is worth what, $35,000 maybe? I didn't get this kind of anal scrutiny when I rented the G35. I tried to talk the manager into waiving the charge but he didn't seem to care about losing my future business and I had a flight to catch. The whole ordeal has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I doubt I will use Hertz again because of it.scenic drives in Arizona: http://www.azcentral.com/travel/drives/travel_scenicdrives.html
Sunday, October 01, 2006
arizona 2
More photos from my trip to Arizona. These were taken near Sedona, AZ.
I really like this photo because it makes it look like I am really taking some off-the-beaten-path route into the desert. I actually just pulled off the side of the main road and went up a hill but it looks so much cooler.
A small bridge just outside of Sedona. Some hiking trails nearby take you to some impressive vistas.
Here's some of the great red rock formations of Sedona. They are very striking to look at in person.
I thought this sign was pretty funny. I mean, it's a serious thing, but the graphic was just so dramatic. I wanted to take a marker and draw a skateboard on the guy's feet. Extreme grinding dude!
Another view of the magnificent red rocks of Sedona. Wish I could have spent more time travelling the desert and checking out the sights.
I really like this photo because it makes it look like I am really taking some off-the-beaten-path route into the desert. I actually just pulled off the side of the main road and went up a hill but it looks so much cooler.
A small bridge just outside of Sedona. Some hiking trails nearby take you to some impressive vistas.
Here's some of the great red rock formations of Sedona. They are very striking to look at in person.
I thought this sign was pretty funny. I mean, it's a serious thing, but the graphic was just so dramatic. I wanted to take a marker and draw a skateboard on the guy's feet. Extreme grinding dude!
Another view of the magnificent red rocks of Sedona. Wish I could have spent more time travelling the desert and checking out the sights.
arizona
Photos from my trip to Arizona. These were taken at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort. More details about the trip to follow.
The resort is located in Scottsdale, Arizona -- a swanky affluent community just outside of Phoenix. There are an incredible number of golf courses and resorts out there which is somewhat incongruous with the oppressive heat of the desert. Temps were around 100F during the day but cooled to a very lovely 70F at night.
The Fairmont resort has a very Southwestern theme to it -- lots of stucco and clay type design to the buildings. There are also an abundance of water fountains and swimming pools. From what I hear the pools are open 24 hours which is somewhat surprising to me -- you'd think at a resort people want some peace and quiet at night, not some loud drunken cannonballers at 4AM.
This Southwestern homage to Princess Leia made me laugh -- well maybe George Lucas spent some time in the Southwest before making Star Wars.
The food at the resort was pretty good for the most part -- the last night there we had dinner at La Hacienda, purportedly one of the best Mexican restaurants in Arizona. The appetizer and entrees were quite good. Check out the size of that shrimp!
There was a fair amount of wine and alcohol provided as well. Let's just say I drank plenty, but others drank even more.
Dessert was pretty cool -- "Three-Milk Bread Pudding with Ice Cream and spun sugar". The spun sugar coil was a nice touch.
The resort is located in Scottsdale, Arizona -- a swanky affluent community just outside of Phoenix. There are an incredible number of golf courses and resorts out there which is somewhat incongruous with the oppressive heat of the desert. Temps were around 100F during the day but cooled to a very lovely 70F at night.
The Fairmont resort has a very Southwestern theme to it -- lots of stucco and clay type design to the buildings. There are also an abundance of water fountains and swimming pools. From what I hear the pools are open 24 hours which is somewhat surprising to me -- you'd think at a resort people want some peace and quiet at night, not some loud drunken cannonballers at 4AM.
This Southwestern homage to Princess Leia made me laugh -- well maybe George Lucas spent some time in the Southwest before making Star Wars.
The food at the resort was pretty good for the most part -- the last night there we had dinner at La Hacienda, purportedly one of the best Mexican restaurants in Arizona. The appetizer and entrees were quite good. Check out the size of that shrimp!
There was a fair amount of wine and alcohol provided as well. Let's just say I drank plenty, but others drank even more.
Dessert was pretty cool -- "Three-Milk Bread Pudding with Ice Cream and spun sugar". The spun sugar coil was a nice touch.
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