While my last post says that I've been too busy to blog - that is still true, but I've put up a few other blogs in the meantime.
Visit myBJJblog.com for my Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training blog.
In connection with myBJJblog, I've also put up a BJJ techniques wiki which you can find at wiki.myBJJblog.com.
Lastly, I've set up a site to talk about my pet turtles and other pets. See it at www.PetTurtlesAndMore.com.
Thanks!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Too busy to blog
I find it so hard to blog here ...I'm a busy guy, I have another blog, work full-time, am taking my MBA part-time, am trying to fit BJJ and snowboarding into my schedule, and trying to keep sane! It's hard and there are so many restaurants that I haven't had the chance to write about that I ate in recently. Here's a sample:
-Morimoto
-Burritoville
-Good Burger
-Sophia's
-Ferrara's
-white Castle
-Gray's Papaya
-Grande Pizza
-Patsy's
-Rice Ball Cafe
-East
-Congee Village
-Satay
-Filippo's
-Casa Colombia
-Sahara Grill
And I know there's even more...Some of these are great restaurants, others are ok...I want to write about these places but just can't find the time to and when I do find the time, too many days have passed and I can't remember much about the dining experience.
Much more, I think I'm not a good food writer. I eat anything, even stuff that are bad and I don't like. Everything to me is "ok" and "good." I can't articulate much further about food. I'm not a good food critic, I'm not opinionated enough about food.
I'm considering ending my participation in this blog. Well, maybe I'll still write - but only if I can blog within a day of trying the restaurant. Even if it's a fancy or well-known restaurant, I won't blog about it if more than a day has passed. So all the restaurants in my list above will not be written about nor will every restaurant I try...
-Morimoto
-Burritoville
-Good Burger
-Sophia's
-Ferrara's
-white Castle
-Gray's Papaya
-Grande Pizza
-Patsy's
-Rice Ball Cafe
-East
-Congee Village
-Satay
-Filippo's
-Casa Colombia
-Sahara Grill
And I know there's even more...Some of these are great restaurants, others are ok...I want to write about these places but just can't find the time to and when I do find the time, too many days have passed and I can't remember much about the dining experience.
Much more, I think I'm not a good food writer. I eat anything, even stuff that are bad and I don't like. Everything to me is "ok" and "good." I can't articulate much further about food. I'm not a good food critic, I'm not opinionated enough about food.
I'm considering ending my participation in this blog. Well, maybe I'll still write - but only if I can blog within a day of trying the restaurant. Even if it's a fancy or well-known restaurant, I won't blog about it if more than a day has passed. So all the restaurants in my list above will not be written about nor will every restaurant I try...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Serendipity 3
Yesterday, I ate at Serendipity for the 2nd time. It was upon the request of my friend that was visiting from LA.
Getting a table at Serendipity is the most absurd thing I've ever done to get the privilege of getting to pay someone to give me food. I wanted to get there early so as to avoid the lines to get in, so we (including AG) went there at 6pm. There was already a long line and a really long queue. We gave our names, and after it was added to the already lengthy list, we were told to come back in four, read it, 4 hours. While standing around, someone came by and asked their status on the list. "What time did you put your name in?" "1pm" "Ok, maybe another 30 minutes" How insane is that? I later learned that the place opens at 11am but a line starts forming at 930am. Wow!! But it's only like that because of the holidays and the tremendous influx of tourists coming into the city.
Anyway, we came back four hours later, and had to wait an additional 30 minutes. Outside. In the cold. When we were finally brought it, we had to wait an extra 15 or 20 minutes before we were finally given a table. A 5 hour wait for a restaurant!!!
During the 5 hour wait, we managed to go to Ferrara's, Gray's Papaya, and White Castle. So needless to say, we just ordered dessert. Their most famous item is the FFFrozen hot chocolate. So we got that and an order of Spudniks. The Frozen hot chocolate is an over sized sundae, topped with whipped cream. It is simply delicious. I don't know how to describe it. It overflows with the sweet chocolate taste and even gives you a brain-freeze moment or two (in my case, throat-freeze too!). The dessert was a meal into and of itself.
The Spudnik on the other hand is a plate of potato slices, with the skin, cheese and some other stuff. It tasted like it could have come from TGI....Fridays. It was nothing special and was honestly a disappointment. The highlight was definitely the dessert. Although a five hour wait is too much even for a dessert that large and good.
Prices were all right, $6.50 for the bland Spudnik and $8.50 for the sweet frozen hot chocolate.
The decors were very unique. Full of Tiffany lamps. The website, http://www.serendipity3.com/, gives a hint of the type of decors you'll find inside.
The place is an attraction, just like the line er, the crowd of people outside, and certainly does a lot to bring people to that area of Manhattan (225 East 60th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues).
I find it hard to believe that the movie, Serendipity, is the reason that so many people want to go there. I doubt that a romantic comedy can be so influential. If it is, it really shows the power, at it's best, of product placement in a movie. Andy Warhol used to frequent the place and used to pay for his meals with his drawings. I doubt that that's the reason for the crowds.
Also, it's called Serendipity 3 because it had 3 founders. It is not the 3rd restaurant.
My tired rating: 5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Getting a table at Serendipity is the most absurd thing I've ever done to get the privilege of getting to pay someone to give me food. I wanted to get there early so as to avoid the lines to get in, so we (including AG) went there at 6pm. There was already a long line and a really long queue. We gave our names, and after it was added to the already lengthy list, we were told to come back in four, read it, 4 hours. While standing around, someone came by and asked their status on the list. "What time did you put your name in?" "1pm" "Ok, maybe another 30 minutes" How insane is that? I later learned that the place opens at 11am but a line starts forming at 930am. Wow!! But it's only like that because of the holidays and the tremendous influx of tourists coming into the city.
Anyway, we came back four hours later, and had to wait an additional 30 minutes. Outside. In the cold. When we were finally brought it, we had to wait an extra 15 or 20 minutes before we were finally given a table. A 5 hour wait for a restaurant!!!
During the 5 hour wait, we managed to go to Ferrara's, Gray's Papaya, and White Castle. So needless to say, we just ordered dessert. Their most famous item is the FFFrozen hot chocolate. So we got that and an order of Spudniks. The Frozen hot chocolate is an over sized sundae, topped with whipped cream. It is simply delicious. I don't know how to describe it. It overflows with the sweet chocolate taste and even gives you a brain-freeze moment or two (in my case, throat-freeze too!). The dessert was a meal into and of itself.
The Spudnik on the other hand is a plate of potato slices, with the skin, cheese and some other stuff. It tasted like it could have come from TGI....Fridays. It was nothing special and was honestly a disappointment. The highlight was definitely the dessert. Although a five hour wait is too much even for a dessert that large and good.
Prices were all right, $6.50 for the bland Spudnik and $8.50 for the sweet frozen hot chocolate.
The decors were very unique. Full of Tiffany lamps. The website, http://www.serendipity3.com/, gives a hint of the type of decors you'll find inside.
The place is an attraction, just like the line er, the crowd of people outside, and certainly does a lot to bring people to that area of Manhattan (225 East 60th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues).
I find it hard to believe that the movie, Serendipity, is the reason that so many people want to go there. I doubt that a romantic comedy can be so influential. If it is, it really shows the power, at it's best, of product placement in a movie. Andy Warhol used to frequent the place and used to pay for his meals with his drawings. I doubt that that's the reason for the crowds.
Also, it's called Serendipity 3 because it had 3 founders. It is not the 3rd restaurant.
My tired rating: 5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Mandoo Bar
Mandoo Bar, at K-town on 2 West 32nd Street near Fifth Avenue, is a great place. I've been there a few times this year, so when I friend of mine was visiting from LA, I just had to take her there.
We came in at around 12 noon and there were only two other tables taken. By the time we had ordered, all the other (about 10) tables were full and there was a line going out the door!
The combo mandoo (combination plate with 4 pieces each of seafood, veggie, and pork Korean dumplings) was awesome. It tasted like a new experience even though I had had that before too. We also ordered the Beef Fried Rice - which was stir-fried and had chopped beef, veggies, and an egg - and the Bibimbop - a giant salad-like dish that had veggies and greens, some beef, and an egg. The bibimbop had a reddish sauce served on the side that you were supposed to pour into it and mix, but we just dipped our mandoos (the dumplings) in it instead - and it was tasty. A bit later the waiter told us that it was for the bibimbop, so I poured the rest of it in the bibimbop and mixed it...the sauce really did fit the bibimbop better, but by then there wasn't much of it left.
I really like the food. They're all so simple, but oh so delicious! Korean food is tasty and this place ranks as one of my favorite Korean places.
The decors were simple and plain. All the tables and seats were bamboo colored benches. Meaning no back rests. If you lean back, you lean on the person sitting on the table behind you. The had framed pictures on the walls that all had some slightly intellectual and witty sayings on them. The temperature was on the cold side, which it also was during my previous visits on the spring and summer.
My chopstick and tea rating: 5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Bonus points: They have part of the kitchen on the front window so that you can see them rolling and preparing mandoos from the street.
We came in at around 12 noon and there were only two other tables taken. By the time we had ordered, all the other (about 10) tables were full and there was a line going out the door!
The combo mandoo (combination plate with 4 pieces each of seafood, veggie, and pork Korean dumplings) was awesome. It tasted like a new experience even though I had had that before too. We also ordered the Beef Fried Rice - which was stir-fried and had chopped beef, veggies, and an egg - and the Bibimbop - a giant salad-like dish that had veggies and greens, some beef, and an egg. The bibimbop had a reddish sauce served on the side that you were supposed to pour into it and mix, but we just dipped our mandoos (the dumplings) in it instead - and it was tasty. A bit later the waiter told us that it was for the bibimbop, so I poured the rest of it in the bibimbop and mixed it...the sauce really did fit the bibimbop better, but by then there wasn't much of it left.
I really like the food. They're all so simple, but oh so delicious! Korean food is tasty and this place ranks as one of my favorite Korean places.
The decors were simple and plain. All the tables and seats were bamboo colored benches. Meaning no back rests. If you lean back, you lean on the person sitting on the table behind you. The had framed pictures on the walls that all had some slightly intellectual and witty sayings on them. The temperature was on the cold side, which it also was during my previous visits on the spring and summer.
My chopstick and tea rating: 5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Bonus points: They have part of the kitchen on the front window so that you can see them rolling and preparing mandoos from the street.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Dos Caminos
For our holiday lunch, my work group went to Dos Caminos (373 Park Avenue South and 27th Street) for lunch last week.
It was great. The place is much bigger inside than its external storefront shows. It was nicely decorated and had a somewhat hip/metro feel. It was on the dark side but the company was fun and the conversation was light.
We (around 10 or so of us) finished a couple of pitchers of Sangria. The red sangria was much better than the red.
Service was awfully slow, but since lunch was on the company's time (and tab) I didn't mind. By the time my food came, I forgot what I had ordered....
We got nachos for appetizers. The chips were nothing special but the guacamole is prepared on a station near your table, but it's close enough that you can watch - although they don't call your attention to it. You can't choose to customize your guac, like you can in this other restaurant in Hoboken, but that's alright. Real and fresh guac is good!
I ordered an appetizer that had some octopus in it. It was the best octopus I ever had. It wasn't hard and chewy at all. It was so soft, it almost melted in your mouth. It was like dining on a lobster claw. I don't remember what my entree was, but since I don't remember, it wasn't anything special.
Dessert was great. The pumpkin flan was awesome!! Just like a regular Spanish flan, but with a hint of pumpkin. There was also ice cream and sorbet, they were good but not great.
Prices were reasonable enough, most entrees were in the $12-$20 range.
My rating: 4.5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Enjoy the holidays!
It was great. The place is much bigger inside than its external storefront shows. It was nicely decorated and had a somewhat hip/metro feel. It was on the dark side but the company was fun and the conversation was light.
We (around 10 or so of us) finished a couple of pitchers of Sangria. The red sangria was much better than the red.
Service was awfully slow, but since lunch was on the company's time (and tab) I didn't mind. By the time my food came, I forgot what I had ordered....
We got nachos for appetizers. The chips were nothing special but the guacamole is prepared on a station near your table, but it's close enough that you can watch - although they don't call your attention to it. You can't choose to customize your guac, like you can in this other restaurant in Hoboken, but that's alright. Real and fresh guac is good!
I ordered an appetizer that had some octopus in it. It was the best octopus I ever had. It wasn't hard and chewy at all. It was so soft, it almost melted in your mouth. It was like dining on a lobster claw. I don't remember what my entree was, but since I don't remember, it wasn't anything special.
Dessert was great. The pumpkin flan was awesome!! Just like a regular Spanish flan, but with a hint of pumpkin. There was also ice cream and sorbet, they were good but not great.
Prices were reasonable enough, most entrees were in the $12-$20 range.
My rating: 4.5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
Enjoy the holidays!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Home-cooked surprise for AG
Today is AG's birthday and as a surprise I made her some brunch.
I haven't cooked in years so this naturally got me very excited. Fortunately, the omelettes and pancakes that I made were delicious!
The pancakes were made from Aunt Jemima's Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix. It's very convenient, just add water, mix, and it's ready to cook. I burned my 1st pancake, but the rest were nice. I made about 6 or 7 pancakes, all of which we finished.
For omelettes I used Cage-Free Omega 3 organics eggs. I don't think they tasted any different from regular eggs. I cracked open 6 eggs and mixed it in a bowl. Poured some egg mix in a pan and fried it. When the eggs were done, I placed a slices of cheese over one half, then covered it in diced tomatoes. I then folded over the other half and transferred the omelette to a dish. I made 6 omelettes.
Me and AG liked what I made. Since It's been years since I last cooked, my biased self rating is: 4.5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
I hope to keep cooking a regular activity of mine again.
Happy holidays!!
I haven't cooked in years so this naturally got me very excited. Fortunately, the omelettes and pancakes that I made were delicious!
The pancakes were made from Aunt Jemima's Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix. It's very convenient, just add water, mix, and it's ready to cook. I burned my 1st pancake, but the rest were nice. I made about 6 or 7 pancakes, all of which we finished.
For omelettes I used Cage-Free Omega 3 organics eggs. I don't think they tasted any different from regular eggs. I cracked open 6 eggs and mixed it in a bowl. Poured some egg mix in a pan and fried it. When the eggs were done, I placed a slices of cheese over one half, then covered it in diced tomatoes. I then folded over the other half and transferred the omelette to a dish. I made 6 omelettes.
Me and AG liked what I made. Since It's been years since I last cooked, my biased self rating is: 4.5 cereal boxes out of a possible 6.
I hope to keep cooking a regular activity of mine again.
Happy holidays!!
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Web store idea - hmmm
Last week me and AG came up with an idea to put up a web store. Several days or weeks before, I told her that when I first started my undergrad that I wanted to put up a brick & mortar store and the web store will be just that: the web store of what I hope can be a brick & mortar store someday. I don't remember how the conversation went, but we did decide to put one up.
It takes some work to get a business set up and I'd like to do this right. The hard parts will be going through the mumbo-jumbo of legalese, tax stuff, organization, contracts, finding suppliers, determining the target market, finding a web host, testing, and others. The fun parts will be product testing, designing the website, fulfilling orders, etc... I'm not sure how to market it, but forums, blogs, and search engine optimization will play the biggest parts.
I'm really excited for this and my mind has been all over the place. I spent some time looking for some suppliers, went looking through web hosts, and even affiliate programs. I think this whole thing should launch without it's own web selling site first. Or start selling stuff through online market places like ebay and amazon, and later develop a website. I'm not sure. I dunno.
I really do want to start it out small. Thing is, I'm so busy already, it's going to take me a real long time to set things up and get things going.
It takes some work to get a business set up and I'd like to do this right. The hard parts will be going through the mumbo-jumbo of legalese, tax stuff, organization, contracts, finding suppliers, determining the target market, finding a web host, testing, and others. The fun parts will be product testing, designing the website, fulfilling orders, etc... I'm not sure how to market it, but forums, blogs, and search engine optimization will play the biggest parts.
I'm really excited for this and my mind has been all over the place. I spent some time looking for some suppliers, went looking through web hosts, and even affiliate programs. I think this whole thing should launch without it's own web selling site first. Or start selling stuff through online market places like ebay and amazon, and later develop a website. I'm not sure. I dunno.
I really do want to start it out small. Thing is, I'm so busy already, it's going to take me a real long time to set things up and get things going.
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