Top Chef begins!

The new season of Top Chef began last night, and I have so far been able to pick the winner from the first episode with each season. This season's group seems to have a bit more pedigree, but we'll have to see if that translates onto the plate. The quickfire pizza challenge was a little predictable seeing that they met in a pizza place - any of the contestants that were surprised by this should have studied the last few seasons a bit more carefully. The elimination challenge was interesting in that they immediately paired up some rivals. I couldn't help but laugh when Richard chose Andrew and then proceeded to show him up in every way. I can tell Andrew is going to be fun to watch. I felt bad for the two that had to make souffle' but as Tom said, you should be prepared to compete with at least the basics of food preparation, and souffle' is one that every culinary school graduate should be able to make. The challenge ended with Stephanie as the winner with her take on duck l'orange. The judges always seem to favor wild game that is well-prepared, and the color of the duck looked perfect. The eliminated party was Nimma, who presented a very boring-looking shrimp scampi which consisted of two shrimp and a puddle of cauliflower goo. Plus it was apparently really salty too - ick. Maybe she should have loosened up with the others and drank a little champagne, since she was only there for the one night.

I think they put a little too much emphasis on the lesbian couple - I don't really think it should effect the others much. I am expecting big things from Dale, Jennifer, Lisa and Stephanie, but my pick for season winner is Richard, who seems to have an impressive wealth of knowledge, an ability to remain cool under pressure, a sense of good sportsmanship, and he doesn't come across as cocky, just confident. We'll see...

Food, food, food...

Perhaps in anticipation of the newest season of Top Chef starting this week, it was most definitely the weekend of eating out for me. Starting out on Friday night with a very filling dinner at El Rodeo Mexican restaurant in north Houston, I had a smothered snapper (everything is good covered in cheesy sauce!) and a very interesting drink that seemed like a cross between a margarita and a spicy bloody mary.

On Saturday night we had a lovely (but pricey) dinner at Smith & Wollensky. The atmosphere is nice, the service is excellent, and the food is good, but not nearly good enough to demand the high prices they do. I'm sure a lot of the price has to do with the name of the restaurant, but inflating wine prices and charging $40 for a bland cut of beef with no sides included is a bit much.

We rounded out the weekend with a bit of Korean barbeque at Seoul Garden in the Little Korea part of town. With a couple of appetizers and the thin-sliced marinated beef for two, we were stuffed! Great end to a weekend of eating... now, off to the treadmill!

Project Runway Goodness

I'm not going to bother blogging about Project Runway since there are so many good sites out there that can do it much better than me, but I have to say that each time I watch Christian I am reminded of the Chris Kattan SNL character Azrael Abyss from Goth Talk. Do you think he ever worked at Cinnabon???

Funny stuff on a dreary day

All this news about Heath Ledger seems to be bringing everyone down. Even President Bush cancelled an appearance due to the news. I thought I'd post some funny stuff to compensate, since I kinda needed a pick-me-up today myself:

25 Weirdest toys

Jerry O'Connell spoofs Tom Cruise's nutty Scientology video

Big Monster

So we ran out this past weekend to see the Cloverfield movie so no one would spoil it for me. Yes I fell for the hype, but in order to describe the monster you'd have to combine a few species, you still wouldn't get it quite right, and the person you're describing it to would still look pretty confused. Better to just go see it yourself and make your own judgement. It was a decent flick, but nothing to get nuts about - basically another spin off Godzilla if you ask me. I saw The Host not too long ago and actually enjoyed it more, although the CG wasn't quite as big budget as Cloverfield, the story was more interesting, the ending had more of a twist, and the monster was more intriguing even though it wasn't the size of a small building.

Go see Cloverfield if you must, but not because you are worried someone will spoil it for you, and make sure you can handle the constant movement of the camera - it is filmed much like Blair Witch Project, very amateur-style, and the lady next to us had to leave in the middle of the film because she was getting motion sick.

Enough Crazy to Go Around

We all know Britney has gone off the deep end, but she's not alone:

Celine Dion is a loony

Beyonce is a nutjob

Tom Cruise gone apeshizz

But crazy isn't reserved only for the famous... crazy exists all over:

Video gamers gone wild

Even cats are losing it

Posts found via Gawker, PITNBlog, four four, and You Tube

Snow in Baghdad

I was touched by the story about the snowfall in Baghdad last week, and I had to share it with my favorite political blogger on the People's Republic of Seabrook. It seems it touched him too, and he gave me a shout out about it - yay!

Snow in Baghdad

Sushi Nite!

As we had cause for some celebrating last night, we decided to go out for some sushi. I tend to overlook the Miyako chain since I like frequenting the smaller out-of-the-way places, but I have to rave about our experience last night. It was very quiet, probably typical for a Monday. We sat on the Japanese-style side, taking our shoes off and the whole bit. They had a few choices of unfiltered sake, which is sometimes unavailable at many places. We decided to go with the sui mai, seared ahi tuna special, a crunch roll and some assorted sushi. Everything was wonderful, especially the tuna and crunch roll. We were stuffed, and the price was fairly reasonable considering the quality of the food and the fact that we had sake with dinner as well. Next time we're going out for sushi, I won't be so quick to dismiss Miyako's!

Ringing in the New Year with Sweeney Todd

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. I definitely had a great year, and I'll be ringing 2008 in low-key, since that seemed to work for me last year. Looking forward to a brand new year full of happiness and (hopefully) prosperity. Wishing the same for everyone else as well.


Got to catch the newest Johnny Depp/Tim Burton flick this weekend - Sweeney Todd, and it is a gory one! Most of the singing talent was impressive, Depp included. Probably the least experienced was Helena Bonham-Carter, but she pulled off an Eliza Doolittle-like sound that actually worked for her character. Sacha Baron-Cohen made a splashy appearance in an otherwise dreary scenario, and his character also goes out with a bang (or should I say, spray?). Definitely NOT a movie to take the kids to - it is gross, violent, and did I mention gross? Once Todd has his routine down of disposing of his victims, it is stomach-wrenching to watch them hit the floor. The young boy is quite good in his part, and Alan Rickman is great as always. Depp seems a little stiff at times, but his sullen expressions are chilling when he is with his victims, and hilarious during Carter's character's fantasy song. He seems to be using the same accent as his Captain Sparrow character at times, though. All in all, it was a good movie, as long as you have the stomach for it!

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and has a safe and happy New Year!

Geez, I didn't see this coming...

Pamela Anderson files for divorce after two months

And the idiocy continues...

Pam and Rick are back on!

(This is all in the same day, people).

Finally saw the Toadies...

After my last final of the semester last night, I joined a group at Hard Rock Cafe for some drinks and appetizers before the Toadies concert at Verizon Theater. Our waiter was very nice, but it does seem like they purposefully hire people who look like they are in a band to wait tables there, and whomever the bartender was - he was awful. The drinks were poorly mixed, took forever (the food came out before the drinks did) and one of them came out in a glass so cracked we were afraid it would shatter at the table.

As for the show, I was glad to have the opportunity to see them live, since I missed them prior to their break-up, and also the farewell tour earlier this year. They do play a very good live show, and the fans were eating it up. Lots of moshing, lots of crowd-surfing; some songs incited some lighter-waving, and LOTS of people were singing along. It was good to see the fan appreciation - hopefully it will encourage them to work together again in the future. Anyway - a really good show, but it seemed like the two brief encores were a little forced. I would go see them again - if they manage to get back together.

Dane Cook at Toyota Center

Had some very good seats to the Dane Cook show at the Toyota Center on Friday night - 17th row on the floor! I had no idea his following was so pronounced, and it was my first time to hear his live act. A few problems I had - the tickets said 7:00 pm, and he didn't take the stage until about 7:45. Although there were a lot of people still trickling in, it would have been nice to have at least an opening act to entertain us if he didn't plan to come on stage until almost an hour after we'd been sitting there. Also, does every venue absolutely have to scalp you on everything? I had already shelled out a pretty penny to be there, and the Toyota Center has the gall to charge $7.00 for a lousy Miller Lite? I so enjoy taking it up the rear from corporations...

As for the act - it was very good. I like his storytelling style, and he has a really honest perspective of the inner workings of the pseudo-adolescent male mind. It is really good insight on what your boyfriend/sig. other is thinking about at any given time. Although I did hear from several people there that he used some old material, he apparently had a lot of new also, and combined his best stuff for about a 1 1/2 hour set (encore included).

After the show we dropped by my friend Matt's for his yearly Christmas party and drank some really good beer. Now if I can just finish my Christmas shopping...

Caught a couple of new flicks this weekend. On Friday we took in a fabulous steak dinner at Texas Land & Cattle, and then headed over to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to watch American Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Although the movie was very good, we made the mistake of going to the late show, and this film is LONG. We were falling asleep by the end of it, and didn't leave the theater until after 1:00 am. It seems they tried to make it a little of everything: cop movie, action movie, drama, love story, etc. It ends up feeling a little like overkill by the end, and you end up just waiting for it to end. It also didn't help that the movie cut off twice and we had to wait for them to turn it back on, but we did get free movie passes out of the situation.

While there, we discovered they were showing a sneak peek of The Golden Compass the following night, so we decided to come back. This time we ate in the movie, and it was yummy. Watching this film reminded me of Stardust, Narnia and Eragon. It seems like they are searching for the next Harry Potter with this new crop of fantasy movies derived from popular children's novels. It also doesn't help that it is being touted as an athiest movie because of the author's beliefs. Children are smarter than we give them credit for, and if you attach your agendas to something to try to make them swallow it, they will resent you for it. That being said, and looking at the movie in a strictly objective way, it fell short for me. The girl was very good in her role, and the scenery was fantastic, but sometimes the CG animals were way too CG, and they could have made the story feel more complete rather than preparing you for the inevitable trilogy that MUST follow any moderately successful movie nowadays. Frankly, it makes me as weary to wait for the next installment as it did to watch the end of Eragon.

Happy Thanksgiving and all that stuff...

Wow, long weekend, lots of stuff happening. Started out with the holiday, of course. Lots and lots of food and hanging out with the family. Probably put on a few pounds, but whatevs. Friday we headed over to the Marq'E to see Beowulf in 3-D, and the early show was sold out, so we killed some time at the Dave & Buster's that used to be Jillian's. The entire shopping center over there looks like a cemetary of shops that once were. It's disappointing that they put so much money into that center, and it seems that nothing can stay open except Cafe Adobe and the Cinema.

Let me start off by talking about the Dave & Buster's. It is not located very far from the other, bigger, and better location on Richmond. You would think they would provide excellent service to ensure they will remain open. However, each employee we came across was rude and indifferent. I'd rather drive to the other location and get a better experience. It is nice that they have lowered the price on the games, and the tickets you win on some of the midway games can be conveniently counted and put on the same card you have for gameplay.

Next we headed to Cafe Adobe, a place that I have had bad experiences at before, but usually at the other Westheimer location. This time was fine, but I can't figure out how they run their service. Our waiter seemed to be overloaded with tables, and he had a team of lesser-experienced people running food out for him. Why not train everyone equally, and have good service for each table without the long wait? We only ordered drinks and an appetizer, and we were there over an hour and a half.

Now for the movie: I was very pleasantly surprised. I was skeptical because previous all-CG movies I have seen have left me wanting, but this one, perhaps partially because it was in 3-D format, worked beautifully. The characters were not as wooden as I expected, and the creatures were extremely intense. The Grendel character was a surprise, and you really feel for him as you do for Gollum in the LOTR movies. If you are debating on seeing this movie, go see it in 3-D before it is gone from the theaters. You won't be disappointed.

On Saturday morning we headed out to the Renaissance Festival once more on the last weekend, but it was very cold, very wet, very muddy, and not very fun. The folks that work there were doing their best to put on a cheerful face for the few that showed up, but it wasn't working to keep the crowd there.

Yesterday evening was full of merrymaking for our friends Betsey and Mandy who were having a dual birthday celebration. We started off the night at Chuy's Tex-Mex restaurant on Westheimer, and it was crowded as usual. The service was good, but the poor girl was so overworked that she kept forgetting drinks and such. It took a very long time to order, but the food came out in a reasonable amount of time, and it was good. They do need more servers for their busy nights, though.

After dinner, it was on to the Mezzanine Lounge, a sports bar that has numerous large flat-panel TVs, and several lounge areas. Our group settled in an upstairs lounge, and we were so very Texan and boisterous that we offended some Kansas fans who were trying to watch a football game in peace and quiet... at a sports bar. Well, I can't say we felt very sorry for them, and they looked a little silly waving their stalks of wheat around anyway. Since our group was large, we were treated to some free drinks, and the birthday girls got some huge fishbowl birthday drinks. I actually got one too because the bartender made an extra, and they handed it to me since my birthday had been fairly recent. We had jello shots and cupcakes courtesy of the birthday girls, and watched Kansas and Missouri battle a close game.

Finally we ended the night at Etro Lounge, a bar just off Montrose that specializes in retro music. The club is decked out very cool, and it isn't too big or too small, and if you like 80's music, the DJ is terrific. We had a great time dancing, drinking and hanging out. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Second City at UH Homecoming

If you were one of the lucky few to catch the (free to students) $5 show at U of H last night, then you were treated to some excellent entertainment by the Second City touring company. Second City is based out of Chicago, and is a mostly improv group that began some of the great comedic talents like Bill Murray and Tina Fey. I had the honor of being friends with one of these multi-talented people, and was able to catch the show after my evening class. Unfortunately, it wasn't given the advertisement it should have, so there were a lot of empty seats. The only reason I knew about it was from my friend in the show. The show was part of the UH Homecoming celebrations all week, and only got a blurb of a mention on the website.

But what a great performance! I take my hat off to these guys who throw themselves out there with skeleton scripts and audience prompts to determine what course their skits will take. A few of the skits had some stumbling blocks, but for the most part they had the audience rolling with their antics. If you ever get a chance to see these guys live, GO! It is like watching a live episode of "Whose Line is it Anyway?". Just hilarious. And a shout out to my friend Anthony who rocked his performance!!!

Ren Fest Almost Over...

I always like to attend the Texas Renaissance Festival at least once every year, because it is such fun to people-watch all the interesting folks who dress up. This year, I was one of them, and had it not been slightly hot and muggy, it would have been excellent! The fair has been enjoying terrific weather this year, so the crowds have been large. At the midpoint of the day, it even became difficult to walk through the wide pathways due to all the people. As usual, there were the bar wenches with their cleavage cinched up to their chins, and there was the occasional fairy, barbarian, pirate, and especially kilted Scotsmen, since the theme for the weekend was Scottish Highlands. Only two weekends left for the fair for those who haven't been yet this year - next weekend is the barbarian theme, and Thanksgiving weekend lasts Friday through Sunday with a Christmas theme. I highly recommend the boysenberry mead, located at the Greek Agora, as well as their wonderful gyros, and I can't go out there without munching on a turkey leg! The wine tasting is a lot of fun, and there are several terrific shows besides the joust and the impressive fireworks show at the end of the day.

Happy Halloween!

We went out on Saturday night to the annual Halloween Bash, held this year at BUS, the bar across from Minute Maid Park. It was definitely Halloween, grown-up style, with a $25 cover charge which included draft beer, jello shots, and some concoction I did not sample called "witches' brew". Just about everyone there comes in costume, and there are the standard costume contests, but they also do couple and group themes, so it gets interesting to see how creative people have been. There were a group of smurfs, some Pac-Man characters, lots of pirates, firemen/women, pimps, witches and vampires. The most interesting guy costume had to be the 8 foot tall tampon (painted red, of course) who was carrying around a bucket of regular-sized tampons to give out. The ladies, although less outlandish showed more skin, so it was a chilly walk through downtown. I like the way this party is advertized, with the emphasis on safety - they suggest close accomodations, they list cab companies on the web site, and offer free non-alcoholic drinks to all designated drivers. We had a great time, and I hope to go again next year!

Venting about The Cure and Toyota Center

I had 14th row floor tickets to see The Cure at Toyota Center last night. Perhaps it is my own fault for my over-utilization of my Ipod (due to the fact that Houston has crap radio stations playing the same mundane bull over and over), that I somehow missed the news that the concert, and moreover the entire North American leg of the tour, had been postponed. It was only after searching the web for the directions and opening act that I happened to find the news posted on a random goth blog, and then on The Cure's own website accompanied by one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard to cancel a tour: to tweak their upcoming album. So here I am sitting at home after skipping class, and my fiancee has requested off work, to go to a concert that is not happening. What ticks me off most is that despite the fact that I spent a large amount of money on these tickets, I was not informed by anyone via e-mail or otherwise, that the event had been cancelled and how to go about being reimbursed. When Coldplay was scheduled to play at the Woodlands back in the fall of 2005, and we were hit by Hurricane Rita, the concert was rescheduled to a reasonable later date, ticket buyers were contacted even in the midst of a city evacuation about reimbursement, and they smoothed it over with much finesse. This situation was handled poorly by the band, the Toyota Center, and the ticketing agency. The concert is rescheduled for June of next year, and I have no intention of going to see them again. Too bad since I have been a fan for so many years, but this is no way to treat loyal American fans. Only by reading the fine print on the band's web page did I find that reimbursement can only be attained until November 1st - not much help to those who bought tickets for the end of October, and are not notified of the cancellation. So I have to navigate the red tape of both of these companies to even get my money returned. What a pain in the ass - wish I had a cure for that.

Elizabeth Returns

Forget the movies based on comic book heroes, how about one that actually existed? And a woman, at that! I absolutely loved the first film with Cate Blanchett, and although this one is like it in many ways, there are a few differences as well. It is much more grand, probably because she is now settled into her monarchy, and the opulence that goes along with the title. There are larger than life scenes, like the sea battle and the attempt on her life. Every frame of the film is beautiful, and the story is riveting. It is made all the more so due to the fact that you are constantly telling yourself that it all really happened. I loved the portrayal of the Spanish King Philip - it was just desperate and evil enough with a dash of comical. They don't really go into the particulars of the Spanish Inquisition, only the ominance of it. However, the torture suffered at the hands of Walsingham was bad enough - I would not want to be on his bad side. As always, Cate is wonderful, as is Geoffrey Rush. Clive Owen seems a little stiff in his role as Raleigh, but "sails" through it well enough. Okay, enough cheesy puns for today. Go out and see the movie!