Weird
I think that the hotel where the Russian spy was poisoned in London is the same place that I stayed with my grandmother in 1985.
How odd.
I think that the hotel where the Russian spy was poisoned in London is the same place that I stayed with my grandmother in 1985.
How odd.
We visited two restaurants this weekend.
Last night, around 9:00, we decided to go out to eat. I checked around on Opentable.com to see what restaurants were still open late, and Truluck’s in the Arboretum area (although not in the darned Arboretum) was listed, so we decided to try it. This was the first time I booked anything through that website, and it went very well.
Truluck’s was a joy. The service was excellent – helpful but completely not overbearing. We ordered the Tuna Tartare Tower (which is just darned fun to say) as an appetizer. Chopped raw tuna, avocado, sprouts, and tomato with a spicy sort of dressing and balsamic vinaigrette. Next was the lobster bisque with sherry. Both starters were fresh and toothsome, although I thought the bisque was a bit undersalted.
For an entree I ordered the stone crab platter. This came with 8 crab claws and a side of mustard sauce, as well as parmesan garlic mashed potatoes (oh so good) and steamed broccoli. I had never had stone crab before, so I was really pleased. The crab was pre-cracked and served over ice. The flesh was slightly sweet and really very nice. I managed to eat half before I got stuffed. Hubby’s Flounder Ponchartrain was also very nice, but the stone crab was definitely the standout of the meal.
The bartender also makes a mean dirty Tito’s martini.
We definitely plan to haunt Truluck’s more often, perhaps even going early in the evening and bringing the kids. (Well-behaved foodie kids, of course.)
After reading some of the stellar reviews here for Uchi, we decided to bite the bullet and stand in line. We got there around 6:30 and were quoted a two hour wait; in fact, we were seated at 7:30, which was a nice surprise.
After near-complete befuddlement at the menu, we decided to go ahead and order the omakase. The waiter stumbled a bit in the description, not sure whether it was 9 or 10 dishes, and not entirely sure what was on it, although he did mention fois gras.
At least three (and maybe four… too much sake) of the dishes were variations on the peanuts/almonds + sashimi + citrus-infused oil/white soy + golden raisins theme. Not that it wasn’t good, but I had hoped for a little more variety. The real standout dishes were the toro nuta, the seared scallops, the duck, and the hangar steak. When I asked about the foie gras, the waiter said they had run out – then I heard the table behind us (who was seated after we were) receive theirs. Dessert was a sort of uninspired chocolate terrine, although the pumpkin sorbet, ginger puree, and chocolate ciggies that accompanied the terrine were all great. My press pot coffee was extremely weak for my tastes, but I’m picky about coffee.
To get to the restrooms, you have to weigh about 80 pounds and be able to squeeze through 4″ spaces. The people seated with their backs to the aisle were completely disinclined to pull their seats in. I’ve had more room squeezing past the drink trolley on an airplane. And the bathroom was dirty. 🙁
In short, Uchi was technically good, but I felt that they were overpriced ($166 for the omakase for two), considering the lack of variety and miscellaneous slips. Very trendy, the bar is very much a meat-market, very beautiful people. If you’re into the scene, you might like it, but strictly for food purposes, you’re probably better off elsewhere.
Laugh with this guy. Fast forward until about 1:30 and don’t drink anything while you’re watching.
I had to stop at the Apple Store today because my power adaptor for my MacBook Pro had an… incident… last night.
*sniff sniff* “Hey, what the hell? Why is my leg so hot?”
Over Thanksgiving, I noticed that the wire on the Magsafe had frayed and gave me a hell of a shock when I touched it. I patched it up with electrical tape and planned to take it in to get fixed after school was out and the holidays were over. Apparently the adaptor got tired of the wait and decided to turn into a soldering iron last night, rendering my laptop unusable after the battery ran out.
I’m also having problems with the finish on the case as well as the finish on the keyboard (much like this guy’s), so I really just needed an overhaul.
Luckily, I had no problems at all with the Genius bar, and all items are covered under warranty, although once the parts for the case and keyboard come in, I’ll have to relinquish my computer for a few days. Guess that means I should clear the porn off.
Kidding. Mostly.
Anyway, I mentioned that school started next week, and the Genius started talking about student discounts, which are these lovely things that I had pretty much forgotten about but very nice to have, so I ended up buying an extended warranty for $110 off. Because honestly, the cost for the three parts they’re replacing is nearly $600, and if I have to get them replaced again, I certainly don’t want to eat it.
But the best part is that I finally sucked it up and bought myself that Coach bag I’ve been lusting after for weeks. So, yay!
Previous posts here, here, and here about my problems with Hearthsong.
Guess what arrived on my doorstep this evening! That’s right – a package from Hearthsong. I haven’t opened it, nor do I plan to (I don’t think). These items were delivered on January 3. I originally ordered them December 13, with two day shipping. I tried canceling the order via phone and web form, to no avail. Hearthsong is almost criminally incompetent.
I guess I can use that postage sticker to send back this package. Still no refund on any of my shipping costs, although they were kind enough to charge me yesterday for the items that they sent (and shipped overnight, not like Christmas was a week and a half ago or anything).
I fume.