A Lava Flow and a Mai Tai served at the Hula Grill in Ka'anapali, Maui Hawai'i. 9/17/2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Musashino Sushi Dokoro in Austin, TX
Overpriced sushi in a dirty restaurant. Dirty floors and tables and the soy sauce dispenser was unused for so long that the spout was clogged by dried soy sauce. Not a good choice.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Winnipeg Canada at night.
July 4th, 2013...this is what 10:00 PM looks like. The sun still has not set by 10PM! Very nice view from the Delta Hotel balcony. The MTS Centre, where the Winnipeg Jets hockey team plays, is at the distant lower right corner of this photo.
Spider roll and sashimi at Ichiban restaurant in Winnipeg Canada.
ICHIBAN Sushi - 189 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, MB Canada
A-
This is really one of the better sushi restaurants in town. Clean tables and pleasant staff. One of the few places where the staff is truly eager to ensure you're comfortable and happy with your meal. I really like this place. There are teppanyaki tables throughout the restaurant, so it can sometimes be quite loud, but they do play some pleasant and authentic Japanese music so you have a level of authenticity to the experience. I think the only thing I don't like is the fact that it seems to be the same exact music (probably on CD) played over and over again all night long and every night. I would think they would find some other CD to play on occasion.
Shoyu, a sushi restaurant at the Minneapolis Airport.
Shoyu - near Gate G1 at the Minneapolis Airport
C-
One of the features I do like here is convenience. You place your own order via the iPad located on each table and you pay by credit card when the order is electronically sent. The server delivers your meal fairly quickly and the receipt to your table, although at the end of processing your order on the iPad, you are also given the option of sending your receipt electronically to your e-mail address. This is quintessentially fast food. The sushi is served cold and the different soup bowls are served hot and delicious. The only negatives I find with this place is that the staff seems indifferent to the customers...they have no personality and friendliness. I almost feel as if they're feeding the animals at a zoo, and maybe that's a bad analogy since zookeepers genuinely care about the animals welfare! The food is very overpriced (examples: $15 spider roll, $8 for 2 pieces of hamachi nigiri, and $6 for a bottle of San Pellegrino water) and the dining tables are often sticky. The only things this restaurant has going for it, are decent quality food, the iPad ordering gimmick and the ability to surf the Internet while dining and waiting for your plane.
Sesame ginger teriyaki steak at Moxie's in Winnipeg, Canada.
Moxie's Grill & Bar - 300 portage Ave. Winnipeg, MB Canada
A-
The gimmick here is scantily clad waitresses serving at your table. This place serves remarkably upscale food for the area and the staff is pleasant and accommodating. The restaurant is located in the MTS Centre where the Winnipeg Jets hockey team plays. The food is of exceptional quality although it is not always served hot or on time. The staff frequently seems to be occupied by idle chit chat either at the bar or at the hostess stand, so sometimes service can be a little slow and you do need to catch a waitress' attention. the tables are clean and the restaurant sparkling. The food ingredients are always high quality and flavors & sauces are certainly tasty. I had the Ginger Teriyaki Steak bowl. The sauce was tangy and not overpowering with ginger. The vegetables were cooked, but crunchy and the steak was quite tender.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Which Airline Should I Fly To My Destination?
As a frequent business traveler, one of the most common questions I am asked, is which airline should I choose? Which one is the best?
This is an enormous question and really depends upon your own personal interests. Are you interested in just getting to your destination and comfort doesn't really matter? Do you want to maximize your frequent flier miles? Do you want the cheapest flight? Do you want to check baggage or no? Do you want First/Business Class, Economy Plus, or Economy? Since there are so many choices to make, I will explain how and why I chose my preferred airline.
About a decade ago, I used to fly Delta Airlines almost exclusively and had over a quarter million frequent flier miles with them. I stopped flying Delta when the majority of their planes flown domestically were all Canadair Regional Jets. They're affectionately referred to as, "Puddle Jumpers", because they were often used for short hops of an hour or less. Not anymore. Delta started putting these into regular service for flights of more than 2-3 hours around 2004-2005. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with these smaller aircraft, but I'm a big guy (6'1", 250 lbs), so my preference was to fly the bigger jets (MD-80, 737, 757, A320, etc.). A guy of my size has some difficulty sitting in the tiny seats of a Canadair Regional Jet, or an Embraer 145. G-d forbid you have to go to the bathroom aboard one of these planes too. The lavatories are so small that a person of my size has to fold himself like an origami crane just to get into the bathroom, and if you have a 2-hour flight, it's difficult NOT to have to use the restroom sooner or later.
About a decade ago, I used to fly Delta Airlines almost exclusively and had over a quarter million frequent flier miles with them. I stopped flying Delta when the majority of their planes flown domestically were all Canadair Regional Jets. They're affectionately referred to as, "Puddle Jumpers", because they were often used for short hops of an hour or less. Not anymore. Delta started putting these into regular service for flights of more than 2-3 hours around 2004-2005. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with these smaller aircraft, but I'm a big guy (6'1", 250 lbs), so my preference was to fly the bigger jets (MD-80, 737, 757, A320, etc.). A guy of my size has some difficulty sitting in the tiny seats of a Canadair Regional Jet, or an Embraer 145. G-d forbid you have to go to the bathroom aboard one of these planes too. The lavatories are so small that a person of my size has to fold himself like an origami crane just to get into the bathroom, and if you have a 2-hour flight, it's difficult NOT to have to use the restroom sooner or later.
So, if you haven't discerned it yet, my preference for flights is for comfort. Lately, I'm flying back and forth to Winnipeg MB, Canada on a weekly basis for work. Unfortunately, the only International flights going into Winnipeg are the small jets, so I don't have much choice. I have flown both United's Embraer 145 into Winnipeg as well as Delta's CRJ 700's and 900's. Only Delta has established a First/Business class on their CRJ 700 and 900's and if you can afford that fare, or be upgraded, the seating is quite comfortable. If you take United, you're going to be out of luck. It's all economy or economy plus on the Embraer 145.
So, what is economy plus? Depending upon the airline, with economy plus seating, you're granted an extra 3-4 inches of legroom in the forward economy cabin. For tall guys like myself, this can make all the difference in the world! Also depending on the airline, economy plus sometimes grants you early boarding with group 1 (right after 1st class and priority/loyalty program customers).
So, what is economy plus? Depending upon the airline, with economy plus seating, you're granted an extra 3-4 inches of legroom in the forward economy cabin. For tall guys like myself, this can make all the difference in the world! Also depending on the airline, economy plus sometimes grants you early boarding with group 1 (right after 1st class and priority/loyalty program customers).
Beware! Airlines these days are charging approximately $25 for checked luggage, so everyone is carrying as much as they can on board the plane in carry on bags. For the bigger jets, this isn't usually an issue, but for the smaller ones, you may not have room enough for anything bigger than a computer bag. I've even flown on some smaller jets where a computer bag is still too big! In such cases, the airline will encourage (read that as "require") you to gate check your bag(s). Gate checking a bag means that you are given a bag tag for your luggage and you leave the bag in the jetway, just outside the plane door before you get onto the plane. It's loaded into the plane and returned to you upon arrival at your destination...also in the jetway, just outside the plane's doorway. Stand by and they bring it up to you. Again, beware that if you're forced to check a bag containing your computer, remove it and carry it aboard before allowing them to load it as baggage. You cannot image the number of cracked screen complaints the airlines get as a result of these forced baggage checks.
What other criteria could you use for choosing your preferred airline? Do you have a credit card with that airline that grants you additional frequent flier miles? Do you have a bank of miles with an airline where you want to bank more miles? Do you just plain like the people on that airline?
Everyone has a story about why they hate the service of a particular airline and that's why they'll never fly them. For the most part, after decades of flying, I haven't seen much difference between airlines. Seven years ago, I was gold with Delta Airlines, two years ago, I was flying American Airlines almost exclusively and established a gold level of membership with them. I've found them to be very good for my vacation trips to Maui, Hawai'i. I've flown SouthWest Airlines to Vegas, Delta to Florida, and United to Colorado. Flight attendants, gate agents, baggage handlers, pilots, and air travelers are all under increased traveling stress these days and everyone deals with it differently, but all things considered, there's not much difference in service between airlines. Do you run into a grumpy gate agent, a frantic flight attendant? Do they lose your baggage on occasion? Sure. They all do. Should they try to be better? Certainly! In the long run though, every business traveler has come to expect these things as small inconveniences that we all have to deal with. Getting upset only provides entertainment for the other passengers.
A little trick and a caveat here...
Like so many of us, my company will only pay for me to fly the cheapest airfare, which is economy. Once my airfare has been booked, I can go to the airline website and find my reservation. At the same time, I can usually upgrade my flight to at least economy plus, if not to first class...for a fee. Of course, this fee is paid by me, since my company won't pay the higher fare, but as I said before, comfort for me, is worth the extra dollars. I might pay an extra $130 to upgrade to 1st class or $20-$40 for an upgrade to economy plus. If it's not available online, you can always wait until the day of your flight and check in at one of the kiosks in the airport. If an upgrade is available, then the kiosk will offer it to you. It can sometimes be quite a good deal. If you're paying $300 for your flight, a regular 1st class ticket might be $800 or more. If you get a 1st class upgrade at the kiosk, it's often adding only $130. I mentioned a caveat.....I have found through experience, that airlines will almost always offer you the upgrade to 1st class on your outbound ticket from your home airport as well as any connection following that flight. However, your return flight may have seats available for 1st class, but you will NOT be offered the paid upgrade for your return flights. You're likely to get whatever seat you have. You can, however upgrade to economy plus, if desired on those return flights. I don't know why and I have asked ticket and gate agents and they don't know why this is the case either, but it just is.
So, once you do get on board, where do you want to sit? If you're susceptible to motion sickness, the best seats are over the wings, or near the wings, where the up/down motion is less pronounced. You may not have a nice view out the window, but you won't feel as ill from the movement either. Keeping a view out the window is also another good method of stopping motion sickness as well. It's distracting and at the same time provides you with a horizon to focus on. The horizon helps your brain to receive more feedback that you're in a stable position, even though your ears are telling you otherwise.
If you don't get airsick, where is the best seat? A lot of people choose a bulkhead row for "legroom", but I find that the bulkhead provides a flat wall that keeps you from stretching out more than you would if you could put your feet under the chair in front of you in a regular row. On some CRJ jets, there is no bulkhead in front of you. Instead it's just a curtain and the first class seats are in front of you. These are ideal seats for legroom. Some folks prefer the exit rows over the wings and on some planes they do provide more legroom, but be aware that while you'll get more legroom, your seats will not recline. This feature is intentional so that seats left in the recline position during an emergency won't impede the progress of people trying to exit over the wings.
A little trick and a caveat here...
Like so many of us, my company will only pay for me to fly the cheapest airfare, which is economy. Once my airfare has been booked, I can go to the airline website and find my reservation. At the same time, I can usually upgrade my flight to at least economy plus, if not to first class...for a fee. Of course, this fee is paid by me, since my company won't pay the higher fare, but as I said before, comfort for me, is worth the extra dollars. I might pay an extra $130 to upgrade to 1st class or $20-$40 for an upgrade to economy plus. If it's not available online, you can always wait until the day of your flight and check in at one of the kiosks in the airport. If an upgrade is available, then the kiosk will offer it to you. It can sometimes be quite a good deal. If you're paying $300 for your flight, a regular 1st class ticket might be $800 or more. If you get a 1st class upgrade at the kiosk, it's often adding only $130. I mentioned a caveat.....I have found through experience, that airlines will almost always offer you the upgrade to 1st class on your outbound ticket from your home airport as well as any connection following that flight. However, your return flight may have seats available for 1st class, but you will NOT be offered the paid upgrade for your return flights. You're likely to get whatever seat you have. You can, however upgrade to economy plus, if desired on those return flights. I don't know why and I have asked ticket and gate agents and they don't know why this is the case either, but it just is.
So, once you do get on board, where do you want to sit? If you're susceptible to motion sickness, the best seats are over the wings, or near the wings, where the up/down motion is less pronounced. You may not have a nice view out the window, but you won't feel as ill from the movement either. Keeping a view out the window is also another good method of stopping motion sickness as well. It's distracting and at the same time provides you with a horizon to focus on. The horizon helps your brain to receive more feedback that you're in a stable position, even though your ears are telling you otherwise.
If you don't get airsick, where is the best seat? A lot of people choose a bulkhead row for "legroom", but I find that the bulkhead provides a flat wall that keeps you from stretching out more than you would if you could put your feet under the chair in front of you in a regular row. On some CRJ jets, there is no bulkhead in front of you. Instead it's just a curtain and the first class seats are in front of you. These are ideal seats for legroom. Some folks prefer the exit rows over the wings and on some planes they do provide more legroom, but be aware that while you'll get more legroom, your seats will not recline. This feature is intentional so that seats left in the recline position during an emergency won't impede the progress of people trying to exit over the wings.
Want to find out more about airline comfort and how to choose the best seats for the aircraft you'll be flying? Check out http://www.seatguru.com where you can look at each individual seat on board your plane and choose the best one for your personal preference.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Daily Grill - 11410 Century Oaks Ter. Austin, TX
(C+)
7/28/2012 - The Daily Grill, a chain restaurant, is a social gathering spot in The Domain Shopping Center in Austin, TX. David suggested eating there on this hot Saturday afternoon. The restaurant is located in an "out of the way" area in the back of the Domain where there are few folks walking by, so this isn't the type of place that you might happen to walk past and say, "Hey, let's drop in for a bite to eat.". We were seated at a walk-up table at the bar. It took a few minutes and we were cheerily greeted by a young waittress named, "Estee". She told us we could just call her, "Red".
You'll know from my previous posts that one of my pet peeves in restaurants is when the wait staff takes your order and writes down absolutely NOTHING and then delivers completely the wrong items to your table later. Red managed this beautifully! She took our drink order (1 Pellegrino water with lime & an iced tea) as well as our food order (batter-dipped french fries, artichoke dip, mini-burgers and seared ahi tuna sashimi with fried spinach and cold pickles on the side) without ever writing down a word. I was very skeptical, but also equally surprised when it was perfect!
The food was served timely and hot. In fact, Red had to caution us about the searing hot plate that she used to bring out the fries. That was a good touch by the kitchen to keep the fries hot longer. Unfortunately, it didn't nothing to help the flavor. The fries were tasteless, bland, and not very crispy. They were served with ketchup and I never use ketchup with fries. In this case, the ketchup made the fries taste better...and that is NOT a compliment!
The artichoke dip was served with garlic toast and a fried artichoke on top. Very good and very addictive! David said his burgers were good. Two mini-burgers were served as an appetizer...alone on a large plate. I can think of only 1 word for it. The plate just looked, "lonely" with two mini-burgers on it. It was as if someone came over with one single pea on a huge dinner plate and grandly stated, "Your dinner, sir!". Really?!
The seared ahi sashimi consisted of a single 7 or 8 inch long, 1 inch diameter "squared rod" of tuna, rolled in black sesame seeds and seared on a grill, then sliced and laid out on a long plate. It was served with a VERY tiny bit of wasabi, gari (pickled ginger), fried spinach, and cold cucumber pickles in rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. The tuna was excellent and the crunch of the fried spinach with the pickles really complimented the flavors in the dish.
As we were chatting during dinner, as always, I was looking around the restaurant and glancing upwards, I noticed this...
This is one of my other pet peeves about restaurants. The light fixtures above our tables were filled with dead bugs and the ceiling vents were caked with dust. I've been in restaurants where they've forgotten to dust their ceiling fans or the light fixtures were dirty, but never filled with dead bugs. Our consolation: at least they weren't LIVE bugs!
At the close of our meal, Red again was so pleasant with us that her effervescent personality truly made it easier to overlook any flaws. A waittress who is this nice really makes the whole dining experience worthwhile!
Red gets a gold star in my book, but the restaurant gets a C+. The Domain Shops have the reputation for being expensive and "high-class", but there is not a single thing sold in the Domain that you cannot get for a lower price, and often better quality, elsewhere in Austin. Like so many restaurants at the Domain, this is just another one that is trying to be very chic, trendy, and sort of "faux-high-class", but it fails miserably in the delivery. The Daily Grill seriously needs a little more daily work.
7/28/2012 - The Daily Grill, a chain restaurant, is a social gathering spot in The Domain Shopping Center in Austin, TX. David suggested eating there on this hot Saturday afternoon. The restaurant is located in an "out of the way" area in the back of the Domain where there are few folks walking by, so this isn't the type of place that you might happen to walk past and say, "Hey, let's drop in for a bite to eat.". We were seated at a walk-up table at the bar. It took a few minutes and we were cheerily greeted by a young waittress named, "Estee". She told us we could just call her, "Red".
You'll know from my previous posts that one of my pet peeves in restaurants is when the wait staff takes your order and writes down absolutely NOTHING and then delivers completely the wrong items to your table later. Red managed this beautifully! She took our drink order (1 Pellegrino water with lime & an iced tea) as well as our food order (batter-dipped french fries, artichoke dip, mini-burgers and seared ahi tuna sashimi with fried spinach and cold pickles on the side) without ever writing down a word. I was very skeptical, but also equally surprised when it was perfect!
The food was served timely and hot. In fact, Red had to caution us about the searing hot plate that she used to bring out the fries. That was a good touch by the kitchen to keep the fries hot longer. Unfortunately, it didn't nothing to help the flavor. The fries were tasteless, bland, and not very crispy. They were served with ketchup and I never use ketchup with fries. In this case, the ketchup made the fries taste better...and that is NOT a compliment!
The artichoke dip was served with garlic toast and a fried artichoke on top. Very good and very addictive! David said his burgers were good. Two mini-burgers were served as an appetizer...alone on a large plate. I can think of only 1 word for it. The plate just looked, "lonely" with two mini-burgers on it. It was as if someone came over with one single pea on a huge dinner plate and grandly stated, "Your dinner, sir!". Really?!
The seared ahi sashimi consisted of a single 7 or 8 inch long, 1 inch diameter "squared rod" of tuna, rolled in black sesame seeds and seared on a grill, then sliced and laid out on a long plate. It was served with a VERY tiny bit of wasabi, gari (pickled ginger), fried spinach, and cold cucumber pickles in rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. The tuna was excellent and the crunch of the fried spinach with the pickles really complimented the flavors in the dish.
As we were chatting during dinner, as always, I was looking around the restaurant and glancing upwards, I noticed this...
This is one of my other pet peeves about restaurants. The light fixtures above our tables were filled with dead bugs and the ceiling vents were caked with dust. I've been in restaurants where they've forgotten to dust their ceiling fans or the light fixtures were dirty, but never filled with dead bugs. Our consolation: at least they weren't LIVE bugs!
At the close of our meal, Red again was so pleasant with us that her effervescent personality truly made it easier to overlook any flaws. A waittress who is this nice really makes the whole dining experience worthwhile!
Red gets a gold star in my book, but the restaurant gets a C+. The Domain Shops have the reputation for being expensive and "high-class", but there is not a single thing sold in the Domain that you cannot get for a lower price, and often better quality, elsewhere in Austin. Like so many restaurants at the Domain, this is just another one that is trying to be very chic, trendy, and sort of "faux-high-class", but it fails miserably in the delivery. The Daily Grill seriously needs a little more daily work.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Kona Grill - 11410 Century Oaks Terrace Austin, TX
(C+)
4/16/2012 - Kona Grill, a chain restaurant, is nicely decorated, although somewhat dark inside. I went on a Monday afternoon for lunch. I was seated near the entrance, not far from the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chef make some amazing sushi. The restaurant is decked out like a night club and has several booths, a bar area and a seating area on the terrace overlooking traffic coming into and out of the Domain shopping center.
The waitress came to the table and I ordered an iced tea. When she returned to take my order, I ordered regular edamame (steamed, salted soybeans - they also offer it spicy), the Sunshine Roll (salmon and avocado topped with salmon and a thinly sliced piece of lemon), Spicy Tuna Roll and Octopus Nigiri.
One of my pet peeves is when a waiter or waittress comes to take your order and doesn't write anything down. My waittress returned after giving her my order and asked, "Did you order the Houston Roll or the Dragon Roll?". I replied, "Neither one." So, I had to repeat my order to her again. I do have to hand it to her, though, when she came over, she pointed out several nice specials and offerings from the auxiliary menu.
The steamed edamame arrived first. It was served hot in a covered bowl and seasoned with Kosher Salt just right. The sushi arrived after about 10 minutes or so. The Sunshine Roll was excellent and the lemon is the perfect accompaniment to the salmon. The Spicy Tuna Roll is pretty much the same Spicy Tun Roll you would get at any sushi restaurant. nothing really remarkable, but still quite good.
The octopus, however, was a different story. Octopus is very difficult to get "right" and this wasn't quite right. It was still quite chewy, which is normal, but it was sliced very thick and not scored along it's length to make it easier to eat. Sushi is really supposed to be a "one bite" morsel, meaning each piece is consumed whole as a single bite. I nearly choked on the first one. It was a giant piece of rubber on top of rice. The chef really should have sliced the octopus much more thinly, or at least made some scored cuts on the underside of the slices so they would break down in your mouth more easily. Clearly they're trying to be generous with the slices, but this is one where you probably don't want the chef to be quite that generous. The last thing any restauranteur needs is to do the Heimlich Maneuver on a customer because your "one bite" sushi was too thick.
The waittress returned after the meal and I was convinced to try to the small Key Lime Pie (apparently, they have a large one!). As an ex- Floridian, this would be hard to beat, but they did a good job serving it in a square creme brulee dish with whipped cream, a raspberry and mint sprig for a garnish. It was very tart, had a smooth texture and a graham cracker crust. I must say it was one of the better Key Lime Pies I have had outside of the State of Florida.
Damage for this meal was some $43 with the tip. Expensive, but I would say it was worth it. Overall, the restaurant is a little too dark for my taste and the waitstaff maybe a little mentally pre-occupied, but the food was excellent and the timing for this lunchtime meal was right on target.
Unfortunately, on another visit (later, 6/18/2012), when I gave the waiter my order of a Sunshine Roll and a Spider Roll, he returned with a Spider Roll and a Rainbow Roll instead. Again, the waiter did not write down the order and entered it from memory. This seems to be a prevalent issue among their wait staff. He argued that I did say Rainbow Roll, then asked me to remove the Spider Roll from the plate as he returned the Rainbow Roll to the Sushi Chef. Which leads me to wonder...now that my hands were physically all over that plate, what did they do with the Rainbow Roll?...throw it away, serve it to another customer later? The whole process was just "wrong" on many levels and really lowers my impression of this restaurant entirely. I have MAJOR questions and concerns about their cleanliness, decision making, and the potential recycling of food to customers at this point. As a result, I must lower my rating of this restaurant one entire grade to C+.
4/16/2012 - Kona Grill, a chain restaurant, is nicely decorated, although somewhat dark inside. I went on a Monday afternoon for lunch. I was seated near the entrance, not far from the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chef make some amazing sushi. The restaurant is decked out like a night club and has several booths, a bar area and a seating area on the terrace overlooking traffic coming into and out of the Domain shopping center.
The waitress came to the table and I ordered an iced tea. When she returned to take my order, I ordered regular edamame (steamed, salted soybeans - they also offer it spicy), the Sunshine Roll (salmon and avocado topped with salmon and a thinly sliced piece of lemon), Spicy Tuna Roll and Octopus Nigiri.
One of my pet peeves is when a waiter or waittress comes to take your order and doesn't write anything down. My waittress returned after giving her my order and asked, "Did you order the Houston Roll or the Dragon Roll?". I replied, "Neither one." So, I had to repeat my order to her again. I do have to hand it to her, though, when she came over, she pointed out several nice specials and offerings from the auxiliary menu.
The steamed edamame arrived first. It was served hot in a covered bowl and seasoned with Kosher Salt just right. The sushi arrived after about 10 minutes or so. The Sunshine Roll was excellent and the lemon is the perfect accompaniment to the salmon. The Spicy Tuna Roll is pretty much the same Spicy Tun Roll you would get at any sushi restaurant. nothing really remarkable, but still quite good.
The octopus, however, was a different story. Octopus is very difficult to get "right" and this wasn't quite right. It was still quite chewy, which is normal, but it was sliced very thick and not scored along it's length to make it easier to eat. Sushi is really supposed to be a "one bite" morsel, meaning each piece is consumed whole as a single bite. I nearly choked on the first one. It was a giant piece of rubber on top of rice. The chef really should have sliced the octopus much more thinly, or at least made some scored cuts on the underside of the slices so they would break down in your mouth more easily. Clearly they're trying to be generous with the slices, but this is one where you probably don't want the chef to be quite that generous. The last thing any restauranteur needs is to do the Heimlich Maneuver on a customer because your "one bite" sushi was too thick.
The waittress returned after the meal and I was convinced to try to the small Key Lime Pie (apparently, they have a large one!). As an ex- Floridian, this would be hard to beat, but they did a good job serving it in a square creme brulee dish with whipped cream, a raspberry and mint sprig for a garnish. It was very tart, had a smooth texture and a graham cracker crust. I must say it was one of the better Key Lime Pies I have had outside of the State of Florida.
Damage for this meal was some $43 with the tip. Expensive, but I would say it was worth it. Overall, the restaurant is a little too dark for my taste and the waitstaff maybe a little mentally pre-occupied, but the food was excellent and the timing for this lunchtime meal was right on target.
Unfortunately, on another visit (later, 6/18/2012), when I gave the waiter my order of a Sunshine Roll and a Spider Roll, he returned with a Spider Roll and a Rainbow Roll instead. Again, the waiter did not write down the order and entered it from memory. This seems to be a prevalent issue among their wait staff. He argued that I did say Rainbow Roll, then asked me to remove the Spider Roll from the plate as he returned the Rainbow Roll to the Sushi Chef. Which leads me to wonder...now that my hands were physically all over that plate, what did they do with the Rainbow Roll?...throw it away, serve it to another customer later? The whole process was just "wrong" on many levels and really lowers my impression of this restaurant entirely. I have MAJOR questions and concerns about their cleanliness, decision making, and the potential recycling of food to customers at this point. As a result, I must lower my rating of this restaurant one entire grade to C+.
Longhorn Steakhouse - 2702 Parker Rd. Round Rock, TX
(C-)
4/15/2012 - I've been to several Longhorn Steakhouses over the years; Dulles Virginia, Concord North Carolina, and now Round Rock, Texas. Longhorn is usually quite consistent with their food, but this is a new one and I'm not quite sure they have all the kinks out just yet. I was seated in a booth in the main dining area. When the hostess seated us, she removed two of the four place settings and bread plates, pretty normal. She happened to leave two bread plates, one of which was dirty with food attached to the plate. When our waiter came over to offer drinks and bread, he began to pick up the dirty plate to have it replaced, only to find that the plate underneath it looked like someone had vomited food all over the bread plate. It was really disgusting. He noticed me grimmacing and took them both away to replace them immediately. Definitely a good move. Apparently, if plates went unused on the table, they were not picked up and instead left for the next customers. Not a good start to the meal.
So, this gross out definitely called for a top shelf Margarita. It was a good one. No salt, served cold and with a shaker that basically fills the glass a couple of times.
I ordered the 12 Oz Prime Rib, Medium (which they claim is still a little pink inside, it wasn't), caesar salad, a baked potato with butter and chives (if you don't specify, then they load it with EVERYTHING...cheese, sour cream, butter, etc.). The meal was served warm and the steak was seasoned quite well, but the prime rib was fairly chewy. This is unusual since I have eaten here before and the steaks are usually quite tender. This was an aberration. One thing I have found they consistently do is overcook the prime rib. Medium here has typically turned out to be Medium-Well. I thought about this before ordering this time, but I wanted to see if it was going to be the same as last time (overcooked) or not. It was. The seasoning was excellent however, and I never needed to reach for the salt or pepper.
One unexpected addition to the meal was when the waiter came out with a lobster tail (which we didn't order) and offered it to us as complimentary because the chef had cooked one too many this evening and they didn't want it to go to waste. The lobster tail was split down the back andd roasted with some mild seasoning. It was done quite well.
The damage for a steak dinner with a lobster-stuffed baked potato, the prime rib plate above, an iced tea and a top shelf margarita came to about $65 after tip. In this area, that's a reasonable price for this meal and it was generally OK. Strikes for sanitation and overcooking, but the seasoning and the wait staff were good. Overall, this is an OK place to eat, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
4/15/2012 - I've been to several Longhorn Steakhouses over the years; Dulles Virginia, Concord North Carolina, and now Round Rock, Texas. Longhorn is usually quite consistent with their food, but this is a new one and I'm not quite sure they have all the kinks out just yet. I was seated in a booth in the main dining area. When the hostess seated us, she removed two of the four place settings and bread plates, pretty normal. She happened to leave two bread plates, one of which was dirty with food attached to the plate. When our waiter came over to offer drinks and bread, he began to pick up the dirty plate to have it replaced, only to find that the plate underneath it looked like someone had vomited food all over the bread plate. It was really disgusting. He noticed me grimmacing and took them both away to replace them immediately. Definitely a good move. Apparently, if plates went unused on the table, they were not picked up and instead left for the next customers. Not a good start to the meal.
So, this gross out definitely called for a top shelf Margarita. It was a good one. No salt, served cold and with a shaker that basically fills the glass a couple of times.
I ordered the 12 Oz Prime Rib, Medium (which they claim is still a little pink inside, it wasn't), caesar salad, a baked potato with butter and chives (if you don't specify, then they load it with EVERYTHING...cheese, sour cream, butter, etc.). The meal was served warm and the steak was seasoned quite well, but the prime rib was fairly chewy. This is unusual since I have eaten here before and the steaks are usually quite tender. This was an aberration. One thing I have found they consistently do is overcook the prime rib. Medium here has typically turned out to be Medium-Well. I thought about this before ordering this time, but I wanted to see if it was going to be the same as last time (overcooked) or not. It was. The seasoning was excellent however, and I never needed to reach for the salt or pepper.
One unexpected addition to the meal was when the waiter came out with a lobster tail (which we didn't order) and offered it to us as complimentary because the chef had cooked one too many this evening and they didn't want it to go to waste. The lobster tail was split down the back andd roasted with some mild seasoning. It was done quite well.
The damage for a steak dinner with a lobster-stuffed baked potato, the prime rib plate above, an iced tea and a top shelf margarita came to about $65 after tip. In this area, that's a reasonable price for this meal and it was generally OK. Strikes for sanitation and overcooking, but the seasoning and the wait staff were good. Overall, this is an OK place to eat, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Korea House Sushi Bar - 2700 W. Anderson Lane Austin, TX
(A)
You might have surmised from previous entries that I am a sushi achiever. Yep, I am. I need a 12-step program to get off sushi, and I'm proud of it. When I'm at home in Austin, TX, my favorite place for sushi is the Korea House at 2700 Anderson Lane. Park is the sushi chef there and he really knows his fish!
I first heard of the Korea House when a friend of mine decided sushi was the business lunch of the day around 1995. Frankly, I was a bit frightened by the prospect, since I had never liked fish, except shellfish, smoked salmon, and canned tuna or maybe a filet-o-fish sandwich. I'm known to try anything, even if I haven't liked it in the past, so I figured what the heck. I loved it and never looked back again.
The Korea House is a very nice, family-run business. I am always greeted with a welcome, friendly smile and an "Osay-o" ("Welcome!") when I come into the restaurant. The Korea House serves Korean barbecue, standard Korean fare as well as sushi. There are only about 10 seats at the sushi bar, but you can always order sushi from anywhere in the restaurant, which has seating for at least 20 tables. During some busy lunch and dinner times, there can be a slight wait for a table.
One of the most common things heard from first timers at this restaurant is, "I didn't order this?". Believe it or not, yes you did. You may have ordered Beef Bulgoki and were expecting only a single plate of beef and rice or noodles, but you commonly receive about 5 or 6 additional small bowls of different things such as boiled potato, kim chi (spicy pickled cabbage), sweet baked soy beans, sweet and spicy sliced strips of BBQ squid. This is normal to be served all of the small bowls of additional foods with your meal. It may be strange to Western tastes, but try it. It's all good!
I am usually seated at the sushi bar where Park provides an apppetizer of sliced red snapper in a sweet barbecue sauce with hot Sriracha sauce drizzled over it. This has the most amazing flavor of sweet and hot at the same time. Next, I order my "usual"...a bottomless Iced Tea, a Hawai'ian roll (Spicy Tuna roll with orange Masago fish eggs on the outside), Yellowfin Tuna, Eel, and Wasabi Tobiko nigiri, as well as an Eel handroll and 2 Spicy Crab handrolls. On occasion, I'll add octopus, or if the Uni (sea urchin) is fresh, I'll order that. If you do order any handrolls, be sure to eat them immediately when served, especially the Spicy Crab. The reason is that you want the nori (toasted green seaweed) on the handrolls to remain crispy on the outside. If you allow them to sit for too long, the seaweed will become soggy.
As I mentioned, it's all good, and if you prefer a roll with something added or removed, the chef is always happy to assemble it to suit your taste, even if it's not on the menu! In fact, I ordered the Hawai'ian roll so many times over the years, he put it on the menu just for me. Park and his assistant sushi chef do an excellent job at ensuring their customers enjoy their meal.
A quick note on sushi etiquette is called for here, since I see these things so often, I think most people think it's alright to do them: Be sure to follow these few do's and don'ts and you will be seen by your chef as "skilled" in eating sushi and not a noob.
1) When you unwrap your chopsticks, don't rub them together. Westerners do this to remove splinters. It's also an insult to your hosts because it implies they have offered you cheap, inferior, chopsticks. If there are any splinters, you'll be able to feel them with your fingers going across the grain. Gently remove them and discreetly set them aside, if any. I have rarely found splinters on my chopsticks at most oriental restaurants.
2) That little empty bowl in front of you is for shoyu (soy sauce). It's best to use the low sodium or Tamari soy sauce, since you're eating seafood. The fish will already have a slightly salty flavor, so low sodium is best.
3) Don't put green wasabi into the bowl for shoyu. This screams "I'm a Westerner!". Your chef places a small amount of wasabi onto the fish before serving it to you. If you need any more, you should scrape a small piece off the mound provided on your plate and either place it into your mouth before or after the fish, or place it on top of the fish before eating it.
4) Use your chopsticks effectively. Sushi is normally eaten with clean, bare hands in Japan, but you may also use chopsticks. The narrow end of the chopsticks are for your mouth. The broad ends of the chopsticks are used to take sushi from a communal (shared) plate and place it onto your own plate, before you eat it. Don't use the narrow end of the chopsticks to pick up sushi from a communal plate and don't use the broad ends for placing sushi into your mouth.
5) That pink pickled stuff on your plate is called "gari" (gahh-ri). It's pickled ginger root. Many sushi eaters don't understand it. It "can" be used as a condiment like the wasabi. Personally, I enjoy it's tangy flavor with barbecued eel, but it's really there as a palate cleanser. Take a small piece to cleanse your palate between different types of sushi so you can enjoy the full-on, flavor of the new one you're going to try next.
6) One final note on chopsticks and if you choose only one of these to remember, make it this one. Never, EVER, place your chopsticks into a bowl of rice so that they stand up vertically. It is considered a terrible omen to the restauranteur, your participants at a business lunch, and others in the restaurant. This one little gesture may seem insignificant, but it is reminiscent of the burning of incense for the dead, and is considered a "major" taboo.
OK, so the etiquette out of the way and an awesome meal under my belt, I leave the Korea House about $38 poorer (with tip), but feeling very full and happy. Yes, my meal was expensive, but I know I'm eating healthy food and not feeling guilty about chicken wings, burgers & fries, or pizza. Sure, you can get away with the sushi special for less than 1/2 the price I paid, but the broadness and depth of flavor for what I ordered is incomparable. In fact, my same meal at any other sushi restaurant in Austin would have been closer to $65.
I have had sushi in Hawai'i, Norfolk, VA, Florida, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Nashville, and many other venues. I consider the Korea House to be an economical steal, with awesome food, pleasant atmosphere, and the nicest family of staff. In my opinion, the Korea House does not have an equal anywhere else.
You might have surmised from previous entries that I am a sushi achiever. Yep, I am. I need a 12-step program to get off sushi, and I'm proud of it. When I'm at home in Austin, TX, my favorite place for sushi is the Korea House at 2700 Anderson Lane. Park is the sushi chef there and he really knows his fish!
I first heard of the Korea House when a friend of mine decided sushi was the business lunch of the day around 1995. Frankly, I was a bit frightened by the prospect, since I had never liked fish, except shellfish, smoked salmon, and canned tuna or maybe a filet-o-fish sandwich. I'm known to try anything, even if I haven't liked it in the past, so I figured what the heck. I loved it and never looked back again.
The Korea House is a very nice, family-run business. I am always greeted with a welcome, friendly smile and an "Osay-o" ("Welcome!") when I come into the restaurant. The Korea House serves Korean barbecue, standard Korean fare as well as sushi. There are only about 10 seats at the sushi bar, but you can always order sushi from anywhere in the restaurant, which has seating for at least 20 tables. During some busy lunch and dinner times, there can be a slight wait for a table.
One of the most common things heard from first timers at this restaurant is, "I didn't order this?". Believe it or not, yes you did. You may have ordered Beef Bulgoki and were expecting only a single plate of beef and rice or noodles, but you commonly receive about 5 or 6 additional small bowls of different things such as boiled potato, kim chi (spicy pickled cabbage), sweet baked soy beans, sweet and spicy sliced strips of BBQ squid. This is normal to be served all of the small bowls of additional foods with your meal. It may be strange to Western tastes, but try it. It's all good!
I am usually seated at the sushi bar where Park provides an apppetizer of sliced red snapper in a sweet barbecue sauce with hot Sriracha sauce drizzled over it. This has the most amazing flavor of sweet and hot at the same time. Next, I order my "usual"...a bottomless Iced Tea, a Hawai'ian roll (Spicy Tuna roll with orange Masago fish eggs on the outside), Yellowfin Tuna, Eel, and Wasabi Tobiko nigiri, as well as an Eel handroll and 2 Spicy Crab handrolls. On occasion, I'll add octopus, or if the Uni (sea urchin) is fresh, I'll order that. If you do order any handrolls, be sure to eat them immediately when served, especially the Spicy Crab. The reason is that you want the nori (toasted green seaweed) on the handrolls to remain crispy on the outside. If you allow them to sit for too long, the seaweed will become soggy.
As I mentioned, it's all good, and if you prefer a roll with something added or removed, the chef is always happy to assemble it to suit your taste, even if it's not on the menu! In fact, I ordered the Hawai'ian roll so many times over the years, he put it on the menu just for me. Park and his assistant sushi chef do an excellent job at ensuring their customers enjoy their meal.
A quick note on sushi etiquette is called for here, since I see these things so often, I think most people think it's alright to do them: Be sure to follow these few do's and don'ts and you will be seen by your chef as "skilled" in eating sushi and not a noob.
1) When you unwrap your chopsticks, don't rub them together. Westerners do this to remove splinters. It's also an insult to your hosts because it implies they have offered you cheap, inferior, chopsticks. If there are any splinters, you'll be able to feel them with your fingers going across the grain. Gently remove them and discreetly set them aside, if any. I have rarely found splinters on my chopsticks at most oriental restaurants.
2) That little empty bowl in front of you is for shoyu (soy sauce). It's best to use the low sodium or Tamari soy sauce, since you're eating seafood. The fish will already have a slightly salty flavor, so low sodium is best.
3) Don't put green wasabi into the bowl for shoyu. This screams "I'm a Westerner!". Your chef places a small amount of wasabi onto the fish before serving it to you. If you need any more, you should scrape a small piece off the mound provided on your plate and either place it into your mouth before or after the fish, or place it on top of the fish before eating it.
4) Use your chopsticks effectively. Sushi is normally eaten with clean, bare hands in Japan, but you may also use chopsticks. The narrow end of the chopsticks are for your mouth. The broad ends of the chopsticks are used to take sushi from a communal (shared) plate and place it onto your own plate, before you eat it. Don't use the narrow end of the chopsticks to pick up sushi from a communal plate and don't use the broad ends for placing sushi into your mouth.
5) That pink pickled stuff on your plate is called "gari" (gahh-ri). It's pickled ginger root. Many sushi eaters don't understand it. It "can" be used as a condiment like the wasabi. Personally, I enjoy it's tangy flavor with barbecued eel, but it's really there as a palate cleanser. Take a small piece to cleanse your palate between different types of sushi so you can enjoy the full-on, flavor of the new one you're going to try next.
6) One final note on chopsticks and if you choose only one of these to remember, make it this one. Never, EVER, place your chopsticks into a bowl of rice so that they stand up vertically. It is considered a terrible omen to the restauranteur, your participants at a business lunch, and others in the restaurant. This one little gesture may seem insignificant, but it is reminiscent of the burning of incense for the dead, and is considered a "major" taboo.
OK, so the etiquette out of the way and an awesome meal under my belt, I leave the Korea House about $38 poorer (with tip), but feeling very full and happy. Yes, my meal was expensive, but I know I'm eating healthy food and not feeling guilty about chicken wings, burgers & fries, or pizza. Sure, you can get away with the sushi special for less than 1/2 the price I paid, but the broadness and depth of flavor for what I ordered is incomparable. In fact, my same meal at any other sushi restaurant in Austin would have been closer to $65.
I have had sushi in Hawai'i, Norfolk, VA, Florida, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Nashville, and many other venues. I consider the Korea House to be an economical steal, with awesome food, pleasant atmosphere, and the nicest family of staff. In my opinion, the Korea House does not have an equal anywhere else.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
McCormick & Schmick's Restaurant - The Domain Shops, 11600 Century Oaks Terrace Austin, TX
(B+)
I figured it was time for another restaurant review since work has kept me from really keeping this up to date. I dine at McCormick & Schmick's very frequently in Austin. I first tried this chain in 2008, when I visited Boca Raton, Florida where they have a restaurant on Glades Road just outside the campus of Florida Atlantic University. McCormick's is a seafood restaurant, although they do offer other fare, but they clearly know how to do seafood. I did brunch today, the last Saturday of June and the first Saturday of Summer in this part of the country, but you wouldn't know it since we've had 100 (+) degree weather here for a few months already.
Entering the restaurant as a lone diner always makes the diner feel a bit uncomfortable, but you are often greeted by the Maitre D' as you enter the restaurant. They're always very accommodating of requests for booths and if desired, they also have a small number of private booths available for no extra charge. These booths are secluded behind green velvet curtains and are great for quiet family dinners or for an elegant date night as well.
So, I was here for brunch today, arriving immediately upon the opening at 11 AM. The only thing I don't like about arriving at this time is that the staff has a tendency to mill around the front door and chatter about their personal relationships, which is really OK with me, but I'm not really clear on whether that looks very professional, given the restaurant's obvious intention to come across as an elegant, but low key dining experience in a high-end shopping center. I was seated at the rear of the empty restaurant, which was appreciated for a single diner, since it's nice to have the peace and quiet of a distant table to yourself when you're dining alone.
The table was nicely appointed with a folded white cloth napkin, clean silverware and bread plate. Unfortunately, the place mat used at the table was stained and had the remnants of the previous diner's meal still stuck to the top right corner. I made a point to smear the "goo" on the place mat so the waitress would see it more clearly on the adjoining table top next to my membership card, but she didn't seem to notice the "stuff" placed there. Not exactly a good start. The waitress was obviously new to the role and it was refreshing to have her wait on the table because you could tell she was really trying hard to make the meal enjoyable.
If you go to McCormick & Schmick's you can become a "member" for a one-time, $25 fee, which entitles you to a $25 gift certificate (making the membership free), and an interesting amuse bouche (appetizer) served to everyone in your party with your meal, every time you come in. One thing the chain does NOT make clear is how you convey to your waiter that you are a member. I have noticed, if I come in and respond to the "Have you dined with us before?" question with, "Yes, I am a member.", then they don't seem to recognize you as a member and you do not receive an amuse bouche. One of the longer-term waiters had told me a few visits later that it's best to just lay your membership card on the table so they can "confirm" you are a member and this has resulted in an amuse bouche every time. So, now this is much clearer, although it's asking the diner to be a little more forward than they should have to be and it's more reminiscent of placing a coupon on the table at the start of a meal in a restaurant that should have pictures of the food on the menu, if you catch my drift here. They should really state this in their membership brochure, or perhaps come up with a better, more graceful method of noting someone's membership status.
My amuse bouche on this occasion was a bruschetta, served with a spinach & artichoke dip and a balsamic vinegar reduction. The sweet tanginess of the sauce mixed very well with the cheesy, saltiness of the dip. It was an excellent combination. The amuse bouche is one of my favorite things to try at this restaurant because it's always something different and unique. It encourages me to think of flavors "outside the box" and try some unusual combinations.
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On this visit, I ordered the Kobe Beef Carpaccio, which is not always served the same way each time. Consistency is the word here. The carpaccio was served with capers, radish sprouts, and a light mustard vinaigrette with ground black pepper, on top of about 6 slices of carpaccio and some garlic bruschetta served on the side. The beef is always tender and melts in your mouth. The flavors of garlic, vinegar, mustard, are all very subtle and play well together in this presentation. I have had this dish almost every time I come in, but sometimes it has red-leaf lettuce salad greens with the sprouts, sometimes, no sprouts and only salad, sometimes no capers, sometimes red onions, sometimes no onions. Again, consistency should be the operative word here. The carpaccio, however is excellent. I would suggest, to make the service one step more elegant....every piece of Kobe beef is sent to a restaurant with a certificate that shows the proof that the beef is truly from Kobe Japan and even contains the "name" of the cow that the beef came from, and sometimes a photo of that cow. It would be nice if even a photocopy of that certificate was presented with the plate to the diner. Some may find this a little cruel in a tree-hugging city such as Austin, but if someone is ordering beef, and RAW beef at that...you shouldn't be running any risk of scaring away your dinner guest!
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My second course was the usual dozen oysters. McCormick & Schmick's usually serves 4 different types of oysters from different regions of the US and Canada and they each have unique qualities to them. So many people go for the big oysters that they are passing up on some of the more truly tasty smaller oysters from places such as Washington State. Today, I had a dozen mixed 50:50 between the big & meaty Connecticut Blue Points and the smaller, but more flavorful, Canadian Tamagouche oysters. They are served on ice with malt vinegar, lemon, and horesradish on top of cocktail sauce. You can request crackers and Tabasco, if desired, but I find that these tend to disguise the flavor of the oysters, which is really the reason for ordering them in the first place! The oysters are always very fresh and delicious. The Tamagouche oysters have a unique clean, salty, and bright flavor, while the Blue Points have a stronger aquatic, "oystery" flavor to them.
There are only 2 concerns that I have with McCormick & Schmick's service of these. First, among the 12 oysters, they tend to serve an occasional oyster or two that I would not choose to serve to my guests....one that may contain hardly any oyster meat at all, and they'll serve it as if it should be included as one of the dozen you ordered. If it was me serving, I would serve only reasonably "full" oysters. Second, the chef needs to learn how to properly serve them. It's clear that he is simply opening the oyster and laying it on the tray. That is certainly one method, but they are skipping one important step for the true oyster-lover. The chef should also cut the oyster from the shell so it sits loosely in the shell as a "cup". This allows the true oyster aficionado to consume them the way a seafood enthusiast does. There is NO need for an oyster fork...the true oyster lover will put cocktail sauce on the shell with lemon, and "drink" the oyster directly from the shell with the salt water (AKA: oyster liquor) that was inside the shell.
I didn't order anything else, but I would like to give an honorable mention to a dish that I also have from time to time called, Ahi Tuna Tartare. This dish is mixed at your table by the waiter and consists of individual ceramic Chinese spoons each containing the following ingredients: chopped egg, capers, chopped onion, chopped raw ahi tuna, radish sprouts, and a mustard vinaigrette. These are tossed by the waiter at the table and served with garlic bruschetta. If you're OK with raw tuna, this is awesome!
Another honorable mention goes to the Crab Bisque, also mixed at the table by the waiter. It is served in a large white bowl with a small tower of crab and rice in the middle of the bowl and a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled around the bowl. The bisque (heavy cream soup) component is served hot, surrounding the tower of crab and rice. Another excellent choice, but quite heavy, so I don't recommend it unless you're also eating a light meal. If you're good for soup & salad, definitely make this the soup!
As my brunch came to a close, it was entertaining to watch as I noticed the rookie waitress was doing "loops" around the dining room. She didn't seem to know what to do when she wasn't busy, so she walked counterclockwise around the restaurant's perimeter. You could tell she was being very conscientious, paying attention even to other waiter's tables to ensure every guest was taken care of. It was a little strange, but entertaining to watch as she walked, and walked, and walked.
So, an iced tea, a dozen oysters and kobe beef carpaccio came to a total of $43 with the tip included. Was it worth it? Yes, it certainly was, although there are also certainly a few things that need to be improved, mainly with the way the restaurant does business, but the food was well worth the price.
I figured it was time for another restaurant review since work has kept me from really keeping this up to date. I dine at McCormick & Schmick's very frequently in Austin. I first tried this chain in 2008, when I visited Boca Raton, Florida where they have a restaurant on Glades Road just outside the campus of Florida Atlantic University. McCormick's is a seafood restaurant, although they do offer other fare, but they clearly know how to do seafood. I did brunch today, the last Saturday of June and the first Saturday of Summer in this part of the country, but you wouldn't know it since we've had 100 (+) degree weather here for a few months already.
Entering the restaurant as a lone diner always makes the diner feel a bit uncomfortable, but you are often greeted by the Maitre D' as you enter the restaurant. They're always very accommodating of requests for booths and if desired, they also have a small number of private booths available for no extra charge. These booths are secluded behind green velvet curtains and are great for quiet family dinners or for an elegant date night as well.
So, I was here for brunch today, arriving immediately upon the opening at 11 AM. The only thing I don't like about arriving at this time is that the staff has a tendency to mill around the front door and chatter about their personal relationships, which is really OK with me, but I'm not really clear on whether that looks very professional, given the restaurant's obvious intention to come across as an elegant, but low key dining experience in a high-end shopping center. I was seated at the rear of the empty restaurant, which was appreciated for a single diner, since it's nice to have the peace and quiet of a distant table to yourself when you're dining alone.
The table was nicely appointed with a folded white cloth napkin, clean silverware and bread plate. Unfortunately, the place mat used at the table was stained and had the remnants of the previous diner's meal still stuck to the top right corner. I made a point to smear the "goo" on the place mat so the waitress would see it more clearly on the adjoining table top next to my membership card, but she didn't seem to notice the "stuff" placed there. Not exactly a good start. The waitress was obviously new to the role and it was refreshing to have her wait on the table because you could tell she was really trying hard to make the meal enjoyable.
If you go to McCormick & Schmick's you can become a "member" for a one-time, $25 fee, which entitles you to a $25 gift certificate (making the membership free), and an interesting amuse bouche (appetizer) served to everyone in your party with your meal, every time you come in. One thing the chain does NOT make clear is how you convey to your waiter that you are a member. I have noticed, if I come in and respond to the "Have you dined with us before?" question with, "Yes, I am a member.", then they don't seem to recognize you as a member and you do not receive an amuse bouche. One of the longer-term waiters had told me a few visits later that it's best to just lay your membership card on the table so they can "confirm" you are a member and this has resulted in an amuse bouche every time. So, now this is much clearer, although it's asking the diner to be a little more forward than they should have to be and it's more reminiscent of placing a coupon on the table at the start of a meal in a restaurant that should have pictures of the food on the menu, if you catch my drift here. They should really state this in their membership brochure, or perhaps come up with a better, more graceful method of noting someone's membership status.
My amuse bouche on this occasion was a bruschetta, served with a spinach & artichoke dip and a balsamic vinegar reduction. The sweet tanginess of the sauce mixed very well with the cheesy, saltiness of the dip. It was an excellent combination. The amuse bouche is one of my favorite things to try at this restaurant because it's always something different and unique. It encourages me to think of flavors "outside the box" and try some unusual combinations.
On this visit, I ordered the Kobe Beef Carpaccio, which is not always served the same way each time. Consistency is the word here. The carpaccio was served with capers, radish sprouts, and a light mustard vinaigrette with ground black pepper, on top of about 6 slices of carpaccio and some garlic bruschetta served on the side. The beef is always tender and melts in your mouth. The flavors of garlic, vinegar, mustard, are all very subtle and play well together in this presentation. I have had this dish almost every time I come in, but sometimes it has red-leaf lettuce salad greens with the sprouts, sometimes, no sprouts and only salad, sometimes no capers, sometimes red onions, sometimes no onions. Again, consistency should be the operative word here. The carpaccio, however is excellent. I would suggest, to make the service one step more elegant....every piece of Kobe beef is sent to a restaurant with a certificate that shows the proof that the beef is truly from Kobe Japan and even contains the "name" of the cow that the beef came from, and sometimes a photo of that cow. It would be nice if even a photocopy of that certificate was presented with the plate to the diner. Some may find this a little cruel in a tree-hugging city such as Austin, but if someone is ordering beef, and RAW beef at that...you shouldn't be running any risk of scaring away your dinner guest!
My second course was the usual dozen oysters. McCormick & Schmick's usually serves 4 different types of oysters from different regions of the US and Canada and they each have unique qualities to them. So many people go for the big oysters that they are passing up on some of the more truly tasty smaller oysters from places such as Washington State. Today, I had a dozen mixed 50:50 between the big & meaty Connecticut Blue Points and the smaller, but more flavorful, Canadian Tamagouche oysters. They are served on ice with malt vinegar, lemon, and horesradish on top of cocktail sauce. You can request crackers and Tabasco, if desired, but I find that these tend to disguise the flavor of the oysters, which is really the reason for ordering them in the first place! The oysters are always very fresh and delicious. The Tamagouche oysters have a unique clean, salty, and bright flavor, while the Blue Points have a stronger aquatic, "oystery" flavor to them.
There are only 2 concerns that I have with McCormick & Schmick's service of these. First, among the 12 oysters, they tend to serve an occasional oyster or two that I would not choose to serve to my guests....one that may contain hardly any oyster meat at all, and they'll serve it as if it should be included as one of the dozen you ordered. If it was me serving, I would serve only reasonably "full" oysters. Second, the chef needs to learn how to properly serve them. It's clear that he is simply opening the oyster and laying it on the tray. That is certainly one method, but they are skipping one important step for the true oyster-lover. The chef should also cut the oyster from the shell so it sits loosely in the shell as a "cup". This allows the true oyster aficionado to consume them the way a seafood enthusiast does. There is NO need for an oyster fork...the true oyster lover will put cocktail sauce on the shell with lemon, and "drink" the oyster directly from the shell with the salt water (AKA: oyster liquor) that was inside the shell.
I didn't order anything else, but I would like to give an honorable mention to a dish that I also have from time to time called, Ahi Tuna Tartare. This dish is mixed at your table by the waiter and consists of individual ceramic Chinese spoons each containing the following ingredients: chopped egg, capers, chopped onion, chopped raw ahi tuna, radish sprouts, and a mustard vinaigrette. These are tossed by the waiter at the table and served with garlic bruschetta. If you're OK with raw tuna, this is awesome!
Another honorable mention goes to the Crab Bisque, also mixed at the table by the waiter. It is served in a large white bowl with a small tower of crab and rice in the middle of the bowl and a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled around the bowl. The bisque (heavy cream soup) component is served hot, surrounding the tower of crab and rice. Another excellent choice, but quite heavy, so I don't recommend it unless you're also eating a light meal. If you're good for soup & salad, definitely make this the soup!
As my brunch came to a close, it was entertaining to watch as I noticed the rookie waitress was doing "loops" around the dining room. She didn't seem to know what to do when she wasn't busy, so she walked counterclockwise around the restaurant's perimeter. You could tell she was being very conscientious, paying attention even to other waiter's tables to ensure every guest was taken care of. It was a little strange, but entertaining to watch as she walked, and walked, and walked.
So, an iced tea, a dozen oysters and kobe beef carpaccio came to a total of $43 with the tip included. Was it worth it? Yes, it certainly was, although there are also certainly a few things that need to be improved, mainly with the way the restaurant does business, but the food was well worth the price.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Review - Carrabba's Italian Grill - 11590 Research Blvd. Austin, TX
(C+)
Carrabba's is one of my favorite Italian restaurants when I'm dining at home in Austin, TX. We showed up for dinner at 6:30 on 2/12/2011. It was the week-end before Valentine's Day, so we expected it to be a bit busy. There was a 40 minute wait, which wasn't bad. That's about 10-15 minutes more than usual.
The restaurant was very crowded and loud. Within moments, it was obvious why. The restaurant had packed in several more 4-seat tables into the middle of the restaurant to accommodate the larger crowd for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately, this made the seating quite uncomfortable. We found that each patron had to be seated almost smushed against their table to avoid bumping the chair into the guest behind them, and still allowing room for the waiters to pass between tables. It wasn't exactly comfortable seating.
My dining partner and I ordered an iced tea and a glass of Blackstone merlot. The merlot was quite good; dry and fruity. For an appetizer, we ordered the fried calamari served with marinara sauce and dinner was minestrone soup with sirloin marsala and garlic mashed potatoes and a house salad with pork chop marsala and steamed broccoli.
As always, the food was perfectly prepared and seasoned well, but it quickly became clear that we were being treated as a number instead of a guest. The service was obviously very hurried in order to turn tables and have guests pushed through as quickly as possible. I felt less like a restaurant guest than an amusement park patron being pushed through a fast-food restaurant line to get everyone served.
This became quickly apparent as we were served our drinks and bread. About 5 minutes after the bread arrived, the fried calamari showed up, steaming hot and excellent as always. No less than 5 minutes after the calamari, the soup and caesar salad swooped in. My dining partner ordered the house salad, but was willing to make the exception for the caesar salad since the waiter dropped it off as a "fly by" and was not around any longer to explain the issue. About 2 minutes into consuming the caesar salad, another waiter ran by the table with the correct house salad, explaining that our waiter had run off too quickly with the wrong one, but he couldn't stop him. I was impressed that the minestrone soup was served hot this time since I have ordered it in the past and it was usually served barely lukewarm. It was a marked improvement!
No less than 5 minutes into consuming the soup and salad (remember, we'd hardly started the calamari or bread so far!) the main course arrived! Bingo! Dinner was served. We had plates all over the table, full of food that had hardly been touched so far and we had been seated less than 20 minutes!
One thing I take exception to in almost every restaurant...when the waiter served my sirloin marsala, he immediately demanded, "Go ahead and cut into that steak and let me know if that's done enough for you.". As if your customer wasn't rushed enough through the meal...demand they do something NOW for the waiter?! I understand it's to ensure they cooked it correctly and prevents the waiter from having to make more than one trip if the steak isn't right, but seriously, give the patron the opportunity to "dine" and not simply "eat". My response to the waiter was, "I'll trust that it's been done right and I will let you know if it's not. Thank you.". By far, this is probably the one thing that most customers will say that they hate to hear from a waiter.
When ordering a steak, you have to understand that restaurants will usually under-cook your steak rather than cook it to the level of doneness that you requested. If it's overcooked, they cannot "un-cook" it, so it sits cold in the kitchen until the next guest orders one like it (assuming they're able to re-serve it at all due to health code regulations), or it goes to waste, which is much more likely. If it's undercooked, then it's simply a matter of returning it to the grill for a few minutes to catch up to the level you desired.
In all, the food was excellent. My steak was ordered medium and served medium-rare as I had anticipated, and that's exactly the way I like it. The mushrooms in the marsala wine sauce were tender and tangy and the garlic mashed potatoes were served hot and garlicky. This was another improvement over prior visits to this same restaurant because the mashed potatoes are usually served much cooler. The pork chop marsala was served hot and was quite tender.
While the food was awesome and the price was acceptable (our entire meal with tip was $78), the service was mediocre since the timing was really pretty unsatisfactory for the meal. Clearly this was because they were expecting a large dining crowd for the Valentine's Day holiday, but that's not an excuse. Holiday or not, a dining experience should be exactly that, a dining experience, and not a rush to get people in and out of the restaurant as quickly as possible. This Carrabba's has done much better when it's not a holiday week-end, but for this dining experience, it was a C+. Nothing remarkable here. Move along!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas
This ship is in front of the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas. Hourly, every night, this ship goes into battle with pirates on another nearby ship. It sinks, but the crew is always saved to do it all over again in another hour! It's a fun, dramatic play, staged for the public every night.
Whoopie Goldberg in Las Vegas
David met Whoopie Goldberg at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas. She was advertising Madame Tussaud's. d=)
Thursday, December 30, 2010
How To Make Your Occasional Business Travel Easier
I’m a regional IT Project Manager, so I am one of those highly technical guru’s that people seek out when they can’t remember how to format a table in Excel, or when they don’t understand why they can’t find the file they just saved. Have these people not seen the word “HELP” on the menu bar? But, I digress from the reason why I wrote this article in the first place. I’m here to talk about travel.
When I travel, I have a tendency at times, to become wired-up or anxious (It’s a high-strung, type-A, technology thing), so I do a lot to keep myself relaxed. I usually start relaxing a few days ahead of time by reducing my workload and getting extra work out of the way so I won’t be hit with 70 people asking me to fix their computers and a server that’s gone down when I return.
How do I relax? I start packing 2 days ahead of time, so I’m not rushed on the day of my trip. I refill my prescription to keep my cholesterol down while I’m away. I shop for extra cat, dog, fish and bird food to keep my best friends happy. The neighbors get my spare keys if anything goes wrong. It’s much easier to give the neighbors the keys when you have them over for drinks two or three nights before your trip! …and a quiet chat with the neighbors over drinks is another nice way to relax.
I also make all of my plane, car, and hotel reservations online. I print the electronic receipts and keep ‘em in the zip-pocket of my luggage; ready on demand if ever requested. Most of the time, I never need ‘em. I plan a business trip so I arrive the day before I have to do any work and leave the day after I complete any work. This is one place where an unrestricted plane ticket has it’s advantages. If you finish early, there’s no penalty for changing to an earlier flight. You won’t have to be stuck in some god-forsaken ghost town somewhere instead of sleeping in the comfort of your own bed.
OK, so you’re saying, he’s still rushing around. True, I am, but I do it a few days ahead of the trip, so for the next couple of days before the trip, I won’t have much to do except relax and take it easy. In those couple of days, my tension decreases tremendously! I love to sit in the back yard and soak up a few rays. I might garden a little. I sit and become a couch potato, watching something on TV that doesn’t make me have to think. Putting on an old John Wayne re-run of Donovan’s Reef fits the bill very well. I sit in the Jacuzzi and pour in some Lavender oil. It makes you feel relaxed and sleepy, or so the aromatherapy folks say. What the heck, it seems to work for me. Then I sleep to the sound of a thunderstorm or ocean waves on CD. Delta Airlines’ channel 6 plays the same kind of relaxing music.
I take a morning flight whenever possible. Airports, like the rest of us, are only starting to wake up in the mornings and you won’t feel as rushed. Remember the great sleep you had the night before the trip? It’s great to have all your faculties together watching the rest of the folks traipsing through the airport on auto-pilot!
With today’s post-9/11 baggage searches at the metal detectors, it helps to be organized. It’s always predictable…before you even get close to the line, do this. I’m hardly an assertive person, but yes, I said DO THIS!
Put your plane ticket in your shirt pocket with your drivers license. You’ll be asked for it immediately before you enter the line for the metal detectors. Throw everything else from your pockets into that zippered pocket in your luggage too…wallet, coins, keys, four leaf clovers, bits of string, etc. If you wear a pager and cell phone like I do, take them off, turn them off, and put them into your carry on luggage. You can always get them out of the luggage on the other side, “IF” you really need them, and I don’t. I tell people I can’t receive calls while I’m on a flight. That flight starts as soon as I hit the metal detectors and ends when I get my rental car.
Then, if you’re carrying a notebook computer, get the darned thing out of it’s case as soon as you get to the table in front of the metal detector, or better yet, get one of those notebook cases that is considered “checkpoint friendly” and you won’t need to get it out of it’s case. Now it’s your turn to go through the metal detector.
Did I mention, in the morning when I get dressed, I think about what to wear. No, I’m not color-coordinating, guys! I’m serious here. It’s to avoid a long wait. I live in Texas which naturally means, I wear a big, I mean BIG, belt buckle on my wranglers and heavy duty cowboy boots. Yeah, the whole get-up…even the black hat…only between Labor Day and Easter of course, otherwise it’s a straw hat. There’s rules to these Texas things ya’ know! But, I’m not dumb enough to wear all that junk through a metal detector. I’d be there for hours with people cussing their brains out behind me while I strip for the TSA folks. Ooooh, this would be uuuuugly! d:)
Instead, I wear comfortable sneakers (no metal reinforcement in the soles), comfortable jeans, a lightweight shirt, a simple belt with the smallest buckle I can find, and a baseball cap. After traveling awhile, I now know what I own that will set off the detectors, and, it’s easy…When I find out that it sets off the detectors, I don’t wear it anymore! I carry no loose change at all, and my keys (What am I going to need to unlock on my trip?) go inside my carry-on bag for the whole trip. This isn’t rocket science, people!
Woohoo! I win round one of this trip!
Like many other corporate travelers, my company won’t allow me to fly business or first class at company expense. I’ve amassed over 175,000 miles as a Delta Frequent Flyer and I double-dip with Delta’s partners, Hertz, Hilton, Marriott, and American Express on every trip. I’m holding onto these miles so I can one day fly to French Polynesia and do an ecotourism video! Not to mention, relax on the beach sipping Mai Tai’s. Ummm, and I don’t mean, alone here! d:)
So, I’m digressing, here’s what I do to get around the first-class thingy. I go to the gate and request to be put on the first-class stand-by upgrade list. If a first-class seat is available, and it usually is 90% of the time, it costs me $75 one-way to upgrade for an 800-mile trip. The alternative is to request business class at the time of my booking, which can otherwise change a $500 round-trip to $1,900 in a heartbeat! that isn't going to happen! I win round two and I get to fly in comfort!
When I land, I’ve won the battle of the rental cars as well. I’m a Hertz #1 gold club member and I don’t even wait in line for my rental car. I go straight to my rental car and before I leave the parking lot, I just need to show my drivers license for ID. They already have my contract printed and bagged for me with the local area maps. I’m outta’ the airport in a flash. Round three!
The hotel is just as easy. Before I left, I made my reservations with either Hilton or Marriott online. I walk in the door, sign the registration card, get my key and I’m off to the room with the rest of the day to relax until I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Woohoo! I win round four!
Finally, here’s how I win round five. When I’m at work in my home town, my business hours are usually 8AM to 5PM, or later. I’m an IT Project Manager, that usually means 7X24 anyway! d:) When I’m on a business trip, my business hours shift by 1 hour…9AM to 6PM. I often don’t get the time to answer e-mail during the day, so I leave myself some time at the end of the day to answer them all. I usually end up doing 2 hours of e-mail and documentation daily, sometimes more.
Going home, I do it all over again, in reverse order. When I get back home, I take the rest of the day off to regenerate after the travel and I’m back at work the next day, ready to tackle another project.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Homewood Suites by Hilton in Wichita Falls, TX
Photo (C) Homewood Suites by Hilton
Comfortable and quiet suites, heated jacuzzi and indoor swimming pool. The front desk was a little bit disorganized. When asked about breakfast being served at the hotel, the front desk clerk told us that you can go to any of several restaurants across the parking area for breakfast. She didn't realize they have a daily breakfast buffet and manager's reception (Monday-Thursday). Avoid the morning coffee since it tastes like dirt...burned dirt! We had chicken alfredo penne pasta for dinner one night and breakfast is usually scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, home fries, french toast, cereal, yogurt, and one of two juices. This hotel is one of the better ones. It's decorated in a Texas/Oklahoma motif, except the lobby, which strangely, has a reindeer head over one of the two fireplaces!
UPDATE: Sadly, I returned here for Thanksgiving on the 24th through the 27th of November, 2011. A few caveats since they have apparently changed over the years...the smoking room I received literally reeked of smoke. If you're a non-smoker like myself, don't accept a smoking room. The breakfast was frightening this time. The coffee still tasted like dirt, (burned dirt), but the breakfasts were horrible...dry, overcooked eggs, bacon so thin that you could read through it, totally unpalatable home fries, french toast that crunched like eating a brick and cranberry juice (from concentrate) that needed much more dilution. It was like drinking cranberry syrup.
The staff is normally pretty nice here, but the front desk totally ignored the fact that I was an HHonors member and demanded a freeze (credit approval) of almost an extra $100 on top of the room rate on my debit card. Even though I informed the clerk it was a debit card and I would prefer if they just charged the room rate or even froze a "small" amount over the room rate, they demanded more. Sad, since I have been to 5-star hotels like the Hilton Grand Wailea, or the Boca Raton Resort that were more amenable to a lower credit approval amount, but with a caveat that if anything is charged to the room above the room rate, then a higher approval amount would be automatically authorized.
UPDATE: THE SINGLE MOST DEPLORABLE HOTEL EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFETIME!
Yet another bad experience at this hotel. I checked into my room on Sunday 12/23/2012. Monday morning I discovered the bathroom shower had no hot water. The water temperature measured by a fever thermometer registered 96.7 degrees. This is not even body temperature and when this was combined with extremely weak water pressure, this was very cold. I notiified the front desk clerk. She was busy handling phone calls due to holiday reservations and said it would be fixed immediately. She wrote down "313-hot water" on a Homewood Suites note pad next to the phone and continued to answer incoming calls. When I asked if there was another room to switch to, she told me she would check and call me later at my room. That call never came.
Tuesday morning (Xmas day), I ended up taking yet another cold shower as the city became socked indue to an ice storm. Temperatures fell to 16 degrees outside. I opted not to report it again since it was a holiday and that was probably the source of their difficulty in getting it fixed the previous day.
Wednesday morning, I had to take yet a THIRD DAY of cold showers! I notified the front desk. This time a front desk clerk and housekeeper were at the desk and indicated this wasn't satisfactory and that they would have it fixed immediately. I told them I complained on monday and it had yet to be fixed. I was planning on staying another day, and asked if they could switch me to another room for the extended reservation. The clerk told me she would check what was available, but they were planning on moving us to room 405 for Wednesday night.
After speaking with my family, they indicated they didn't like this hotel at all and would rather cancel and move to the nearby Hampton Inn instead. While checking out of the room, the maintenance man showed up to fix the shower. Too little, too late.
We went downstairs to check out and I notified the front desk that I would not be extending my stay after all because the existing stay was completely unsatisfactory. Three days taking cold showers was completely unacceptable. I would not take the risk that the stay would continue being a disaster and was moving to the Hampton Inn instead.
I asked if there was anything they could do about the 100% satisfaction guarantee because three days without a hot shower is grossly unacceptable. The front desk indicated the best they would do is cut 33% off the stay (1 day). I told the clerk the 100% guarantee is really a 33% satisfaction guarantee? She said that's all they would do. I told them good riddance.
From Hilton's own website…
http://www.hiltonworldwide.com/portfolio/homewood-suites/
“Homewood Suites has been making guests feel at home for more than 20 years. And since every suite includes bundled services like hot breakfast, dinner, and select drinks Monday-Thursday*, plus high-speed Internet, workout rooms, and business centers - all with a 100% satisfaction guarantee-it's easy to see why.”
Making me feel at home?!! REALLY?!!“Homewood Suites has been making guests feel at home for more than 20 years. And since every suite includes bundled services like hot breakfast, dinner, and select drinks Monday-Thursday*, plus high-speed Internet, workout rooms, and business centers - all with a 100% satisfaction guarantee-it's easy to see why.”
My home has hot running water, but apparently it's OK if Homewood Suites doesn't!
I can honestly say (and I have been a Hilton Diamond Member in the past) that I have NEVER been treated so poorly by any so called, "hospitality" esablishment EVER, in decades of work and pleasure travel! As far as I'm concerned, 3 days without a shower, when the city is snowed & iced in, at 16 degrees outside, is equivalent to camping in a public park...and without the colorful ambience of a decent camp fire! Above all, the courtesy to honor the customer's 100% guarantee that Hilton imposes upon ITSELF, when it was invoked for a very good reason, was completely deplorable!
Probably the single most disappointing thing about this hotel is that I have continued to provide my written feedback on these visits to the Hilton chain and yet they have done NOTHING whatsoever to correct any of the issues I have pointed out to them for several years. This sort of behavior clearly indicates that this hotel has a total disregard for customer satisfaction and comfort.
In total, this recent experience at this hotel has me seeking other alternatives such as the nearby Hilton affiliate, The Hampton Inn, or the Marriott's Courtyard or Fairfield Inn, which are located in the same area.
UPDATE: 3/18/2013 - After sending a letter of complaint to Homewood Suites Corporate Offices on December 28th and not receiving a response in a month, I wrote a second letter to Christopher Nassetta, CEO of Hilton Hotels on January 28th. On March 18th, 3 months from the initial complaint letter, I have just received a response from Shea Lalani, General Manager of the Homewood Suites in Wichita Falls, who has indicated that they actually tried to resolve the hot water issue on 12/24 by changing out the shower head. He also offered a free night stay at the same hotel and a gift certificate. Why would I want to stay at the same hotel again?! After further discussion, Homewood Suites decided to refund my 3 day stay on 3/19/2013.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
$600 win on penny slot in Vegas - July 4th, 2010
The Wizard of Oz machine was going bonkers for about 5 minutes. The machine has a Bose sound system in the chair and it sounds awesome. I got the 3 Emerald City icons on the screen and chose the "Flying Monkey Bonus" which sends flying monkeys across the screen tearing off the other icons to give free spins and wild cards for those icons! It just kept winning, and winning, and winning! d=)
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