Archive for June, 2010
PJs Pub in Oak Creek, Arizona looks just like another bar from the outside and when you first walk inside. So, when I had another hankering for a cheeseburger, that’s where I went because I think they have the best burgers around. But when the waitress mentioned the specials, I decided to switch! The special I switched to was the Macadamia Nut Encrusted Halibut with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis, Couscous, Asparagus and Baby Carrots. Now, when’s the last time you heard a special like that in a bar? Never for me! And because it was something similar to what I would serve in my restaurant back in Chicago, a fine dining white tablecloth Bistro no less, I wanted to check it out and see how it compared. Well, it was outstanding! The fish was cooked perfectly and the presentation was carefully executed, not just thrown together! I ate every last bit and at $14, this was definitely THE buy of Sedona! I always talk about value for your meal in Sedona and this was the best that I can remember in a long time!
By the way, my wife had the Southwest Cheeseburger with Swiss, BBQ Sauce (in house), and Onion Ring and it was good. That’s what I was going to order before I switched. The place was happening. There was a Cowboy with his chaps on with his Cowgirl (I don’t know where there horses were parked), sports on TV, music playing, lots of people going in and out to the outdoor smoking area, happy smiling faces, pretty waitresses and bartenders , etc, etc. If you don’t mind the high seats and bar tables, check this place out for some upscale dining specials… and great cheeseburgers!
Did you watch the President the other night talking from the Oval Office about the BP oil spill? I did. In the last part of the address he tried to inspire our nation’s creative talent and entrepreneurs to do some research and development on alternative energy sources in order to get away from our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels. Wouldn’t it have been nice if George Bush made that plea after the 9/11 attacks back in 2001? We would have had a 9 year head start!
Our system of free enterprise, with the laws of supply and demand are all driven by cost. If its cheaper to buy gas to get around than its is to buy an all electric car, most people are still going to keep buying cars that use gas because its cheaper. We’re not all benevolent millionaires. I just got an estimate to put solar panels on my home. The company wanted $61,000 to do it. Of course, I would get a $16,000 discount right away, and another $14,000 in tax write offs over 5 years. Plus the money I’d save over the life of the system, etc, etc. Its a no brainer, right? I didn’t do it because I don’t have that much extra cash sitting around. I’d love to switch to solar, but come on $61,000. That’s a lot of electricity.
Why doesn’t the government step in like they did with the auto industry? If it wasn’t for the government mandating seat belts and other safety features plus better gas mileage, we’d still be riding around in Ford Pintos that get 15 miles to the gallon! So why not say that any new houses built have to have solar panels on them and insulation up the ying yang, so energy costs per year are under $100. That would be nice. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to build any new nuclear power plants, dig up more coal or drill oil wells in mile deep water. How do you get existing home owners to go alternative? Wouldn’t it be nice if the electric utility companies had programs in place so that they would install solar systems on their customers homes for the promise of reduced rates, say 50% off compared to homes that don’t have solar. This would eliminate the need for homeowners to have all that money up front, eliminate the middle man and the whole electrical system is still owned by the utility along with the responsibility for repairs and maintenance. It would be nice if I didn’t have to worry about rebates, 5 years of tax write offs, and amortizing my investment over the life of the solar cells and hope my investment pays off. All I know is that I got 50% of my electric bill, that would be great and I can take that to the bank!
Like the Beach Boys asked a long time ago, “Wouldn’t it be nice?”
I hate to stifle anyone’s creativity or wanderlust or doing something totally dangerous that might require enormous manpower and money to help rescue you when you run in to trouble, but don’t ya get tired of the bill being paid by some one other than the person being rescued? I am. The 16 year old American girl sailing around the world is the latest culprit. Over a million dollars spent in finding and rescuing her and for some reason the Australian government picks up the tab?! Her family breathes a big sigh of relief (over finding and rescuing her, I’m sure), but probably another big sigh that they don’t have to pay anything for the rescue! Remember the guy that said his son was in the silver balloon that got away? He was just looking for some publicity so he could get a reality TV show. This teenage girl sailor wanted a TV show too and is saving her story for the big prime time special show that’s going to pay her a lot of money. What’s the difference between the two? Not much in my book! OK. One was a planned hoax. The other was not a hoax. But both were planned with the goal of making money from TV. If she makes any money out of this, that money should go to the Australian government!
How do we solve problems like this in the future? Arizona has a “Stupid Drivers Law”. If you drive into a swollen river and get swept away, you pay the price for your rescue. There should be laws like that for all the kinds of adventure seekers we have out there that get into trouble. They should pay for an insurance policy that will pay for their rescue, if needed. So if the sailing around the world 16 year old girl sailor has to be rescued, their insurance policy covers the cost of the rescue. Let’s say the insurance policy costs $100,000 and the parents can’t afford it. Then maybe the parents wouldn’t have let her go in the first place. Problem solved. What if they let her go without the insurance policy? Then hand them the bill. Unless Australia wants to pick up the tab for saving every adventure seeker that gets into trouble while looking to make a buck from their adventure! Can’t wait to hear about the 5 year old sailing around the world alone!
These are recipes of customers favorite food offerings from Burgundy Bistro. This restaurant was in business for 16 years in the south suburbs of Chicago before the original owners sold it. Sorry to say it is no longer in business, but the recipes live on! There are videos also available. Some made right in the restaurant’s kitchen!
The Recipe eBook is just $15
Don’t worry if you don’t have a Paypal account. It takes Visa, MasterCard and others!
I recently went to a supermarket and after shopping all around I ended up in the produce department. So, I want to buy 40 poblano peppers for a party I’m cooking for and what do I do? I grab a plastic bag off the roll and try to open it, but can’t. It’s too slippery, so I lick my fingers to add a little moisture and grip to open the plastic bag. When I licked my fingers, I got a most disgusting taste and wanted to spit the taste out. But I was in public and in the store, so just grin and bear it, I said to myself. Well, the next day I got a fever and diarrhea that lasted for 48 hours. Forget the Pepto Bismol. I finally took a couple tabs of Imodium and that locked me up for two days. Hallelujah!
So, what’s the moral of the story? Don’t lick your fingers when your shopping in a food store. I was pushing the cart. I was looking at food products all over the store. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people probably handled these things. And then I go and lick my fingers so I can open a plastic bag. Never again! If you’re in the produce isle, just pat your fingers on some of the wet produce that’s been watered by the sprinkler systems to get the moisture you need to open those slippery plastic bags. Some stores have sanitizer stations. Use them! My wife and I now carry wet wipes in our car and after shopping, wash our hands. And before we eat anything while riding in the car, we definitely wet wipe our hands.
I was standing in a Starbucks one time while my wife was getting a coffee. A woman and her young son came in after us. While the woman was at the counter placing her order, her son licked the handle on the door from one end to the other. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but I’d rather not have to get sick to get stronger. Lot’s of bad stuff going around out there. Be vigilant and be careful!
A Saturday night at Cucina Rustica in the Village of Oak Creek (Sedona, Az.) and it was packed. People filling up the outdoor patio and all the indoor dining and bar as well! And everything was running smoothly on all cylinders! We were seated and within a minute, our water was poured, bread delivered and our waitress showed up to take our drink order and explain the specials. Everything went like clockwork. Drinks, appetizer, salads, entrees and desserts. What more can you ask for? How about live music with a smooth electric guitar and cool vocals playing and singing Eric Clapton and Beatles classics? Yeah, that’s a nice touch!
The drinks were perfect. A Margarita, a Whiskey Sour and a Dry Southern Comfort Manhattan on the Rocks with Olives. After these we switched to beers and wine and everything was good! We selected the appetizer special of Lump Crab Meat with toast points, capers, olives and cocktail sauce. Good! The lump crabmeat was a little shredded, not so lumpy, but still tasted great.
For entrees, my friend ordered a Rib Eye well done. What can I say? The waitress put it in as Medium well and it came out just to my friends liking and he enjoyed it very much! I ordered the Penne de Don Quixote, which was penne pasta in a Chipotle Cream Sauce (spicy) with Chicken and mushrooms. Delicious! Lot’s of chicken and mushrooms and the sauce was spicy, but not overly spicy. My wife ordered the Veal Piccata. Their Veal dishes are very good. The waitress suggested switching the starch to Angel Hair Pasta and that was a good choice. My wife enjoyed her dish and I enjoyed the leftovers the next day!
All in all a great dining experience at Cucina Rustica. Lots of people, so lots of people watching going on. Great ambiance, great food, great drinks. You’ve got to check this place out and once you do, it will become one of your favorites!
Fork in the Road Bistro in the Village of Oak Creek (Sedona, Az.) is a great place for dinner, tapas and happy hour. Check out their website at www.forkintheroadbistro.com My wife and I have eaten there plenty of times. We had a friend visiting from Chicago and took him to dinner there. It was a Thursday night and the place was not crowded at all. Lots of people in the bar though. Happy hour! It was freezing and breezy in the dining room, which I like. My wife and friend would have sat outside, but they gave the inside a try for me. My wife had to put one of the pillows that were on the bench seat over her shoulder to keep the cold draft off her, but I was in heaven!
We ordered glasses of wine and a couple of appetizers. I always get the Smoked Salmon Quesadilla and my friend ordered the Onion Soup. I love the Smoked Salmon on top of the crispy tortilla with creme fraiche and fresh dill. With a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors, its perfect! My friend thoroughly enjoyed the Onion Soup.
Our three entree selections included the Turkey plate, Pork Chop and what they call their Fish and Chips. My friend loves Turkey and was very satisfied with what he got. Not your typical Thanksgiving Dinner, but good to the last drop! My wife’s Pork Chop was huge and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed the leftovers for two additional meals! My Fish and Chips featured Walleyed Pike as the fish and was good as a fish entree, but I wouldn’t call it Fish and Chips though. Nothing was crispy like what you would get out of a deep fat fryer, which is where traditional fish and chips are cooked. The Walleyed Pike was maybe pan fried and tasty. The thick Lincoln Logs of French Fries were cooked through, but again not crispy or crunchy. The slaw was great as was the sauce. Again, everything was great, I ate it all, but call it Walleyed Pike with Slaw and Potato Sticks or something. Fish and Chips it is not.
Now for dessert. My friend ordered the cobbler with seasonal berries. My wife and I were going to split a dessert and I was torn between the Creme Brulee and Chocolate Mousse. Since I had the Creme Brulee the last few times, I went with the Chocolate Mousse. When the desserts were put down in front of us, we all laughed (to our waitress’s confusion). A huge cobbler was put down in front of my friend and the tiniest of Chocolate Mousse servings was put down in front of my wife and I to share. It was a quinelle of mousse. You take two tablespoons and form a nice football shaped piece of chocolate mousse and put it on a plate of spider webed chocolate sauce, orange peel confit and one small strawberry with a dollop of whipped cream. Nice presentation, but short on quantity. My friend’s cobbler was made with apples. I did not know that apples were classified as berries? I must have missed that memo. But he enjoyed it and ate all of it. Needless to say, my wife and I ate all of our Chocolate Mousse.
Fork in the Road has good, quality food. As long as you’re having fun and can be flexible, everybody wins!
I had a friend visiting from out of town and we both had a hankering for a burger, so we went to PJ’s Pub in Oak Creek to check out the burger menu. They got lots of offerings on their menu from Prime Rib Sandwiches to Fish and Chips to Mexican, but we wanted burgers or cheeseburgers I should say. I was torn between The Western Burger which had BBQ Sauce, Swiss Cheese and Onion Rings on it, or the Signature Burger, “The Boomer”, which had Swiss and Pastrami on it. My friend went for the Western, so I had the Boomer. Ordered a pitcher of beer for $6.25, got 2 frosted glasses and off we went. PJs is a sports bar. We were watching World Cup Soccer and the Belmont on different TVs. I bet when the Cardinals play, the place is packed. Jukebox was playing, lots of sports memorabilia to look at, pool tables and on the weekends it looks like live music takes over. One of the bands that was going to be playing was called the Knuckleheads. You gotta love that!
OK, so here comes the food. The cheeseburgers look fantastic. Like picture perfect! I wish I had brought my camera. And they tasted great too! I got a huge mound of French Fries with mine. My friend got potato salad and the serving looked on the small side. If you’re hungry, get the fries. The pickle spear was cold and crunchy and went perfect with my burger. The beer was ice cold. Finished everything. Friendly, pretty waitress. Sports on TV. It don’t get any better than that. The only problem was we had to go, and go out into the noonday sun of a very hot day! Ahhhh, Sedona!