Browse Author: beakatude

Would you like some meat with your meat?

Last night’s dinner was such a treat. We ate at StripSteak inside Mandalay Bay. It was absolutely ridiculous. We tried three different grades of beef last night: Prime, Kobe, and A5. They also make foie gras sliders (mini burgers) and specialize in Rib Cap (otherwise known to me as Outside Rib Eye). On top of that we had some pretty cool appetizers, sides, and fried dessert. Apparently Karrie (Kev’s wife) knows a lot of people in the industry because their general manager came out to greet us and we got complimentary champagne and duck fat fries. The service was also very good. When the main courses and sides came out, it took about 4-5 people to carry it all out at once and each dish was explained with great detail. It’s also one of those places where they refold your napkin each time to get up to use the restroom. Here are some photos of the dishes. I must say this was a very indulgent dinner. (The photos are a little grainy because of the low light and no flash.)

foie gras sliders
foie gras sliders…so greedy
kobe carpaccio
kobe carpaccio ($165 – yikes!)

prime rib
my prime rib with side of truffle mac n cheese and creamed spinach
It was rather large but I shared most of it with the table.

Man, it’s probably time for me to detox this week with a bowl of oatmeal per day…maybe two.

Viva Las Vegas…sorta.

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I’m writing from Las Vegas right now. We’re staying at Kevin’s house just 20 mins from The Strip. It’s our usual Vegas trip, no gambling, no drinking, no crazy nights. Just a lot of driving around, hanging out at the house, and tasting some good food. We got up early this morning to catch an 8 am flight and were picked up by Kev himself. We stopped at the Whole Foods to buy some breakfast and spent the rest of the morning at the house. Jes was on a conference call all morning and I played around with a new software that allows you to stitch multiple photos together for a cool panoramic photo.

Later, we drove to The Venetian to check out some photos in a gallery. We then walked over to Wynn, which I had never seen before.  I’m not sure what all the hype is about because it was plus/minus…your average high-end casino. Next stop was Bellagio to check out their Christmas-themed atrium packed with fake snow, huge polar bears made of carnations, and jumping water fountains. We then came back to the house to enjoy the tastiest ham and cheese sandwiches ever. They’re found at the Bouchon Bakery on the first floor of The Venetian. It’s an extension of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon (also owner and founder of The French Laundry). The sandwich was so simple but so yummy…good french bread, ham, cheese, and butter. They also had really good macaroons (big ones) and their Napolean is pretty good too. Johnny – I’m going to have to bring back a macaroon to show you what it should really taste like.

Mmm…penguin.

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If you watch The Simpsons, you must know that Lisa Simpson is a vegetarian. She is also the brainy one of the Simpson clan and now there’s research linking intelligence to vegetarianism later in life. According to this study, “those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10.” What does it mean if you’re 8 (as Lisa is), smart, and already a vegetarian? Does that make you SUPER SMART? Uh…I’m all for research and I’ll support anyone who chooses to avoid meat. Heck, I love my tofu and noodles but seriously, this study sounds a little like a bunch of vegetarians trying to make themselves appear smarter. I need a little more substance in a study before I can link one thing to another. Until then, I say we continue to eat the magical animal. We all know that a good slice of bacon beats a veggie burger any day. Mmmm…penguin.

And now a quote from one of my favorite episodes:

Lisa: No, I can’t! I can’t eat any of them!
Homer: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Lisa, honey, are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad! Those all come from the same animal!
Homer: [chuckles] Yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

Hahahahahaha…*sigh* it still makes me laugh.

time warp

Last night I was on my way to dinner and had the funny realization that it was already Thursday night!  What happened to Monday through Wednesday?!  The only reason I realized that was that the trashcans were out on the driveway for the Friday morning pick-up.  Hm…lately my days have been flying by.  Am I getting old?  Is our daily routine so consistent that I lose track of my days?  My hypothesis is that I don’t have a nighttime routine.  Well, maybe I do but I don’t remember each time I fall asleep.  Basically, we have dinner sometime between 6 and 9 pm, then I go upstairs and change into my PJs, take my contacts out, and brush my teeth.  Then the rest of the evening is a big blur.  According to Jes, what is happeneing is that I start out either downstairs on the couch or in bed watching TV with my laptop next to me…and then I fall asleep.  The lights are on, my glasses are halfway on my face, the laptop is still on some page that I was reading, and TiVo is on the I’m-all-done-with-your-program,-do you-want-to-delete? screen.  I think I once fell asleep in the middle of posting a blog.  Yep.  I woke up the next morning to find that my laptop was still on the admin page with my blog half-written.  *sigh*   Some mornings…no, most mornings, I can’t remember what I was doing the night before or how I got into bed.  You’d think I was a drunk or something!  It’s a good thing I don’t live by myself.  I’d have a really high electricity bill, my glasses would be broken, and I’d probably never get a good night’s sleep. 

Sorry Dog, no door for you.

We got our Christmas tree today!  It’s a 6-foot Noble Fir that we picked up from a lot across from Orange Coast College.  Our neighbor told us about it last year and it really is a bargain.  Basically, they say that you can have your pick of the lot for $33.99.  So, basically a little 3-footer and a big 10-footer cost the same.

As our tree guy tied the tree to the top of the X3, he told us that Noble Firs are much more popular lately.  He said that they go through a container and a half each day!  When I was a kid, we couldn’t afford them because they were sooo expensive.  I think they still are at most tree lots (even at Home Depot) – going for at least $70 for my 6-footer.  I used to call them “the soft ones” and thought they were so much prettier than the pokey bushy Douglas Fir that we always brought home.  Now that I’m a “grown-up” and found a place that sells them dirt cheap, I can live like a baller and take home my very own Noble Fir.  Unfortunately, the bird house is a bit small so we actually had to block the door that leads to our patio.  Sorry Dog, you’re going to have to go through the garage for a couple weeks.

wet and magical

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Jes and I took Jason and Jia to Disneyland yesterday. If you didnt already know, I’m a sucker for fireworks and I look forward to seeing them at Disneyland each year around Christmastime. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and a few fluffy white clouds. I checked the forecast the night before and it reported showers starting at 9pm. Oh no!! Does that mean I’m going to get cheated out of my fireworks once again?! (They were cancelled back in May when I last went with my family). Well, I crossed my fingers and kept looking up to the sky to see how the clouds were moving.

It was a pretty crowded Saturday at Disneyland but we managed to get in our favorite rides. We also got soaked on Splash Mountain and sang along to “It’s a Small World” and “Jingle Bells”. At 6:30, we watched the Christmas parade and towards the end it started to sprinkle. Oh no!! The show went on and no one budged. As soon as the parade was over, it poured. I mean, the drops were FAT. It didn’t last long but my hopes of having some fireworks were shattered.

Luckily, as we ate dinner, the sky cleared and the fireworks weren’t cancelled after all!! Woo hoo!! It actually started to rain towards the end but again, the show went on! It was wet and magical!! We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the rain and riding a couple more rides before going home. Ah…I’m so ready for Christmas.

Here are the photos.