http://www.iamjacksbrain.com This is a personal website dedicated to food, travel, cigars, and anything else I might happen to be enjoying. en-us Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:10:00 MST iamjacksbrain@yahoo.com Copyright: (C) Mario. All Rights Reserved. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/images/JacksRSSIcon.gif http://www.iamjacksbrain.com 120 42 This is a personal website dedicated to food, travel, cigars, and anything else I might happen to be enjoying. 070408ITC Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:10:00 MST The ITC "Churchill" was a good cigar, but I expected more. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 070308Photography Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:00 MST This week Nikon announced the D700. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ photography cameras 062908In-N-OutBurger Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:20:00 MST I've had a love-hate relationship with In-N-Out Burger... http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food hamburgers restaurants 062908ChocolateTasting Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:40:00 MST I'd put off writing about chocolate bars for a while so you get a lot of reviews all at once. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ chocolate chocolate reviews 062908Ashton Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:50:00 MST The Ashton Aged Maduro "No. 20" was my first favorite cigar a long time ago. They don't age well so none of the ones I have in my humidor from 2003 are very good so I snagged one recently to see if they were still any good. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 062508Photography Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:20:00 MST Yesterday Ricoh announced the GX200, the successor to the GX100 (my current digital camera of choice). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ photography cameras 062308Kid Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:30:00 MST I've been trying to teach the kid to say "love" for weeks now... http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal kid 062208TaqueriaMiCasita Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:20:00 MST Some days you just want food fast so a neighborhood taqueria [taco shop] is a good way to take care of that. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food mexican food tacos restaurants restaurant reviews chandler chandler restaurants 062208601Connecticut Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:00:00 MST I've really liked two out of two of these cigars so I'm going to have to get more. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 061708Airlines Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:50:00 MST Recently airlines have been dreaming up all sorts of new fees to help make up for high fuel prices... http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel airlines 061508CuveeGrand Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:20:00 MST For my Father's Day cigar I hoped to have a great cigar (without dipping into the Cohibas). I couldn't tell if the Ashton VSG in the humidor was a "Corona Gorda" or an "Illusion" so I just decided to try something new from Cusano instead. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 060708IndianTabac Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:00:00 MST It's amazing that after all these years these are still tasty cigars. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 060608Photography Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:00:00 MST The last couple of days I've been scanning my ass off, but I've only managed to scan 11 of my 35 rolls. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 060508Houston Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:40:00 MST Houston isn't the hub of fine dining that Chicago is, but there's a lot to love about their dining scene (e.g. an abundance of Cajun, Asian, and seafood restaurants). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel food houston 060508TinderBox Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:20:00 MST This was a decent cigar, and maybe it would've developed into a cigar I really liked if I didn't have a Coke with it, but it's not a cigar I'd get again. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 060308Chicago Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:50:00 MST We ate well often in Chicago... http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel food chicago 060108Photography Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:50:00 MST This was the picture I meant to post while Lynn and I were in Chicago and Houston, but I put it off until we got back. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 042708Baby Tue, 14 May 2008 23:20:00 MST The title says it all. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 051408Oliva Tue, 14 May 2008 23:20:00 MST This cigar was recommended to me by someone working at a cigar shop. Funny how they always seem to recommend the expensive cigars, but I decided to try it anyway (although I forgot that I tried the "Toro" a while ago). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 050408RockyPatelEdge Sun, 04 May 2008 23:20:00 MST This Edge started with promise, but never delivered. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 042708Polaroid Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:30:00 MST When Polaroid announced they would discontinue making instant film I knew some retailers would stop carrying the film immediately. What I didn't anticipate was that people would panic and start hording film now. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 042608Montecristo Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:30:00 MST I've seen a couple of vintage cigar lines before, but none of them were brands I cared for. When I saw an ad for a Montecristo Platinum vintage sampler it sounded worth trying though. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 042108DonPepinGarcia Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:10:00 MST I liked this cigar enough to get a five pack, but that's usually the kiss of death so I hoped that wouldn't be the case this time. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 041508 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:30:00 MST Yesterday we officially found out the sex of the new baby: it's a girl. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 033108USAir Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:00:00 MST I say this so often that I'm tired of saying it, but I hate US Air. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel 032708NewPhotoEquipement Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:00:00 MST Now I have a scanner and a pinhole camera. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 032608CajunSeafoodCorner Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:30:00 MST Some days it's amazingly difficult to find a restaurant Lynn and I can both agree on. On one of those days we couldn't find a reason to disagree on Cajun Seafood Corner. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food american food restaurants restaurant reviews mesa mesa restaurants 032308Punch Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:30:00 MST When I first tried a Punch Gran Puro "Santa Rita" I thought it might be good aged. It was time to find out whether I was right or not. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 031908Punch Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:20:00 MST I have more than a few cigars in my humidors that I actually never plan on smoking and the Punch "Magnum" was one of them, but one day I needed a shorter cigar and it was there. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 031108Cherryblossom Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:10:00 MST I've had some good food at Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe, but apparently not good enough to get me in there more than at least once a year. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food japanese food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 031108DonPepinGarcia Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:00:00 MST The Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ "Selecto" maduro wasn't a bad cigar, but given the price and the fact that it went out on me three times I'm not buying another one of these again unless the other maduro "JJ" I have is significantly better. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 030908ITC Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:10:00 MST The scent of the ITC's smoke was much better than its flavor, but that didn't prevent it from being a fine overall cigar. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 030608Padilla Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:10:00 MST This was the best cigar I've had all year. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 022908CAO Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:50:00 MST There are a couple of cigar companies that produce nothing but cigars I don't like. While C.A.O. isn't one of them they're awfully close since I've only ever liked one of their lines. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 022908LifeUpdate Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:01:00 MST Just random stuff from the last few weeks. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography food baby 021508AsieslaVida Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:40:00 MST From the outside Asi es la Vida looks like a bar to me so if I never heard about them I never would've guessed to try them. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food mexican food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 021208CasaTorano Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:10:00 MST I just got over the flu so I wanted a mild cigar to get back into the swing of things. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 020808TooMany Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:50:00 MST I'm considering buying yet another film camera... http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 013108Cigar.com Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:20:00 MST The first Cigar.com Corojo Label "Robusto" was one of the better Pepin cigars I'd tried so I hoped the second one would be just as good. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 012308LARoadTrip Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:10:00 MST Last weekend Gordon, Long, and I took a road trip to LA to eat Asian food and sightsee. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel 011708Cusano Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:30:00 MST I picked up a bunch of these accidentally so I keep hoping that I'll actually start enjoying them. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 011708Pregnant Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:50:00 MST It's official, Lynn's pregnant. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel 011608OldPowderKeg Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:40:00 MST I had read somewhere that Old Powder Keg cigars were good so I thought to give one a try despite their name. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 011608PhoLoc Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:40:00 MST A couple of people told me that Pho Loc was good and since they're supposed to be owned by the same people as Khai Hoan, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Tempe, it made sense. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food vietnamese food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 011208FoxsPizzaDen Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:40:00 MST I'm a sucker for pizza chains with oddball names (although it hasn't done Pizza Patron any good since I still haven't tried their pizza) so when I found out that Fox's Pizza Den in Chandler delivers I had to give them a try. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food american food delivery food pizza restaurants restaurant reviews chandler chandler restaurants 010608Cusano Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:50:00 MST The C10 used to be one of my favorite cigars, but it's been a while since I've had one that tasted good enough to be my favorite. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 010608TopTenCigars Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:00:00 MST Last year I saw Keepers of the Flame's best cigars of the year post and thought it was a spiffy idea so in 2007 I gave each cigar I smoked a rating so I could do the same in 2008. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ cigars 010108Krug Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:40:00 MST I wanted to start the new year off well so I got a bottle of one of the two best Champagnes I'd ever had. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews alcohol wine wine reviews 122907Tatuaje Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:50:00 MST My second Tatuaje Havana VI "Angeles" was ok. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 122807BestandWorst Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:20:00 MST Our New Orleans trip was too short for me, but you take what you can get. This is the best and worst of the trip. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel new orleans food restaurants new orleans restaurants 122707Illusione Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:40:00 MST I liked the first Illusione "88" I tried, but I hoped the second one would be better than the first. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 122707Callaghan Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:40:00 MST Another wine from the Callaghan library. I didn't notice that the 750ml bottle I pulled for our prime rib dinner was a dessert wine. Opps. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews alcohol wine wine reviews 122507Whatever Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:10:00 MST So I haven't written in ages because I'd been too busy obsessing over cameras I'm most likely never going to buy (e.g. the Canon "Powershot G9" and Ricoh "GR Digital II"), my usual flickr addiction, getting ready to go to New Orleans, being in New Orleans, sorting through pictures of New Orleans, eating well when I'm not in New Orleans, and suffering the most persistent case of writer's bleh that I've ever had. Merry Christmas and hopefully I'll return to a decent schedule soon (at least until my Nintendo Wii arrives). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal 121207ArturoFuente Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:40:00 MST This Arturo Fuente Special Sun Grown required serious babysitting. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 120707Edge Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:10:00 MST This Rocky Patel Edge was almost a great one. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 120207Tokyo Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:30:00 MST Typically I hate restaurant guides because whatever their priorities are they usually seem different from mine (which is the food). I do have a certain respect for the Michelin Guide though; the starred restaurants I've eaten at have all been excellent (except for Le Meurice in Paris, which was maybe above average) even if I think their rating system is pointless. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food restaurant guides japan tokyo 120207BabyUpdate Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:30:00 MST The kid has been climbing onto the couch for a couple of weeks now, but only a few days ago he learned to climb on top of everything else. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 112807Illusione Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:50:00 MST The Illusione "88" is a cigar worth trying twice. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 112507DosCabezas Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:40:00 MST A recent pick up from our last trip to Tucson. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews alcohol wine wine reviews 112507Callaghan Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:40:00 MST A recent pick up from our last trip to Tucson. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews alcohol wine wine reviews 112507Sake Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:10:00 MST Lynn and I were at Lee Lee the other day getting what we needed for a few dinners (Belizean rice and beans, stewed chicken, Puerto Rican rice and beans, and tonkatsu) when I noticed their sake selection was only half of what it used to be. Even worse, they no longer carry the Nanbu Bijin "Southern Beauty", my favorite sake. I may not drink sake often, but I'll certainly miss my favorite. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ alcohol sake 112407Padilla Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:10:00 MST If there was a way for me to keep the Padilla Maduro "Churchill" lit then I would've enjoyed it a lot more. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 112407ThangsgivingTakeout Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:10:00 MST Due to Lynn's work schedule she didn't want to make Thanksgiving dinner, and I prefer not to cook, so we decided to try a pre-made Thanksgiving dinner. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food 112207TucsonTrip Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:20:00 MST Last weekend Lynn and I went to Tucson to celebrate our fourth anniversary. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel food wine arizona wine tucson tucson restaurants 111907SanCristobal Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:20:00 MST This was my second San Cristobal and while their flavor is on the unique side it's not quite my sort of thing. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 111707LaPurisima Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:40:00 MST La Purisima is my favorite bakery in Phoenix and probably the best place to spend $10 (you can't believe how much you can get) so I'm estatic now that I finally got to stop at La Purisima's new Phoenix location at 24th St. and Indian School. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food bakery mexican bakery phoenix 111407MrsWhitesGoldenRule Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:40:00 MST Mrs. White's Golden Rule has been serving soul food for I don't know how long, but I'd never been there because I could never remember where they were located. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food soul food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 111207Cupido Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:20:00 MST I accidentally neglected my main humidor so I pulled something from the coolador when I noticed that it was on the dry side too. Still, it wasn't as dry as the humidor so it was the better choice and I grabbed something I wouldn't be too disappointed by if it was terrible because it was dry. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 111107BaizMarket Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:40:00 MST Long ago I was told about Baiz Market, but I could never remember its location so I never stopped there until I committed it to memory. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food middle eastern food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 111007AirlineCustomerRetention Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:10:00 MST Southwest Airlines processed my free ticket Wednesday, but I couldn't use it for the flight to New Orleans that I wanted. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel 110707QuickBites Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:50:00 MST Just some quick stuff about a few restuarants I frequent. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food american food vietnamese food middle eastern food restaurants restaurant reviews tempe tempe restaurants chandler chandler restaurants phoenix phoenix restaurants 110507CajunSeafoodCorner Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:30:00 MST Creole and Cajun restaurants are few and far in between in Phoenix, much less good ones. When Lynn noticed Cajun Seafood Corner on one our rare times heading up Dobson I had to try them. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food american food restaurants restaurant reviews mesa mesa restaurants 110507Callaghan Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:50:00 MST A couple of years ago Callaghan sold off a lot of their library wines so we picked up a few. I tried to pick wines that had survived the test of time, but there was only one way to find out. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews wine wine reviews 110407LastSupper Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:20:00 MST When I saw the title of the photo essay/book "My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals" I was curious. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food books 110407Cusano Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:00:00 MST I accidentally got these Xclusivo "Petite Perfecto"s on Cigar Bid because I only skimmed the description and thought they were "Preferido Grande"s. I doubt they'll be as good as the "Preferido Grande"s, but I hope they're worthwhile because I have 15 of them. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 110407Nashville Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:40:00 MST Yesterday I flew to Nashville, Tennessee because I was one long distance flight away from a free ticket on Southwest Airlines and $200 to Nashville was cheaper than $400 to New Orleans. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel 110307BabyKays Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:40:00 MST One night when I didn't know what to eat for dinner I went through cuisines continent by continent until something sounded good. The only thing that did was Southern food, specifically shrimp and grits, but since I don't know of any restaurants that serve shrimp and grits in Phoenix Lynn, my mom, and I went to Baby Kay's Cajun Kitchen for barbecue shrimp instead. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food american food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 110207Illusione Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:00:00 MST The small "68" didn't make much of an impression. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 103007Cusano Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:30:00 MST My first couple of Cusano 18s were bland so I hoped this one would be better. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 102807ElCenturion Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:30:00 MST Since I tend to like Pepin Garcia's cigars I picked up his first limited edition cigar despite their priciness. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 102407StateFairTime Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:50:00 MST It's that time of year again so last weekend Lynn and I went to the Arizona State Fair. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 102107Tatuaje Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:30:00 MST The Tatuaje "Noellas" was pretty good. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 101807BabyNews Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:30:00 MST The last few weeks the baby has been with Lynn's parents and we finally got him back this week. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 101707Cuvee Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:00:00 MST I tend to like Cusano cigars so I had to try the Cuvee Blanc when I found out about it. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 101407TVChefCompetitions Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:10:00 MST There isn't much on tv that I go out of my way to watch, but Top Chef and The Next Iron Chef are worth the effort. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food tv 101407MannaCafe Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:40:00 MST I wasn't in the mood to eat anything in particular for dinner, but I refused to fall into the Taco Bell trap so I tried someplace new to me, Manna Cafe. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food korean food restaurants restaurant reviews gilbert gilbert restaurants 101107SanCristobal Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:10:00 MST San Cristobal is a new Ashton cigar made by Pepin Garcia. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 101007TaceselCaporal Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:50:00 MST Left again to my own devices I headed to El Tlacoyo for their amazing carne asada torta, but wouldn't you know it, they're closed Wednesdays. I didn't know what to eat so I just wandered east on University until something sounded good. I passed a dozen Mexican restaurants, but I wasn't in the mood to try something new so I went to Tacos el Caporal for some green chorizo. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food chinese food restaurants restaurant reviews mesa mesa restaurants 100907CusanoC10 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:50:00 MST My last C10 was ok. That's pretty much it. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 100907BestHongKongDining Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:50:00 MST When Lynn leaves me to my own devices one of two things happens: I'm not in the mood to eat anything in particular, procrastinate eating until I'm starving, and then eat something crappy, or, I eat something good I rarely get to eat. The last time Lynn went out of town I went to try Dragonfly Vietnamese Kitchen (Lynn isn't a big fan of Vietnamese food that isn't from Da Vang), but they're closed on Mondays so I went for Best Hong Kong Dining, an old haunt. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food chinese food restaurants restaurant reviews mesa mesa restaurants 100107RicohGX100 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:30:00 MST Someone asked me how the Ricoh GX100 was working out for me so since I was going to write about it eventually I decided to write about it now. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal cameras photography ricoh gx100 100107RockyPatelEdge Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:10:00 MST There wasn't much to say about the last Rocky Patel Edge "Torpedo" I had. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 092707RaSushi Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:10:00 MST Daniel had been to Ra Sushi a couple of times and really liked it so he wanted us to go there for lunch. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food japanese food restaurants restaurant reviews tempe tempe restaurants 092707Tucson Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:10:00 MST Last weekend Lynn and I went to Tucson. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel tucson tucson restaurants 092007ArturoFuente Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:50:00 MST I picked up this little maduro Hemingway because I like the large maduro "Signature"s and hoped it would closer to those than the small "Short Story"s I don't like. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 092007USAir Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:00:00 MST Over the years US Air has given me a few reasons to hate them, but recently they've given me yet another one. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ travel us air 091907SilverDragonDinner Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:40:00 MST Last Friday me, Ken, and six other people gathered together to enjoy Silver Dragon one last time before they retired. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food chinese food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 091307Tatuaje Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:40:00 MST The Tatuaje "Unicos" didn't knock my socks off, but it was very good. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 091307EfesTurkish Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:40:00 MST I don't think of Efes Turkish Cuisine when I think vegetarian since it's the meat that draws me there, but when Lynn suggested the coban salatasi [diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, red onions, olive oil, and lemon juice] with feta at Efes when I was in a veggie mood it sounded like a good idea. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food turkish food restaurants restaurant reviews tempe tempe restaurants 091207SilverDragonDinner Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:00:00 MST Howard Seftel recently wrote that Silver Dragon will be closing this Saturday so Ken and I are getting a group together to eat there this Friday night at 7:30. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food chinese food restaurants phoenix phoenix restaurants 091107ChicagoTrip Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:30:00 MST Yesterday Lynn and I got back from our weekend trip to Chicago for my birthday. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal travel food 090607Sosa Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:40:00 MST One of the most ignored Fuente brands has also been one of the most forgettable so far. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 090607Excuses Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:00:00 MST This has probably been the longest I've ever not written about food. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography 082807Primos Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:50:00 MST The Primos "Toro" was a random cigar I picked up at the cigar shop. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 082207Oliva Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:00:00 MST I liked the last few Oliva Serie O "Robusto"s so much that I made a rare box purchase. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 081907Graycliff Sun, 19 Aug 2007 20:00:00 MST This was the last of the Graycliffs I bought to sample. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 081507DonKiki Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:10:00 MST Don Kiki's used to get a lot of play on the boards a few years ago, but after smoking a few I buried the ones I had. I found them again recently and decided to try them again. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 081407Padilla Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:20:00 MST I didn't find anything to like about the Padilla Maduro "Robusto". http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 081407FantasyFootball Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:10:00 MST It's the start of the NFL preseason so that means it's also time to start thinking about fantasy football! http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal fantasy football 081107WillyCigar Sat, 11 Aug 2007 23:10:00 MST I picked this up because they're rolled locally and the oily wrapper was very pretty. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 080807LosBlancos Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:40:00 MST This was a cigar I picked up at random. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 080207Coronado Thu, 02 Aug 2007 21:20:00 MST I'd always avoided the Coronado because I had a bad feeling about them even though I tend to like cigars made by La Flor Dominicana. I didn't pre-judged the "Corona Especiale" I had, but I didn't like it anyway. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 080107HappyBirthday Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:10:00 MST Today is officially the kid's first birthday. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 073007DigitalCameraShopping Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:20:00 MST Believe it or not there was a reason I wasn't writing much these last couple of weeks; I'd been obsessing over finding a small point and shoot digital camera to replace my Canon G5. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal photography cameras 072907Cusano Killer Cameroon Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:50:00 MST One of my old favorites. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 072607PapaRazzinis Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:50:00 MST One day Lynn and I met Greg at Papa Razzini's for lunch since he ate there once before and liked it. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food italian food restaurants restaurant reviews tempe tempe restaurants 072207601 Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:50:00 MST Another Pepin cigar. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 072107Tatuaje Sat, 21 Jul 2007 02:00:00 MST I hoped the "Petite Tatuaje" would be a good small cigar so I would have something to smoke when I'm in a hurry (like when the weather royally sucks). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 072007AffinitosBistro Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:50:00 MST We were starving and it was after nine on a Saturday night in Anthem, a locale I'm a complete stranger to, so I was ready to resort to fast food, but Lynn wanted to take a quick once around to see if there was anything better. We spotted Affinito's Bistro, which sounded better than a Big Mac even if chances were that they were mediocre (since Phoenix is full of mediocre Italian food). http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food italian food restaurants restaurant reviews anthem anthem restaurants 071607BabyMilestones Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:30:00 MST The last couple of weeks have been productive for the kid because he's learned how to look under things, give kisses, and clap. I can't wait until he learns that falling off of things hurts. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal baby 071407Oliva Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:20:00 MST The Oliva Serie O "Torpedo" was a good cigar, but the "Robusto" is still my favorite vitola of the line. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 071207Quick Bites Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:40:00 MST Here's a quick list of restaurant stuff worth mentioning, but not enough to merit its own post. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food mexican food hawaiian food italian food bakeries restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants tempe tempe restaurants chandler chandler restaurants glendale 071107601 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:00:00 MST Another Pepin cigar. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 071107Sticks Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:40:00 MST The Sticks "Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2004" was a good wine to drink with dinner, but not something I'd sip on its own. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Alcohol.html#WineReviews wine wine reviews 070807RasTafari Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:00:00 MST I was worried that I'd have to cut my cigar short so I grabbed one of the closeout cigars I have in abundance. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews 070807Takamatsu Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:30:00 MST The Phoenix location of Takamatsu was the one I used to frequent before moving to Chandler and spending my time at the equally excellent Chandler location. One night Lynn and I were at DJ's house in Phoenix and Takamatsu sounded perfect for dinner. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ food korean food japanese food restaurants restaurant reviews phoenix phoenix restaurants 070807Camping Sun, 08 Jul 2007 10:40:00 MST Last weekend Lynn, the kid, and I went camping in Flagstaff. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal camping food thai food flagstaff flagstaff restaurants 070607RideonShootingStar Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:20:00 MST http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/ personal music 070307Fonseca Tue, 03 Jul 2007 23:00:00 MST The first Fonseca Cubano Limitado "Belicoso Corto" I tried showed promise so I wanted to try another. http://www.iamjacksbrain.com/vice/Cigars.html#CigarReviews cigars cigar reviews