I say this so often that I'm tired of saying it, but I hate US Air. Lynn's grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer, but they thought it could be treated with chemotherapy. Late last week they realized the tumors weren't responding so the doctor's gave her two weeks to live at most. Lynn decided to go to Ohio last weekend to goodbye. Her flight included a layover in Las Vegas, but her flight from Phoenix left late because the plane had a flat tire. Her flight arrived too late in Vegas to catch her connecter. Her original connecter was at noon and the only available flight after that was at midnight. So what kind of compensation did US Air give Lynn for her 12 hour layover that was their fault? A $10 food voucher. They couldn't give her a first class upgrade on either of her remaining flights, wouldn't give her a first class voucher, or a hotel room. Lynn had already decided to never fly US Air again and that was before she found out that a couple of women in the same predicament had received hotel rooms from the airline. I wish I could be as resolute, but I have a lot of their frequent flyer miles and US Air flies to quite a few places I go to. I'd at least like to get a first class upgrade (possibly international) before I'm done with them.
I finally broke down and got a scanner because I'm tired of paying for low resolution scans of my 120 (medium format) negatives. I have yet to actually try scanning my negatives, but I have scanned in a few Polaroids of the kid. Enjoy.
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I've wanted a pinhole camera for years, but only got one when I thought of specific pictures I wanted to take with it. Pinhole cameras are as basic as photography gets because instead of using a lens to focus it just uses an extremely tiny hole to let light in relying on the resulting huge depth of field for focus. Every exposure with a pinhole is a long one because of that tiny hole too. I recently got one and can't wait to start shooting with it, but most of my ideas are for Chicago so I might have to wait until our trip to shoot a roll.
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.
I had no idea what I'd get at Cajun Seafood Corner though. The only two things that sounded good to me at the time were the shrimp po' boy and the seafood fried rice. I was looking forward to the fries so I got the po' boy, which came with them. The fries were still well seasoned and crispy. I didn't expect much of the po' boy and it would've impressed even if I did. The bread was light with a thin, crispy crust like Vietnamese French bread and toasted! Combine that with crispy fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and a spicy sauce and it was a winner to both of us.
Lynn got the jambalaya, and we both liked it, but the po' boy ruined us for it. That's ok because excellent po' boys will get us in the door a lot more often. Hopefully I'll feel the same way about the seafood fried rice when I try it too.
[Previous visit to Cajun Seafood Corner.]
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. This last visit had everything to do with finding a new restaurant for one of my coworkers who was feeling especially picky instead of being compelled to return.
It had been a couple of years since my last visit to Cherryblossom so I couldn't remember what I liked there. We were given a bread basket with rolls and blueberry-zucchini(?) bread and I at least remembered that I love their bread. I find their regular zucchini bread addictive and this version wasn't any different; I should've bought a loaf. The rolls, while not great like the bread, had a good buttery flavor. Lunch also came with a small salad of mixed greens with some sort of soy dressing. It was pretty good stuff.
I've been on a takoyaki [octopus balls] kick ever since I finally tried it for the first time at Asa in Los Angeles so I had to try Cherryblossom's. When I got hit with a fishy scent before the plate of takoyaki was set on the table I was leery. The octopus was overcooked and the takoyaki basically tasted the way they smelled. No one thought the takoyaki was as terrible as I did, but nobody wanted to eat a second one.
I was torn between the hakata ramen, champon, and Korean spicy beef, but my desire for spicy was greater than my curiosity so I went with the Korean spicy beef. The dish looked like yakisoba with beef in it and tasted just a little spicy. I liked the noodles, but the beef tasted unsalted so some extra chili paste did double duty spicing up the dish and covering up the flavor of the beef. The dish was good, but not memorable.
Someone got the champon so I got to try a little of it. It looked like it used the same broth as the hakata ramen and tasted like a pork bone broth so it probably was. I liked it, but I don't know if I'd like a large bowl full. If I'm at Cherryblossom again I should try the ramen. And buy a loaf of whatever bread they're serving.
Lately I've either been busy or not in any mood to write. I caught a cold and then before I was fully over it got the flu. There was a week or two of peace then work kicked into overdrive. I didn't really maintain my humidor during that time much less enjoy a couple of cigars. I did get on a Polaroid kick and took a slew of pictures. Part of that might have been due to Polaroid announcing a couple of weeks ago that they're going to stop making instant film this year. I'm not sure if I'm heartbroken about it since most Polaroid film isn't great, but it will be the end of an era. I'll still be able to take instant pictures after the last of the Polaroid film disappears from the shelves because Fuji makes great film for two of the three Polaroid cameras I have. Of course it won't be exactly the same because Polaroid does have a nostalgic quality about it that the more accurate colors of the Fuji film can't duplicate. I will miss the 667 high speed black and white Polaroid film, but I haven't tried the Fuji equivalent (FP-3000B) yet so that may be temporary. Hopefully someone makes a replacement for the 600 integrated film so my newly acquired One600 Ultra doesn't become a paperweight.
Last weekend Lynn's friend Julie from Houston paid us a visit. We didn't really do touristy, Julie went to ASU, but I thought we did a good job feeding her well starting with a great lunch at Havana Cafe. I normally avoid the entrees there because most of them have been disappointing, but I did try the pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork was juicy, but porky so I was once again disappointed. Dinner was at Hana Japanese Eatery and the sushi was about as great as it could be (minus one unfortunate piece of tuna).
Lunch the next day was dim sum at C-Fu Gourmet. It was the first time in I don't know how many years that I've seen the place full. I'm not sure why it happened, but the dim sum was great. One of the things I love about C-Fu is that there always seems to be at least one new dish every time I go to dim sum. This time the new dish was spicy wontons. I can't remember ever having a good wonton in a Phoenix Chinese restaurant, but I liked theirs enough to get a second order even I had to eat it all by myself. Dinner was at Taggia. It was the usual stuff we love at Taggia and we tried their cheesecake for the first time. I've never been a cheesecake fan, but I loved their light version.
Julie's last meal in town was the tasty garlic shrimp at San Carlos Bay. Julie is pretty easygoing about where she eats so I keep hoping that someday she likes someplace enough to want to return.
The baby has been active the last couple of weeks saying all sorts of new words. Just this week Lynn and I swore he said, "take a bath". If we weren't imagining it then it was the first time he put any words together.
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. One day when I knew I'd be in the neighborhood I stopped in for lunch. The interior was vivid in a way that reminded me of a more refined version of the old Cafe Poca Cosa. I dug it. There was also a guitar player strumming what would've been romantic tunes if I wasn't there with another guy.
Our waitress mentioned a few agua frescas including horchata and cantaloupe. Normally I would've gone for the horchata, but I rarely have the option for cantaloupe so I didn't pass it up. It was somewhat watery with bits of cantaloupe in it, but it wasn't too bad watery and the refills were free.
We started with guacamole, which came studded with pieces of fried corn tortillas. The guacamole was similar to our homemade version of ripe avocado fortified with pico de gallo. It was good stuff. There were also three kinds of salsa: pico de gallo, a tomatillo, and a chipotle. The pico de gallo had a good fresh flavor, but it could've used some pepper. The chipotle salsa was hot and smokey, but salty and sort of one dimensional. My favorite was the creamy tomatillo salsa, but it was a little salty too.
I got the daily special of two pork chops with tomatillo sauce, chilaquiles, and refried beans. The pork chops were thinner than I expected so I was immediately disappointed when I saw the dish. It was a simple preparation of grilled porks chops smothered in tomatillo sauce that worked. It wasn't impressive, but it was good eating. The chilaquiles paired red sauce and cheese with tortillas for a side that was also good without standing out.
Normally I don't get dessert at lunch, but when the choices included tres leches and a crepe with vanilla ice cream and cajeta exceptions had to be made. Since I couldn't make up my mind I tried both. The tres leches was moist and a pretty good example of the dessert. I like my cajeta gamey and theirs was, and while it was a dessert I normally like it just didn't work for me for some reason.
I liked my lunch at Asi es la Vida, but it didn't blow me away. I knew Lynn would like the place more than I did so I knew I'd be back.
One Monday night when I wasn't in the mood for any of my favorite restaurants Lynn and I had dinner at Asi es la Vida. I was in the mood for a horchata, but it wasn't an option that night so I had a cantaloupe agua fresca again. It still tasted watery to me, but at least it didn't gross me out like Lynn's watery pineapple agua fresca. Lynn liked her pineapple agua fresca though because she prefers it weak.
We started with an appetizer special of a combination plate with guacamole, mole poblano, cochinita pibil, and some sort of dish with buttered corn tortillas, roasted chiles, queso Chihuahua, and shrimp. I thought the guacamole was once again very good and Lynn liked it too. The shrimp dish was simple, but all the flavors were excellent together. We agreed that it was the winner of the combination. I thought they were chintzy with the mole poblano, but I guess something had to make room for the guacamole. The mole poblano was thick with a complex flavor that made the most of the chocolate in the sauce. The chicken in the sauce wasn't assertive on its own, but it didn't taste like plain boiled chicken either. It was quite possibly the best version of mole poblano I've had. The sauce for the cochinita pibil tasted like a combination of vinegar, orange, and onions that would've been good, but I didn't like how it tasted with the pork. We agreed that it was the loser of the combination.
I liked the mole poblano enough that I ordered it as an entree and I was happy to have more of it. The dish came with rice and beans and even though I don't care for rice with mixed vegetables it was good with the beans. Lynn had the New York strip steak and loved it. There wasn't anything especially Mexican about it, but it was a very good steak with garlicky sauce. It came with asparagus and more rice with mixed vegetables, both of which benefitted from the sauce.
Nothing sounded good for dessert so we skipped it.
We were both happy with our dinner at Asi es la Vida and we each have something to return for. Lynn might drag me back there fairly quickly though.
I'm considering buying yet another film camera. My film cameras all fill a niche and this one would be great for indoor and night shots since it has a very wide angle lens with a large aperture. One of the reasons I haven't bought the camera yet is that I don't know if I really want to carry yet another camera with me when I travel. When I went to LA I had my Ricoh (compact digital), two film panoramics (one for daylight, one for night), and a Holga (cheap medium format). For some reason the idea of taking five cameras with me (even fairly small ones) seems excessive.
I could always take one less camera though; after thinking about it I realized that I've only liked one of my daytime panoramic pictures. Part of the problem is it's taken me a while to figure out which film I like. I also think I need to use a UV filter on the daylight camera so the colors come out crisper. I'll give my daylight panoramic camera one last try and if I still don't care for the pictures I'll have one less camera to take with me.
Last weekend Gordon, Long, and I took a road trip to LA to eat Asian food and sightsee. The ramen was excellent (Asa and Santouka) and even though the Chinese food was hit and miss (Din Tai Fung and Sam Woo Restaurant) it was all a good eating experience none the less. The sightseeing only consisted of the Getty Museum and Chinatown, but they were both fun.
Previously I was indifferent to LA because I didn't find anything to like about the place, but I didn't put much effort into looking either. This time I did and it paid off; now I'd love to go back. Coincidentally both Fatboy Slim and Adam Freeland (two of my favorite djs) will be at Coachella in April so I'm thinking about seeing them and then heading to LA for the weekend. Two acts aren't enough to justify the ticket price in my mind so we'll see what happens.
It's official, Lynn's pregnant. It wasn't planned since the plan was for us to go to Japan this September. When we only suspected Lynn was pregnant we moved up our Japan trip from September to May, but I realized that Lynn probably wouldn't be able handle the necessary walking so we're not going. I'm disappointed, but not disappointed enough to go on my own (like my last Japan trip). The plan is now to use some of that vacation time to spend more time in a US city or two we want to revisit (like Chicago or Houston) and to go to Japan in October of next year instead. I'll also console myself with a new Nikon D3 (the ultimate full frame digital SLR and hopefully the only one I'll ever need to own).
Long pointed out that Lynn gets pregnant every time we're supposed to go to Japan. That better not hold true next year.
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. One day I was in the neighborhood and in mood for Vietnamese egg rolls so they were a natural choice (Khai Hoan makes excellent Vietnamese egg rolls so it was likely that Pho Loc would too).
The restaurant was small as was the menu. I got a Thai iced tea, egg rolls, and a bowl of seafood soup (which shrimp and scallops). The Thai iced tea was creamy with a slightly odd flavor that was still good, but I'll probably be better off if I stop ordering Thai iced tea at Vietnamese restaurants. The egg rolls were homely and lumpy, which didn't affect the flavor, and quite good even though they had a little too much meat for my tastes.
The seafood soup had a somewhat salty broth with a light, complex flavor that was fantastic on its own and the garlic chips floating in the soup added an interesting element. This was a very rare occasion where I didn't want to add any sriracha to the soup. There were a couple of medium sized scallops and several shrimp in the soup. The scallops were good, but the shrimp were only ok. The rice noodles in the soup absorbed the soup's flavor making them quite tasty.
Lynn's sauteed beef and vermicelli turned out to be lemongrass beef. The dish didn't taste that good to me, but I had it without fish sauce (since Lynn hates the stuff) which I think would've improved it. At least Lynn liked it.
I was thoroughly happy with my food and couldn't wait to return. Unfortunately Lynn doesn't like Vietnamese food as much as I do so my second visit was on my own. The menu had more items on it this time, but I was there for the egg rolls and seafood soup. I also got a lemonade [limeade] that was on the edge of being too sweet. The egg rolls once again had a little too much meat in the filling for my tastes, but the copious carrots in the filling were much worse; they almost ruined the egg rolls for me. The broth of the seafood soup wasn't exactly dynamic this time. It was still better than Da Vang's, but this time it needed sriracha to be tasty. There weren't any scallops in it, but there were extra shrimp, which were actually very good this time.
Pho Loc isn't as consistent as Khai Hoan, but hopefully they'll have that worked out soon. If they keep the food as good as I had it the first time they could end my Da Vang addiction (or at least curb it a little).
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. La Famiglia makes great pizza and delivers too, but their pepperoni-bacon pizza could use better bacon so I do have a need for a good delivery pepperoni-bacon pizza.
I got a pepperoni-bacon pizza and an order of hot wings. Nothing exuberantly positive or glaringly negative stood out about the pizza. Simply, it was good. Too bad the same couldn't be said about the hot wings, which were breaded before they were topped with hot wing sauce. They were soggy and gross.
The pizza was good enough that Lynn actually thought of them some other time when we wanted some delivery pizza. This time we got a double cheeseburger pizza (cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, beef, and bacon) and wedge fries. Normally I shy away from ground beef on pizza because unsalted beef is a good way to ruin a pizza, but I figured the bacon might make up for it if that were the case. I don't know what was wrong with the pizza, but the bacon couldn't fix it. Lynn said the beef tasted unsalted, but the only thing I noticed was an off flavor, like olives. Whatever the problem neither of us liked it. The wedge fries weren't crispy, but I didn't expect them to be since it was delivery. They did taste like seasoned potatoes though, which was good enough for me.
The food from Fox's is hit and miss, but the good stuff is worth delivery.
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. Unfortunately none of the cigars I smoked last year ranked above an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 even though there was no lack of favorites, new cigars, or super premiums in the mix (I didn't smoke any Cohibas though). This list consists of every cigar that ranked an 8, conveniently only ten, but one stood out as the top cigar because it ranked an 8 twice. Hopefully 2008 will have more stand outs.
The Top Cigar I smoked in 2007
Two Other Favorites
Two by Pepin Garcia
One Completely Out of Left Field
Two La Auroras
Two That Were Very Good Once and ONLY Once
