Baconnaise

Are you kidding me?!!! This is absolutely the most incredible invention since sliced bread!!!

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Girl Talk!!

Saw Girl Talk at the Fonda this past Saturday 10.25. The show was incredible, the crowd was into it and Greg Gillis did not disappoint. With music from the Night Ripper album, Feed the Animals and some mash-ups I've never heard before, the energy was amazing.

Watermark on Main Restaurant

Watermark on Main is a new restaurant in the City of Ventura that opened about two months ago. The first thing you will notice about this restaurant is the beautiful decor. The building that houses this restaurant was built in the 1920's. And much of the original decor still remains. The first and second floors contain the restaurant and the third floor is the W2O lounge. The main dining room has a full bar and beautiful high ceilings. The room is dimly lit and has the feel of a classic New York eatery. The food is your basic surf and turf with some house specialties.

Our meal started off with a a couple glasses of wine, I had a glass of the Tobin James Reisling. It was nice, clean and slighty tart. The bread came with two compound butters, a Sundried Tomato and a Garlic Parsley butter. There was also a Olive tapenade served. We ordered Chili Dusted Prawns with Roasted Garlic and a Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad for starters. Both dishes were very pedestrian and not impressive at all. The prawns were small, not seasoned enough and there was too much butter. The beets were under cooked, but the Goat Cheese was delicious.

For our main course we ordered the signature Cioppino and Grilled Ono. The Cioppino was mediocre, the quantity of seafood was impressive, but the "cioppino sauce" was bland and lacked any seafood flavor. The fish in the Cioppino was overcooked and the Mussels were a bit rubbery. For the cost of this dish, $45, I expected a lot more. The Grilled Ono looked very nice, but was a bit overcooked. We skipped dessert and headed up to the lounge.

The W2O lounge was unexpected. The atmosphere was completely different then the restaurant. With flat panel TVs and neon lit tables, this bar was much more contemporary and hip. The food menu in the lounge included several items from the main restaurant, but was tapered down for the bar. The lounge seems like it will be the main stay of the Watermark, the restaurant on the other hand needs some work.

Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara played a sold out show at the Henry Fonda Theater last night. It was amazing. The show was different then any other T&S show I've seen before. With a mesmerizing light show and fully plugged in with a full band. They've grown up and so has their popularity. It is well deserved, this talented duo has a great connection with the audience. And the diverse crowd reacted to every move from the band.

Ocean Star - Dim Sum

Dim Sum is one of my favorite types of meals. I love the variety of flavors, textures and cooking techniques. Ocean Star is the place I've been frequenting lately. On this trip I went with a few friends and all of us were completely satisfied.

We arrived at approximately 10:50, which beat the rush which starts around 12:30. Ocean Star like many Dim Sum restaurants is a large banquet style restaurant. The large room can be divided into smaller rooms with separators. On this day, there was a memorial service which took up about half the restaurant.


As we were seated the carts started arriving immediately. The first cart to visit our table had all the classic items, Shrimp Har Gow, Pork Shumai, Pork Spare ribs and Stewed Chicken feet, we got one of each. I was so hungry, I forgot to take pictures before we attacked each dish. A delicious start and to my amazement, the chicken feet which are an acquired taste, were gobble-up. This group was ready and willing to try anything, which we'll learn more about later. We passed up many of the more filling items like, Steamed Pork Buns and many of the savory pasteries. Next we order Steamed Chinese Broccoli, Fried Shrimp Dumplings, and Soy Sauce Chicken, this was round 2.


The carts seemed to be coming by less often, but in actuality the restaurant was filling up and they just had more tables to visit. As we talked and scanned the other options we waited until something special caught our eyes. Our appetites had been fulfilled, but we wanted more. The next round brought Steamed Chive Dumplings, Crab filled Har Gow and the infamous Cubed Pigs Blood with organs. I had never tried the Pigs Blood so it was more of a challenge to try something new. It is served in a bowl with Pig skin, Tripe and a boiled root vegetable. It can look intimidating but not for this table, we had some real adventurers. The Cubed Pigs blood had the texture of very firm tofu and tasted like a mild liver. Overall it was pretty uneventful, the tripe was delicious. I was impressed that everyone tried with barely any prodding.


We ended with some sweet items, Egg Custard Tarts, Sesame Rice Balls and another new item I've never had, they were Sweet rice balls covered with toasted Almonds. Inside had a custard like liquid that was incredible. Overall the meal was great. And we did it right, we took our time, tried several new things and had great conversation.

Since we traveled all the way to Monterey Park, I have to visit the Chinese market. I bought some noodles and misc items. But we were not finished. Near the market, there is a Vietnamese sandwich shop and my friend had never had a Bánh mì. These our the best deals in town, a freshly made sandwich made with your choice on ingredients on a fresh baked French Baguette. I ordered a few to take home and we had a sandwich at the shop. Wow...talk about being full. What a wonderful day.


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Amazingly Cool

I'm not even a huge fan of cupcakes but these are pretty cool...check out the ingredients

Life...

I know, I know, what kind of title is that. Well it's the most appropriate word for what I've been thinking about lately. Since the tubing accident I had a month ago, I've had a lot of time to think about life.

In my life I've seen my friends get married and have kids. I've seen my parents get older and visit the hospital for aches and pains. I see our world going through amazing technological changes and new environmental issues. "Where am I in the scheme of things?", is what I wonder often. Have I contributed?

Being single I am an observer into many relationships. Sometimes I think, boy am I lucky I'm not in one. Other times I wish I had someone to share memories with. Will I ever get married? Is there the right woman out there for me?

I realize many of the things that I contemplate will be answered at some point. And some things will never be answered. But the most important things I realized are, friends and family should be cherished, emotions such as happiness and sorrow need to be felt, treat others well and always enjoy life.