Aburiya Kinosuke

After the grueling fight for Presidency, I felt that I needed to recuperate with a great meal. I've been craving some Japanese so I headed to Aburiya Kinosuke. I have heard some good reviews and I must say that I am happy to have found this joint.

I arrived at the small quaint establishment and was greeted by the courteous staff. I was whisked away to the "bar" and sat down at a prime seat. Of course, the only people at the restaurant at this time were a group of 3 in a private booth and me so I had the pick of the litter. Place settings were neatly presented in front of me and I was handed a small menu describing my choices for lunch. Although there were plenty of interesting dishes for me to try, I was taken aback by the relatively small amount of choices. I suppose I was so used to the endless pages of entrees seen on menus at establishments like Chili's, Denny's, or Applebees, I was amazed that I didn't have to wade through overwhelmingly numerous choices to figure out what I wanted.

I did not have breakfast that morning and I was starving. I looked through the menu and saw variety of dishes I wanted to try. However, I decided I should get the lunch 'prix fixe' to sample the various dishes this establishment had to offer. I was given several choices ranging from moderately priced all the way up to what I would consider "extravagant" for a midday meal. I debated back and forth with regards to these choices and thought to myself, "What would my buddy Ryan do?"

I went for the super lunch combo.

I figured I may not be back and I might as well go for their super special. Not only that, my body cried out for an infusion of omega 3 fatty acids. I started with Asahi Beeru and then requested that my gluttonous journey begin.

16 oz Asahi Beer

I was immediately given a chalice full of Asahi Beer and the waiter explained that the explosion of flavors will soon begin.

Appetizer

I was first presented with salad with wasabi vinaigrette and a small dish containing 3 pieces of stewed japanese radish smothered with a slightly sweet gooey gravy that had pieces of scallop mixed in it. The radish/daikon dish was excellent. When I inhaled these two dishes, the waiter promptly cleared the table.

Appetizer

Next came three more side dishes. The first one consisted of pickled carrots with marinated root of some kind topped with seaweed. The second was roasted eggplant in some gooey topping with white substance I could not identify. Um...yeah. The third was another marinated seaweed dish with another type of vegetable I could not recognize. I enjoyed them one by one until they were gone. All of the dishes were tasty.

Rib Eye

Then an unexpected surprise arrived. The waiter brought out a funky flaming "pedestal" with three bite sized pieces of marinated rib eye. It was cooked rare and was sizzling on top of a wax paper that covered hot stone plate. It was interesting. The contraption looked like a miniaturized portable version of those large stone grill plates often used in korean BBQ restaurants to cook pork belly pieces. The steak tasted great although 3 pieces were ridiculously small and offered just a tease. I ate the plate in about 20 seconds.

Main Entree

Next came the main entree. The main dish, or rather dishes consisted of the following: Cold soba noodles with dipping sauce, miso soup, a small dish of pureed radish for the soba dipping sauce, 2 pieces of white fish tempura, 2 pieces of boneless fried chicken, 3 small pieces of grilled eel, 3 sashimi pieces (white fish, mackerel, salmon) topped with salmon roe, and 4 small sushi roll pieces which had tamago, masago, pickled daikon, picked carrots, pickled vegetable I could not identify and sushi rice. Oh and fresh wasabi was on most plates.

It is a wonderful sight to see the variety of dishes in front of me. I decided to tackle the meal in a counter clock motion (no real reason why but I did it anyway) and tried to savor each piece. I ate and I ate and I ate. I could see in the corner of my eye that one of the waitresses was looking at me. She was either checking me out or she was watching me in disgust as I stuffed my face full of fishy goodness. After about 30 minutes of gluttony, I finished my final piece of chicken. I was really full.

I will run through my review of each portion of the entree. The soba noodles were good. White fish tempura was mediocre and nothing really special. The chicken pieces were not too great as it was too salty for my taste. The grilled eel was excellent! The sashimi pieces were good but not excellent (I've had better), sushi rolls were good but pedestrian. All in all, the main entree portion was a B+ for me.

After adjusting my belt to accommodate my growing waist size, I tried to relax a bit before the final dish. The waiter quickly cleared my table and gave me a choice between vanilla or green tea after dinner delights. I went for the green tea ice cream.

The green tea ice cream came with a green tea cake piece. The combination was a great way to end the dinner. The ice cream was great. When I finished, the waiter cleared the table and brought my hot tea.

I really enjoyed the appetizers and the dessert. I thought the steak was phenomenal. The main entree portions were hit or miss although overall not bad.

I must note that the service was exceptional. I do not know whether the waiter paid extra attention to me because there were very few people in the restaurant or if this was standard practice in this restaurant but there was never a moment when my needs were not taken care of promptly. If I could use one word to describe the service, I would use "efficient".

I really enjoyed my lunch. Although I mentioned that the individual entrees may have not been the best of the best, the overall experience was pleasant and I enjoyed my meal. I would definitely go back. I also think that lunch has a much more limited variety and I am hoping that I may be able to try their dinner meal. I saw some Salmon being grilled and it looked amazing.

By the time I finished my entire meal, the restaurant was packed. There was a line forming outside to get into the restaurant and people were desperately trying to cut ahead of one another. Most of them said they knew the owner. Yeah...right. I left the crowd and enjoyed the rest of my day.

Highly recommended!

Punked

A few days ago, my friend told me to go look for a mythical store. He asked me to find the Topman NYC store and check out the joint. So I went down to Soho and walked around for an hour looking for the damn place. It was nowhere to be found.

I almost gave up when I came across this facade.

On the side of this facade, it said "for recruitment, please visit topshop".

That's right, the store was not even open. He sent me on a wild 'duck chase' through manhattan. 'Macha Grasa' Mike. 'Macha Grasa'.

And to top it all off, as I was riding the subway back home, I saw numerous ads stating that Topman was coming spring of 2009. I got punked into walking around in the bitter cold in that snooty Soho area for an hour. I want my hour back.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

Chicken and Rice!

I got my lazy ass off the couch and walked over to 6th and 53rd to go find my Halal chicken and rice food cart. I bought myself the usual chicken and rice smothered in hot sauce and white sauce and took it home to pig out. It was fantastic. I love food.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

American Museum of Natural History

The Dinos

After my fun time at the marathon, I decided to go to the American Museum of Natural History. Everyone says that it's a great place. My conclusion is that it's good but not great.

Lucy

I think the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is slightly better. But of course, I suppose your preference depends on where you grew up. I also thought that the George C. Page Museum located at the La Brea Tar Pits has better exhibits although the museum is small. But I digress.

This is cheap. They only had the skull and filled the rest with wire frame.

The AMNH is a big place and the evolution exhibit was great. I really enjoyed listening to the geneticist from Mt. Sinai. He gave a great explanation to the little kids. I was surprised that so many families went through the blasphemy exhibit ..I mean evolution exhibit. The geneticist asked me a question and fortunately I got the answer right. Yes, I gave myself a pat on the back. The one display I really liked was the Lucy display. It was pretty incredible.

It's BIG. I'm serious!

The one thing I wish these museums integrated was the walking dinosaurs from the BBC 'Walking With Dinosaurs'. I think kids would really get a kick out that.

An Intelligent Man Finally Wins the Presidency

McCain's speech was classy. His supporters were not. Fox news watchers are STILL calling Obama an arab, socialist, idiot, moron, etc. Good job dumbfucks for proving once again that the GOP is a party that condones this kind of hateful behavior. Strong work fucktards. Strong work.

Obama's speech was good and the crowd was classy. They clapped for McCain whereas McCain supporters booed Obama. You can see the difference here. So much hate in the GOP. I thought these people were God loving people. I don't remember Jesus or God telling people to hate and judge others. I pray everyday that these people will burn in hell right next to me as I suffer for my blasphemous ways.

I read that Obama told his confidants about his concerns for the future. He was concerned that he would let people down. I think it reflects his humility and sincere concern for the country.

The road ahead will be interesting. He will be scrutinized like no other. I really hope that the secret service steps up.

It's election day and here are your candidates once again

So, the election day has finally arrived. Just in case people are not aware of the candidates, I will introduce them to you in simple terms. Here we go.

Guy who is too black/Guy who is not black enough/Guy with a funny name which somehow has bearing on his character.

Same ol' white guy

Once decent man who sold his soul to the devil

Airhead dullard who dropped out of community colleges because general studies was too hard

Obama Omen

Obama's grandmother died today. The drama continues.

History is in the making...

* Sent via BlackBerry *

Cheech and Chong

Exciting news! C&C are coming to Radio City Music Hall!

* Sent via BlackBerry *

NYC Marathon

Today was the New York City marathon. I didn't participate in any capacity but I went to go see what the big deal was. All in all it was a fun experience because there were live music, street performers and people from all over the world cheering for everyone.

The one negative aspect of the marathon is the body odor. As waves of runners passed the spectators, waves upon waves of the foul B.O. wafted into my nostrils. I don't know how other spectators dealt with it.

The other negative aspect of the marathon is the maze through central park. Because of the way the marathon is routed, it is very difficult to get out of central park once you're in it. There are very few exit points and unfortunately, it requires you to run a marathon yourself to maneuver your way through what's seemed like endless miles of hellish maze. It took me over an hour to get home.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

Apple Nano Ads are fucking annoying

I saw this at one of the subway stops. The entire fucking subway stop was plastered with this shitty ad. In fact, I can't go a block without seeing this inane poster in manhattan. Apple has bought out the Big Apple. Ugh. I'm disgusted.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head over to the Apple Store. I have this strange urge to buy an Apple Nano.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

S'Mac

I woke up this morning determined to get my New York Rooftop honey but alas it was not meant to be. That damn stand is nowhere to be found. Fuck.

I was bummed out so I decided I needed to drown my sorrow with comfort food. I decided to head over to S'Mac to get a Nosh Alpine Mac and Cheese with breadcrumbs. (See picture). Alpine consists of gruyere with slab bacon and elbow mac.

I was enjoying my cheesy treat when I saw some dog take a big piece of crap outside the window. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I was unable to take a picture.

The food was fortunately good but now I have a cheese headache (tension headache caused by the rich savory cheesocity of cheesiness.

Only one thing can cure this. A big slab of porterhouse steak.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

Breakfast of Champions

First I'd like to point out I'm not a fan of the Lamb. I feel that lamb's gamey experience just doesn't do it for me. Having said that, I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed my lamb döner kebap this morning. I went to Sahara Grill to get my usual chicken döner kebap on pita but because I had arrived early, the chicken was not ready. The owner (a very nice Turkish man btw) shaved a few pieces of lamb telling me that I needed to "broaden my horizons". I reluctantly took the pieces and tasted it. It was delicious. It was still a bit gamey but the other flavors more than made up for it. I told him I was sold and ordered one. I inhaled my breakfast döner kebap smothered in yogurt sauce and went on my merry way.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

Rachel Ray is here. Let us rejoice.

It turns out Rachel Ray is filmed near the apt. Actually, I don't even know if that show is still on. And I'm not a fan...

Um..that is all.

* Sent via BlackBerry *

"Use Your Brain, Vote For McCain"

These people are supporting John McCain. This picture was taken at Times Square in New York City. They were chanting "Use your brain! Vote for McCain!" They held up the New York State Flag, American flag and the flag of Israel. When these people continued to chant their catchy phrase, an Obama group formed out of nowhere and started their chants of support for Obama.

It was interesting because McCain's group was right in the middle of the square near the police station and they were flanked on both sides of the street by an impromptu gathering of Obama supporters. A shouting match began and it was hilarious. One old lady started to explain to people why Palin was a great candidate. I'm sorry to say this but she was absolutely retarded. I feel bad for Republicans because of these morons. Actually, I don't feel bad because Republicans made a pact with Satan. How do I know this? Satan told me so.

In any case, I thank both sides for an amusing night.

Obama - Where's my hoodie?

I wanted to purchase an Obama hoodie at their store but they ran out. They ran out of all sizes and colors. I'm disappointed. I emailed them about the ETA of those items but they haven't responded. What up with dat?

Main Street vs Wall St

I am sick and tired of these stupid journalists using the phrase "Main Street as opposed to Wall Street". Please stop using it. I really hate these brainless reporters taking catch phrases and running it into the ground. Stop using analogies. Stop the inane use of colloquialism.

McCain loves Acorn....wait, what the fuck?

Obama Bucks....What the buck?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/10/obama-bucks-and.html

This was created by Diane Fedele, the president of the Republican women's club in San Bernardino County out in California. When approached for comment, this is what she said:

"If I was racist, I would have looked at it through racist eyes," she said. "I am not racist, which is why it probably didn't register."

Club member Kristina Sandoval agreed.

"None of us are racists," she said.

The use of watermelon, ribs and fried chicken was innocent, she said.

"Everyone eats those foods, it's not a racial thing."

They are arguing that the food depicted in that dollar were randomly chosen and has no alternate meaning. GOP is so awesome.

May they burn in hell for their lies.

The luck continues

I believe I am currently going through a tough time in my life. Nothing has really gone my way and the weight of the world is crushing my spirit. Those who know me remember all the crap that has happened in the last few years. For those who do not know me well, I will try to give a brief recap of my life's events (the not-too-personal examples):

1) My car blew up (literally blew up causing a huge ball of fire) while it was being transported from one coast to the other. The driver of the transport was drunk, made a wrong turn and ....well, it's a long story.
2) First TV I bought in my new place was broken on arrival because the cathode tube was cut in half (i thought it was impossible but it happened)
3) My computer was crushed, rendering it useless during transport
4) My first roommate turned out to be a racist psycho.
5) Ikea ripped me off
6) I have received more wrong orders from the fast food drive thru windows than correct ones.
7) While waiting at a stop light, a kid with no license and no insurance crashed into the back of my car.
8) I was the victim of identity theft and someone spent $4000 from my checking account (money I received from student loans) in Florida.
9) and more... (I don't have my list with me)

In any case, this morning T-mobile-fuck-up was added to this list. Tmobile was supposed to send me my new phone. First of all, they sent it to the wrong address. Secondly, they sent the wrong phone. Third, now they want me to pay for the phone up front and pay for more shipping. All of this will take another week to sort out. BULLSHIT. I regret staying with Tmobile. oh well, I'll tell everyone not to go with T-mobile. Hopefully, they'll go out of business and I can switch to the other shitty network AT&T. T-mobile is now on my shit list along with Ikea.

Who will you gamble on?

It’s always interesting to hear two sides of the story. It’s provides perspective.

The question is which candidate will you gamble on? It is a gamble because I believe nothing in this world can predict how well an individual will perform as president. I believe nothing can prepare you for the position of POTUS and the responsibilities that come with this job. However, without a doubt, I believe the individual must be learned and have in their arsenal sophisticated analytical skills to properly evaluate situations presented to them and have the ability to make an educated decision to the best of his her ability. Life is not black and white and many problems do not have a perfect answer. This is why the office of POTUS is such a difficult position. Having said that, I believe both candidates are qualified for the position.


With Obama’s classical education in an internationally recognized university, I have no doubt he would be able to tackle the problems presented to him. With a good broad knowledge of the modern world and his years of service in his community, I believe that he will be able to adapt to the dynamic national and international political environment. Clearly he is gifted, as he had to work and study extremely hard to attend Harvard Law, one of the most prestigious and internationally recognized law schools in the world. I have no doubt he has a command of the language and will be able to converse and negotiate comfortably with other educated men and women around the world.

With McCain long service to this country and his years of hands on experience in politics, I have no doubt he will also be a competent leader of this nation and will be able to go toe to toe with international leaders. It is frankly shameful to question his character and his loyalty to the people of this country and I believe that his intent has always been for the good of the country. Although some of the people he had to court to win votes reflect badly on him, I still believe that when you pull the Republican machine aside, he is a decent and intelligent man.

But all of that do not matter to me at this point because my problem lies with Mrs. Palin. Although it is indeed true that one cannot judge a person’s intellectual and political prowess solely on merits written on paper, I can’t help but take a wary look at her credentials. Palin attended several community colleges with variable attendance rate. In between her attempts to receive a general studies degree, she took time off to enter beauty pagents. She did a semester here and a semester there until she finally graduated with a communications degree from University of Idaho. She seems like a decent human being with a modest knowledge base. But therein lies the problem. She IS the poster child for mediocrity. There is nothing wrong with that in the microcosm of Alaskan politics but there is no room for mediocrity on the international stage when billions of lives are at stake.

My problem is that voting for McCain\Palin duo is a big risk. He has had melanoma (please look at the statistics with regards to five year survival) and his health is not what it used to be. This is why the position of vice president comes into play much more in this election. If heaven forbid, McCain dies in office, how will Palin lead the country and the world? Picture in your mind’s eye any scenario between President Palin and say…PM Putin. Pit PM Putin, an ex KGB and former leader of one of the most powerful nations on earth against Gov. Palin, a former beauty queen and moose hunter who currently leads 675,000 citizens in Alaska. Picture in your mind’s eye dinners involving the leaders of various countries around the world and try to predict her ability to converse with them in a sophisticated manner.

Folksy talk and a simple mind may be cute for a few minutes but when millions or billions of lives are at stake, I cannot tolerate such unprofessional behavior. Just look at the devastating impact George Bush the dullard had on the world.

Americans have the unique privilege of not only electing the leader of this great nation but also a leader of the entire free world. I hope that people will take this into consideration when they vote in November.

Palin the Community College Dropout

http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

You should read this. This is from a republican. The reason I'm telling you to read this is because she ripped off my argument. Where's ma' royalties?

Good news for McCain: His numbers are improving because people are confused by what socialism is. People don't like socialist programs like public education, social security, medicare, medicaid, firefighting, police, etc. Apparently, people don't like these things. I'm beginning to lean toward McCain right now. I think poor republicans need to be taught a lesson. When they are denied healthcare and get thrown out on their ass on the street to die in the gutter, perhaps they will start using their atrophied brain and wonder, what have I done?

Is this cruel? I mean, these people vehemently want to fuck themselves in the ass.

I have given up on these people.