The gawdy atmosphere looks like a senile grandmother did all the decorations. No shitty restaurant would be complete without: creepy porcelain dolls, tacky lights, faux roman pillars, and fake plastic ivy. The place just wreaks of tacky.

They bring plain white bread rolls out to your table. They are room temperature. The butter is in those little plastic containers with the peelable lids.

The salad was OK but the tomatoes weren’t fresh and the house dressing was lacking of any real flavor.

We ordered the calamari appetizer which was barely edible. The sauce tasted like Prego marinara.

The entrees are overpriced and the portions are small. We ordered three cheese ravioli and the salmon pasta special. Neither one of us could touch our food it was so bad.

This was the worst “Italian” food we’ve ever had, and it cost $60 for the meal (calamari, one Stella, two entrees w/ salads).

I give Nick’s Roman Terrace a 1 out of 5.

We didn’t get to eat inside but got to check out the place while our food was prepared. They have a large refrigerator up front with sodas, lassi, and other beverages. There’s a small buffet at the front (maybe 10 small trays of food). It reminds me of a pizzeria from the 80s with the decor, faded sign out front, and menu on white-board with prices on small pieces of cardboard.

We ordered the chicken and chicken/beef combos. One of the sides was chickpea something, and the other was okra. The okra was Indian hot. The chicken and beef were cooked to perfection and very spicy. The rice was plain white rice – which was kind of a let-down, but the hot-off-the-stove naan made up for it.

The food was served to-go in Styrofoam containers and foil. It was delightfully tacky.

I give Shishkabob a very solid 4 out of 5.

I ordered one steak taco, one cheese pupusa, and a shrimp burrito. I could’ve just ordered the burrito because it was so !@#$ing huge.

I ordered the pupusa simply because it was cheap and I’d never had one before. It comes with a side of curtido (think savory coleslaw).  The cheese pupusa reminds me of a cheese-filled pancake. The coarse corn tortilla and curtido balance out the smooth texture of the cheese. This dish came with a side of red salsa which was pretty mild.

The steak taco was delicious. The meat was lightly seasoned and warm. The only other toppings were chopped onion and cilantro. You’d think it would be boring because there was no tomato, salsa, cheese, etc. but it tasted great. The soft flour tortillas were warm and soft. Best steak taco I’ve ever had.

The taco and burrito came with a little plastic container of green salsa. It looks like runny guacamole and I was afraid to try it at first, but man is it good. It cranks up the heat nicely.

The restaurant offers other dishes as well. Some of them come as combos with fries (which I thought was a little odd). I didn’t see a single “nacho” dish on the menu. When I went, they had a special that looked like a rotisserie chicken which a side of spiced apples.

The service is slow but friendly. I had to walk over to the grocery store side of the building to buy a soda. I bought a bottle of “Tamarind Drink.” It is by far the strangest juice drink I’ve ever had. I still can’t figure out if I like it or not.

Despite the service, I give El Jardin a solid 5 out of 5 for fixing the best authentic Mexican food I’ve ever had.

Everything was fine until Ducky cut her finger while prepping an apple pie. We went to the emergency room and didn’t get back home until 5:30am. It happened on Dec 1, 2011.

The next day I didn’t work out at all. I was exhausted. I had started doing P90X Doubles which has a cardio workout in the morning and another in the afternoon 3 days a week.

Over the next week I stopped doing a lot of the things I started. I haven’t really cooked an elaborate meal since Thanksgiving. I feel like I’ve slipped into a hole. I quit doing everything.

Then I read: http://zenhabits.net/100-days

I’ve basically stopped doing everything except Lumosity. Lumosity has always been just for fun – I never had any goal associated with it ever. All other activities had an intended goal, destination, or I had someone in mind when I practiced them.

I will try living a goal-free life for however long it suits me.

It is a tight little spot, rectangular with a bar on one side with stools and booths along the edge. Probably seats about 30 comfortably.

Wine list is two and a half pages long and the beer menu is one side of an index card. The bar has three taps but one was out of service when we went. They had a really good blonde ale from Sünner brewery and the Richmond “#4″ Brown Ale.

The wooden booths force you to sit upright. They are not comfortable. Warped painted ceiling tiles look weathered. There’s big colorful artwork around all the walls and the paintings just rest on molding on the wall. The lights are all covered with paper so it gives the place a warm atmosphere.

I ordered an apple and onion soup which was unlike anything I’ve had before. It was delicious. My friend and I scarfed down the entire bowl very quickly.

Next up was an appetizer with blue fish, goat cheese, capers all on a crunchy piece of toast. Looking at it gave me bad vibes, but once I tasted one – the plate was empty.

The bread plate (that’s brought out as a standard appetizer) was kind of a let down. Bread wasn’t toasted. There was no butter. The bread was fresh, but boring.

The restaurant was empty but it took 30 minutes to get our main course. I was a bit upset by this point, but when we dug in I realized it was worth the wait.

I ordered the Greek Pork. It literally melted in my mouth. I could break the meat apart with my tongue. The tangy yogurt, the layer of pepper and spices on the outside of the meat, the soft pieces of potato, the feta. And kale. I ate kale for the first time without throwing up. It was amazing.

My friend ordered the Roasted Salmon. It is a deceptively simple dish. The sweet potato kind of masks the fish taste when the food first enters your mouth. After a few seconds the fish flavor “pops.” It’s an interesting combination that tastes really good.

If you go, be sure to go to the bathroom. You need to experience the same Twilight Zone shit I went through.

The prices are fair; I felt like I got my money’s worth. I give Café Rustica a 4 out of 5.

The restaurant is laid out as one big rectangle. Customers occupy one half, the kitchen occupies the other. The kitchen area is completely open. Tables inside seat about 20 people.

I ordered their “Industrial” sub. The lettuce and tomato were very fresh, but there was no evidence of the Mexican that picked them. The sandwich contents were grilled separately and then everything was assembled and brought out to me. The sandwich arrived piping hot. The bread was lightly toasted. The sandwich was full but not difficult to handle. There were hot peppers which took me by surprise but it was a pleasant amount of heat. I wish I had brought a notepad in with me because I finished the sub so fast I forgot to take mental notes. Let’s just say – “This is one of the best (if not the best) Italian subs I’ve ever had.”

I give Cappola’s Deli a 4 out of 5. I’ll be back here soon.

Oude Gueuze Tilquin

A – Pours a cloudy amber orange color with very little head. Not much lacing.

S – Citrus funk. Which incidentally is an awesome name for a drum and bass tune.

T – Sour grapes but it’s the mouthfeel that gets the job done.

M – This beer goes through several phases of awesome. Stage 1 – carbonation is pleasantly tingly on the tongue. Stage 2 – this is when you really start to taste something; you taste GRAPE. Stage 3 – the sweetness of the grape turns sour and tart.

D – Certainly not as versatile as milder beers. For example, I wouldn’t recommend this with dinner. But it stands on its own very well and I will definitely be drinking this again soon.

After I finished my review I headed over to Beer Advocate and it’s interesting to see what flavors and smells others are getting from this beer. Lemon is about the only other flavor I can think of relating to this beer – not so much tangerine or other fruits. But that’s just me.

Turkey

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rosemary-roasted-turkey/detail.aspx

Ritz Corn

http://www.epicurista.com/talk/2007/11/16/best-thanksgiving-corn-recipe.html

I was worried about this because there is so much whipping cream. I envisioned it being a bit thicker but it turned out really well. The Parmesan cheese adds a nice sour tang to an otherwise sweet and smooth dish.

Sweet Potato Puree

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/silky-sweet-potato-puree/detail.aspx

Very simple and very tasty. I made a slightly larger portion than the recipe called for and had to cook the sweet potatoes for 1.5 hours.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/sweet-sour-green-beans-recipe-fw0410

These turned out a little bland but certainly don’t taste bad. Just seems like a lot of effort to get a very mild vinegar/sugary weet green bean taste.

Glazed Carrots

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/glazed-carrots-cardamom-ginger-recipe

First time I’ve ever cooked with carrot juice. At the start there is so much liquid in the pan but it reduces nicely. Very interesting ginger-carrot combination.

Broccoli with Hollandaise Sauce

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/broccoli-herbed-hollandaise-sauce-toasted-bread-crumbs-recipe-8342

Mozzarella cheese was added at the end. The hollandaise sauce was going well until I dumped too much hot butter in at the end and it ended up looking curdled. Still turned out OK though.

Incidentally, in the process of making this dish I made clarified butter for the first time!

Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/sweet-potato-apple-soup-recipe-8607

I swapped parsnip with 1 cup of frozen carrots. Bad idea. It basically turned out as carrot soup. I poured some of it out and added more vegetable broth to tame the carrot taste but the sweet potato taste also went down. I added 1 tsp of regular Tabasco sauce instead of green Tabasco. After adding more broth it tastes pretty good but will definitely use a parsnip or less carrots next time.

Vanilla Ice Cream

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/serious-vanilla-ice-cream-recipe/index.html

Pure vanilla was used extract instead of vanilla bean.

Pumpkin Bread

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

Whole Grain Stuffing

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/whole-grain-stuffing-apples-sausage-pecans-recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans and Hazelnuts

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/ghirardelli-crispy-crunchy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Followed the recipe verbatim (didn’t substitute eggs for corn syrup this time) and added a few less pecans in favor of some chopped hazelnuts. Turned out very crisp and delicious.

I recently noticed that when I paced back and forth (thinking of ways in which I could solve political problems) I was getting very tense. I’ve done this ever since I got into politics, and it was never really a problem. But now, my body was getting physically tense – especially in the jaw, neck, and shoulders. My heart rate was through the roof. It was kind of scary getting worked up over stupid politicians.

I will always be a liberal who understands conservative and liberal viewpoints. I will see if political ignorance calms me down, or if I will simply seek out something else to get upset about. We’ll see on Jan 1, 2012!

I found two recipes on allrecipes.com: Recipe 1 and Recipe 2 and used them as my base.

Round One

Water was used instead of orange juice to help break down the cranberries. Clementine peels were added later to add citrus flavor. Cinnamon, cloves, and allspice were added kind of half-hazardly to taste. After boiling for a few minutes I threw it all in a blender and pureed it.

It turned out great taste-wise, but the pomegranate seeds were less than desirable. You can see little white specs in the photo on the right (those are all chunks of seeds). Next time I’ll use POM pomegranate juice or strain the seeds out.

Lessons Learned

• Just because you think a blender is a badass kitchen tool, does not mean it will pulverize every little thing you put in it. Especially pomegranate seeds.