Archive for the ‘Restaurant-Reviews’ Category

Top Ten Breakfast Places in Orange County, California

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

My husband and I love to go out to breakfast. We even call it our weekly date. Orange County California has an abundance of different types to fun places to try. There are some that, quite honestly, I would have loved to have tried and included, but didn’t quite get the chance. Hopefully I will be able to have another chance to write another article about one of my favorite meals out and include them. For now, here are some of our favorite restaurants to start our day:

Plum’s Cafe: Costa Mesa. Located in a strip mall, this place is so popular that even during the weekdays you need to allow for a long wait. But it’ well worth it! The owner is an Oregon transplant who brings wonderful produce, coffee and artwork into her establishment. The menu has some very interesting items-my husband loves the coconut french toast, served with tropical fruit. I love the greek omelet. We both have trouble resisting the Oregon boysenberry muffins! My mom says the lamb/feta burgers served with field greens salad is the best. For my father-the dutch baby reigns supreme.

The Omelet Bar: Just a block up from Plum’s in yet another strip mall is this rather quirky little place. The wait staff dresses like Cyndi Lauper, but are very good. Lots of very good egg dishes, but good lunch menu also abounds. Lots of old Orange County memorabilia abounds on the wooden walls. The homemade apple butter is really terrific on the english muffins.

Las Brisas: Laguna Beach. Honestly, for us the food is highly over-rated, but the view of the Pacific is what makes this place a destination spot. Plus you can walk the beach trails and shop all over the city, providing you find a parking space!

The Cottage: Laguna Beach. Another local classic spot. Literally a cottage. Sometimes, this place has a dicey reputation, but all the same, it somehow remains a must try spot for vacationers.

Cafe Zinc: Laguna Beach. For the most part-vegetarian, but food is hearty enough that even a meat-lover like my husband doesn’t mind starting out the day here. Also has a cute little market attached to it, so you can try out a few of their goodies at home.

All the Ruby’s diners: It’s a chain, but popular with families. What can I say? Even my infant grandson loves the noise and the trains, planes, bikes (depending on the unit) and cars that glide on tracks along the ceiling.

Alice’s in the Park: Central Park in Huntington Beach. If you love tiny little family run places and huge out-of-this-world cinnamon rolls-you have to go to Alice’s. Believe me, you will need to walk the park several times to walk off the calories, but the place is terrific and worth every bite.

Cafe Neff: Laguna Niguel Design Center. Only open during this To The Trade areas hours of operation, but it’s staff and food is a favorite, not only with the designers and their clients, but with anyone who wants to do a more relaxed version of “the ladies who lunch”, plus I’ve never had anything but absolutely delicious food. They have daily specials and scones of the morning. Maple bacon aroma is too die for! Coffee is quite good.

Ted’s Burgers: Just across the street from Cafe Neff in a strip mall, Ted’s is a local hangout. Everyone from families, to biker’s, senior citizens and law enforcement loves Ted’s breakfasts. Nothing to look at, but it’s all comfort food based. Portions are so large that even my husband doesn’t mind sharing a meal with me!

Pacific Whey Baking Company: four locations. Trendy, but excellent breakfasts and bakery choices. We love to share and ABC omelet and a chocolate pinwheel. While they do have an interesting lunch and dinner menu-trust me, stick to breakfast and desserts.

Corner Bakery: again, it’s a chain, but good food and choices. The outdoor seating at most locations make it perfect for one of our typical sunny California mornings. Ours is close enough and allows pooches on the patio, so we take our labrador mix for a walk there and back!

Hopefully, if you live close by you’ll seek out some of these breakfast treasures. And if you visit in the future, you look them up and give them a try

Carine Nadel loves to try out new breakfast places. To read more of Carine’s work, log onto: http://www.Carine-whatscooking.blogspot.com

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Super Cheap, Super Tasty Chinatown Food Walk

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

Chinese Lunar New Year coming up this Sunday. Year of the pig, or “DingHai.” Chinatown is not how it was. In the old, pre-Giuliani days — we’re talking 1988 — we stupidly wandered down Mott Street during the absolute climax of the celebration (the climax, in contrast to our one-second toaster pops, lasted a mind-blowing 48 hours), bottle rockets, cherry bombs, M-80s missing our eyes by nano-meters–total lawlessness. More perilous than the old July 4ths (again, pre-Giuliani). These days, we’re lucky to catch a dragon dance team from the local senior citizens center. Still, Chinatown food is better — and cheaper — than ever. We took the following walk, never spending more than a buck on any item. Bring a friend and gorge.

Chinatown super cheap, super tasty walk: (map of the food-walk area).

1. start at Mulberry Street pedestrian mall @ Broome Street
2. Jazz Wok, 176 Mott: Hong Kong style
3. Viet-Nam Banh Mi: 369 Broome, Vietnamese sandwiches
4. Nyonya, 194 Grand: Chinese-influenced Malaysian
5. Sun Dou, 214 Grand: dumplings, red-bean pancakes
6. Malaysian beef jerky, 95 Elizabeth
7. Food court/market, 79 Elizabeth: peanut soup
8. Tu Quynh, 230 Grand: Vietnamese snacks
9. Grand Street fish markets, Bowery/Christie
10. Dumpling house, 118 Eldridge: sesame beef pancake
11. Congee Village, 100 Allen: Cantonese porridge and more
12. Super Taste, 26 Eldridge: hand-pulled noodles
13. Skyway, 11 Allen: Malaysian
14. Taipei Noodle House, 7 Allen: Taiwanese dumplings
15. Sunkiss Market, 160 East Broadway: mustard-green sandwich
16. Fuzhon Good Taste Grocery, 75 East Broadway
17. New York Supermarket, 75 East Broadway
18. Yi Mei, 51 Division: four items plus rice and soup, $3!!!
19. Sanur, 18 Doyers: Malaysian snacks
20. Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant, 11 Doyers
21. Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 65 Bayard
22 Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, 65 Bayard
23. Bangkok Center Grocery, 104 Mosco

http://www.rechargerthedog.com

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188 Stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth): Push to the Atonement

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

The Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.

and more…

ABRIDGED TIP(S):

*****Push to the Atonement*****

It is post the Rebirth through Death Experience that the Hero feels the need to then face the Inner Challenge - to Atone - to be Ay-One. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Bonnie wants to see her Mama.

*****Doubts*****

The Hero may fully lack commitment (doubt) or be blocked from the Transformation.

Guardians block the way and are overcome. In Dances with Wolves (1990), Wind in his Hair tells John he is not welcome. In The Godfather (1972), Apollonia’s father resists Michael’s advances but he brings him round to his way of thinking.

Passivity. Lack of commitment comes across as passivity. In Gladiator (2000), Maximus did not choose to be enslaved and forced to learn the gladiatorial arts. He resists and this is a period of passivity. In Thelma and Lousie (1991), both heroines stay in a hotel whilst Thelma decides whether she wants to go with Louise to Mexico.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

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Health Insurance - Emergency

Monday, May 21st, 2007

If you really don’t want to find yourself in a tight financial situation as a result of an illness in the family, make sure that you have family health insurance coverage. Family health insurance coverage will take care of your financial obligations related to an illness in the family that you don’t really have to go broke trying to pay up your hospital bills.

Things happen when you least expect them to happen that if you don’t have any family health insurance, you could easily find yourself in a tight financial situation when the hospital bills started piling up. Medical costs are very expensive that a single illness in the family could technically wipe out a large portion of your savings in just matter of days.

You should be prepared for Emergency.
You will never know when you will need to bring members of your family to the hospital for
treatments that it is always a good idea to be prepared.
To get the best deals available in the market, you have to do your homework and get as much information as you can from different health insurance companies. It is always a good idea to shop around first and try to find the best offers before you actually commit yourself to buy family health insurance policies.
Getting a family health insurance is not really difficult or very expensive. Of course there are family health insurance plans that are quite expensive but there are also those which are affordable.
Informations are easy to get of different insurance companies. Most of these companies have websites where you can find the information you need especially the services covered and the prices. If you have some questions about their services, you can always email them or give them a call request for a meeting with an insurance agent who could explain to you in the details the services of the company. Do shop around before you make any decision and compare prices.

Believing in good balanced diet, taking vitamins and minerals. Daily exercise, yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, drinking enough water, meditation, relaxation, positive thinking, and trying to be happy.

http://www.preferedforms.com/>
http://www.preferedforms.com/

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A Restaurant Reviewers’s Worst Case Scenario

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007

One of the most interesting things for a Restaurant Reviewer is having a pleasurable experience and then all of a sudden some unexpected thing occurs. After traveling around the United States and Canada for some 5-years I noticed that the service in some of the more respected restaurant chains was quite uneven.

Meaning not only was quality control at one extreme or the other or customer service hot or cold, but that consistency was quite varying from store to store or outlet to outlet. Sometimes the service was fantastic, sometimes ho-hum and on rare occasion horrific. Let me tell you some theories I developed after taking Restaurant News, Franchising Times and C-Store News for years, while also traveling and seeing it all for my self.

The theories of retail dining and the realities of what goes on are light-years from Ray Kroc’s motto’s for his early stores. First, one of the biggest issues is employee under-training, local store management and secret shopper programs as a catch all. Another issue is with employees who do not care or are simply oblivious to what they are doing.

One of my recent experiences to be discussed along the subject of; a Restaurant Reviewers Worst Case Scenario happened at a Chain Mexican Food Chain. The semi-Fast Food place was an hour from closing on a slow week-night. Getting a jump on the store clean-up I assume was the reason.

An employee came over to the trash area, just a ways from where we were sitting and started pumping ammonia cleaner into the trash can area and had the open trash can sitting between us and her, which was quite smelly. Next she sprayed down the trash can with the toxic fumes and left them there to soak in? Or for dwell time to help in cleaning.

Then proceeded to spray the area or soak the inside of the box where the trash can goes. This was getting quite hard to breath. Next seeing that the trash can had the cleaner dried on, she put more on to loosen it up and then wipe it with a rag, then hang the rag on the seat back nearest us?

Should I go on? This is just one problem we have, people just do not get it. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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What’s Keeping You From Getting Organized

Saturday, December 16th, 2006

Well, it’s already a few months into the New Year and you’ve been thinking about that resolution to get organized this year. So, how are you doing? Not there yet? Well, what’s keeping you from getting organized? Do any of these 5 common hindrances to getting organized apply to you?

1.Your organizing goal is too vague:
If you are getting organized just for the sake of being organized you’ll never achieve your goal. You need to have a bigger goal. Perhaps you want “to simplify your life”? That’s great. Now get more specific. How would being organized simplify your life? Or maybe your goal is “to save money.” How would being organized save you money? Or maybe your goal is to have a welcoming and comfortable home for entertaining friends. How would being organized make your home more welcoming and comfortable?

Take some time to identify your primary reason (s) for wanting to be organized.
How will your life and or home be different/better if you achieve this goal?
Is that difference important enough to you to motivate you to do what it takes to achieve this goal?

2. You aren’t taking ownership and responsibility for your disorganization:
We need to be careful about the statements we make about “things” that imply they have a life of their own and we can’t control them. The mound of laundry does not keep growing. You keep putting off doing the laundry until it is an overwhelming mound. Those papers do not keep piling up. You keep piling up those papers.

It is equally easy to blame others in your household for the disorganization “My kids never put their stuff away.” Whereas part of your job as a parent is to make sure they own a reasonable number of things, have a clearly designated place for their things, assign them the duty of putting their things away, make it worth their while to do so (we all respond well to rewards) and follow-up to make sure they put their things away.

If your spouse is disorganized and does not see a need to change, negotiate areas of the home for organizing your personal things that are separate from his things so that you can function in an organized manner even if your spouse is not yet ready to share in your goal.

3. You are trying to organize clutter:
You will never be able to create new organizational systems without first dealing with your clutter. That pile of old newspapers, last year’s school schedules, the empty shoeboxes, the broken computer monitor, and the empty paint cans…. All this clutter needs to be removed from your home. Try to spend at least 5 minutes a day getting rid of the clutter that has accumulated in your home, or have a clutter contest with the family. Give family members an empty box or garbage bag and assign them to their personal area of the home. The family member who parts with the most clutter wins. The loser gets to dispose of all the bags of clutter. With the clutter cleared out, it will be easier to see what you have that is of value. Once your home is de-cluttered, be vigilant about disposing of incoming clutter on a regular basis.

4. You have too much stuff to organize:
In North America today it’s all too easy to acquire things but we don’t let go of things nearly as effortlessly as we bring them in. We all keep far more things than we need. But the reality is that any given space can only adequately hold a certain number of things. You need to be ready to part with the things you no longer use or need. Purging your closet of old clothes you no longer wear is the first step to an organized closet. Paring down your CD or Book collection may be necessary to make room for newer acquisitions. Disposing of furniture that is no longer serving a useful function in your home will allow you to re-organize the remaining furniture. None of us intend to hoard things, but all of us are prone to hanging on to things that we no longer need “just in case” or because “it’s still good.” Pass along the “good” things you aren’t using to others who could use them. Learn to share. The reality is, there’ll always be more coming in. Once your home is purged of the excess, apply a one-in, one-out rule. If you purchase a new pair of shoes, get rid of a pair. If you buy a new book, give away one you no longer read and so forth.

5. You have no plan for getting organized.
In order to reach any goal, you must look at where you are now, at where you are going, and plan specific and realistic steps to reach your goal. Decluttering takes time. Sorting through your stuff takes mental energy. Hauling stuff away to donate or holding a garage sale or even passing things off to your friends, is an effort. Dealing with the things left, takes thought and energy. If getting organized is a priority for you, you need to make time for it. It can be 15 min. a day, a few hours a week, one weekend per month or a weeklong extravaganza. You also need an action plan. Will you start with the easiest room or the hardest? Will you tackle this job alone or recruit the help of others? Will you create your own plan, follow a book, or hire a professional? Whatever your plan, make sure you have one, you make time to implement it and you follow through until you reach your goal.

There are hundreds of good reasons for getting organized, but the most important reason is yours. Make this the year that you finally achieve your goal.

Joan Kosmachuk, Simple Effects, is a professional organizer and personal life coach. She lives in Boston, MA. http://www.simpleeffects.com

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