It Was Breakfast; It Just Wasn’t Quite Tiffany’s
Posted on January 4, 2009 by Gary McCarty
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I don’t know why, on the first Saturday of the new year after I’d made a resolution to get out to more interesting restaurants more often, I found myself pulling up to Hometown Buffet for breakfast. I’d just been out on a HDMI cable procurement run when hunger hit and Hometown was nearby.
Mistake. I don’t know if all the Hometown Buffet franchises follow the same breakfast menu, but what I was subjected to at the City of Industry location was your basic lunch buffet with some scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and french toast thrown in. That turned out to be okay as I gorged on salad and eggs. The bacon was, unfortunately, almost inedible, which is darn hard to do with bacon.
I won’t be back for breakfast, lunch probably, but never breakfast.
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All
Posted on December 25, 2008 by Gary McCarty
I’m actually not a Christian, but I celebrate Christmas anyway out of family tradition, so I’m not singling out one religion’s holiday. I’d celebrate all of them if I could! LOL
Anyway, I spent my Christmas Eve, which is also my eternal 39th birthday, at a place (pictured at the entrance driveway) called Orange Hill Restaurant.
Though the picture makes it look like a Spanish Mission from Old California, the restaurant is actually quite modern, but its main attraction is the celebrated view it affords of the valley below. You see, the Hill part of the name literally refers to the fact that the restaurant sits on a hill in Orange, Calif., and thus the spectacular–some would say romantic–vistas from its dining rooms.
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Don’t Let Them Use Your Credit Card to ‘Hold’ Reservations
Posted on December 22, 2008 by Gary McCarty
Planning for my umpteenth 39th birthday on this Wednesday, Christmas Eve, I enquired of a local restaurant I’ve been dying to try. We got so far as the time, date and table location (upstairs or downstairs), but once I gave them my name for the reservation, I got the clincher: "Now, if you could just give us a credit card number to hold the reservation…."
After a few minutes of trying to get the lady on the phone to admit that the credit card had nothing to do with "hold" and everything to do with "penalty" if I decided not to show up, I said I’d think about it and call them back. I half lied. I didn’t need to do any thinking about it, but I never did call them back. I doubt they’re waiting with bated breath.
To me, giving a credit card number to hold a reservation is the equivalent of a TARP fund for restaurateurs who doubt their own business model or clientele level (shades of GM). And the owners of this restaurant (and several others) are the scions of the El Cholo Mexican restaurant chain started in Los Angeles in 1923. As I recall, they live the grand old life down on the ocean in Newport Beach or some such.
They should give me a credit card to dine there.
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Wine Exchange Does Tastings Right
Posted on December 22, 2008 by Gary McCarty
The Wine Exchange in Orange, Calif., usually holds two wine tastings a week, but the place is currently on hiatus for the holidays. I mean, the store is open, but the wine tastings are on hold until January.
Which is too bad since the Wine Exchange definitely has the right approach to tastings. The tastings usually amount to about 18 or 20 bottles either sorted by varietal, country or distributor. And since there’s no bar or tables where cliques can hang out and force their war stories–and superior taste buds (read: lots of BS)–on you, it’s an overall pleasant experience that you can take at your own pace.
If you’re in the area, remember that Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons are the usual wine tasting dates, but you do need to book in advance on the Winex Web site.
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Wine Tailor Lets You Make Your Own Wine, Sort Of…
Posted on December 17, 2008 by Gary McCarty
You don’t get to crush the grapes as Lucille Ball did on a segment of I Love Lucy, but you sort of get to produce your own wine at a place called The Wine Tailor in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on the site of California’s oldest winery (started 1839).
The Wine Tailor is a franchise of Wine Not, which came up with the concept and the accoutrement to make all this possible.
How it works is a variation on this:
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Martha Stewart Guests on ‘Top Chef’
Posted on December 15, 2008 by Gary McCarty
It’s Christmas time on Top Chef this Wednesday, with two very special guest judges: television host, author and magazine publisher Martha Stewart, and actress Natasha Richardson.
First, Martha will be guest judging a holiday-themed quickfire challenge (I have some pics of Martha and Padma chillin in the Top Chef kitchen, let me know if you’d like me to send them to you). Then, in the spirit of the holidays, the chefs use their skills to give back to the community by catering a seasonal cocktail party hosted by special guest judge, actress and foodie Natasha Richardson, for AmFar, the foundation for AIDS research.
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‘Top Chef’ Judge Maybe Too Crafty, Sued in Wage/Tip Tiff
Posted on December 13, 2008 by Gary McCarty
The top judge for Top Chef, Tom Colicchio, is being sued by a former employee for illegally diverting tip money to supervisors, not paying the service staff the tips they were owed, and not paying overtime.
The waitress suing him, Nessa Rapone, worked for his Craftbar location in Manhattan, one of many restaurants owned by Colicchio’s Craft Worldwide Holdings, LLC. She also claims that she was fired in retaliation for broaching the subject with her employers.
The lawyers representing Ms. Rapone are seeking to make her effort into a class action suit for all Craft Worldwide employees.
Colicchio for his part labeled the allegations "baseless," but we’ll see if this is the ultimate karmic revenge for all those Top Chef contesants who protested that Colicchio didn’t know what he was talking about when he labeled their dishes "tasteless"–or even worse.
What goes around, comes around, eh?
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Is That Really Butter on Your Movie Popcorn?
Posted on December 12, 2008 by Gary McCarty
No, it’s a chemical substance called diacetyl, and it’s enough of a health risk that the American Public Health Association (APHA) and its OSH Section came up with a song at its annual meeting this past November.
Watch the video for the group’s rendition of "Popcorn Lung Roadhouse Blues."
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‘Top Chef’ Crew Prepares Shower Grub for Gail Simmons
Posted on December 9, 2008 by Gary McCarty
Tomorrow night (Dec. 11, 2008) on Top Chef, Padma solicits the chefs’ help in arranging a bridal shower for Top Chef judge Gail Simmons and her friends. The chef’testants must team up to cook Gail the wedding shower she has always dreamed of. Will they be able to live up to her high expectations, not just as a foodie, but as a bride-to-be? Gail Simmons’ friend, Editor-in-Chief of Food and Wine Magazine Dana Cowin guest judges.
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Iron Chefs Go Mano a Mano This Week
Posted on December 8, 2008 by Gary McCarty
For five nights starting tonight on Fine Living Network, the Iron Chefs of Japan go head to head, battling each other for the top crown. Since the stakes are so high, the Iron Chefs (including Morimoto) will be rolling out their most creative recipes and their most daring moves, so it should be a fun one.
It’s called "Grand Battle Week"–and it’s the last of five stunt weeks that have aired on Iron Chef Japan this fall.
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