Tough list!
Movies from 2018:
Black Panther Just mind-blowingly good, from start to finish. I love how the movie managed to be feminist despite centering on the struggles of two young men.
A Wrinkle in Time Gorgeous visuals, a great story. I love how it's a very child-friendly movie but still a great adventure.
Ocean's Eight Not quite enough sense of tension, as the women are so competent that I just assumed it would all work out. I do love the twists in the 3rd act.
Operation Finale A thrilling story that neatly subverts Ben Kingsley's incredible charm.
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse I cannot even describe how much this movie charmed me, from start to finish.
Crazy Rich Asians
Honorable mentions:
Aquaman
Incredibles 2
Mission Impossible: Fallout
First Man
Bumblebee
Mortal Engines
Artemis Hotel
Annihilation
Movies from earlier, that I first watched in 2018:
Moon
Midnight in Paris
Charlie Wilson's War
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
La La Land
Wind River
Edited to add: In terms of Hugo nominations, I have a few more movies I want to watch, but right it's looking like this:
Black Panther
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
A Wrinkle in Time
Aquaman
Annihilation or Incredibles 2
(I really got a kick out of Artemis Hotel, but I suspect it would be a wasted vote)
Monday, December 31, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
My weekend in NYC
Pondicheri Cafe: a huge birthday party in back, so the noise level was unpleasantly high and it was nigh impossible to get to the restrooms. We had the Sindhi Pakora Chaat (delicious), the Dal and Brussels (good, but an odd combination), the Green Masala Shrimp (fabulous), and the Goa Pork (very good). We finished with house-made ice cream. I had the Turmeric Lavender in a house-made cone, which had ground peppercorn and rose petals embedded in it. It was an innovative combination and I adored it. The other people had the Moringa Mint and said it was really good, but not as minty as they'd expected.
Pain Quotidien: I actually ate here on two consecutive mornings. The first time, I had the Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon, and a mug of their Hot Honey Lemon Ginger. Both were terrific. The second time, I got the Smoked Salmon Breakfast and a mug of coffee. The food was great but I once again realized how much I dislike trying to eat a soft-boiled egg in the shell. My companions had the Belgian Waffle with fruit (delicious, not too big) and the Skillet Eggs with Salmon and Avocado (really good.)
Xian Famous Foods: it's a tiny little dive, mostly catering to the carry-out crowd. You stand along one wall and watch a pair of cooks prepare your order, which takes under 5 minutes. Everything involves their hand-torn noodles, which the cooks also make when they have a free moment. I recommend it for sheer entertainment value, plus the food was delicious. We had the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles (delicious, but so spicy I could only have a bite) and the Pork "Zha Jiang" Hand-Ripped Noodles (only slightly spicy, and totally delicious.)
Fournos Theofilos: We also got carry-out from here one night. The Greek Salad was amazing and I will always remember it as my new gold standard. Unfortunately, the carry-out situation was confusing, with almost nothing else on the website actually being on offer that night. We ended up with mediocre sausage rolls. I really liked the tomato chutney that came with it; not so much the spicy green mustard sauce.
Great Northern: a food hall in Grand Central Station, featuring Nordic food such as open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød) and hearty salads. It's a bit confusing: there are multiple stations and you pay for the food at each station right there. I planned carefully and got my drink (GUS grapefruit soda, so good) and a trio of open-faced sandwiches at the same stall. I had the smoked salmon and radish, the curried herring with grated egg, and the avocado with green tomato and green apple. All three were delicious and innovative and I only wish I'd had more space in my stomach!
Bien Cuit: a bakery in Grand Central Market. We picked up breakfast food: an apple cardamom danish, a ginger cranberry tart, and a chocolate almond croissant. All three were terrific.
Pescatore Seafood: a seafood shop in Grand Central Market. We picked up crab rolls and shrimp rolls for the trip home. I loved the crab roll; my mom loved the shrimp roll but I thought it had too much mayonnaise. Service was swift, friendly, and helpful.
In addition to all this, we shopped at Columbus Circle and Uniqlo, and window-shopped up and down Madison Ave. We spent hours at the Winter Fair at Bryant Park, and I found some really lovely and unique gifts plus a necklace for myself. I'd wanted to eat at Momofuku Noodle Bar, but they turned out to be closed on Sundays. (Hello! Update your website with correct hours, people...)
All in all, a lovely weekend despite the driving rain and sleet on Sunday.
Pain Quotidien: I actually ate here on two consecutive mornings. The first time, I had the Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon, and a mug of their Hot Honey Lemon Ginger. Both were terrific. The second time, I got the Smoked Salmon Breakfast and a mug of coffee. The food was great but I once again realized how much I dislike trying to eat a soft-boiled egg in the shell. My companions had the Belgian Waffle with fruit (delicious, not too big) and the Skillet Eggs with Salmon and Avocado (really good.)
Xian Famous Foods: it's a tiny little dive, mostly catering to the carry-out crowd. You stand along one wall and watch a pair of cooks prepare your order, which takes under 5 minutes. Everything involves their hand-torn noodles, which the cooks also make when they have a free moment. I recommend it for sheer entertainment value, plus the food was delicious. We had the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles (delicious, but so spicy I could only have a bite) and the Pork "Zha Jiang" Hand-Ripped Noodles (only slightly spicy, and totally delicious.)
Fournos Theofilos: We also got carry-out from here one night. The Greek Salad was amazing and I will always remember it as my new gold standard. Unfortunately, the carry-out situation was confusing, with almost nothing else on the website actually being on offer that night. We ended up with mediocre sausage rolls. I really liked the tomato chutney that came with it; not so much the spicy green mustard sauce.
Great Northern: a food hall in Grand Central Station, featuring Nordic food such as open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød) and hearty salads. It's a bit confusing: there are multiple stations and you pay for the food at each station right there. I planned carefully and got my drink (GUS grapefruit soda, so good) and a trio of open-faced sandwiches at the same stall. I had the smoked salmon and radish, the curried herring with grated egg, and the avocado with green tomato and green apple. All three were delicious and innovative and I only wish I'd had more space in my stomach!
Bien Cuit: a bakery in Grand Central Market. We picked up breakfast food: an apple cardamom danish, a ginger cranberry tart, and a chocolate almond croissant. All three were terrific.
Pescatore Seafood: a seafood shop in Grand Central Market. We picked up crab rolls and shrimp rolls for the trip home. I loved the crab roll; my mom loved the shrimp roll but I thought it had too much mayonnaise. Service was swift, friendly, and helpful.
In addition to all this, we shopped at Columbus Circle and Uniqlo, and window-shopped up and down Madison Ave. We spent hours at the Winter Fair at Bryant Park, and I found some really lovely and unique gifts plus a necklace for myself. I'd wanted to eat at Momofuku Noodle Bar, but they turned out to be closed on Sundays. (Hello! Update your website with correct hours, people...)
All in all, a lovely weekend despite the driving rain and sleet on Sunday.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Review of Grass Roots Creamery (Granby, CT)
Grass Roots Creamery is one of the must-stop places if you're in north-central CT. They used to be open only April-November, but are experimenting with staying open all winter this year. Please go support them!
They serve ice cream, all of it made in house, much of it wildly creative. In the summer there's about three dozen flavors ready to be scooped; they seem to have cut back to about two dozen right now, but it's still a great range of options. Example: my mother-in-law once got a three-scoop with Geranium, Lavender, and Rose Chocolate Chip as the flavors. They've had flavors as disparate as Pear Blue Cheese, Maple Bacon, and Olive Oil Rosemary. They're constantly trying out new flavors and sadly, this sometimes means that they shelve old ones (I once had a scoop of jalapeno-chip ice cream there. It was amazing. I've never seen it again.)
There's a fascinating back-story of activism and courage behind the store and the name.
The owners are currently expanding, with an eatery opening next door. (Edited to add: open as of 11/28/18)
My only criticism of Grass Roots Creamery is that it's bad for people with specific food allergies, as they cannot guarantee a lack of cross-contamination. They are completely up front about this, but don't have an easy way to address the problem, as they use the same equipment to produce all their different flavors.
They serve ice cream, all of it made in house, much of it wildly creative. In the summer there's about three dozen flavors ready to be scooped; they seem to have cut back to about two dozen right now, but it's still a great range of options. Example: my mother-in-law once got a three-scoop with Geranium, Lavender, and Rose Chocolate Chip as the flavors. They've had flavors as disparate as Pear Blue Cheese, Maple Bacon, and Olive Oil Rosemary. They're constantly trying out new flavors and sadly, this sometimes means that they shelve old ones (I once had a scoop of jalapeno-chip ice cream there. It was amazing. I've never seen it again.)
There's a fascinating back-story of activism and courage behind the store and the name.
The owners are currently expanding, with an eatery opening next door. (Edited to add: open as of 11/28/18)
My only criticism of Grass Roots Creamery is that it's bad for people with specific food allergies, as they cannot guarantee a lack of cross-contamination. They are completely up front about this, but don't have an easy way to address the problem, as they use the same equipment to produce all their different flavors.
Friday, November 23, 2018
Review of Mei Tzu (East Windsor, CT)
Mei Tzu is a small Chinese restaurant in East Windsor, CT. It also has an excellent sushi bar and a few Thai offerings, such as curry. It's located in a strip mall between a tattoo parlor and a gun shop, but ignore the surroundings. The restaurant inside is pretty, cozy, and serves the best Asian food in the area.
Although you can get such typical fare as General Tso Chicken (and it's very good), you really want to try the house specials. The Mongolian Beef is crispy, spicy, and a real treat. The Basil Beef and the Garlic Shrimp are delectable and my whole family adores the Boneless Duck. My personal favorite is the Thai Casserole, a delicate but complex blend of spices, coconut milk, vegetables, chicken, and shrimp. If you're eating alone, this is a balanced dinner in a single pot.
From the regular menu, I confidently recommend the Spicy Jengdu Dumplings and the Hot and Sour Soup (yes, I know the latter is vegetarian - trust me, you won't even miss the meat.) I love the Garlic and Ginger Sauteed Bean Sprouts with Chicken and I've yet to feed it to somebody who doesn't end up liking it. The chef is very good with noodles: try the Drunken Noodles, the Chow Fun, and the Pad Thai.
The sushi is also great, with some really creative special rolls like the White Forest Roll, the Fujiyama Mama, and the eponymous Mei Tzu roll in addition to the usual fare.
The lunch menu has a wide range of options. The basic lunch is a great deal at $7 for a plate of pork-fried rice, brown, or white rice and your choice of entree. You can add on an egg roll (don't bother) or soup (all three options are very good) for just a dollar. I recommend the Beef with Broccoli, the Vegetable Delight with Tofu, the Kung Pao Chicken, or any of the Thai Curry options.
The menu is clearly marked with both gluten-free and vegetarian options, and the servers will help you select dishes that fit your dietary needs.
My only complaint about this restaurant is that they use wide, shallow serving bowls that take up an unreasonable amount of real estate on the table. But this is a small matter. The servers are friendly and efficient; the food is delicious and reasonably priced. What are you waiting for?
Although you can get such typical fare as General Tso Chicken (and it's very good), you really want to try the house specials. The Mongolian Beef is crispy, spicy, and a real treat. The Basil Beef and the Garlic Shrimp are delectable and my whole family adores the Boneless Duck. My personal favorite is the Thai Casserole, a delicate but complex blend of spices, coconut milk, vegetables, chicken, and shrimp. If you're eating alone, this is a balanced dinner in a single pot.
From the regular menu, I confidently recommend the Spicy Jengdu Dumplings and the Hot and Sour Soup (yes, I know the latter is vegetarian - trust me, you won't even miss the meat.) I love the Garlic and Ginger Sauteed Bean Sprouts with Chicken and I've yet to feed it to somebody who doesn't end up liking it. The chef is very good with noodles: try the Drunken Noodles, the Chow Fun, and the Pad Thai.
The sushi is also great, with some really creative special rolls like the White Forest Roll, the Fujiyama Mama, and the eponymous Mei Tzu roll in addition to the usual fare.
The lunch menu has a wide range of options. The basic lunch is a great deal at $7 for a plate of pork-fried rice, brown, or white rice and your choice of entree. You can add on an egg roll (don't bother) or soup (all three options are very good) for just a dollar. I recommend the Beef with Broccoli, the Vegetable Delight with Tofu, the Kung Pao Chicken, or any of the Thai Curry options.
The menu is clearly marked with both gluten-free and vegetarian options, and the servers will help you select dishes that fit your dietary needs.
My only complaint about this restaurant is that they use wide, shallow serving bowls that take up an unreasonable amount of real estate on the table. But this is a small matter. The servers are friendly and efficient; the food is delicious and reasonably priced. What are you waiting for?
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Review of Tiger Belly Noodle Bar (Granby, CT)
Tiger Belly Noodle Bar is located in a quiet little strip mall in Granby, CT. Parking is relatively plentiful. The restaurant itself is a bit hard to find: follow your GPS to 9 Mill Pond Road and it's the middle store in the second plaza on the right. If you just park and walk around, it will be easier to find.
The restaurant itself is long and narrow. There are two big tables up front that each seat up to 8 people, and are often being shared by smaller groups. There are two smaller tables that seat up to 4 people each in back, by the bathroom. In the middle, there's an L-shaped seating area surrounding the kitchen and sushi counter. The view is partially obstructed by all the ingredients they keep piled up on the counters, but you can get a good sense of what's going on. It's completely casual, and service is a bit erratic, but there's a lovely sense of warmth and good humor emanating from the chefs and the harried servers.
Tiger Belly is part of the same restaurant group as Mei Tzu, so the sushi menus are almost identical. The sushi is reasonably priced and very good, with some complex options (the Mei Tzu roll is out of this world) and the usual basics.
The appetizer menu includes standard options like edamame and fried beef gyoza, but you have to give the bao buns a try. They're messy, but so delicious that you won't even care. Seriously, I've had worse bao buns at 3 star restaurants in NYC. They're a must-buy. (Two buns per order at $9, so feel free so share with a friend.)
The main menu includes two types of fried chicken, a rice bowl, and three types of soup. The fried chicken is shatteringly crispy and delicious. My kids wrinkled their noses at eating chicken on the bone, but they quickly got behind it and devoured the whole plate. We haven't tried the rice bowl yet, but the table next to us got it and seemed quite pleased; it looked like a generous portion.
The vegetarian ramen is good, the pho with brisket and dumplings is better, and "The Darkness", their signature pork ramen, is unbelievably good. I recommend trying them all, either sharing around the table or on three separate visits.
The restaurant itself is long and narrow. There are two big tables up front that each seat up to 8 people, and are often being shared by smaller groups. There are two smaller tables that seat up to 4 people each in back, by the bathroom. In the middle, there's an L-shaped seating area surrounding the kitchen and sushi counter. The view is partially obstructed by all the ingredients they keep piled up on the counters, but you can get a good sense of what's going on. It's completely casual, and service is a bit erratic, but there's a lovely sense of warmth and good humor emanating from the chefs and the harried servers.
Tiger Belly is part of the same restaurant group as Mei Tzu, so the sushi menus are almost identical. The sushi is reasonably priced and very good, with some complex options (the Mei Tzu roll is out of this world) and the usual basics.
The appetizer menu includes standard options like edamame and fried beef gyoza, but you have to give the bao buns a try. They're messy, but so delicious that you won't even care. Seriously, I've had worse bao buns at 3 star restaurants in NYC. They're a must-buy. (Two buns per order at $9, so feel free so share with a friend.)
The main menu includes two types of fried chicken, a rice bowl, and three types of soup. The fried chicken is shatteringly crispy and delicious. My kids wrinkled their noses at eating chicken on the bone, but they quickly got behind it and devoured the whole plate. We haven't tried the rice bowl yet, but the table next to us got it and seemed quite pleased; it looked like a generous portion.
The vegetarian ramen is good, the pho with brisket and dumplings is better, and "The Darkness", their signature pork ramen, is unbelievably good. I recommend trying them all, either sharing around the table or on three separate visits.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Review of Han Restaurant (West Hartford, CT)
Han is a hot-pot specialty restaurant located on a side street in West Hartford, CT. There's plenty of parking. Reservations recommended for popular times, but we walked in on a Thursday at 1pm and there were plenty of booths still available.
Han is slowly branching out to include more foods that aren't hot-pot. The hot-pot is so yummy that I haven't tried anything except their fried dumplings, which are quite good.
The specialty, of course, is hot-pot. They have a choice of a dozen types of broth, many of them either sour or spicy. For beginners, I recommend either the Mushroom or the Chinese Herbal broth.
The lunch special is quite a bargain: broth, noodles or rice, a choice of basic protein (lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish, or beef) and a platter of vegetables and mushrooms, all for $11.99 per person. If you're a heavy eater, you might want to order one more serving of meat.
The dinner menu is bit pricier, but portions are larger. The vegetable platter at dinner is huge and can be shared over 2 or 3 people. There are several pages of options for things to put into your hot pot: mushrooms, meatballs, noodles, meat, a whole page of vegetables!
One of the best features of Han is their sauce bar, which features about two dozen different options, plus a couple of pre-made sauces. It's hard to go wrong unless you hate cilantro and accidentally put it in your dish. I really like both pre-made sauces and will jazz them up with diced preserved vegetables or cilantro and scallions.
Han is slowly branching out to include more foods that aren't hot-pot. The hot-pot is so yummy that I haven't tried anything except their fried dumplings, which are quite good.
The specialty, of course, is hot-pot. They have a choice of a dozen types of broth, many of them either sour or spicy. For beginners, I recommend either the Mushroom or the Chinese Herbal broth.
The lunch special is quite a bargain: broth, noodles or rice, a choice of basic protein (lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish, or beef) and a platter of vegetables and mushrooms, all for $11.99 per person. If you're a heavy eater, you might want to order one more serving of meat.
The dinner menu is bit pricier, but portions are larger. The vegetable platter at dinner is huge and can be shared over 2 or 3 people. There are several pages of options for things to put into your hot pot: mushrooms, meatballs, noodles, meat, a whole page of vegetables!
One of the best features of Han is their sauce bar, which features about two dozen different options, plus a couple of pre-made sauces. It's hard to go wrong unless you hate cilantro and accidentally put it in your dish. I really like both pre-made sauces and will jazz them up with diced preserved vegetables or cilantro and scallions.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Review of Shu Chinese Restaurant (West Hartford, CT)
Shu is a small, friendly restaurant in the same shopping plaza as A-Dong Market and Pho Boston, at 160 Shield Street. Reservations recommended, particularly if you go with a party larger than 4 people. The dishes are reasonably priced but the portions are a bit smaller than at other places, so order some appetizers or another entree to share with the table. This is a Szechuan restaurant so they take their spice seriously: a one-pepper rating here would be a two-pepper rating almost anywhere else, and even the no-pepper ratings have a bit of zip to them.
We went there with family and had a marvelous dinner.
For appetizers, we ordered the fried pork dumplings (very juicy and tasty), the Cheng-du potatoes (just French Fries with Szechuan pepper powder dusted over them but so, so good), and scallion pancakes (literally the best I have ever eaten.)
For the main course, we had tea smoked duck (very good), crispy beef with coconut sauce (too sweet for me, but the kids loved it), sauteed string beans (tasty and perfectly cooked), young pea greens with garlic (divine, as always), lobster with scallion and ginger (tasty, but very hard to eat with just chopsticks!), and steamed pork belly with preserved pickled vegetables (melt-in-your-mouth good).
I left to pick up some groceries from A-Dong Market before they closed, but the rest of the family stayed to eat dessert. I believe they ordered one of everything (it's not a long menu) and thoroughly enjoyed them.
We went there with family and had a marvelous dinner.
For appetizers, we ordered the fried pork dumplings (very juicy and tasty), the Cheng-du potatoes (just French Fries with Szechuan pepper powder dusted over them but so, so good), and scallion pancakes (literally the best I have ever eaten.)
For the main course, we had tea smoked duck (very good), crispy beef with coconut sauce (too sweet for me, but the kids loved it), sauteed string beans (tasty and perfectly cooked), young pea greens with garlic (divine, as always), lobster with scallion and ginger (tasty, but very hard to eat with just chopsticks!), and steamed pork belly with preserved pickled vegetables (melt-in-your-mouth good).
I left to pick up some groceries from A-Dong Market before they closed, but the rest of the family stayed to eat dessert. I believe they ordered one of everything (it's not a long menu) and thoroughly enjoyed them.
Monday, August 20, 2018
26th day of Summer Vacation: in which we laze around and eat really good food
We decided to rest our feet for a day and enjoy the lovely view from our rental units. We got a carry-out lunch from a little sandwich shop called Cicinin Panini al Metro. I have no idea what was in them, but man were they good. (Edited to add: one was soprasetta and the other was roast beef with Asiago.)
We went for our "fancy dinner" of the trip to Ristorante il Vicoletto. You should definitely eat there, and you should also definitely make reservations. We were lucky that they could squeeze us in at opening time, but we were given a firm departure time of 7:45 so the 8:00 seating could get the table.
Appetizers: spinach souffle in cream sauce (so good) and seafood appetizer, consisting of chopped smoked salmon, a grilled scallop in pea sauce, hot shredded cot, an anchovy wrapped with pickled red peppers, grilled octopus over a squash sauce. Also so good.
First course: Four of us had gnocchi in cream sauce with a huge piece of crispy fried pork; the others had squash ravioli with saffron sauce. Both so good. So rich.
Second course: MIL had a seafood tagliatelle in saffron sauce, from the 1st course menu. The rest of us had lamb chops or rib-eye steak, but I had salmon in curry sauce with mussels and fried oysters. The salmon sat on a raft of steamed spinach. It was divine. Everything was really good.
The house special dessert was apricot and Grand Marnier cake, and that was very good, too.
We went for our "fancy dinner" of the trip to Ristorante il Vicoletto. You should definitely eat there, and you should also definitely make reservations. We were lucky that they could squeeze us in at opening time, but we were given a firm departure time of 7:45 so the 8:00 seating could get the table.
Appetizers: spinach souffle in cream sauce (so good) and seafood appetizer, consisting of chopped smoked salmon, a grilled scallop in pea sauce, hot shredded cot, an anchovy wrapped with pickled red peppers, grilled octopus over a squash sauce. Also so good.
First course: Four of us had gnocchi in cream sauce with a huge piece of crispy fried pork; the others had squash ravioli with saffron sauce. Both so good. So rich.
Second course: MIL had a seafood tagliatelle in saffron sauce, from the 1st course menu. The rest of us had lamb chops or rib-eye steak, but I had salmon in curry sauce with mussels and fried oysters. The salmon sat on a raft of steamed spinach. It was divine. Everything was really good.
The house special dessert was apricot and Grand Marnier cake, and that was very good, too.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
25th day of Summer Vacation: in which we take a train into Switzerland
We took a train to Domodossola, and then another train over the mountains to Locorna. Lovely views from the train, although it was hard to get good pictures.
Lunch there at Sensi: Ristorante Fred Feltpausch, which had a nice view of the water and some very aggressive sparrows.
I had the chicken marsala with saffron risotto (the former too salty, and with too much sage; the latter very good.)
DH and I split a caprese salad that was competent, but not amazing.
Younger Son and DH each had pasta carbonara, which was very rich.
MIL had lake trout with saffron risotto. She said it was very good.
FIL had a pasta dish with basil, tomatoes, and maybe capers? or anchovies?
Elder Son had some kind of schnitzel with fries.
Then we took a slow ferry back along Lago Maggiore, to Stresa. MIL thought the ferry left at 2:10, but it actually left at 4:15. We walked around town and found a nice shopping district. I finally managed to find good face lotion and we bought freshly squeezed orange juice and Swiss pastries. But we spent a lot of time sitting around on the dock.
There was no passport control either way, although we'd been warned to take our passports with us.
The ride back was lovely and took about 2 hours 45 minutes. Most of us sat inside, under A/C, playing cards. I popped outside every half hour to take pictures.
Then DH and I went out to eat by ourselves. We found a lovely little place (edited to add: Luina Albergo Ristorante) that advertised fluency in English. Limited menu, but the food was really good. We shared a salad of rocket, Cafone cheese, and pears with balsamic dressing. Then he had schnitzel with fries and I had fish-filled ravioli with a sauce of tomatoes and more fish on top. It was divine.
Lunch there at Sensi: Ristorante Fred Feltpausch, which had a nice view of the water and some very aggressive sparrows.
I had the chicken marsala with saffron risotto (the former too salty, and with too much sage; the latter very good.)
DH and I split a caprese salad that was competent, but not amazing.
Younger Son and DH each had pasta carbonara, which was very rich.
MIL had lake trout with saffron risotto. She said it was very good.
FIL had a pasta dish with basil, tomatoes, and maybe capers? or anchovies?
Elder Son had some kind of schnitzel with fries.
Then we took a slow ferry back along Lago Maggiore, to Stresa. MIL thought the ferry left at 2:10, but it actually left at 4:15. We walked around town and found a nice shopping district. I finally managed to find good face lotion and we bought freshly squeezed orange juice and Swiss pastries. But we spent a lot of time sitting around on the dock.
There was no passport control either way, although we'd been warned to take our passports with us.
The ride back was lovely and took about 2 hours 45 minutes. Most of us sat inside, under A/C, playing cards. I popped outside every half hour to take pictures.
Then DH and I went out to eat by ourselves. We found a lovely little place (edited to add: Luina Albergo Ristorante) that advertised fluency in English. Limited menu, but the food was really good. We shared a salad of rocket, Cafone cheese, and pears with balsamic dressing. Then he had schnitzel with fries and I had fish-filled ravioli with a sauce of tomatoes and more fish on top. It was divine.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
24th day of Sumer Vacation: in which we voyage to Isola Bella
Isola Bella is one of the three habitable islands in Lake Maggiore. (The other two are Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre) It's home to astonishingly beautiful gardens and a castle stuffed with artwork. The grounds are home to several white peacocks and peahens, which make the most astoundingly awful screeching noises.
Isola Bella was the center of command for the region for many years. Napolean and Josephine stayed 2 nights on the island. The Strasa Conference of 1935 was held there, in one of the final attempts to curb the ambitions of Hitler's Germany.
The ferry ride is only about 10 minutes each way, with great views for all of it. The castle itself is gorgeous. The grotto in the lowest level is crazy-cool, although I don't know what those rooms actually got used for. Also, the view into the lower gardens from the grotto rooms was just gorgeous:
There are several nice-looking cafes and restaurants outside the grounds, but we hadn't budgeted time to eat there. Next time, I would build in an extra hour and have a drink and a snack at one of the restaurants by the docks. As it was, we just had lunch at the (not very impressive) cafe within the garden. The high point of lunch was definitely my MIL's flower salad:
The gardens are extensive. Not as many flowers as I'd thought, but lots of amazing statuary.
On the way back from the ferry, we had gelato at a great place - Langola del Gelato - I had "perla nera" which translates to Black Pearl but is actually chocolate with rum and chunks of dark chocolate. Nice music outside; too. I didn't take photos of the musicians but I should have - they really looked like The Civil Wars although their singing wasn't quite as good. They were incredibly good for street musicians and we threw a few Euros into their guitar case on our way out.
Isola Bella was the center of command for the region for many years. Napolean and Josephine stayed 2 nights on the island. The Strasa Conference of 1935 was held there, in one of the final attempts to curb the ambitions of Hitler's Germany.
The ferry ride is only about 10 minutes each way, with great views for all of it. The castle itself is gorgeous. The grotto in the lowest level is crazy-cool, although I don't know what those rooms actually got used for. Also, the view into the lower gardens from the grotto rooms was just gorgeous:
There are several nice-looking cafes and restaurants outside the grounds, but we hadn't budgeted time to eat there. Next time, I would build in an extra hour and have a drink and a snack at one of the restaurants by the docks. As it was, we just had lunch at the (not very impressive) cafe within the garden. The high point of lunch was definitely my MIL's flower salad:
The gardens are extensive. Not as many flowers as I'd thought, but lots of amazing statuary.
On the way back from the ferry, we had gelato at a great place - Langola del Gelato - I had "perla nera" which translates to Black Pearl but is actually chocolate with rum and chunks of dark chocolate. Nice music outside; too. I didn't take photos of the musicians but I should have - they really looked like The Civil Wars although their singing wasn't quite as good. They were incredibly good for street musicians and we threw a few Euros into their guitar case on our way out.
Monday, July 16, 2018
41st day of Summer Vacation: the movies you watch on airplanes
On the way over: Charlie Wilson's War (coincidentally, I was also in the middle of reading the book) a lot of fun and very good performances by Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
On the way back: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Holy shit this was good and I completely see why it got all that love at the Oscars last year. Later, I read that Frances McDormand is actually 60 in real life, and had suggested playing Amanda's grandmother rather than mother, but they felt that it needed to be a mother-daughter relationship and just had her play a woman in her 40's. Given that the character, Mildred, has led a tough life, I thought that the aging worked fine.
The Post: also very good. Holy shit, Meryl Streep is just in a league of her own. Also, very interesting story and description of the time (1970).
Justice League: possibly the worst movie I've seen this year. No, seriously. Makes "The Covenant" look like high art; at least it had a coherent plot and a comprehensible villain.
On the way back: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Holy shit this was good and I completely see why it got all that love at the Oscars last year. Later, I read that Frances McDormand is actually 60 in real life, and had suggested playing Amanda's grandmother rather than mother, but they felt that it needed to be a mother-daughter relationship and just had her play a woman in her 40's. Given that the character, Mildred, has led a tough life, I thought that the aging worked fine.
The Post: also very good. Holy shit, Meryl Streep is just in a league of her own. Also, very interesting story and description of the time (1970).
Justice League: possibly the worst movie I've seen this year. No, seriously. Makes "The Covenant" look like high art; at least it had a coherent plot and a comprehensible villain.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
23rd day of Summer Vacation: in which we explore Stresa
We're safely esconsed in our lovely apartment in Stresa. It's got a tiny elevator for luggage but is clearly meant to be a walk-up. Our place has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a tiny kitchen, and a large living-dining room. The deck is small but can hold a couple of chaise lounges and a 4-person table. Also a drying rack, because although we have a laundry machine, there's no dryer!
We were all pretty jet-lagged by the time we drove into Stresa on Thursday. We unpacked a bit and walked downtown to find dinner; we just walked until we found someplace quiet. The woman spoke good English, and the menu had an English section... we were too tired to wrestle with translating Italian! It's called La Botte Trattoria and comes highly recommended by several guidebooks.
I had wide noodles with saffron cream sauce and mushrooms. Also baby artichokes cooked in butter and garlic. It was really good!
FIL: eggplant ravioli with a concentrated sundried tomato garnish (really good)
DH: Gorgonzola risotto with pear puree (he didn't love it)
Elder: Milanese chops (thin veal, breaded and fried) and french fries (very good)
MIL: Cod in tomato and polenta. I thought the cod was overcooked but the polenta and sauce made a great combo
Younger: spaghetti carbonara (very good, no visible bacon)
Then we went down the street for gelato. (Gelateria - good prices, good gelato, although not the best we had in that city.)
The tourist area in Stresa has about a dozen gelato places and two dozen restaurants, all within about 5 blocks of each other. I got postcards and Bergamot soap.
My FIL and I went to the Friday market in Stresa. (Open 6-2, I believe) It has lots of clothes, leather items, and tourist gear. There's a smaller food area, where I mostly failed to get any good pictures. Sorry! You'll have to envision vans with umbrella awnings that pop out of the top to make the stall.
The sausage and cheese vendors give you free samples, but they're also very pushy! Very few people spoke very much English - they kept trying Spanish, German, and French on us. I got a blue shawl, and we got sausage, cheese, and cookies. Also pre-cooked chicken and pork ribs, very good. Then we found a tiny little bakery, run by Americans, and got a huge round loaf of whole-wheat bread that was extremely good.
Now off to see the Isola Bella, a tiny island in the middle of Lago Maggiore.
We were all pretty jet-lagged by the time we drove into Stresa on Thursday. We unpacked a bit and walked downtown to find dinner; we just walked until we found someplace quiet. The woman spoke good English, and the menu had an English section... we were too tired to wrestle with translating Italian! It's called La Botte Trattoria and comes highly recommended by several guidebooks.
I had wide noodles with saffron cream sauce and mushrooms. Also baby artichokes cooked in butter and garlic. It was really good!
FIL: eggplant ravioli with a concentrated sundried tomato garnish (really good)
DH: Gorgonzola risotto with pear puree (he didn't love it)
Elder: Milanese chops (thin veal, breaded and fried) and french fries (very good)
MIL: Cod in tomato and polenta. I thought the cod was overcooked but the polenta and sauce made a great combo
Younger: spaghetti carbonara (very good, no visible bacon)
Then we went down the street for gelato. (Gelateria - good prices, good gelato, although not the best we had in that city.)
The tourist area in Stresa has about a dozen gelato places and two dozen restaurants, all within about 5 blocks of each other. I got postcards and Bergamot soap.
My FIL and I went to the Friday market in Stresa. (Open 6-2, I believe) It has lots of clothes, leather items, and tourist gear. There's a smaller food area, where I mostly failed to get any good pictures. Sorry! You'll have to envision vans with umbrella awnings that pop out of the top to make the stall.
The sausage and cheese vendors give you free samples, but they're also very pushy! Very few people spoke very much English - they kept trying Spanish, German, and French on us. I got a blue shawl, and we got sausage, cheese, and cookies. Also pre-cooked chicken and pork ribs, very good. Then we found a tiny little bakery, run by Americans, and got a huge round loaf of whole-wheat bread that was extremely good.
Now off to see the Isola Bella, a tiny island in the middle of Lago Maggiore.
Saturday, July 14, 2018
21st day of Summer Vacation: in which we travel to Italy
We are in Italy!
We flew Hartord to Philadelphia, then to Heathrow London, then to Milano Linate.
I HATE Heathrow while it's under construction. We spent almost an hour total on busses, just trying to get from one terminal to another. The whole place felt like a nightmare, involving long lines for the bathrooms, no obvious place to buy breakfast, and no public water fountains. I'm pretty sure that the tap water is potable but I wasn't going to take chances... the last straw was when they forced us to check the violin, which may have permanently damaged it. (UPDATE: hooray for carbon fiber violins! It survived.)
On a lighter note, I read two entire novels (Proxima by Stephen Baxter and White Nights by Ann Cleeves) and watched Charlie Wilson's War, which I enjoyed mightily.
We then drove to Stresa, Italy. It's a vacation town on the shores of Lago Maggiore. The drive down is terrifyingly steep, but the views are amazing.
And that's it for today! Tomorrow, I think we're going to visit one of the islands.
We flew Hartord to Philadelphia, then to Heathrow London, then to Milano Linate.
I HATE Heathrow while it's under construction. We spent almost an hour total on busses, just trying to get from one terminal to another. The whole place felt like a nightmare, involving long lines for the bathrooms, no obvious place to buy breakfast, and no public water fountains. I'm pretty sure that the tap water is potable but I wasn't going to take chances... the last straw was when they forced us to check the violin, which may have permanently damaged it. (UPDATE: hooray for carbon fiber violins! It survived.)
On a lighter note, I read two entire novels (Proxima by Stephen Baxter and White Nights by Ann Cleeves) and watched Charlie Wilson's War, which I enjoyed mightily.
We then drove to Stresa, Italy. It's a vacation town on the shores of Lago Maggiore. The drive down is terrifyingly steep, but the views are amazing.
And that's it for today! Tomorrow, I think we're going to visit one of the islands.
Monday, July 2, 2018
27th day of Summer Vacation: in which we visit Isola Madre
Isola Madre is another of the three inhabited islands in Lake Maggiore. We left on an early ferry, and took 5 stops to get there; it's about a 30 minute ride. The day was hazy and overcast, but not too hot.
Similar to Isola Bella, the two primary attractions are the garden and the castle. On Isola Bella, you have to do the castle tour first to get into the gardens. On Isola Madre, you have to walk through a large part of the garden to get up to the castle. The walks direct you to a single path around the island and upwards, with potential alternate routes clearly blocked off and labeled.
The gardens were lovely and cool at 10am. The flowers were amazing, especially the "water lily as large as my head" varietal.
We saw a number of tiny little lizards:
And the grounds, generally, were just lovely and provided some great views:
We then went into the castle, which felt less formal than the one on Isola Bella. The pictures are larger and better lit, and are very nice. Some of the Borromean countesses were gorgeous! Or else had very talented portrait painters. There was not as much explanation of the paintings, which I did miss. The castle held three giant puppet theaters and many mannequins in period costume, which were more than slightly creepy.
We then went outside to see more of the gardens, and had foccocia and croissants by the water lily pond. My MIL got mobbed by some very aggressive sparrows.
We admired the aviary and the free-roaming birds. The island is famous for its white peacocks, which are loud and like to scream at you.
We also saw a number of blue (traditional?) peacocks...
plus one fantastical creature that seemed to be a mix of the two. Edited to add: possibly this cool bi-colored bird was a peahen.
We then rode the ferry back to Stresa, and I confess that I failed to get a good photo of Isola Madre going in either direction.
The rest of the day: met up with DH and Younger Son at the dock. Went to get sandwiches, once again at Cicinin Panini al Metro. All were very good, although the vegetarian one had beets so I just had a small nibble of it. Also gelato, again at Langolo del Gelato. I really was tempted to get more Perla Nera, but I saw they had Violetta and I love that flavor, so I ended up with Violetta and Mandarinetta and both tasted great but were rather too sweet. This is why I usually get chocolate, coffee, or nut flavored gelato.
I might not bother blogging about packing up and driving over to Lake Como; the weather was lousy and I didn't take any good pictures.
Similar to Isola Bella, the two primary attractions are the garden and the castle. On Isola Bella, you have to do the castle tour first to get into the gardens. On Isola Madre, you have to walk through a large part of the garden to get up to the castle. The walks direct you to a single path around the island and upwards, with potential alternate routes clearly blocked off and labeled.
The gardens were lovely and cool at 10am. The flowers were amazing, especially the "water lily as large as my head" varietal.
We saw a number of tiny little lizards:
And the grounds, generally, were just lovely and provided some great views:
We then went into the castle, which felt less formal than the one on Isola Bella. The pictures are larger and better lit, and are very nice. Some of the Borromean countesses were gorgeous! Or else had very talented portrait painters. There was not as much explanation of the paintings, which I did miss. The castle held three giant puppet theaters and many mannequins in period costume, which were more than slightly creepy.
We then went outside to see more of the gardens, and had foccocia and croissants by the water lily pond. My MIL got mobbed by some very aggressive sparrows.
We admired the aviary and the free-roaming birds. The island is famous for its white peacocks, which are loud and like to scream at you.
We also saw a number of blue (traditional?) peacocks...
plus one fantastical creature that seemed to be a mix of the two. Edited to add: possibly this cool bi-colored bird was a peahen.
The rest of the day: met up with DH and Younger Son at the dock. Went to get sandwiches, once again at Cicinin Panini al Metro. All were very good, although the vegetarian one had beets so I just had a small nibble of it. Also gelato, again at Langolo del Gelato. I really was tempted to get more Perla Nera, but I saw they had Violetta and I love that flavor, so I ended up with Violetta and Mandarinetta and both tasted great but were rather too sweet. This is why I usually get chocolate, coffee, or nut flavored gelato.
I might not bother blogging about packing up and driving over to Lake Como; the weather was lousy and I didn't take any good pictures.
Friday, June 22, 2018
17th day of Summer Vacation: in which we make questionable decisions on Netflix
Still feeling under the weather. Broiling hot day outside. Other than giving the dog the walks he requests, it's been a good day for exploring the movie offerings on Netflix.
Mistakes were made.
The Covenant (2006) is a poorly reviewed movie that I ended up watching because it features early Sebastian Stan and Taylor Kitsch. The special effects are terrible. So is most of the acting. Also, the plot.
Moon (2009) is a low-budget, well-reviewed science fiction movie about a guy working alone on the far side of the moon. Stars Sam Rockwell, who does a remarkably good Everyman. I guessed at least one of the plot twists early on, but it's still a fantastic movie for the money.
Midnight in Paris (2012) is a well-reviewed film THAT WAS DIRECTED BY WOODY ALLEN, I am so sorry, my liberal credentials are all shot to hell for at least this one evening. I literally did not remember. I was in the mood for something light and lovely and, while Owen Wilson doesn't really tick that box for me, Rachel McAdams and Marion Cotillard certainly do. The soundtrack is bonkers-ass good.
I have a long list of movies I'd like to check out on Netflix this summer, so expect at least a couple of follow-up posts.
Mistakes were made.
The Covenant (2006) is a poorly reviewed movie that I ended up watching because it features early Sebastian Stan and Taylor Kitsch. The special effects are terrible. So is most of the acting. Also, the plot.
Moon (2009) is a low-budget, well-reviewed science fiction movie about a guy working alone on the far side of the moon. Stars Sam Rockwell, who does a remarkably good Everyman. I guessed at least one of the plot twists early on, but it's still a fantastic movie for the money.
Midnight in Paris (2012) is a well-reviewed film THAT WAS DIRECTED BY WOODY ALLEN, I am so sorry, my liberal credentials are all shot to hell for at least this one evening. I literally did not remember. I was in the mood for something light and lovely and, while Owen Wilson doesn't really tick that box for me, Rachel McAdams and Marion Cotillard certainly do. The soundtrack is bonkers-ass good.
I have a long list of movies I'd like to check out on Netflix this summer, so expect at least a couple of follow-up posts.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
16th day of Summer Vacation: in which we do Desperation Cooking
It's been a nutty few days around here. Several of my favorite people are moving away and I've been running around trying to have a last conversation with each of them before they depart. I'm pretty sure that I'll see all of them again, possibly even in the near future, but my brain doesn't accept that as a fact and I'm getting rather verklempt, just thinking about going to work and not having them there every day.
I also seem to be coming down with something: I'm sniffling, exhausted, and my entire body aches.
So, when it came time to get dinner on the table tonight, I was not feeling my finest. I found a big container of fried rice. I also found a small container of sausage-and-diced-mozzerella that had been intended to go into stuffed mushrooms, but I ran out of mushrooms long before I ran out of filling for them. So yes, I threw the two containers together in a serving bowl, microwaved it for 2 minutes, and put it out. And it was delicious.
We also had carrot sticks and some left-over tossed salad to round out our meal.
I also seem to be coming down with something: I'm sniffling, exhausted, and my entire body aches.
So, when it came time to get dinner on the table tonight, I was not feeling my finest. I found a big container of fried rice. I also found a small container of sausage-and-diced-mozzerella that had been intended to go into stuffed mushrooms, but I ran out of mushrooms long before I ran out of filling for them. So yes, I threw the two containers together in a serving bowl, microwaved it for 2 minutes, and put it out. And it was delicious.
We also had carrot sticks and some left-over tossed salad to round out our meal.
Monday, June 18, 2018
13th day of Summer Vacation: in which we review Han Asian Cuisine (aka The Hot Pot Restaurant)
The misleadingly named Han Asian Cuisine (in West Hartford) is actually a Chinese restaurant specializing in Hot Pot. What is hot pot, you may ask? It's a traditional form of cuisine, where in one or more pots of boiling hot broth are set on the table, along with platters of raw ingredients, and each person may cook whatever they like and then fish it out to eat.
All the tables have heaters for your individual pot of broth. They have 9 different kinds of broth; I'm a wimp so I stick with the Mushroom or Chinese Herbal, neither of which is spicy. They have a huge bar of dipping sauces, which you can mix yourself or ask one of the staff to help you. I generally go for House Sauce #1, to which I add fermented dried vegetables and Salty Leek Sauce (no, I am not making up that name). It's intensely salty, aromatic, flavorful. I use it sparingly on my food and drink several glasses of water. Other options include peanut sauce, Hoisin sauce, spicy broad bean sauce, fermented bean curd, and many others.
There's a giant a la carte menu, running to several pages and around a hundred options. For first-timers, I recommend going at lunch and getting the lunch special. For $12, you get your choice of broth, a serving of noodles, a serving of protein (basic options only: beef, lamb, pork, shrimp, chicken, or fish), and a generous platter of mixed vegetables and mushrooms. The platter includes Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, 4 types of mushrooms, sweet potato, potato, lotus root, two fried cubes of tofu, and some other goodies. I think it varies slightly by availability.
There's a similar dinner option, rather more expensive and with about twice as much food. We've found that one dinner option will provide enough vegetables for 2-4 people, so our family of four will generally order one dinner option and a lot of a la carte noodles and protein options to round out everyone's meal, plus 3 more pots of broth.
There's options to get 2 broths in one bowl (with a solid divider), but I haven't explored this. I really should. I could get one half of something safe and one half of something spicy.
There's a full page of appetizers, but I haven't tried any of them except the dumplings, which were quite good. I think there might be desserts, but we never end the meal at any condition except for groaningly full.
It's almost impossible to explain Hot Pot to anybody who didn't grow up in a Chinese family, so I recommend just going. The staff is very helpful and the $12 lunch will set you up nicely.
All the tables have heaters for your individual pot of broth. They have 9 different kinds of broth; I'm a wimp so I stick with the Mushroom or Chinese Herbal, neither of which is spicy. They have a huge bar of dipping sauces, which you can mix yourself or ask one of the staff to help you. I generally go for House Sauce #1, to which I add fermented dried vegetables and Salty Leek Sauce (no, I am not making up that name). It's intensely salty, aromatic, flavorful. I use it sparingly on my food and drink several glasses of water. Other options include peanut sauce, Hoisin sauce, spicy broad bean sauce, fermented bean curd, and many others.
There's a giant a la carte menu, running to several pages and around a hundred options. For first-timers, I recommend going at lunch and getting the lunch special. For $12, you get your choice of broth, a serving of noodles, a serving of protein (basic options only: beef, lamb, pork, shrimp, chicken, or fish), and a generous platter of mixed vegetables and mushrooms. The platter includes Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, 4 types of mushrooms, sweet potato, potato, lotus root, two fried cubes of tofu, and some other goodies. I think it varies slightly by availability.
There's a similar dinner option, rather more expensive and with about twice as much food. We've found that one dinner option will provide enough vegetables for 2-4 people, so our family of four will generally order one dinner option and a lot of a la carte noodles and protein options to round out everyone's meal, plus 3 more pots of broth.
There's options to get 2 broths in one bowl (with a solid divider), but I haven't explored this. I really should. I could get one half of something safe and one half of something spicy.
There's a full page of appetizers, but I haven't tried any of them except the dumplings, which were quite good. I think there might be desserts, but we never end the meal at any condition except for groaningly full.
It's almost impossible to explain Hot Pot to anybody who didn't grow up in a Chinese family, so I recommend just going. The staff is very helpful and the $12 lunch will set you up nicely.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
12th day of summer vacation: in which we review Minado
Minado is an all-you-can-eat sushi (and other Asian foods) buffet in Natick, MA. There are branches of it in a few other cities, but Natick is the closest one to us, and therefore the only one I've seen.
It's a large, well-lit space. Tables are placed far enough apart that you can move easily around the floor. They've got a few banquet tables (up to 20 people) near the front door. Smaller tables (seating 4 or 6 people) are near the food and tucked around on one side, behind the dessert display.
A waiter or waitress will seat you and take your drink order and that's it. Everything else is on available on the buffet or else they don't have it.
The serving area is shaped like a giant U. The right half of the right side is hot Asian food. The always have things like fried rice, tempura vegetables, and some type of teriyaki. The other dishes change, possibly in a pattern (is it always red snapper on Wednesdays?) but enough that you shouldn't go with your heart set on, let's say the red snapper, because it might be cod instead that day.
The back of the right side is a little dim sum assortment (crab rangoon, shu mai, dumplings, and egg rolls) and a little soup bar (ramen, soba, and udon) made to order by a chef. The noodles are pre-cooked, and just require a moment of warming up in boiling water. Then they're added to pork broth and topped with your choice of fixings. Sadly, soft-boiled egg isn't on the list, but they have pork, fish, and a variety of vegetables.
The left half of the right side is a salad bar, and honestly my favorite part of the whole meal. This one doesn't seem to change as much: they always have a couple Western-style tossed salads (lettuce, tomato, etc.). There's some type of seaweed salad. There's a ceviche salad. They've had edamame in the shell every time I've been there, although sometimes it's plain and sometimes it's spiced. Then there are some room-temperature cooked vegetable dishes, and some more cold seafood.
The center of the U-shape (which, remember, is closest to the seating area) has cold seafood. If you go at dinner, it's got king crab legs, shrimp cocktail, and about 6 types of sashimi. At lunch, it's a little less extravagant: just tuna and salmon sashimi, the last time we went. Plus more salads and something in small cups that I think was fresh crab meat, but I neglected to try any.
The right half of the left side is the sushi bar, for which they're most famous. They have over 50 types of sushi and maki, all clearly labeled. I usually take one of anything that sounds good, which makes for a gorgeous plate:
The picture above has well under half of their total offerings: I skipped all the sushi except for the inari, and also dodged all the maki with cream cheese or fried foods in it.
The back of the left hand side is open so that you can get to the bathrooms. The right half of the right side is fruits and desserts, and includes a soft-serve ice cream maker loaded with vanilla and green tea flavors.
So if you have aren't a huge eater but you've got a chance to eat at Minado, what should you try? Here's my totally biased recommendation: go easy on the sushi and maki. Yes, it's tempting to just take one of everything, but in most cases the sushi is competent rather than extraordinary. If you have definite tastes (I love inari and anything with tobiko and avocado), start with those. Similarly, the desserts are competent but not amazing, except for the lychee jello which really is great. Don't worry about saving room for more than a bite or two of the sweet stuff. [Exception: crepe station at dinner. See below.]
Out of the hot-food offerings, I think the red snapper, the fried scallops, and the teriyaki are the best. My cousins swear by the seafood stew. The green beans or Chinese broccoli, if they have them, are also solid choices. The tempura is really hit or miss - get some if the dish just came out and is still hot, but otherwise don't bother. The dim sum selection is very strong and I recommend getting one of everything that sounds good to you. The soup bar is relatively new and I haven't fully made up my mind about it. I used to say that I'd never turn down free ramen, but the lack of an egg has started to annoy me. The udon and soba are both enjoyable. Once again, if you like soup, then get one. The bowls are small, so you won't fill up on it.
If you go at dinner, there's a crepe station taking up part of the salad bar space. Those crepes are good! I'd spend my dessert calories there, if anywhere.
On the salad bar, I really love the fried eggplant, the baby bok choy with shitake mushrooms, and the sauteed spinach with sesame seeds. The seaweed salad is usually good, and the scallop ceviche was a revelation.
If you do go at dinner, load up on crab legs and shrimp cocktail. Both are presented well and they're a large part of why you're paying double at the dinner hour. The other reason is the sashimi, which is also really good.
Last thoughts: this is a great restaurant if you're a pescetarian, but a little more challenging if you're a vegetarian or vegan. A lot of things have fish sauce or fish flakes on them.
It's a large, well-lit space. Tables are placed far enough apart that you can move easily around the floor. They've got a few banquet tables (up to 20 people) near the front door. Smaller tables (seating 4 or 6 people) are near the food and tucked around on one side, behind the dessert display.
A waiter or waitress will seat you and take your drink order and that's it. Everything else is on available on the buffet or else they don't have it.
The serving area is shaped like a giant U. The right half of the right side is hot Asian food. The always have things like fried rice, tempura vegetables, and some type of teriyaki. The other dishes change, possibly in a pattern (is it always red snapper on Wednesdays?) but enough that you shouldn't go with your heart set on, let's say the red snapper, because it might be cod instead that day.
The back of the right side is a little dim sum assortment (crab rangoon, shu mai, dumplings, and egg rolls) and a little soup bar (ramen, soba, and udon) made to order by a chef. The noodles are pre-cooked, and just require a moment of warming up in boiling water. Then they're added to pork broth and topped with your choice of fixings. Sadly, soft-boiled egg isn't on the list, but they have pork, fish, and a variety of vegetables.
The left half of the right side is a salad bar, and honestly my favorite part of the whole meal. This one doesn't seem to change as much: they always have a couple Western-style tossed salads (lettuce, tomato, etc.). There's some type of seaweed salad. There's a ceviche salad. They've had edamame in the shell every time I've been there, although sometimes it's plain and sometimes it's spiced. Then there are some room-temperature cooked vegetable dishes, and some more cold seafood.
The center of the U-shape (which, remember, is closest to the seating area) has cold seafood. If you go at dinner, it's got king crab legs, shrimp cocktail, and about 6 types of sashimi. At lunch, it's a little less extravagant: just tuna and salmon sashimi, the last time we went. Plus more salads and something in small cups that I think was fresh crab meat, but I neglected to try any.
The right half of the left side is the sushi bar, for which they're most famous. They have over 50 types of sushi and maki, all clearly labeled. I usually take one of anything that sounds good, which makes for a gorgeous plate:
The picture above has well under half of their total offerings: I skipped all the sushi except for the inari, and also dodged all the maki with cream cheese or fried foods in it.
The back of the left hand side is open so that you can get to the bathrooms. The right half of the right side is fruits and desserts, and includes a soft-serve ice cream maker loaded with vanilla and green tea flavors.
So if you have aren't a huge eater but you've got a chance to eat at Minado, what should you try? Here's my totally biased recommendation: go easy on the sushi and maki. Yes, it's tempting to just take one of everything, but in most cases the sushi is competent rather than extraordinary. If you have definite tastes (I love inari and anything with tobiko and avocado), start with those. Similarly, the desserts are competent but not amazing, except for the lychee jello which really is great. Don't worry about saving room for more than a bite or two of the sweet stuff. [Exception: crepe station at dinner. See below.]
Out of the hot-food offerings, I think the red snapper, the fried scallops, and the teriyaki are the best. My cousins swear by the seafood stew. The green beans or Chinese broccoli, if they have them, are also solid choices. The tempura is really hit or miss - get some if the dish just came out and is still hot, but otherwise don't bother. The dim sum selection is very strong and I recommend getting one of everything that sounds good to you. The soup bar is relatively new and I haven't fully made up my mind about it. I used to say that I'd never turn down free ramen, but the lack of an egg has started to annoy me. The udon and soba are both enjoyable. Once again, if you like soup, then get one. The bowls are small, so you won't fill up on it.
If you go at dinner, there's a crepe station taking up part of the salad bar space. Those crepes are good! I'd spend my dessert calories there, if anywhere.
On the salad bar, I really love the fried eggplant, the baby bok choy with shitake mushrooms, and the sauteed spinach with sesame seeds. The seaweed salad is usually good, and the scallop ceviche was a revelation.
If you do go at dinner, load up on crab legs and shrimp cocktail. Both are presented well and they're a large part of why you're paying double at the dinner hour. The other reason is the sashimi, which is also really good.
Last thoughts: this is a great restaurant if you're a pescetarian, but a little more challenging if you're a vegetarian or vegan. A lot of things have fish sauce or fish flakes on them.
Friday, June 15, 2018
10th day of summer vacation, in which we try new recipes
I've cooked some really delicious things in the recent past, so without further ado here's a round-up of some recent recipe triumphs.
Summer Squash Couscous with Sultanas, Pistachios, and Mint from Food 52: this is insanely delicious and naturally vegetarian. It can be made vegan if you swap in agave nectar for the honey, and gluten-free if you swap in quinoa for the couscous. We liked it better after letting it sit for a few hours: the mint fragrance spreads throughout the salad.
Olive Oil Blondies with Chocolate Frosting by Molly Yeh: I don't bother frosting them, and I put in more chocolate chips. They're yummy and the prep time is under 5 minutes.
Melissa Clark's Excellent White Bread from The Wednesday Chef: very good white bread
Tempered Lentils from Serendib Kitchen: this was really, really tasty and made excellent leftovers. My friend Roshani says that they aren't fully authentic, as they come out too soupy, but I still love this dish.
Cauliflower Poriyal from Serendib Kitchen: takes a long time to cook, but almost no effort while it's cooking, and the result is incredibly delicious
Coffee Break Muffins from Dorie Greenspan: really good coffee flavor, but they don't keep well
Basic Muffins from King Arthur Flour: easy to make, easy to riff upon
Baked Oatmeal with Caramelized Pears and Vanilla Cream from Smitten Kitchen Every Day (which I checked out from the library): it's a bit fussy, but totally delicious and reheats well.
Summer Squash Couscous with Sultanas, Pistachios, and Mint from Food 52: this is insanely delicious and naturally vegetarian. It can be made vegan if you swap in agave nectar for the honey, and gluten-free if you swap in quinoa for the couscous. We liked it better after letting it sit for a few hours: the mint fragrance spreads throughout the salad.
Olive Oil Blondies with Chocolate Frosting by Molly Yeh: I don't bother frosting them, and I put in more chocolate chips. They're yummy and the prep time is under 5 minutes.
Melissa Clark's Excellent White Bread from The Wednesday Chef: very good white bread
Tempered Lentils from Serendib Kitchen: this was really, really tasty and made excellent leftovers. My friend Roshani says that they aren't fully authentic, as they come out too soupy, but I still love this dish.
Cauliflower Poriyal from Serendib Kitchen: takes a long time to cook, but almost no effort while it's cooking, and the result is incredibly delicious
Coffee Break Muffins from Dorie Greenspan: really good coffee flavor, but they don't keep well
Basic Muffins from King Arthur Flour: easy to make, easy to riff upon
Baked Oatmeal with Caramelized Pears and Vanilla Cream from Smitten Kitchen Every Day (which I checked out from the library): it's a bit fussy, but totally delicious and reheats well.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
8th day of Summer Vacation: in which we talk about Altered Carbon, the TV show
We started watching Altered Carbon back in March, but work got in the way and we always wanted to watch at least two episodes at a sitting... and so we ended up finishing it last night.
I have thoughts. So many thoughts.
But first of all, I should clarify that this is only a discussion of the TV show. I've read the book multiple times, and there's a separate discussion to be had, where in I compare and contrast them. But that is not today, not this discussion.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
SPOILERS ABOUND.
If I hadn't already read the book and several spoiler-free but extensive reviews, I might have stopped watching half-way through the first episode. So confusing! So many people! So much darkness! (literal darkness, as in I couldn't make the action on the screen; also, so much spiritual darkness.) But I hung in there, and it rewarded me with Poe, the AI-hotel, plus a hallucination of Rei, the long-lost baby sister.
Rei is played by Dichen Lachman, whom I have adored since her days on Dollhouse. She does a lot of work in the SF genre but I still feel like she doesn't get featured prominently enough. Chris Campbell is also terrific, if underused, as Poe.
The first six episodes proceed competently. Joel Kinnaman does a nice job of playing dark-and-broody Takeshi Kovacs. Martha Higareda delights as the hyper-competent Kristen Ortega. The entire Bancroft family comes across as weird, just something slightly wrong with each of them...which is perfect. There IS something wrong with each of them and it just takes Tak and the viewer a little while to figure out what it is.
Special shout-out to Matt Biedel, who does a fantastic job of playing Kristen's abuela in one episode, and then plays a very convincing Dimi the Twin in two other episodes.
Some of the scenes are just too dark, literally, and I had to depend on subtitles and intelligent guessing to deduce what was going on.
Episode seven changed everything for me. I love-love-loved Will Yun Lee's portrayal of Takeshi. I also felt that it was Dichen Lachman's best performance of the series; she's better when her character has a chance to relax a little. Renee Elise Goldberry is terrific as Quellchrist Falconer throughout the series, but this episode finally gave her a chance to do something meaty with the role, and she delivered.
Heck, did she ever deliver.
And that was a problem for me, because episodes eight through ten just felt flat to me. But I liked the pay-off, and I will definitely watch a second season if they make one.
I have thoughts. So many thoughts.
But first of all, I should clarify that this is only a discussion of the TV show. I've read the book multiple times, and there's a separate discussion to be had, where in I compare and contrast them. But that is not today, not this discussion.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
SPOILERS ABOUND.
If I hadn't already read the book and several spoiler-free but extensive reviews, I might have stopped watching half-way through the first episode. So confusing! So many people! So much darkness! (literal darkness, as in I couldn't make the action on the screen; also, so much spiritual darkness.) But I hung in there, and it rewarded me with Poe, the AI-hotel, plus a hallucination of Rei, the long-lost baby sister.
Rei is played by Dichen Lachman, whom I have adored since her days on Dollhouse. She does a lot of work in the SF genre but I still feel like she doesn't get featured prominently enough. Chris Campbell is also terrific, if underused, as Poe.
The first six episodes proceed competently. Joel Kinnaman does a nice job of playing dark-and-broody Takeshi Kovacs. Martha Higareda delights as the hyper-competent Kristen Ortega. The entire Bancroft family comes across as weird, just something slightly wrong with each of them...which is perfect. There IS something wrong with each of them and it just takes Tak and the viewer a little while to figure out what it is.
Special shout-out to Matt Biedel, who does a fantastic job of playing Kristen's abuela in one episode, and then plays a very convincing Dimi the Twin in two other episodes.
Some of the scenes are just too dark, literally, and I had to depend on subtitles and intelligent guessing to deduce what was going on.
Episode seven changed everything for me. I love-love-loved Will Yun Lee's portrayal of Takeshi. I also felt that it was Dichen Lachman's best performance of the series; she's better when her character has a chance to relax a little. Renee Elise Goldberry is terrific as Quellchrist Falconer throughout the series, but this episode finally gave her a chance to do something meaty with the role, and she delivered.
Heck, did she ever deliver.
And that was a problem for me, because episodes eight through ten just felt flat to me. But I liked the pay-off, and I will definitely watch a second season if they make one.
Monday, June 11, 2018
6th day of Summer Vacation: in which we talk about Head On by John Scalzi
I just binge-read Head On (Lock in #2) by John Scalzi. I would have literally read it in one sitting, except that real life kept intruding. I made dinner, found the viola, walked the dog... and read. Voraciously.
It's really fun. Lots of good snark. Female detective kicking ass, etc. I still haven't decided what gender Chris is, but I generally read them as male. This might just be because I know the author identifies as male...
I usually treat Scalzi's books as must-read, but for some reason I'm having a terrible time getting into The Collapsing Empire, which isn't good as it's a Hugo nominee and I'm thus expected to read it by the end of July.
It's really fun. Lots of good snark. Female detective kicking ass, etc. I still haven't decided what gender Chris is, but I generally read them as male. This might just be because I know the author identifies as male...
I usually treat Scalzi's books as must-read, but for some reason I'm having a terrible time getting into The Collapsing Empire, which isn't good as it's a Hugo nominee and I'm thus expected to read it by the end of July.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
4th day of Summer Vacation: in which we watch sports all day
It was a really busy school year and I ended up recording a lot of things on the TiVo. Foremost among these would be the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Well, the Belmont Stakes is on today, and Justified is potentially going to win the Triple Crown, so I made time to watch the previous two races while also cuddling the dog and doing some cooking.
Prior to that, a random tweet alerted me to the fact that it's also the finals of the French Open, and tennis is one of my favorite sports to watch... so Halep vs. Stephens it was, while I slurped down some cereal and tried to organize my morning.
In other words, I usually average less than 3 hours a week of sports-watching, and I put in something like 8 hours today. (I did fast forward over much of the commentary on the horse races.) I don't think I'll do that again, anytime soon.
Prior to that, a random tweet alerted me to the fact that it's also the finals of the French Open, and tennis is one of my favorite sports to watch... so Halep vs. Stephens it was, while I slurped down some cereal and tried to organize my morning.
In other words, I usually average less than 3 hours a week of sports-watching, and I put in something like 8 hours today. (I did fast forward over much of the commentary on the horse races.) I don't think I'll do that again, anytime soon.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
1st Day of Summer Vacation: in which we realize that I've eaten out too frequently
Today: lunch at the local country club, which makes a nice gyro sandwich and has craft beer on tap. Saying good-bye to a great colleague, who's headed back to graduate school.
Yesterday: Korean BBQ with a close friend who felt that she needed to eat more protein. Holy heck. All the protein. Plus some banchan that I'd never tried before.
Monday: bubble tea at the mall. Lousy bubble tea. They weren't even sure they had tapioca boba available and tried to talk me into getting fruit boba instead. Fortunately, they had just enough tapioca for our orders. Then we went out for Chinese at a new-to-us place just north of here. They had great sushi - like, really really well done futomaki and Tango the Mango - and also Peking Duck without pre-ordering it. The rest of the meal was only OK, but I'd go back just for the sushi and duck options.
Sunday: burgers with two former students, one now in college and the other doing an internship over the summer. They're doing wonderfully well. It's so good to see them being independent and growing up to be Strong Women in Science.
Saturday: Brunch at Panera after my house-guest took the SAT. I had a very well made ham-cheddar-scrambled egg sandwich. She said the croissant was superior.
Friday: Indian food. Delicious, but far too much dairy. I lost track of the dairy pills I'd taken.
Thursday: Italian food with visiting relatives from the Phillipines, followed by ice cream. I got Thai Ice Tea flavor. It was amazing.
Wednesday: Starbucks coffee with an almond croissant. I will do almost anything for almond-flavored baked goods. Also, I love the easy availability of non-dairy coffee options.
Tuesday: really good ice cream at a locally owned shop. I did two separate trips out there with students and ended up eating a LOT of ice cream. Plus all the dairy pills in my purse. I believe I tried Strawberry Oreo, Bergamot, Double Dark Chocolate, and Coffee.
Yesterday: Korean BBQ with a close friend who felt that she needed to eat more protein. Holy heck. All the protein. Plus some banchan that I'd never tried before.
Monday: bubble tea at the mall. Lousy bubble tea. They weren't even sure they had tapioca boba available and tried to talk me into getting fruit boba instead. Fortunately, they had just enough tapioca for our orders. Then we went out for Chinese at a new-to-us place just north of here. They had great sushi - like, really really well done futomaki and Tango the Mango - and also Peking Duck without pre-ordering it. The rest of the meal was only OK, but I'd go back just for the sushi and duck options.
Sunday: burgers with two former students, one now in college and the other doing an internship over the summer. They're doing wonderfully well. It's so good to see them being independent and growing up to be Strong Women in Science.
Saturday: Brunch at Panera after my house-guest took the SAT. I had a very well made ham-cheddar-scrambled egg sandwich. She said the croissant was superior.
Friday: Indian food. Delicious, but far too much dairy. I lost track of the dairy pills I'd taken.
Thursday: Italian food with visiting relatives from the Phillipines, followed by ice cream. I got Thai Ice Tea flavor. It was amazing.
Wednesday: Starbucks coffee with an almond croissant. I will do almost anything for almond-flavored baked goods. Also, I love the easy availability of non-dairy coffee options.
Tuesday: really good ice cream at a locally owned shop. I did two separate trips out there with students and ended up eating a LOT of ice cream. Plus all the dairy pills in my purse. I believe I tried Strawberry Oreo, Bergamot, Double Dark Chocolate, and Coffee.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
0th Day of Summer Vacation: in which we read about multiple choice testing
Hi everyone! Long time no see... it's been a crazy busy year, mostly positive, but still just leaving me with almost no time in which to blog.
Today, I handed in my last official things at noon. So it's not really the first day of summer vacation, but I thought I'd establish a good habit. I'm not going to make myself blog every day, as that's clearly unrealistic, but maybe four times per week would be doable.
This afternoon, I took an accidental nap, drove a friend to the airport, did a small grocery run (and forgot the shopping list, and thus only got 4 of the 8 things that were on it), and read the first half of Learning and Assessing with Multiple Choice Questions in College Classrooms by Jay Parkes and Dawn Zimmaro. It's a little dense, but mostly quite readable and I'm getting a lot out of it. My plan is to skim the first time (this is the stage I'm currently in) and the read more closely while taking notes the second time. Currently my favorite part is that all the examples are being drawn from a statistics classroom and a science classroom, which means that I actually understand most of the questions being used as examples.
I have a long to-do list this summer and doing some casual professional development is high on that list. I took out five books from the library and I might be back mid-summer to pick up more.
I've got a few restaurant and book reviews planned for the rest of this week. Stay cool, stay dry, stay hydrated...
Today, I handed in my last official things at noon. So it's not really the first day of summer vacation, but I thought I'd establish a good habit. I'm not going to make myself blog every day, as that's clearly unrealistic, but maybe four times per week would be doable.
This afternoon, I took an accidental nap, drove a friend to the airport, did a small grocery run (and forgot the shopping list, and thus only got 4 of the 8 things that were on it), and read the first half of Learning and Assessing with Multiple Choice Questions in College Classrooms by Jay Parkes and Dawn Zimmaro. It's a little dense, but mostly quite readable and I'm getting a lot out of it. My plan is to skim the first time (this is the stage I'm currently in) and the read more closely while taking notes the second time. Currently my favorite part is that all the examples are being drawn from a statistics classroom and a science classroom, which means that I actually understand most of the questions being used as examples.
I have a long to-do list this summer and doing some casual professional development is high on that list. I took out five books from the library and I might be back mid-summer to pick up more.
I've got a few restaurant and book reviews planned for the rest of this week. Stay cool, stay dry, stay hydrated...
Sunday, January 28, 2018
My best recipes: Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
Lightly adapted from Cranberry-Nut Coffee Cake, page 428 in New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill. Original recipe by Marilyn Froim.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt (whole-fat) or sour cream
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce, preferably home-made
1) Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Butter (and flour?) a 10-inch tube pan.
2) In a nonreactive large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until blended. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat well.
3) Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat into the creamed mixture alternatively with the yogurt. Add the almonds and stir to combine.
4) Spread half of the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the cranberry sauce over the batter. Spoon in the remaining batter. Top with the remaining sauce. (Don't smear it out... you want it to sink into the batter as the batter rises around it.)
5) Bake the cake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the pan and finish cooling on a rack.
Monday, January 8, 2018
My best recipes: Molasses Cookies with Chopped Candied Ginger
Molasses Cookies with Chopped Candied Ginger
Adapted from Great
Cookies by Carole Walter
◦ 1 1/2 sticks, unsalted butter
◦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
◦ 2 teaspoons baking soda
◦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
◦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
◦ 3/4 teaspoon salt
◦ 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
◦ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for rolling cookies in
◦ 1/4 cup dark molasses (85 g)
◦ 1 large egg
◦ 1/3 to 1/2 cup finelychopped candied ginger
Directions
1.Melt the butter in a 3 quart, heavy saucepan over low heat.
2.Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger,
salt and cloves and then set it aside.
3.Using a wooden spoon, stir 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, molasses,
and egg into the butter, mixing until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, one-half
at a time, and blend well. Put the dough in a large plastic freezer bag,
or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
4.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the racks in the
upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
5.Shape the dough into 1-inch balls or you can use an ice cream
scoop to form the balls. (or you can make 2/3 inch balls, which don’t spread
quite as much.) Place some sugar in a shallow bowl, and roll the dough balls in
the sugar to coat them. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheets 2 inches
apart from each other as they will spread.
6.Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes until the tops begin to
crack. Remove from the oven and leave them on the cookie sheets for three
minutes and then remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula to cool on a
rack.
Makes 24 big cookies or 48 small ones
Tips
These cookies freeze really well. You can
store them in an airtight container, just layer the cookies with wax paper in
between and they should last up to 3 weeks.
All cookies need to be the same size so
that they will bake evenly. To insure that all your cookies will be the same
size, use an ice cream scoop.
If you’re shipping your homemade cookies
for the holidays, these ship extremely well.
The dough keeps in the fridge for at least a week.
You can order finely chopped candied ginger at Nuts.com
You can order finely chopped candied ginger at Nuts.com
Original version of this recipe at Mama's Gotta Bake.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Winter Storm Grayson
We're in the process of digging out after Winter Storm Grayson. I forgot to get pictures, but we received about 12 inches of snow. It's cold, blustery, and beautiful out. I loaded up all the bird feeders, squirrel feeder, and suet cage, because holy heck this is a lousy winter for the wildlife.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Preview to viewing for the Hugo Awards (movies and TV shows)
The category "Best Dramatic Presentation (Longform)" is the only one where I've usually seen all the finalists before the final ballot comes out. I don't watch that much TV these days, and what I do watch is usually just police procedurals. I keep meaning to watch The Expanse or The Magicians... I saw Person of Interest about two years too late and really enjoyed it, so maybe there's hope for me?
The movies I would nominate right now are as follows:
Logan
Wonder Woman
The Last Jedi
Coco
Blade Runner 2049
Movies I've seen that would technically qualify, but aren't in my top 5:
Beauty and the Beast
Power Rangers
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
The Dark Tower
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Movies I should probably see before nominating:
Get Out
Justice League
Alien: Covenant
Marjorie Prime
Ghost in the Shell
Okja
Bright
Flatliners
Any other movies from 2017 that I should try to see in the next month?
The movies I would nominate right now are as follows:
Logan
Wonder Woman
The Last Jedi
Coco
Blade Runner 2049
Movies I've seen that would technically qualify, but aren't in my top 5:
Beauty and the Beast
Power Rangers
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
The Dark Tower
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Movies I should probably see before nominating:
Get Out
Justice League
Alien: Covenant
Marjorie Prime
Ghost in the Shell
Okja
Bright
Flatliners
Any other movies from 2017 that I should try to see in the next month?
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Preview to Reading for the Hugo Awards (novels)
This year, my older son has decided that he'd like to be a Hugo voter, so we bought him a Supporting Membership as one of his presents. I showed him where we keep the stack of novels to read, and have started texting him with links to cool short stories.
These are the Hugo eligible novels that I've read thus far:
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
The Stone Sky by N K Jemisin
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
Novella length:
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi (edited to add: not eligible, because audiobook was 2016)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker
I've developed a bad habit of dipping into books and then losing track of them, and hence not finishing them. Included on that list are
New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King
City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
These are the Hugo eligible novels that I've read thus far:
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
The Stone Sky by N K Jemisin
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
Novella length:
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi (edited to add: not eligible, because audiobook was 2016)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker
I've developed a bad habit of dipping into books and then losing track of them, and hence not finishing them. Included on that list are
New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King
City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Then there's the books I've purchased but haven't read yet...
Artemis by Andy Weir
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
Provenance by Ann Leckie
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The Last Good Man by Linda Nagata
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente
I really need to buckle down and start reading!
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Favorite Movies from 2017
Hidden Figures: started 2017 off right, by watching this with a few friends. I absolutely adored it and nominated it for a Hugo.
Logan: really good, really sad, loved the character of Laura.
Wonder Woman: loved the first 2/3 of this. Last 1/3 devolved into a more typical action movie, but was still good.
The Big Sick: absolutely wonderful, heart-breaking movie about inter-racial love and traumatic illness
The Last Jedi: I have mixed feelings about Admiral Holdo and the entire subplot of Canto Bight, but Carrie Fisher rocks, Kelly Marie Tran rocks, Oscar Isaac (amusingly) has chemistry with everyone he meets, and the porgs are adorable.
Deadpool (late to the party, I know): finally watched this and loved it, as expected.
Murder on the Orient Express: nothing very new in this new version of the classic, but the acting is great and the cinematography is gorgeous.
Blade Runner 2049: I never quite bought the hype about the first one, with its many different versions, so I went into this with realistic expectations. Sadly for me, I spotted one of the the major plot twists far too early. But I did like most of the plot and the scenery was gorgeous and yes, I'd totally watch it again.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: I really like Cara Delevigne and she made the movie sparkle in her (unfairly limited) role as Laureline. The sets were gorgeous and the first major scene of the agents in action was truly mind-blowing. After that, the movie devolved into "meh" territory, including the insta-romance and the half-baked conspiracy plot. But I'd still watch it again...
Coco: look, I'll be honest... despite loving the music, I'm that one person who made major issues with this movie. Of course, seeing a Mexican family centered in a major motion picture is a huge step forward for Disney. But I kept thinking about how the kid was pretty clearly being physically abused, and how terrified he was of his older relatives, and how his wishes were completely ignored by them. It's not a pretty picture, when viewed through that lens. Also, the religious view of the movie is that you can't ever get away from your family, even in death... which means that if your family include your abuser(s), you can never get away from them. Grim stuff in what's supposed to be an uplifting children's movie. But I'll watch it again just for the music.
Logan: really good, really sad, loved the character of Laura.
Wonder Woman: loved the first 2/3 of this. Last 1/3 devolved into a more typical action movie, but was still good.
The Big Sick: absolutely wonderful, heart-breaking movie about inter-racial love and traumatic illness
The Last Jedi: I have mixed feelings about Admiral Holdo and the entire subplot of Canto Bight, but Carrie Fisher rocks, Kelly Marie Tran rocks, Oscar Isaac (amusingly) has chemistry with everyone he meets, and the porgs are adorable.
Deadpool (late to the party, I know): finally watched this and loved it, as expected.
Murder on the Orient Express: nothing very new in this new version of the classic, but the acting is great and the cinematography is gorgeous.
Blade Runner 2049: I never quite bought the hype about the first one, with its many different versions, so I went into this with realistic expectations. Sadly for me, I spotted one of the the major plot twists far too early. But I did like most of the plot and the scenery was gorgeous and yes, I'd totally watch it again.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: I really like Cara Delevigne and she made the movie sparkle in her (unfairly limited) role as Laureline. The sets were gorgeous and the first major scene of the agents in action was truly mind-blowing. After that, the movie devolved into "meh" territory, including the insta-romance and the half-baked conspiracy plot. But I'd still watch it again...
Coco: look, I'll be honest... despite loving the music, I'm that one person who made major issues with this movie. Of course, seeing a Mexican family centered in a major motion picture is a huge step forward for Disney. But I kept thinking about how the kid was pretty clearly being physically abused, and how terrified he was of his older relatives, and how his wishes were completely ignored by them. It's not a pretty picture, when viewed through that lens. Also, the religious view of the movie is that you can't ever get away from your family, even in death... which means that if your family include your abuser(s), you can never get away from them. Grim stuff in what's supposed to be an uplifting children's movie. But I'll watch it again just for the music.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Welcome to 2018
How did I do with last year's resolutions? Well, the whole "more people less screens" resolution worked out so well that I've watched ZERO new TV shows this year, and barely kept up with my old ones. In fact, I felt like I was looking for excuses to drop shows.
Hawaii 5-O loses both its Asian leads? GONE.
Code Black cans Raza Jaffrey after the first season? BYE-BYE
Losing interest in NCIS? (but really, the interest had been fading ever since Cote de Pablo left the show in 2013) SO OVER IT.
I didn't particularly get healthier, but I don't think I got less healthy.
I read 211 books, tried 66 new recipes, and watched 26 movies.
This year's possible resolutions are to get savvier with technology, find a way to get more exercise, and make better use of my physical cookbooks. (I tend to work straight from cooking blogs.) Plus, of course, the usual trio of reading, movies, new recipes.
Hawaii 5-O loses both its Asian leads? GONE.
Code Black cans Raza Jaffrey after the first season? BYE-BYE
Losing interest in NCIS? (but really, the interest had been fading ever since Cote de Pablo left the show in 2013) SO OVER IT.
I didn't particularly get healthier, but I don't think I got less healthy.
I read 211 books, tried 66 new recipes, and watched 26 movies.
This year's possible resolutions are to get savvier with technology, find a way to get more exercise, and make better use of my physical cookbooks. (I tend to work straight from cooking blogs.) Plus, of course, the usual trio of reading, movies, new recipes.
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