Bar and Grill Restaurants part II

In Part II of my post about bar and grill restaurants, I thought I would share how I feel about a few more restaurants in my neighborhood.

Outback is probably my favorite out of all of the bar and grill restaurants. I love their pork chops. Yummmmmmmmy. They are seasoned so well and then grilled to perfection. They also have hot wings which are fried chicken drummettes in spicy flour. These are served with blue cheese dressing which has big chucks of blue cheese in it. For my side item, I like the hot sweet potato with cinnamon sugar and butter. That is like a desert in itself. For the salad, I like a departure from the normal boring iceberg lettuce and tomato wedges. They have a blue cheese pecan salad that is served with a vinaigrette that complements all the salad's flavors. The only word for it is "AWESOME". It is a little expensive to eat here and that is probably why I spend most of my time fantasizing about the food instead of actually eating it. To order pork chop (half portion) sweet potato (as a side) and blue cheese salad will cost $15. I get take out so that I do not have to leave a tip. I think that spending that close to $20 on one meal for one person is a bit much (especially since we are in a recession).

Fatz Café has calabash chicken (their version of chicken strips) and a great cobb salad. I do not have a lot to say about Fatz because I have not been there in a while. The reason is this. I love bread and they are the only restaurant that consistently served bread that is very greasy. They have these little poppy seed rolls that are apparently deep fried. It is not that I am against deep frying anything (I love it) but I think the people at the Fatz in my neighborhood do not understand when they are supposed to take the rolls out of the fryer. When the bread soaks up that much grease, it goes from yummy to yucky quicker than a Lamborghini at a drag race.

Appleby's used to be the place for me to go every weekend for a great salad. I suppose that new management of the restaurant chain decided that they needed to update Appleby's image and try a barrage of different ideas. That resulted in new menus that tossed out all that used to work and added food items that were blasé. For example, they introduced pasta bowls. Ummmm, no. Why pay $10 for a bowl spaghetti with teriyaki sauce when the local Chinese restaurant does it 10 times better? The good thing for me is that they did not lose the blackened chicken salad. It is a salad with tomatoes, boiled egg, cheese, and grilled chicken. The bad thing is that every time I go to Appleby's I have to search the updated menu to find the salad before I can order. I do not like the garlic bread that serve with the salad. They used to give plain bread and that was fine with me. But now...I suppose that is a plate enhancement. And as for the riblets, they still serve those but I do not think they are a good as they used to be. Once I did try the spinach-shrimp salad they have on the menu. The garlic from the salad stayed on my breath through numerous peppermints and a tooth brushing. I like to enjoy my food but I do not want it to stay with me for so long after I eat.

Milk Screen- home alcohol-in-breastmilk test

For the mom who cares enough to breastfeed but not enough 2 stop drinking alcohol.
Or maybe this is used by Health Services before they take away the alcoholic mother's baby.

What I like to eat: Bar and Grill restaurants

I was hungry and thinking about what I like at the different restaurants in town.

Ruby Tuesdays

They have an awesome salad bar. Iceberg, romaine, and baby greens are the lettuce options. Topping include tomatoes, boiled egg piece, ham, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, blue cheese, shredded beets, carrots, raisins, and dried cranberries. There are a lot more items on the bar, but I cannot think of all of them right now. My favorite thing to order is the turkey mini combo. It comes with two turkey mini burgers, baked potato (or fries), and salad bar. I usually fill up on the salad bar and take the burgers home for another meal.

Chilis

Many people say they like the baby back ribs. But I order the honey-chipotle chicken crispers plate. It comes with fries (or loaded mashed potatoes) and corn on the cob. I wish they served baked potatoes (less calories than current options).

O’Charleys

I love the rolls, especially when they are hot out the oven. When served with a side of loaded baked potato soup, it is a yummy appetizer for lunch. This is not the most figure friendly lunch because of all the carbs involved, but is alright every once in a while. I usually order chicken tenders tossed in chipotle sauce or the club sandwich.

Upcoming post: Outback, Fatz café, Appleby’s

2009 Spring storm

There was a tornado on Friday night.  There was a louding wooooooo-ing sound and then the power went out. The rain was pouring as if the sky was going to fall. The thunderous claps sounded as if someone was throwing furniture from the roof onto a hardwood floor. 

The next day, the sun was shining brightly as the bad weather had passed. But the aftermath was evident. 

Trees were broken like toothpicks and power lines curled up like dental floss. 

Awesome display of nature's power.

My new fave female singers

I love all different types of music. I listen to different online radio
stations channels all the time. But, for me to add singers to my IPOD I
have to really love the artist. I bought all the songs off of Amazon.com
and these latest acquisitions reflect how I have been feeling these
days.
These female singers all have different, not too depressing, sounding
voices. The music is some what up-tempo, bit not too fast. The genres
range from electronica to trip-hop. Nothing sounds like candy pop or
heavy metal or R&B or country. If you like listening to the music that
you hear on the car radio, you probably will not these songs. Or you
might feel like I did when I first hear them. They invoked such emotion
that I felt like I identified with the songs immediately.

Mirah - Generosity
Laura Gibson - Spirited
The Blow - True Affection (this is a group but I make the exception
because the lead singer is a girl)
Sia - Breathe Me

Countries I would like to visit--- check

I found a list of places I said that I would like to go on vacation. I
made this list like 5 years ago. I am happy to say that I have almost
been to all my vacation destinations. Yea! I guess I need to think of
some places to visit.

Mexico Cozumel - Been there several times, saw the ruins, laid out on
the beach, and did my part for the tequila industry. Wooo Hooo.

Dominican Republic Santo Domingo - Planning to go this year. I am so
VERY excited

Cayman Islands Grand Cayman - Been there, was not impressed. The people
acted like I was doing them a favor by visiting. And the USD is weak
when compared to GC money. In the stores, I was constantly converting
prices and saying to myself why it was not worth buying. On the plus
side, I did visit Hell, Grand Cayman, the turtle farm, and the Tortuga
Rum Factory. Pineapple and Mango rum are awesome.

Belize Ambergris Caye - Need to go but every trip to Belize seems to
stop in Belize City. One of these days, I want to do the tourist trip to
Belize.

Virgin Islands St. Thomas - I heard that USVI are nice and St Thomas has
good beaches.

Bahamas Nassau - Been there lots of times and done all the tourist
stuff: The Atlantis, Queen Anne staircase, laid out on the beach, and
toured the island. If I get to go again, I would like to go to the
botanical gardens.

Ten qualities a good friend should have

I was in a reflective mood.

We are for the most part are very social beings. This means that we want
and need friends. Being a friend takes work and a lot of effort. A good
friend will be there for you to celebrate the good times and cry with
you during the troublesome times. I developed my list of 10 qualities I
think a good friend should have. These days, it is harder and harder to
find those rare people who truly possess all the qualities listed below.

1. Loyalty
2. Empathy
3. Honesty
4. Self-control
5. Patience
6. Thoughtfulness
7. Courage
8. Good listener
9. Selflessness
10. Humility

When you find some one like that, do whatever it takes to cultivate a
lasting friendship. Let me know what your top 10 qualities are or leave
comment on my list.

Become a coupon savvy shopper

We all have to look for ways to save money. Here are my 3 tips to help
you become a savvy coupon shopper.
And the tips do work. I save $40 yesterday at Bi-lo supermarket using my
coupons with store sales. Wooo Hooooo!

1. Check the sales papers and circle the items which you have the
coupons. Attach the coupons to the sales paper so that you do not have
to search for the coupon at the store. (You can also print coupons from
coupons.com). When you go to the store, you do not have to waste time
looking for the coupon.

2. When there are BOGOF (buy one get one free) items, check to see if
you have 2 coupons for those items you can use for those items. The
store scanner notes that 2 items were scanned and therefore the 2
coupons are valid. So in the end you will get 2 products for less than
the price of 1.

3. Check clearance products aisles and see if you have any coupons for
those products. This only works if the product does not have the
product's original bar code marked out.

BEWARE, saving money is addictive. You might get to the point where you
do not want to pay full price for anything!

Dumb questions at work

A lady asked me, "Why do you keep calling products from Mexico imports?"
I said, "Because Mexico is another country. Import products come from another country into the US."
Then she said, "Mexico is not considered another country."
At that point, I stopped the conversation because I did not want to risk an aneurysm.

Comments on news stories of today 4/2/09

http://www.newser.com/story/55009/ex-law-order-star-leave-bristol-alone.html
I am not a political person, but I even I cannot believe that she said that Repubs have class and do not judge other people. Has she watched any news on Fox? The majority of their programming is based on judging those who do not believe like they do.
I do not really think that people care so much about Bristol Palin. Everyone knew that guy was not going to marry her from the beginning. That was something they said in hopes of seeming like they had high moral standards (even though abstinence would have been the real high moral way to go).
It seems to me that Repubs think everyone is buying whatever they are selling. When teen pregnancy happens to a Repub family, then everyone is supposed to praise the girl. If teen pregnancy happens to anyone else, well... the loose morals of the parents are to blame since they raised a tramp.

http://www.newser.com/story/55035/stressed-americans-still-spending-less-poll.html
Why is this news? If a person is out of work with bills to pay, who thinks they will be heading down to the mall to buy more clothes they cannot afford? I have been very disappointed in the mall offerings. Lots of overpriced ugly clothes. No good sales or clearance prices. I have a job and wanted to spend some money in the mall. But after seeing what was there, I thought that I might better dust off the sewing machine and buy a few patterns!

http://www.newser.com/story/55043/hollywood-trims-star-deals.html
Hollywood stars making millions per movie do not have my sympathy when I have to work hard EVERY DAY to pay my bills. It is about time that movie stars are paid according to performance. And maybe this will help screen writers to write better scripts too. There are too many movies that are coming out lately that have dismal box office reviews. Why? Simply put, they are crap.
I have been helped to determine what movies are worth my time and what would be a waste by searching for the movie spoiler. Once I read what happens in the movie (which takes 5-10 minutes), I decide if it is worth $8 and 2 hours of my time. For the most part, the movies fail my criteria. And some of the other movies I am willing to spend the time but not the money. I will put those movies on my list to rent.

http://www.newser.com/story/55093/stimulus-deadline-looms-for-skeptical-sc-gov-sanford.html
All I have to say about this is "Why is Sanford being such a mule?" Thousands of teachers and other state workers will lose their jobs if the state does not receive the stimulus money. Why is this even an issue?
He should be saying, "Thanks. Where do I sign?"
I guess that is a politician for you. He is trying to do what is best for himself so that he can further his own career.

http://www.newser.com/story/55087/10-recession-expenditures-to-shut-up-about.html
This article is telling rich people how not to gloat about being rich. I wonder if this will carry over into the television. So many realities shows are based on lavish life styles of rich people. For example, "Platinum Weddings" is all about extravagant weddings where no expense is spared. The flower budgets are $50k, wedding dresses are $10k, and wedding cakes are $5k. What is a bride to do?
And MTV "Sweet 16" and "Quincenera" programs are all about brats getting their every wish for their birthday part. Again, the shows are all about sparing no expense. Whatever the brat wants, no matter the cost, they will get. Will MTV decide that they do not want to flaunt that in these economic times?
Who knows, MTV might have to start playing music videos again. **GASP**

http://www.newser.com/story/55114/surfing-on-company-time-boosts-productivity.html
For all those companies who do not want their employees surfing the net...HA! I need a little internet time to prepare me to be more productive. Bet they did not see that one coming.

ARROGANCE is so Annoying!!!!

In these hard economic times, you would think that people who have jobs
would be appreciative of that fact. Why is it that people are still as
overconfident as ever? Some people with jobs are acting as if they are
irreplaceable. They have a position and NO ONE ELSE could do what they
do.
NEWS FLASH!!!!! That is not the case.
I had the most annoying exchange with a guy who is an engineer and acts
as if he is only at work to do 1 thing. If anything else needs to be
done, oh well. Never mind the fact that it is something that he is
responsible for doing. He is "paid too much" to do what he deems to be
menial tasks. He actually said that. Just to add context to the
situation, I do not report to this man. I am not in his department.
There was a barrage of emotions rushing through me because I could not
believe that he was trying to absolve himself of a responsibility by
making statements as if I was the culpable party. I felt like going off
on him, but I knew that would do nothing to help the situation. I need
my job. I had to step back and analyze the situation. This guy was
unbelievably arrogant by implying that I should do the things that he
did not want to do because he felt that he was above it.
Why was I wasting my time trying to convince him of the value of doing
what he should be doing anyway?
If the task is not done, it is his fault. Not mine. I want things to run
smoothly in the company. I do not want to lose my job because the plant
closed down. I do not have the energy to worry about things out of my
control.
My only hope is that something happens to this guy to take him down a
notch. Soon or later it is bound to happen. People who are so full of
themselves are in for a rude awakening when they are made to realize
that the world does not revolve around them.