Thursday, September 11, 2008
Keep it in your pants, sir.
We live in a very "colorful" neighborhood, which some days is nice and other days not so much. We have some really great neighbors that we are friends with and some that I would like to see hauled away RIGHT NOW. Well, this morning, as I sat waiting at a stoplight, I noticed one my more unsavory neighbors standing around the bus stop. We'll call him Brokeass neighbor. My first thought was, why is he at the bus stop because he accosts us to mow our lawns for five bucks to buy beer so certainly he has no bus fare. Then I noticed he was watching something down in the Walgreens parking lot, not waiting for the bus. As I moved up in traffic, I saw what he saw. There were two cop cars in the parking lot, both of them with their respective cop out of the car and walking toward someone. This "someone" appeared to be one of the skeevy people that frequent the front lawn white trash parties that Brokeass throws pretty much every night. They have a backyard but why use it when you can spread your glory in the front for the world to enjoy, right? Anyway, as I'm watching the cops approach this guy, he starts taking off his clothes and piling them up on one of the posts that hold up the Walgreens sign. I am not kidding. This was some authentic "Cops"-style shit going down. He was quickly down to his boxer shorts so I rolled down my window to get the audio and can hear the cops telling him to stop taking his clothes off and to calm down. The dude is now flailing his arms around and yelling to the cars "DO YOU SEE THIS?" "I AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON ME!" Of course not, silly, you've taken all your clothes off. At this point he is walking around in circles and the cops are approaching him very carefully like he's made of fire and then he starts to pull down the waistband of his underwear far enough to show the world his hair farm, and I'm like "Jesus, it is too goddamn early for me to have to witness this man's penis." I can hear the cops telling him that he's going to be arrested if he pulls them down anymore and they start to close in on him so he pulls them down just a bit more, like a child would to test you, and then starts to take off down the street yelling "THEY GOT NOTHING ON ME. I'M NOT EVEN NAKED YET!" By this point traffic had moved enough that I finally had to pull away from the scene but I could see him still walking down the street yelling at the cars. Ahhhh....city livin'.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Restaurant Review - Kitaro Bistro of Japan
Kitaro Bistro of Japan
4551 Highway KO'Fallon, MO 63368
We went to Kitaro on a picture taking mission for my work. We did the seating for the place and wanted to see how it turned out. The outdoor facade is spectacular to pull up to, considering the place anchors a stripmall in the burbiest of suburbs. It's all glass and steel with ever changing colored lights washing the front. It definitely makes a statement that the Maggie Moo's next door does not. The interior was nice, with sleek black booths, light woods and a large sushi bar topped with some fantastic architectural beams and cables elements. The space felt very large from the high ceilings and all the glass. There was a good amount of wood to keep things more organic. The restaurant also offers hibachi service, but we opted for regular dining room seating. First off, the service was mediocre. The restaurant was not full and we still waited quite a while for our drinks. Service is lacking at most restaurants these days so I shouldn't be surprised. Everyone but me decided to order sushi and a small appetizer as their meal while I chose an actual entree. Jeff chose the tenderloin wrapped asparagus, which was delicious although a bit meager. My sister ordered fried gyoza, which I am a huge fan of thanks to Trader Joe's, and they were also delicious. I usually get mine steamed but the frying added a nice texture to the soft pork filling. My brother-in-law got the seaweed salad, which is actually not listed on the menu but available nonetheless. Everyone agreed the apps were very good, but nothing extraordinary.
The sushi arrived in a giant wooden boat, which was hilarious to me for some reason. Every time someone would move it to get a piece, I would make that hee-YAW noise that tugboats make. It got old quickly, I assure you. We had a mix of tuna, sea bass and squid maki, all of which were fresh tasting. They also ordered a shrimp tempura roll, a spicy crab and one native to the restaurant that had a chicken tender as the filling. The shrimp was standard but good and the chicken roll was actually very good. It was not overpowered by the chicken, which brought a delicious yet unusual element of meaty crunch. The main disappointment was the fact that the crab was artificial, which is only acceptable if your sushi is coming from the grocery store, not from a self professed Japanese bistro. My entree was miso baked monk fish with scallops tempura and a citrus butter sauce. The fish was very good except that the texture was more like mahi mahi and not monk fish. The miso coating was very strong and overpowered the citrus sauce, but the dish was still very tasty. I could have done without the scallops because they lacked in flavor other than the fried taste of the tempura batter.
I would go back to try a few other entrees as the majority of them sounded absolutely delicious. On a scale of 1-5, I'll give it a 3.5. I was happy with my meal for the most part but there were definitely areas open for improvement.
4551 Highway KO'Fallon, MO 63368
We went to Kitaro on a picture taking mission for my work. We did the seating for the place and wanted to see how it turned out. The outdoor facade is spectacular to pull up to, considering the place anchors a stripmall in the burbiest of suburbs. It's all glass and steel with ever changing colored lights washing the front. It definitely makes a statement that the Maggie Moo's next door does not. The interior was nice, with sleek black booths, light woods and a large sushi bar topped with some fantastic architectural beams and cables elements. The space felt very large from the high ceilings and all the glass. There was a good amount of wood to keep things more organic. The restaurant also offers hibachi service, but we opted for regular dining room seating. First off, the service was mediocre. The restaurant was not full and we still waited quite a while for our drinks. Service is lacking at most restaurants these days so I shouldn't be surprised. Everyone but me decided to order sushi and a small appetizer as their meal while I chose an actual entree. Jeff chose the tenderloin wrapped asparagus, which was delicious although a bit meager. My sister ordered fried gyoza, which I am a huge fan of thanks to Trader Joe's, and they were also delicious. I usually get mine steamed but the frying added a nice texture to the soft pork filling. My brother-in-law got the seaweed salad, which is actually not listed on the menu but available nonetheless. Everyone agreed the apps were very good, but nothing extraordinary.
The sushi arrived in a giant wooden boat, which was hilarious to me for some reason. Every time someone would move it to get a piece, I would make that hee-YAW noise that tugboats make. It got old quickly, I assure you. We had a mix of tuna, sea bass and squid maki, all of which were fresh tasting. They also ordered a shrimp tempura roll, a spicy crab and one native to the restaurant that had a chicken tender as the filling. The shrimp was standard but good and the chicken roll was actually very good. It was not overpowered by the chicken, which brought a delicious yet unusual element of meaty crunch. The main disappointment was the fact that the crab was artificial, which is only acceptable if your sushi is coming from the grocery store, not from a self professed Japanese bistro. My entree was miso baked monk fish with scallops tempura and a citrus butter sauce. The fish was very good except that the texture was more like mahi mahi and not monk fish. The miso coating was very strong and overpowered the citrus sauce, but the dish was still very tasty. I could have done without the scallops because they lacked in flavor other than the fried taste of the tempura batter.
I would go back to try a few other entrees as the majority of them sounded absolutely delicious. On a scale of 1-5, I'll give it a 3.5. I was happy with my meal for the most part but there were definitely areas open for improvement.
Restaurant Review - Amigos
I'm starting a new feature here at Kimchi HQ called Restaurant Reviews. I searched for days for that title so hands off. These reviews are the personal opinion of myself and possibly Jeff. I'm no hardcore foodie so my standards might be lower than your's so be warned. On with the show......
Amigos
120 W. Jefferson Ave, Kirkwood, Mo, 63122
First off, this place looks really inviting from the outside. It's located in a strip of businesses, but what makes it stand out are the hundreds of brightly painted wood shingles that cover every bit of the exterior facade. I would have tried the place based on that alone. I know, I'm easy. Inside is a fairly non-cheesy example of how to do a mexican restaurant well. Nice distressed wood booths, color-washed walls in non jarring colors and a really nice addition of rough hewn overhead beams that lend a rustic feel. We started with chips and salsa, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons to actually go at eat there instead of carry-out and a good precursor to how good the food will be. That being said, the chips were... okay. I doubt they were homemade, but that didn't stop me from eating an entire basket myself. The salsa was very fresh tasting and had a nice kick without making my eyes water. I generally prefer a cooked, smooth salsa, but this chunky variety was delicious. Slightly heavy on the cilantro, but that's my own cross to bear. We also opted to try a margarita, even though it was only 11:45am. Hey, it was Saturday! The marg was awesome! Strong but smooth with a nice tangy finish. We shared a regular, which was good because had we both had one on an empty stomach, we would have had to call a cab. We are cheap dates. We stuck with guacamole as an appetizer, although I'm looking forward to going back to sample some of their other offerings. The guacamole was honestly some of the best I've ever had. My beef with most guacs is that they just lack any kind of punch and you're basically left with a bland scoop of mashed avocado with a teeny squirt of lime juice. This guac was extremely flavorful, almost to the point that if you used it as a condiment, it might just overpower the food. With chips though, it was outstanding. Oniony, limey and just enough fresh herb to elevate it beyond your average dip.
For our entrees, I opted for the taco combo, which normally comes with one ribeye taco, one carnita taco and one fish taco with your choice of hard or soft shell. When I asked the waiter if I could substitute another carnita for the ribeye, he "had to check with the chef" and returned to inform me that the chef was in a good mood so yes, they would substitute. This leads me to think that substituting isn't something they normally do so be warned. I personally don't get that since I'm eating it and paying for it but whatever. I also opted for soft shell and was pleasantly surprised to see a soft corn tortilla instead of the usual flour. The carnitas taco was very flavorful, with the meat flavor taking center stage. It tasted porkier and more grilled than I'm used to with carnitas, which was not a bad thing. The taco suffered somewhat from cilantro overload, which again is my personal issue with cilantro and if you enjoy it, you would enjoy this taco. A nice fresh pico, lettuce and queso fresco rounded it out. While I enjoyed the carnitas, I REALLY liked the fish taco. It was done in the Baja style, which is my favorite and was simply a piece of breaded tilapia, shredded napa cabbage, queso fresco and a dollop of tangy lime yogurt sauce. It was outstanding. I've made this at home many times but the lime sauce was worth going back for. The side was some sort of potato medley, which I could have done without. I would have preferred rice and beans.
Jeff chose the carnitas quesadilla as his meal, which was chock full of meat and cheese, just the way he likes it. The tortilla was grilled perfectly, giving you a nice crunch to contrast the warm, gooey center. It was served with the usual pico and sour cream, the latter of which I stole for my tacos. Considering we had now gone through almost three baskets of chips (crikey!), we were too full for dessert but rest assured we'll try on our next visit.
Amigos
120 W. Jefferson Ave, Kirkwood, Mo, 63122
First off, this place looks really inviting from the outside. It's located in a strip of businesses, but what makes it stand out are the hundreds of brightly painted wood shingles that cover every bit of the exterior facade. I would have tried the place based on that alone. I know, I'm easy. Inside is a fairly non-cheesy example of how to do a mexican restaurant well. Nice distressed wood booths, color-washed walls in non jarring colors and a really nice addition of rough hewn overhead beams that lend a rustic feel. We started with chips and salsa, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons to actually go at eat there instead of carry-out and a good precursor to how good the food will be. That being said, the chips were... okay. I doubt they were homemade, but that didn't stop me from eating an entire basket myself. The salsa was very fresh tasting and had a nice kick without making my eyes water. I generally prefer a cooked, smooth salsa, but this chunky variety was delicious. Slightly heavy on the cilantro, but that's my own cross to bear. We also opted to try a margarita, even though it was only 11:45am. Hey, it was Saturday! The marg was awesome! Strong but smooth with a nice tangy finish. We shared a regular, which was good because had we both had one on an empty stomach, we would have had to call a cab. We are cheap dates. We stuck with guacamole as an appetizer, although I'm looking forward to going back to sample some of their other offerings. The guacamole was honestly some of the best I've ever had. My beef with most guacs is that they just lack any kind of punch and you're basically left with a bland scoop of mashed avocado with a teeny squirt of lime juice. This guac was extremely flavorful, almost to the point that if you used it as a condiment, it might just overpower the food. With chips though, it was outstanding. Oniony, limey and just enough fresh herb to elevate it beyond your average dip.
For our entrees, I opted for the taco combo, which normally comes with one ribeye taco, one carnita taco and one fish taco with your choice of hard or soft shell. When I asked the waiter if I could substitute another carnita for the ribeye, he "had to check with the chef" and returned to inform me that the chef was in a good mood so yes, they would substitute. This leads me to think that substituting isn't something they normally do so be warned. I personally don't get that since I'm eating it and paying for it but whatever. I also opted for soft shell and was pleasantly surprised to see a soft corn tortilla instead of the usual flour. The carnitas taco was very flavorful, with the meat flavor taking center stage. It tasted porkier and more grilled than I'm used to with carnitas, which was not a bad thing. The taco suffered somewhat from cilantro overload, which again is my personal issue with cilantro and if you enjoy it, you would enjoy this taco. A nice fresh pico, lettuce and queso fresco rounded it out. While I enjoyed the carnitas, I REALLY liked the fish taco. It was done in the Baja style, which is my favorite and was simply a piece of breaded tilapia, shredded napa cabbage, queso fresco and a dollop of tangy lime yogurt sauce. It was outstanding. I've made this at home many times but the lime sauce was worth going back for. The side was some sort of potato medley, which I could have done without. I would have preferred rice and beans.
Jeff chose the carnitas quesadilla as his meal, which was chock full of meat and cheese, just the way he likes it. The tortilla was grilled perfectly, giving you a nice crunch to contrast the warm, gooey center. It was served with the usual pico and sour cream, the latter of which I stole for my tacos. Considering we had now gone through almost three baskets of chips (crikey!), we were too full for dessert but rest assured we'll try on our next visit.
weekend wrap-up
Oh hello. Well, it's Monday again. Nothing too exciting about that. We had a pretty good weekend. Friday night was cake night, which was actually nice because I love Friday, especially when I have nothing to do but be at home with a nice beverage and perhaps a pizza. Friday is so nice because it's full of potential. I don't have to worry about work and I have two full days to procrastinate stuff. That's good stuff. Jeff and I ran errands after delivering our cake on Saturday and ended up eating lunch at a new Mexican place called Amigos in Kirkwood (if you don't live here, don't worry about where Kirkwood is or if you absolutely must know, ask google.)Anyways, I was inspired by my friend Andrew, who has a great food blog at www.andrewmarkveety.com, to start offering up restaurant reviews when we go someplace new. I feel like it's my own public service to you people so you're welcome. Following this post, I'll be reviewing both Amigos and Kitaro Bistro of Japan, which is where we went for dinner. Dinner was research because the company I work for did the seating and I went on a picture taking mission for our new brochure. Part of my mission, apparently was also to eat miso crusted monk fish, which I also accomplished. Well done, me.
On Sunday, we went to the Schlafly Art Fair to see my friend Janice Wallace and her awesome art (www.janicekwallace.blogspot.com) along with a bunch of other cool stuff. I dropped Jeff at work (what a dedicated employee he is, going to work on Sunday) and headed to the mall. I've been a bit clothes crazy recently. Fall clothes are the best and I'm coveting so many things it's making my brain dizzy. I bought a pair of super high brown croc platform slides that would be total stripper shoes in a different material. I am so tall in them and it's awesome. I have BAD feet and I have a hard time wearing anything cute or high heeled and since I'm only 5 feet tall, I live my life in permanent stumpiness but now I can tower over people. Well, I can tower over small children, but I take what I get.
On Sunday, we went to the Schlafly Art Fair to see my friend Janice Wallace and her awesome art (www.janicekwallace.blogspot.com) along with a bunch of other cool stuff. I dropped Jeff at work (what a dedicated employee he is, going to work on Sunday) and headed to the mall. I've been a bit clothes crazy recently. Fall clothes are the best and I'm coveting so many things it's making my brain dizzy. I bought a pair of super high brown croc platform slides that would be total stripper shoes in a different material. I am so tall in them and it's awesome. I have BAD feet and I have a hard time wearing anything cute or high heeled and since I'm only 5 feet tall, I live my life in permanent stumpiness but now I can tower over people. Well, I can tower over small children, but I take what I get.
Cake Alert!
Hey kids, take a stroll over to www.theatomiccakeco.blogspot.com and check out my latest creation. It's pinktastic!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Dear Sirs
Here's the deal. We try to keep things here at Kimchi Central nice and Swiss-like regarding things like politics and religion. However. I have decided to step on my soapbox and spew forth the following. If you don't agree that's fine, we can still be friends. I'm worried for my country because things are SO divided now that people can't be friends anymore if they don't agree on everything and that's just not right. That being said.......
An open letter to the people that make John McCain do things:
Here's the deal Mr. McCain. I am a woman and I would have voted for Hillary Clinton had she gotten the nomination. Why? Because I believed in her policies. Instead, I'm voting for Obama. Do you want to know why again? Because I believe in his policies. Was I excited about the prospect of a woman being president? Hell yes. Women are still discriminated against every day and when we have the audacity to fight for our rights, we are labeled as bitches. When men fight for their rights, they are called pioneers. Anyway, yes, I was excited to see a woman in the highest power in our land. However, your party seems to think that all they need to do to sway Hillary voters that aren't as keen to back Obama as I am, is to throw them another vagina and then they'll stop their bitchin' and join your side. Well, I hate to tell you this but it doesn't work that way. You chose this woman to pander to the conservatives that don't trust you are conservative enough for their hardcore tastes and yet you tout her as Hillary's replacement to us. Tell me how Palin, who fights HARD to restrict the rights woman have to their own bodies, prays at her church for the soldiers in Iraq to continue to fight "God's war," and lives the ultimate hypocrisy by preaching abstinence only education, cutting funding to organizations that help pregnant woman and advocating stricter birth control access even though her own 17 yr old daughter has turned up pregnant, is a replacement for someone who preaches ending the war, woman's rights and universal health care. That doesn't jive, Mr. McCain. Do you think we're stupid? That all it takes is a perky soccer mom to bring us running? That suddenly we'll be okay with HER policies because after all, she's a woman? FAIL. This woman preaches pro-life yet she is pro-death penalty and pro-war, which last time I checked, causes an awful lot of deaths so Mrs. Palin, why is the life of an unborn child so much more important than the life of a young soldier or a person who may have been wrongly accused? That puzzles me. You also ask for privacy for your daughter. I get that. She's young and this has thrown her into an international spotlight that she didn't ask for. But you did. You knew that by throwing your hat in the ring you and your family would be subject to severe public scrutiny, especially in this day and age, and quite frankly, it should be that way. I've been cut open and had every facet of my life probed just to adopt a baby. You want to be vice-president and suddenly you want privacy? Sorry but that's rich coming from someone who has no problem telling me what I can and can't do with my own PRIVATE body but when you get in a pickle, it's back off time. No way, lady. I'm not even going to get started on the fact that she has governed more reindeer than people and has a hatred of the polar bear. The polar bear? Really? Oh yeah, there's also that pesky trooper scandal, the bridge to nowhere and the fact that your husband allegedly belonged to a group that wants Alaska to secede from the rest of the US. Oh yeah, you also fired member of your city council in Alaska because they didn't agree with you, allowed the Republicans to advertise for your (supposedly)non-partisan mayoral position and even mentioned banning books in the library. No, we'll wait on those.
So, to you McCain I say well done. You have effectively shown that you are a blundering boob and I hope and pray (yes conservatives, I do pray. Liberals can also believe in god but our's tends to be less vengeful and angry than your's) that this country sees you for what you are and elects someone else.
Sincerely,
me
An open letter to the people that make John McCain do things:
Here's the deal Mr. McCain. I am a woman and I would have voted for Hillary Clinton had she gotten the nomination. Why? Because I believed in her policies. Instead, I'm voting for Obama. Do you want to know why again? Because I believe in his policies. Was I excited about the prospect of a woman being president? Hell yes. Women are still discriminated against every day and when we have the audacity to fight for our rights, we are labeled as bitches. When men fight for their rights, they are called pioneers. Anyway, yes, I was excited to see a woman in the highest power in our land. However, your party seems to think that all they need to do to sway Hillary voters that aren't as keen to back Obama as I am, is to throw them another vagina and then they'll stop their bitchin' and join your side. Well, I hate to tell you this but it doesn't work that way. You chose this woman to pander to the conservatives that don't trust you are conservative enough for their hardcore tastes and yet you tout her as Hillary's replacement to us. Tell me how Palin, who fights HARD to restrict the rights woman have to their own bodies, prays at her church for the soldiers in Iraq to continue to fight "God's war," and lives the ultimate hypocrisy by preaching abstinence only education, cutting funding to organizations that help pregnant woman and advocating stricter birth control access even though her own 17 yr old daughter has turned up pregnant, is a replacement for someone who preaches ending the war, woman's rights and universal health care. That doesn't jive, Mr. McCain. Do you think we're stupid? That all it takes is a perky soccer mom to bring us running? That suddenly we'll be okay with HER policies because after all, she's a woman? FAIL. This woman preaches pro-life yet she is pro-death penalty and pro-war, which last time I checked, causes an awful lot of deaths so Mrs. Palin, why is the life of an unborn child so much more important than the life of a young soldier or a person who may have been wrongly accused? That puzzles me. You also ask for privacy for your daughter. I get that. She's young and this has thrown her into an international spotlight that she didn't ask for. But you did. You knew that by throwing your hat in the ring you and your family would be subject to severe public scrutiny, especially in this day and age, and quite frankly, it should be that way. I've been cut open and had every facet of my life probed just to adopt a baby. You want to be vice-president and suddenly you want privacy? Sorry but that's rich coming from someone who has no problem telling me what I can and can't do with my own PRIVATE body but when you get in a pickle, it's back off time. No way, lady. I'm not even going to get started on the fact that she has governed more reindeer than people and has a hatred of the polar bear. The polar bear? Really? Oh yeah, there's also that pesky trooper scandal, the bridge to nowhere and the fact that your husband allegedly belonged to a group that wants Alaska to secede from the rest of the US. Oh yeah, you also fired member of your city council in Alaska because they didn't agree with you, allowed the Republicans to advertise for your (supposedly)non-partisan mayoral position and even mentioned banning books in the library. No, we'll wait on those.
So, to you McCain I say well done. You have effectively shown that you are a blundering boob and I hope and pray (yes conservatives, I do pray. Liberals can also believe in god but our's tends to be less vengeful and angry than your's) that this country sees you for what you are and elects someone else.
Sincerely,
me
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
It might as well be Monday morning
Well, I finally got my act together and www.theatomiccakeco.blogspot.com is officially up and running. Sadly for you, it's the same stuff that I had on here only condensed into one place so don't get too excited. I have a shower cake this weekend and I have two cakes next weekend, so there'll be plenty of new content to keep you people off my back.
You know, it seems like just yesterday it was Friday afternoon and I was in the car driving home rejoicing over our three day weekend and yet here it is, Tuesday morning and I'm back at work like nothing ever happened. It seems like our weekends go by so dang fast that I don't even have time to complain about being bored let alone actually BE bored. This weekend was chock full of family barbecues, which are as exciting as they sound, and painting. We finally started Kimchi's bedroom yesterday and my friend Sara was SO KIND as to come and help me paint. I decided to return the aubergine ceiling back to it's original white and we have about half of the wall paint on. I should be able to finish it in the next couple of weeks. Sara made some great suggestions and she knows my style pretty well so I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. Sometime the pretty pictures in my head don't exactly translate quite the same in application but whatever. I'm not so much into all that baby crap so he's getting a stylish and modern bedroom with some fun stuff thrown in for good measure. I have to laugh at the reaction I get when I tell people the baby's room is black, white and gray. Yikes. You would think I was decorating the room with dead bodies or something.
You know, it seems like just yesterday it was Friday afternoon and I was in the car driving home rejoicing over our three day weekend and yet here it is, Tuesday morning and I'm back at work like nothing ever happened. It seems like our weekends go by so dang fast that I don't even have time to complain about being bored let alone actually BE bored. This weekend was chock full of family barbecues, which are as exciting as they sound, and painting. We finally started Kimchi's bedroom yesterday and my friend Sara was SO KIND as to come and help me paint. I decided to return the aubergine ceiling back to it's original white and we have about half of the wall paint on. I should be able to finish it in the next couple of weeks. Sara made some great suggestions and she knows my style pretty well so I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. Sometime the pretty pictures in my head don't exactly translate quite the same in application but whatever. I'm not so much into all that baby crap so he's getting a stylish and modern bedroom with some fun stuff thrown in for good measure. I have to laugh at the reaction I get when I tell people the baby's room is black, white and gray. Yikes. You would think I was decorating the room with dead bodies or something.
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