Movie Review: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

The Mrs. and I were out at Arundel Mills Mall and decided to see Elizabeth - The Golden Age at the Muvico Egyptian Theater. The theater has over 20 stadium sized screens. Unfortunately, this movie was relegated to a smaller theater.

The movie itself was quite impressive. An all-star cast including Cate Blanchett as the Queen, Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Wallsingham and Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh delivered fantastic performances. The dialog was quick and witty, the plot was engaging. The sets were impressive. And the costumes were very detailed.

Unfortunately, what started off as a colorful period piece turned into a gigantic video game. The director used computer generated images of the Spanish Armada setting forth to conquer England. He then morphed Queen Elizabeth into Joan of Arc, complete with long, flowing locks of hair, full battle armor and a poor attempt at a pre-battle rally speech before the impending doom to be delivered by the Spanish Armada.

The director also rewrites history. He moves the final battle to English Channel and neglects to mention much of the Armada survives the initial engagements, then sails around the British Isles but ends up losing significant ships to a hurricane off the western coast of Ireland. Very disappointing. I won't spoil the ending, but the fact you are reading this in English and not Spanish is a good indication of how things did turn out.

If you are a history buff and/or enjoy watching Blanchett, Rush or Owen act on the big screen you will enjoy the movie. But the battle scenes are not very impressive and are only worth the price of a DVD rental.

La Tasca - Restaurant Review

La Tasca is a Spanish tapas restaurant with a half dozen locations in the Washington, D.C. area. A friend of the Mrs. was in town attending a medical conference. We met up with the friend after the first day of the conference and headed out to Jaleo originally. But the wait was close to a half hour for a table. So we headed over to La Tasca.

Spanish tapas is similar to Cantonese dim sum. You order a series of small plates and share. We ordered nine dishes in all. Most were good or very good. I liked the calamares a la Andaluza (lightly fried calamari), costillas de cerdo (pork spare ribs) and the paella de verduras (vegetable rice).

My biggest disappointment was not with the food itself, but the small portions. For example, the asparagus dish came with four shoots - which worked out to $1.24 per shoot. That's ridiculous. When La Tasca first opened, the portions where much larger and the prices were lower. Granted, expenses have gone up. But throwing in a few more shrimp or asparagus shoots into a dish won't break the restaurant revenue stream.

The DC location is situated a couple of blocks south of the Convention Center. It appears the DC location has become a tourist trap - charging high prices and offering small portions. I just hope the other locations offer better portions for the prices charged.

Restaurant Review - Qdoba Grill

Not being sure what to expect, I tried Qdoba Grill the other night. The restaurant turned out to be a poor imitation of Chipotle's.

Chipotle uses an assembly line to make your burrito (or salad) fresh. First, they use a hot steam press to heat your flour tortilla. Then you have the option of adding rice, pork, beef, chicken and a host of other toppings and salsas. At the end of the production, you have one very big burrito.

Qdoba attempts to mimic the process. Unfortunately the restaurant fails in two areas. First, the ingredients have no flavor. It seems like the cooks have never heard of salt or pepper or any other spices. And second, the servers offer tiny portions of each ingredient. I felt like I was in the orphanage in the novel Oliver Twist, being served measly portions and humbly asking for more.

Bottom line: Head to Chipotle's if you want a decent burrito. Qdoba isn't worth your time or money.

Restaurant Review - Vapiano's

Vapiano's is new to the U.S. Originally from Germany, the Italian-style eatery offers several unique spins. First, you are given smart cards to use. Next, you order at various stations - pizza, pasta, salad, beverages, dessert. Each order is added to the smart card with a quick swipe. At the end of your meal, you go to the cashier, hand over the smart card and pay your tab.

The pizzas are hand tossed, thin crust and made to order. They are slightly larger than California Pizza Kitchen pizzas. The thin crust and fresh toppings really help to bring out all the great flavors. I ordered the capriccioca - ham, mushrooms, artichokes, olives and tomato sauce. It was good to the last bite!

Friends who have tried the other items generally agree the pizzas are the best items, while the the pastas (in-store, handmade) are hit or miss. Happy Hour runs from 5-8 PM daily, featuring $3.00 beers and a few discounted food items. The restaurant attracts a large lunch and Happy Hour crowd.

Try Vapiano's out and let me know what you think.

Beard Papa and Pinkberry

The Mrs. and I were out in Los Angeles for the weekend, attending my sister's MBA graduation. The weather was perfect - sunny with a comfortable ocean breeze to keep you cool.

My sister suggested we try a couple of new quick service restaurants. Beard Papa is a pastry shop that specializes in cream puffs. And Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt chain.

I really enjoyed Beard Papa. The cream puffs were delicious. Light, tasty and just the right size. The shop also offers a host of other desserts, but I wasn't hungry enough to try anything else.

I wasn't as excited about Pinkberry. The unique feature of the frozen yogurt is the slightly sour taste - much like plain yogurt you purchase at the grocery store. Two flavors are served - original and green tea. Then you have the option of adding a range of fresh fruit toppings, chocolate bits and sprinkles. It's quite colorful. But there were two things I didn't like. First, I prefer frozen yogurt to be sweet-tasting. And second, I prefer that feeling you get when you consume a thick milkshake. The milk fat makes a frozen dairy product a real treat for me. On the other hand, the Mrs. really enjoyed Pinkberry, and can't wait to go back.

Restaurant Review: Wingstop

The Mrs. and I had a craving for chicken wings. So we decided to try Wingstop - a fast food chicken wings restaurant.

OVERALL RATING: Good and tasty food, but plenty of room for improvement.

The chicken wings themselves, along with the various sauce-flavor options were quite tasty. The wings and the french fries were cooked to order, and were served hot and fresh. And the potato salad was reasonably good. That's where the goodness ends though.

• The order itself took 20 minutes to fill. That takes the "fast" out of fast food. We have been served quicker at full-service restaurants.
• The chicken wings were on the small and lean side. It seemed like the chickens were put on the Atkin's diet to shed unwanted fat and protein.
• The store offers all-you-can drink soda, but only provided two thimble-sized cups of ketchup for the fries.
• In lieu of napkins, the store has a big roll of recycled paper towels put out in a communal area.
• No forks or knives were available - only plastic spoons.
• The potato salad had gigantic chunks of raw onion. I like cooked onions, but am not a big fan of raw onions. Also, the potato salad needed more salt and pepper for flavor. Salt and pepper came in the form of penny-sized packets. No shakers are available or placed at tables.

If the wings were meatier, the service faster and the amenities were not so skimpy, the place would be perfect. My prediction is either the service and amenities improve or the chain goes out of business.

Restaurant Review: The Panda Cafe

In an effort to find a restaurant that can serve a decent kung pao chicken, I have been trying a series of different Chinese cuisine establishments. Tonight's sampling was from the Panda Cafe on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, near The George Washington University Hospital.

Here is my two word bottom line: Totally forgettable!

The kung pao chicken was awful. A small portion of fatty, limp chicken with hefty portions of tasteless carrots, peanuts and celery in some sort of hot sauce is the best description I can provide. And the side of fried rice was greasy and equally lacking in flavor and taste.

I keep an open mind with all new restaurants I try. If it turns out well, I get to enjoy discovering a new restaurant. If it doesn't, then at least I tried. In this situation, I'm sorry I tried and I'm sorry I was open minded.

Save your time and money and try another Chinese restaurant. And please pardon me - I need to go wash this nasty flavor out of my mouth with a gallon of tea.

Luna Grill & Diner

I ordered the Tuesday special from the Luna Grill - Half a Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes. I got the mashed potatoes, but ended up with two country fried chicken breasts. The breasts were tenderized with a big mallet to make them look bigger. Unfortunately, the mallet failed to make the breasts tender.

The overall flavors of the chicken and the mashed potatoes are quite nice. I am extremely disappointed the restaurant substituted fried chicken breasts in lieu of roasted chicken. If I wanted something fried, I would have ordered something fried.

Julia's Empanadas

It's been awhile since my last posting. Instead of offering excuses, I'll just dive into another restaurant review.

Julia's Empanadas is located a couple of blocks south of Dupont Circle on Connecitucut Avenue. Empanadas are similar to English/Cornish Pastys - baked pastries with meat or fruit fillings.

The location is a small walkin-walkout storefront. A glass pasteries case showing the various empanadas takes up the biggest portion of the store. The maximum number of people who could fit in the store at any one time is roughly 10.

Julia's offers a half dozen different types of meat and veggie empanadas, and another half dozen fruit empanadas. I ordered the Jamacian Beef and Strawberry empanadas. Both were good-sized portions. The empanadas themselves were good, but not great. The empanadas were warm and flavorful, but lacked the zing I expected from Jamacian spices. The strawberry empanadas were full of syrupy jam, but no actual strawberries. And the pastry casings were firm, but lacked any savory or sweet flavor.

I have had better and worse empanadas. I would be willing to go back to Julia's again - but there are plenty of other restaurants to try.

Who Let the Dawgs Out?

The Mrs. and I flew out to California for the long weekend. We took Southwest Airlines for the first time in nearly a year. I would have flown United, had it not been for a series of problems I had to deal with in December. Out of three round trips/six segments on United in December, two flights were severely delayed, and two were completely canceled. One of the canceled flights was at the start of the Christmas weekend. United was unable to put us on another flight that day or most of the next day - causing us to miss out on our Christmas vacation. I'll post more on dealing with United in another entry.

For now, I want to talk about the most recent trip. Southwest Airlines plays the role of a scrappy underdog in the competitive passenger airline market. The things I like about Southwest are the great customer service, scheduled flights that takeoff and arrive on-time and the reasonable prices.

In the flights I have taken on Southwest, the pilots and flight crews have always been friendly and helpful. And the flights are almost always on-time, if not early. Plus, if you book far enough in advance, you can lock in rates as low as $99 each way, coast-to-coast. Contrast that with most major air carriers that appear to have management-labor issues, planes with mechanical problems and often charge twice as much for the same trans-con flights.

There are downsides to Southwest. For example, the ticket agents tend to be a bit hurried and never seem to smile. Plus, I have often had to wait an hour to claim my bag at BWI. But overall, the airline is efficient and professional.

One other issue that can be annoying is the type of passengers that fly on Southwest. You get a range of passengers, but most tend to be leisure passengers. That was the case on our flight out to Los Angeles last weekend. Included on the plane were 20 Baltimore Ravens fans, sporting jerseys and hooting and hollering at the gate and on the plane. Baltimore hosted Indianapolis on Saturday in an AFC Semi-Final playoff match. Baltimore was heavily favored because it had the best record in the Conference.

Oddly enough, the Ravens fans were leaving town when their team was playing in town. Why, many people asked. It was because the lot of them got tickets to attend The Price is Right game show and hoped to be contestants.

I don't mind football fans that show their pride. But these people made the flight feel like five hours in a bawdy house. I'm just glad smoking was prohibited and the amount of hard liquor was limited on the flight.

The lesson I learned from this flight is to bring a good book and a set of ear plugs to tune out the rowdy passengers.

And, if you are curious, the Ravens lost to the Colts in the playoff match. Perhaps if the Ravens fans had stayed in Baltimore to cheer on the team, the outcome would have been different. Whose idea was it to "let the dawgs out" anyway?

Blood, Bosoms & Bouquets

Zhang Yimou is a Chinese director with over a dozen film credits to his name, including films most viewers have raved about such as Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Raise the Red Lantern. Zhang usually does an excellent job of having his actors play out various forms of tension in the movie plots – sexual tension, competitive tension, parent-child tension and tension between warring states. Not to forget, his trademark fetish for colors and fabrics is hard to miss.

“The Curse of the Golden Flower,” is Zhang’s latest work. The plot revolves around a Tang dynasty emperor, played by Chow Yung Fat, his empress consort, played by Gong Li, and their three sons.

Plotline
Sibling rivalries, political intrigue, assassination plots and incestuous relationships intertwine in this undeveloped King Lear/Macbeth-like screenplay. The Emperor and Empress conspire against each another, and use the princes as pawns. But the sons have their own agendas. Who will triumph? Who will fail? Watch the movie, if you dare, and find out what happens in this rainbow-sherbet-hued palace intrigue.

Blood – There are several battle scenes where blood is spilled and splattered, everywhere. You never know which way the battles will swing and who will end up victorious. Incidentally, I’m pretty certain there were several anachronistic instruments of war in this film. Indeed, if the emperors really had such efficient and resilient human fighting machines at their disposal, the course of Chinese history would not be the same.

Bosoms – Director Zhang decided to use extremely revealing Tang dynasty tube tops for the Empress, her ladies in waiting and the legions of the Emperor’s concubines. Every scene involving female actors includes gratuitous cleavage shots. Think almond gelatin. It nearly made the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” seem rather tame in comparison.

Bouquets – As the title suggests, golden flower chrysanthemums play a key part in the movie. Chrysanthemum blossoms are ubiquitous. Seeing all those flowers made me thirst for chrysanthemum tea. I’m sure this wasn’t the affect the director intended.

Conclusion
All things considered, the movie was entertaining. One warning for those who intend to see it: the ending was disappointing. When the credits were rolling, I could swear that audience members were looking at one another with arched eyebrows. When a movie leaves you thinking of bouncing bosoms and mando-pop, is it really worthwhile? I’ll let you decide on your own. Paraphrasing the immortal British character Arthur Dent, “Do you have any chrysanthemum tea?” A cuppa this would have provided a more satisfying ending.

Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis - Review

The Woolly Mammoth Theater is 265 seat venue in the Penn Quarter area of Washington, DC. The theater is so small that virtually every seat is a good seat.

I took the Mrs. to go see Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis at the Woolly Mammoth Theater. We attended the Sunday matinee show. About half the seats were sold. The show was competing with a Redskins game, beautiful, spring-like weather in November, and Thanksgiving weekend shoppers and vacationers.

Set in Bolton, England, a working-class town north of London, the play is about Josie, a dominatrix who reluctantly celebrating her 40-th birthday, and reconsidering her career options. The cast contains a series of whacky characters, including Martha, the obsessive compulsive house cleaner, Lionel, a regular customer, Brenda Marie, Josie’s mentally challenged daughter, Shelley Louise, Brenda Marie’s twin sister that has returned for the birthday celebrations and Timothy Wang, the Chinese Elvis impersonator.

The play is a dramady - part drama, part comedy. There are a number of serious moments, broken up by comedic activities.

Why did I want to go see the play? I figured any play featuring an Asian-American Elvis impersonator had to be funny. And I really wanted a good laugh. But wait, there is more! Tony Nam, a Korean American immigrant, plays Timothy Wang, a Vietnamese boat refugee living in Bolton, England and impersonating a Chinese Elvis. Did you follow all that? And where else but in America will you find a Korean American immigrant portraying a Vietnamese boat refugee turned Elvis impersonator with a fake, working class British accent?

The show is an incredible emotional ride. You laugh, you cry (or at least the Mrs. did), you experience highs and lows, and you are never quite sure how things will end.

The only thing I would change about the play is moving the location from Bolton, England to Washington, DC or the local city of the production. American actors trying to use fake working-class British accents didn’t work. I think it would have worked much better if the play was set locally and the actors used local accents. More people would be able to better comprehend and relate to the story and characters.

If you are looking for some good laughs mixed with some intense drama, go see the show.

Christmas Shopping and a Movie

Black Friday
Today is Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving that kicks off the Christmas shopping season. The Mrs. and I headed to Montgomery Mall. She braved the hoards of crazy shoe-hunting women and got quite a bit of shopping in. I spent the morning doing something humdrum...got my tire replaced because of a shard of glass that was wedged in. How long it was piercing my tire, I'll never know. But thank goodness the Mrs. didn't insist on driving to Leesburg Premium Outlets! After shopping, we had a quick lunch at home and headed over to the Bethesda Landmark Cinema to see The Fountain.

The Fountain
Every once in awhile, I see a movie that makes me stop and think about life. Some of those movies include The Hunger and The Sixth Sense. The Fountain, while not as good as The Hunger and The Sixth Sense, was nonetheless thought provoking.

The movie stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, the fiancee of the director - Darren Aronofsky. The plot alternates between three time periods - 1) the 1600s and Weisz as Queen Isabella and Jackman as a conquistador, 2) modern day with Jackman as a cancer researcher-monkey surgeon (no, Jackman didn't play a monkey) and Weisz as his wife, who is terminally ill with brain cancer, and 3) Jackman as a bald 26th century astronaut-yoga afficionado.

A number of themes are presented for consideration in the movie. Life, death and rebirth. Contrasted with death, rebirth and life. The end of one life leading the beginning of another. Eternal life. Enlightenment. Journeying to the heavens and the afterlife. While someone quipped that 96 minutes felt like eternal life, the Mrs. and I were pretty satisfied with the solid performances and didn't feel the time drag by.

The themes are all thought-provoking. What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? Whatever happened to the tree of life, as mentioned in the Bible, Genesis 3:22? Was it hidden when Eve and Adam ate from the tree of knowledge? The tree of life plays a prominent role in the movie.

The film conveys simple and honest themes. Live life to its fullest. Do not fear death. Seek out personal enlightenment and spirituality. Focus on the important things in life. Don't get so caught up in your work or your quest and lose sight of the present and what really matters.

The movie mixed elements of love stories, history and science fiction together. The writer(s) of the screenplay targeted a wide audience. One might even venture to say that the love stories appealed to the women and the history and science fiction aspects appealed to the men. But the Mrs. disagrees with my stereotypes, so I'll just wrap this up by saying that Weisz and Jackman have a pleasing chemistry that makes it highly plausible that it lasted for a millenium, at least.

Overall, the movie was entertaining, and left me pondering those unanswered questions. The movie has a few loose ends, such as how Jackman’s character went from modern-day scientist to 26th century astronaut and it's not really clear whether he changes the past in one scene or dreams it up. Nevertheless, it was still worth watching. At least at a matinee showing or when it comes out on DVD.

Good luck shopping this weekend - and going to the theater!

Phoenix, AZ to Washington, DC-Dulles 9:00 PM MST

Mountain v. Pacific Time
Arizona is one of two states that does not follow Daylight Savings Time. Hawaii is the other one. Parts of Indiana follow different Daylight Savings Times. So, during Daylight Savings time, Arizona is on Pacific time, but during Standard Time, it is on Mountain time.

Flying Home
I’m sitting in the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, waiting for my Ted flight to Chicago. From there, I’ll catch a connecting flight back to IAD. It’s a two segment redeye.

I wanted to catch an earlier flight to LA or San Francisco, and then catch the redeye back to IAD. That would have allowed me to sleep during the entire transcontinental flight. Unfortunately, the flights to LA and SF were overbooked, and the transcons from there to IAD were also overbooked.

So, I am waiting at the airport for my 11:59 PM flight to Chicago. Only 3 hours to go!

My brain is fried. Why you ask? Let me tell you why!

My body is still on East Coast time. So, I woke up every morning here in Phoenix at 5 AM. Plus I got to bed around 1 AM because of work. Getting 4 hours of sleep for the last few nights has tuckered me out.

3-Day Weekend - For Some
Phoenix is a nice city. It is apparently the 4th or 5th largest city in the U.S. now. I looked into flying the Mrs. out for the weekend to do some sightseeing. But I checked for flights from DC to Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego this weekend and everything was overpriced. And the return flights were all redeyes.

One of my colleagues looked into flying out to Las Vegas for the weekend. Finding a flight was easy. But finding a hotel was a major problem. The least expensive decent hotels were close to $300 a night. That’s a lot for a Vegas hotel.

What’s going on? This weekend is Veterans Day. And a lot of people appear to be taking extended weekend trips.

Washington, DC-Dulles to Phoenix, AZ

Wednesday, November 8, 2006 7:00 PM EST

I am on United Flight 953. Seat 9C – Economy Plus seating! Having the extra leg room in Economy Plus does make a difference. It’s a much more civilized way to travel.

I arrived at Dulles around 3 PM. The check in lines were long for everyone, General Members as well as Elites. The wait time for General Members to check-in their bags and get their boarding passes was 45 minutes. But only to about 10 minutes for me to get my boarding pass in the Elite line.

I expected the security lines to be long as well. Surprisingly, they were relatively short. Granted, it didn’t matter as I used the Premier security line and got right through. Traveling with status makes a big difference.

I am heading to Phoenix for another conference. I will be participating on a panel discussion. The conference is being held at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. Trip Advisor reviews rate the hotel at 4.5 stars, which is nearly perfect. All the reviews have been very positive. The photos make the resort look beautiful. Alas, I won’t be staying there. The hotel is undergoing renovations due to mold problems and not enough rooms are available.

So I will be staying at the Buttes, a Marriott Resort in Tempe, AZ. The Buttes also received high reviews, although not as high as the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass.

The Day After
Yesterday, November 7, 2006, was Election Day. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate were up for grabs. In early October, the polls began to indicate the Democrats would take the majority in the House and had an outside shot at taking the majority in the Senate as well.

The polls proved accurate last night. The Democrats captured the majority in the House, retaining every incumbent seat, and picking up a number of hotly contested seats and open seats. That’s quite an impressive feat.

Political analysts expected the Democrats to win three Senate seats from Republican incumbents – needing a total of six seats to win an outright majority. As of this writing, the Democrats have picked up five seats, and appear to be on the verge of picking up a sixth seat and capturing the majority. Senator George Allen of Virginia is trailing his opponent, James Webb, by roughly 8,000 votes out of over 2 million cast.

The last time the majority changed hands in both the House and the Senate, 4,000 Hill staffers found themselves out of jobs. We will have to wait and see what happens this time around.

I hope the Democrats and Republicans will work together and move the country forward. It’s time to put the blame aside and do what is in the best interests of the country.

Steamed Crabs and Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake

I took the Mrs. out to the Maryland Eastern Shore today. Our goals were to have lunch at the Harris Crab House and check out the Queenstown Prime Outlets.

The drive out to the Eastern Shore consists of a routine that starts off hurried and ends up relaxed.

1. Hop on the Beltway.
2. Take Route 50 East.
3. Drive by the Bowie Airport and then Bowie.
4. Notice the traffic changing from hurried commuters to people heading for more leisurely pursuits.
5. Pay the $2.50 toll at the Bay Bridge and cross over to the Eastern Shore.
6. Start letting all the stress from work go.
7. Enjoy the nice foliage and scenery.
8. Totally forget about your life in DC.
9. Enjoy the rest of your time on the Eastern Shore.

Most people head out to the Eastern Shore to go to Ocean City, MD, or one of the Delaware beaches – Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany. I looked into getting a room at one of the beaches, but most were booked solid. The reason – The Annual Punkin Chunkin Contest. The event is held the first weekend after Halloween every year. The goal is to design a catapult or air cannon that will shoot a pumpkin the farthest. Another description is an excuse to play with food and go drinking out in the Delaware farm country.

The Harris Crab House
We arrived at the Harris Crab House a little after 12 Noon, and got seated in the non-smoking area upstairs. The downstairs was relatively full, but the upstairs was relatively empty when we got there.

After reviewing the menu, we decided to start with a half dozen steamed crabs and fried oysters. The crabs had that sweet taste combined with the spicy bay seasonings. We worked through the first six crabs in due course and order another half dozen. We thought about getting an entrée, but decided the dozen crabs and fried oysters were enough for the moment.

By the time we left, the upstairs was nearly full. Patrons could be seen happily cracking crabs and savoring the flavors. Definitely a fun time.

Queenstown Prime Outlets
After lunch, we drove a few miles down the road to the Queenstown Prime Outlets. The Mrs. did pretty well, finding some nice business outfits at Brooks Brothers. I had fun exploring the Rocky Mountain Chocolate store and the Pepperidge Farm store.

I wanted dessert after lunch, and decided to try the frozen cheesecake dipped in chocolate at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate store. It was quite the treat. A nice, dark chocolate enveloped a creamy cheesecake. I enjoyed the treat, but the Mrs. didn’t like the combination of flavors. That meant more for me to eat!

The Pepperidge Farm store was a lot of fun too. I picked up specialty cookies, Godiva Chocolates, bread and other goodies. It is the perfect store to encourage my chocoholism.

My name is Max, and I am a proud chocoholic.

McCormick & Schmick – Happy Hour Review

McCormick & Schmick is an upscale seafood restaurant chain. There are about a half dozen locations in the Washington, DC-area. The restaurant is known for its Happy Hour.

I took the Mrs. out for Happy Hour at McCormick & Schmick. What makes Happy Hour unique at the restaurant is the food menu. There are five items on the menu ranging from a ½ pound cheeseburger with fries to chicken satay and oyster shooters for $1.95. And there are another half dozen items on the menu ranging from buffalo wings to mussels for $3.95. You can eat a lot of food for a reasonable price.

The burger was very tasty. Slightly crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The fries were cut thin and also crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We also ordered mussels and buffalo wings. The mussels were steamed in a broth and served with drawn butter. They were mouthwateringly delicious. The only disappointment was the buffalo wings. The presentation was nice. But the flavor just wasn’t there. They weren’t tasty at all. Most unfortunate.

Here are a few things to look out for:

• Happy Hour runs from 3:30 to 6:30 PM. For those of you who don’t get off work until later in the evening, it’s hard to make it to the bar on time.
• There is a two drink minimum, but it isn’t always enforced.
• The price of the food is reduced, but the beers are full priced – around $6.00 each. We actually ended up paying more for the two beers than all the food we ordered.
• The mussels were tasty. But many had broken shells. Most cook books recommend throwing away mussels with broken shells. Further, you need to be careful when biting into the mussels – because you may end up biting into a shell and chipping or cracking a tooth.

I will go back occasionally. But there are plenty of other restaurants in Bethesda the Mrs. and I want to try.

LAX-LAS-IAD - The 12 Hour Journey Home

I headed out from the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 for LAX, and then IAD via Las Vegas. I knew it would take me awhile to get home. But I didn't think it would take 12 hours door-to-door. Here's the recap:

October 25, 2006, 7:30 PM
Tonight’s itinerary is LAX-LAS-IAD. I’m at LAX, waiting to board the flight to Las Vegas. The last time I was here, I was in the midst of a Mileage Run, sitting in the same exact terminal. Dinner tonight was at Wolfgang Puck’s – a warm foccia chicken sandwich and a small side Caesar Salad. Quite tasty, but overpriced.

I enjoyed Los Angeles. The weather was warm and sunny, the conference was fun and I got to meet a lot of interesting people. The last few days have been fun. But I’m exhausted. Primarily because of the time change. My body is still on East Coast time. And I automatically wake up at 7 AM East Coast time, regardless of where I am in the world. That meant waking up at 4 AM for the first two nights in Los Angeles. I actually slept until 5 AM this morning.

The lack of sleep, coupled with the excitement of the conference and all the travel have tuckered me out. I’m sure I’ll be sleeping for most of the flight back to IAD.

The plane to Las Vegas has arrived. Time to go enjoy the Group 1 Boarding I received for being a Premier member!

October 26, 2006, 8:30 AM
The flight from LAX-LAS got off to a slow start. First, the pilot was delayed, flying another plane into LAX before switching planes and flying back out. Second, a "check engine" light appeared on the dashboard. Mechanics spent time trying to figure out what the problem was. They finally rebooted the system and the warning light went away. Someone quipped, "the warning software must have been written by Microsoft!"

The flight to Las Vegas was short. Less than an hour. It's always fun to fly into Las Vegas at night. You get to see the entire city all ablaze in light and color. Unfortunately, I was only on the ground for a plane change. I didn't get to venture out into the city night.

My flight was supposed to take off at 10:50, but got pushed back to 11:20. I'm not sure what the delay was. But it gave me an opportunity to grab a Starbucks Green Tea Frappicino and try my hand at the slots. Let's just say the frappicino was more rewarding than the slot machines were.

The flight to IAD was smooth. The biggest surprise was the flight was completely full. I'm not sure why so many people were interested in taking the red eye to Washington, DC on a Wednesday night. I really expected to see the flight half empty.

But I had my Economy Plus seat with the extra leg room, and enjoyed that space the whole way. I spent most of the time sleeping. But it's always hard to get a good night's rest in an airplane.

We landed at Dulles at 6:30 AM. I retrieved my bag at 7:00 AM, and took a shuttle back home that got me to Bethesda at 8:00 AM. 12 hours, door-to-door travel time.

I head out to Los Angeles frequently. I don't recall it taking that long to get there or back. Normally, it's 30 minutes to IAD, an hour waiting for the plane, 5 hours of flying time, and then another 30 minutes to get to my sister's house in LA - about 7 hours. The 12 hour commutes really drag on. Obviously, the key is flying non-stop. But I'm trying to earn enough Equivalent Qualifying Miles to hit Premier Executive before the end of the year. I should be pretty close.

IAD-LAX On a Very Busy Travel Sunday

I am flying from Dulles – IAD to Los Angeles – LAX today. The day started off well. I got up at 6 AM, showered, finished packing, and was out the door a little after 7 AM. The Mrs. drove me to Dulles – IAD and decided to park and see me in.

A FlyerTalk discussion board provided advanced warning that Dulles would be a zoo. All United IAD-LAX flights from 9 AM on were booked solid. I was looking forward to two things: 1) Taking advantage of United Premier status for the first time; and 2) Offering to give up my seat and catch a later flight in exchange for a flight credit.

Premier Status
Having Premier status paid off immediately. The lines to check in and clear security were long and deep. Doing both was taking close to two hours for passengers. But, with Premier status, I was able to use specially designated lines, where the wait was only 10 minutes.

The Mrs. was originally skeptical of my Las Vegas Mileage Run. She thought it was a waste of time. But after seeing how long the general member check in and security lines were, she was sold. She immediately saw the benefits to Premier status and apologized for ever doubting me.

United Flight 233
Things didn’t work out as well for Flight 233, which was canceled due to mechanical difficulties. That sent over 100 passengers scrambling to make alternative travel plans.

I used the Customer Service courtesy phone to call and arrange for another flight. After a long hold, I finally got in touch with Shannon, a United representative that was very patient and helpful. She tried to get me on several flights that were scheduled to take off in the morning, but was unable to. She finally got me on American Airlines Flight 75, leaving at 6 PM. Part of the reason Shannon gave me the extra effort was of my Premier status.

American Airlines
Unlike United, American Airlines has no Customer Service Desk in the terminals. That meant I had to take the shuttle back over to the Main Terminal to obtain my boarding pass. United originally told me they would arrange to have my checked bag transferred over to American. But the American Ticket Agent recommended I go retrieve my bag personally and recheck it in with American. That entailed going back to the United Ticket Counter, and then going to the United Baggage claim, getting my bag, going back to the American Ticket Counter and rechecking my bag. In other words, it was a lot of walking and walking and walking.

I am currently booked on a Y-Class ticket which I believe means better seating and bonus miles. The bad part is I have a middle seat.

In Limbo
After getting back to Terminal D, I decided to sit down to a decent lunch at Moe’s Bar and Grill. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and an Iced Tea. There was a big part of me that wanted a beer after my morning ordeal. But I needed to get some work done, and didn’t want to get too distracted.

After lunch, I updated my presentation and called a few friends to catch up. And now I’m in limbo until the flight, which is about 3 hours away. I’m ready for a break!

Celebrity Citing
During my airport wanderings, I saw Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. He was being escorted by three body guards, one taking lead and two following. Interestingly, he was pulling his own carry-on, wheeled suitcase. At first, I was surprised nobody was helping Justice Scalia with his bag. Then I realized that the security detail’s responsibility is to protect the Justice, not lug bags around.

American Flight 75, IAD-LAX
As expected, the flight was full. I got to sit in Business Class, which was nice. But not as nice as United's Economy Plus - which seems to offer more leg room. The bad part was having to sit in the dredded middle seat. I always prefer an aisle seat, so I can get in and get out faster.

As it turned out, the guy to the left of me was heading to the same conference. He was interesting to talk to. The guy next to me reeked of garlic - which was not a pleasant experience. I kept on thinking about the positives - like if I got attacked by a vampire, the garlic aroma would protect me. Those thoughts didn't help.

This turned out to me my 2nd flight on American in three weeks. Both United and American have pros and cons. But I still prefer United over American.

Olazzo - Restaurant Review

The Taste of Bethesda was held on a rainy Saturday a week ago. Dozens of restaurants set up booths and offered tasting of their specialties. The Mrs. and I checked out the event. It was very well attended, and the aroma of food ranging from barbecue to Indian spices wafted through the air. Alas, we had a late breakfast and weren't hungry. One particular booth stood out. Olazzo, an Italian restaurant, offered tasty looking canollis. Judging by the long line of people waiting to buy the canollis and the very pleased expressions from tasters, you could tell the dessert was worth trying.

I took the Mrs. out to Olazzo's for dinner on Friday. We were concerned that we might end up with the same experience we got at the Red Tomato - overpriced and unfulfilling dishes. Fortunately, the restaurant proved to be reasonably priced and worthwhile.

The bread is served fresh and warm. (Unlike Red Tomato, where the bread was stale and crusty.) Light olive oil and balsamic vinegar were poured. We ordered the calimari appetizer to start with, which came out in a gigantic Martini glass. The calimari was lightly breaded, fried and still warm, served with marinara sauce.

Next came house salads. This was the only minor disappointment of the night. The salad was drenched in dressing and cheese. The restaurant should offer the dressing on the side instead.

Finally, the entrees were served. The Mrs. got the Chicken Parmesan. I ordered the Lasagne Bolognese. We were each served with hefty portions on big plates. The food was hot and tangy, and hit the spot. There was nothing fancy about the food. No fusion dishes or unique twists on old recipes. The entrees were all just plain, simple, good Italian-style eating. And worth every penny.

Neither of us could finish our entrees. So we had them wrapped up to go, and ordered a canolli to go as well. All of the food made the perfect late-night snack.

I highly recommend Olazzo to anyone interested in a good, homestyle Italian meal!