Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations Christmas Episode AND The Layover on Travel Channel

This guy...

FUCK YEAH!!!!

So Anthony Bourdain went from obscure, coked out NY french chef to the guy that every foodie/culinarian wants to be when they "grow up"

My first experience with Bourdain was on his short-lived show on the food network "A Cook's Tour" which ended because, and I'm just guessing, that Food Network is kind of a big wuss when it comes to his somewhat vulgar style of humor towards food and other television chefs.  His blunt, no-shit-talking style won me over back then and after reading his springboard novel, "Kitchen Confidential" I was and am a fan for life.  Also?  I decided NOT go into the culinary arts because of his book and I STILL love the guy. 

I may not be able to travel the world, eat the food he eats, or have an attractive, saucy Sardinian wife...but damn it I can pretend when I watch him work his magic on the TV screen.  

So today, I have two things to review:  Bourdain's new show "The Layover" and the "No Reservations" christmas episode.

The Layover:

Bourdain's schtick has always been food and being a chef, his shows will always have some connection to a city's people and its food.  While "No Reservations" focuses on presenting all the fun things a city or region of the world has to offer, "The Layover" is much more focused on things you should do should you ever find yourself waiting for a flight and have time to kill in a city.  Bourdain highlights food you should eat, night-life you should experience and things you should do before you leave.  

Layover isn't so different from Reservations, it's just more focused and more touristy.  The show includes more interviews with locals and their recommendations and I think the show is perfect for people who are looking for vacation ideas. 

This is still Bourdain, it's still his style of witty humor and if you're a fan of his, you will love this show as much as Reservations.

5 out of 5

No Reservations: 2011 Christmas Episode

Umm...what?

No Reservations has never shied away having a little fun with its viewers, but I can say that the Christmas episode this year was definitely the oddest and most fictionalized one yet.  

The episode starts with Bourdain being kicked out of his house and forced to spend christmas at a creepy hotel where each door leads to a non-fictional food segment.

I will tell you right now that the best segment involved Bourdain cooking with popular public broadcasting chef, Lidia Bastianich, AND Christopher Walken (!!).  The segment featured traditional Italian-Christmas day food involving octopus...but who cares?! CHRISTOPHER WALKEN!!!Walken didn't really add anything to the cooking, but just having him there was a surreal treat.  

I saw a post on the "No Reservations" facebook page with Bourdain thanking the Travel Channel for letting him get away with such a unconventional episode.  

I loved it...you need to watch it if only for the insane fictional elements of the show.   

5 out of 5

Until next time

-J

I'm BACK! (and super guilty)

I am so not dead and I am still super critical of things and want to post reviews for which you, the internet, will read and possibly listen to.

So since I've been gone forever, I'm gonna do a mega review!  I gotta get this backlog of reviews off my chest!  Here we go:

Taste Nirvana: Real Coconut Water

So now that everybody knows that coconut water is the best thing to drink during a workout, (or at least that's what fit hipsters tell themselves when they look down on gatorade because it's too mainstream) I've tried my fare share of coconut drinks. 

Taste Nirvana is a winner! It's the most...coconutty...coconut water I've ever had.  Just like the other coconut waters I've tried, they're all natural and have no preservatives.  Taste Nirvana has managed to make what should already be a natural product taste MORE natural than the other brands on the shelves.  I've had some brands, that tasted too much like plain water or others that had other flavors which made my drink tastes like I was drinking a pina colada flavored sports drink.  

This drink sports a deep coconut flavor that is refreshing after a workout. 

5 out of 5!
                                  
Late July Organic: Vanilla Bean sandwich cookies

Ok, so here are two pictures that I took of this box of cookies.  The first shows the box art:

 
The second shows EXACTLY HOW I FEEL ABOUT THESE COOKIES:

No joke folks: Late July is the example for how you make sure your non-organic eating never trust you with your organic recommendations.  

The chocolate cookie is bland and has no taste.  Vanilla cookies have more flavor than these fake chocolate cookies.  The filling just tastes like sugar paste.  I tried really hard to enjoy these, but in the end I had to bring these back to the store to exchange.  

I've had my share of good cookies that proved that organic doesn't have to mean bland or healthy tasting.  And seriously, I'm eating a cookie, I want to feel good about my pricier, organic purchase!

Eff this product, and go get some Newman-O's

1 out of 5

Once Again: Organic Smooth Peanut Butter

Review worthy organic peanut butter!  Ok...I'll be the first to admit that reviewing a product with only two ingredients (peanuts & sea salt) is challenging...but honestly, this is my new favorite brand of organic natural peanut butter.  


It has a deeper peanutty taste which I think is due in part to the inclusion of the peanut skins.  I'm not 100% sure that's why I like this brand better, but I can taste the difference.  

Oh, and another thing:  So you know how natural peanut butters have to be stirred to reincorporate the separated oil?  This was the easiest time I've had mixing in the oil!  I've stood over jars of natural peanut butter for 10 minutes trying to get the oil to mix back in with the peanut paste, so I was happy to be done with this chore after only a few seconds of mixing.

I give this a 5 out of 5 (until I find a better peanut butter)

Movie Review: Cowboys and Aliens and a letter to Jon Favreau

Oh boy.  Jon Favreau you have done it now.  I know you made Iron Man and Swingers but damn it if I don't want to scream at you right now.  

How could you screw up such an easy concept like Cowboys & Aliens?!  That's it; first it was Robert Rodriguez with 'Spy Kids' and *groan* 'Once upon a time in Mexico' and now YOU go and underachieve to the best of your ability.  If you had put as much effort into this movie as you did trying to make this as mediocre as possible we might have had an awesome movie. 

You were tasked with making a movie about cowboys and aliens and about cowboys killing aliens.  How hard could that be?

Watching Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford trying to kill each other was awesome; Olivia Wilde is really good at playing the mysterious female; Daniel Craig shooting down aliens with a wrist cannon is totally badass...Oh God did you really did just use up all your good footage in the trailer?  Apparently so.   


I was with your movie for the first 45 minutes, but somewhere along the line I went from sitting on the edge of my seat to contemplating playing Angry Birds on my cellphone.   You had too much going on with the various factions in the movie going for the whole buddy cop thing to a serious lack of reason as to WHY the aliens wanted gold.  For god's sake you had Daniel Craig getting high with aliens and we all discovered his spirit animal was a humming bird.  


You are better than this Jon. You are better then some teen who writes fanfiction in their spare time between Calculus and Biology class! 


We've had some great times.  I'll never forget you dancing with Heather Graham in Swingers and watching Robert Downey Jr. strap on the armor for the first time, but you and I are done.  Never again will I see your name plastered on a movie poster and think to myself "Oh a Jon Favreau movie; that's going to be GREAT"

All I'll remember is the mediocrity.    


- J

Book Review: Ultimate Warrior Workouts by Martin Rooney

Hey everybody!  It's been a while, and I figured the best way to get the writing juices flowing was to grab for the lowest hanging fruit in a reviewer's arsenal: something he/she doesn't like!  

Today I'm reviewing Martin Rooney's "Ultimate Warrior Workouts: Fitness secrets of the martial arts, proven training secrets from around the globe." 

Let me first say that I'm a bit of a martial arts geek and I'm always looking for ways to improve my game or to find new ways to train.  That's what I was hoping for when I picked up this book but unfortunately, the book feel short in a few areas.  

The book's premise is that Rooney has traveled around the world to research the training methods used for different martial arts.  In this respect, the book is quite well done because it does go over many different exercises that are used in different styles.  

However, my disappointment lies in the lack of depth in each section.  The book is broken up into martial styles (e.g. muay thai, wrestling, karate, brazilian jiu-jitsu etc) and each section has pictures documenting exercises used by these practitioners.  There are some basic directions about the exercise and pictures of Rooney going through them.  When I mentioned lack of depth, what I was looking for was the 'why' behind the exercises.  


Rooney's book lists his educational background in physical therapy, health science and exercise science.  I would have thought with such an extensive background there would be more explanation to the exercises.  For instance, why do muay thai practitioners do the many different types of crunches?  How do these exercises help the practitioner compete in their style more efficiently?  


I didn't find any of this information, and for a geek like me who has a background in science, this was something I was looking forward to.  I was hoping for some insight into the why's of certain exercises.  As it stands, the book has some interesting material, but honestly, I've had the book for a few months now and haven't looked at it for more than 15 minutes total.  I may relegate this book to the coffee table...at somebody else's  house.


Nerd ranking: 3 out of 5


Until next time:


- J

Non-Review Post: How to have a fun D&D session

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW:  Oh and happy 4th of July folks!

Assuming that you've been following along on my blog for any stretch of time you've probably come to the profound realization that I am a huge nerd.  Just about anybody who writes a blog is like, 90% likely to be a nerd.  Follow the logic behind writing a blog: you find a subject or topic so interesting you feel the need to write about it.  Even if this is topic is yourself it doesn't matter; you are, in some shape or form, a nerd.  

To cut things short: I play dungeons and dragons.  I've only been playing for about a year and this post is just a little advice on how to have fun playing D&D.  

Dungeons and dragons is a pen/paper, tabletop RPG that has been around for years and has always been on the fringe of even nerd hobbies.  It's hard for folks who don't appreciate things like Lord of the Rings, or heck, even science fiction to use their imagination to play a game.  It's even harder when it ends up being a lot of work to get a group of friends together to play a game that may last several hours, to muster the energy to play.  

As a relative newcomer to D&D, I have a few observations and suggestions for having fun with your new nerdy obsession (in no particular order):

1) Do go try to see if you can find a weekly game night at a comic shop:

These events are short (~1 hour) and you really only have time to get through one encounter (the equivalent to one fight).  While there are some downsides, such as playing with strangers, playing with strangers, and playing with strangers who are just a bit too hardcore about the rules, it does give you a general idea of how a game should be run.  I was lucky; I had friends who had played before who got me into it.  This is again, a great way to just try it out.

2) Find a good group:  

This is important.  Playing DnD isn't necessarily about killing monsters.  It's about imagining and having an adventure with your friends.  Play with people who have a sense of humor and who don't take things too seriously.  People who try too hard are called "try-hards" or "rules lawyers"  and they suck to play with because they nit-pick.  Chances are unless you are one of these people you probably know somebody who would be a drag to play dnD with.  


3) Find a good DM:


A dungeon master not THAT kind of master; He/she is a world creator who plans the encounters, who rolls dice for all the monsters and most importantly weaves the story you group participates in.  From personal experience I can tell you this: it is HARD to plan an adventure from scratch.  Find adventures online, or if you buy the DnD rule book, they'll always have starting adventures for you to try.  


Once you do have a good DM, please give this person a break.  It is mentally draining to DM so give them a break by trying your hand at running a game.  Assuming you've done a good job with #2, nobody is going to give you a hard time if you mess up.


Oh, and when you are playing, try not to be too tough on your DM.  Don't give them too much lip, and don't argue.  They made this world, they could drop an imaginary anvil on you if they want.  


3) Have fun!


Play the game the way you want to play the game.  Hopefully you play with people who also have a similar attitude.  If you want to get in character and role-play; do it.  If you want to crack jokes and mess around; do it.  


As for the type of character you play, there is a LOT of variety.  You can design characters that fit your play style.  Wanna go charge in and smash things; there is a warrior-class for you.  If you want to play a trickier role, go play a thief or rogue.  Always wanted to be a wizard, go be a lightening bolt shooting wizard.  

There are many, MANY flavors of character so do remember to give it a try.  


4)  Be patient:


When you eventually get into the thick of playing, DnD can take time.  Whole afternoons can dissolve in a haze of dice, pencil, paper, pizza and soda.  This is really the hardest part really.  Aside from setting the time aside, you'll have to find times that work for your whole group to get together to play.  


Once you've found your groove and discover how long your attention span can handle playing DnD, GO PLAY!!!  


That's it; that's all I can think of at the moment.  Go find some dice, go find your nerdy/geeky friends, go kill some imaginary fantasy creatures and go get some fantasy loot!  


Enjoy, and 'till next time


- J

So Delicious Mini Coconut Ice Cream bars

Before I get into the review, let me just say that they do have a slight advantage because they are miniature everybody knows that cute food always tastes better.  

So Delicious' coconut milk mini ice cream sandwiches look like the ice-cream sandwiches of your youth, just smaller.  Aside from having organic/natural ingredients, they look exactly the same.  Heck, even the chocolate cake outside tastes the same.  

The difference lies in the filling.  These are coconut flavored, so if you hate coconut you're not going to like these.  The texture of the filling isn't noticeably different from regular ice cream sandwiches and because they're small (only 100 calories!) they go down really quick.  

I enjoyed my experience with So Delicious' coconut ice cream bars and as I continue to experiment with atypical desserts found at the organic market, I hope they are as enjoyable as this one.  

Rating: 5 out of 5

Until next time:

- J

TV show: Wilfred (FX series)

Well...that was interesting.  One thing for sure; FX has some great minds deciding what sort of shows are on their network.  

Wilfred was originally broadcast in Australia, and went the way of "The Office" with an American spinoff starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann as Ryan and Wilfred respectively.  

Ryan is depressed 20-something slacker that is tired of people always telling him how to live his life and one day after trying to unsuccessfully kill himself, begins to see his attractive neighbor's dog as man in a dog costume.  If you're getting flashbacks to Fight Club; don't worry, I am too.  Don't get me wrong though, I really liked the first episode.  

Elijah wood is great as the depressed Ryan and Gann, reprising his role from the australian version, is hilarious as an anthropomorphized Wilfred.  When promos were being cut for the show, Queen's hit single "You're my best friend" was used and it really fits the tone of the series.  You get the impression that, like fight club, wilfred is Ryan's id, representing his insecurities and his desires...however, your Id usually isn't responsible for so much trouble...

From the first episode, I really enjoy the story and interaction between Wood and Gann and this gives the series a lot of potential.

Along with Archer, this is another FX show that I would definitely recommend.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (it was just the first episode)

Until next time:

- J

Google Chrome voice search!!

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, Google has been responsible for a LOT of what's been going on with the internet for quite a while.  They've made humongous strides in making it easier for us to search the internet for cats, cool pictures, interesting wikipedia articles, fun blog posts, that viral youtube video your co-worker told you about and pornography...


ANYWAY, barring that, I just discovered something interesting when I pulled up the google homepage in chrome; I can search with my voice!  The search field now has a microphone icon that you can click on and chrome will record your voice from your handy microphone.


I gave it a try just a few minutes ago and it works really well.  I looked up reviews for the new HTC incredible 2, boobs, abraham licoln, jonathan coulton, captain america...the list goes on of all the things I tried to look up.  The only thing the search field stumbled on was when I looked up the chiptune band "Anamanaguchi" 


Overall, the added ability to look up stuff with your voice worked 95% of the time; just another cool gift from google to make our lives just a bit easier and to make it that much easier for them to enslave us when they decide to take over the world.


Who needs this: Um...folks who hate typing?  People who are looking up music lyrics, people who lack hands?  


Give it a try!  You can play a fun drinking game where you take a drink every time google fails to understand what you were looking for!  


Until next time: 


- J

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk (original flavor)

Lactose intolerant?  Scared of soy's supposed affects on testosterone?  Blue Diamond's Almond Breeze might just be what you're looking for!

As the name suggests, Almond breeze is almond "milk."  After looking into the process of making one's own almond milk the process is very similar to making soymilk: pulverize almonds in a blender with water, strain and enjoy.  As well known political satirist Lewis Black remarked (quite angrily) about soymilk: "there is no soy 'milk' because there is no soy-tit is there?!"  

Don't let Mr. Black's pessimism keep you from trying almond milk; it is quite good.  I decided to review the original flavor because I felt reviewing the "vanilla" flavor is sort of a low-hanging-fruit with it's sweet vanilla taste.  The original flavor is also has 30 fewer calories and honestly if you really are looking for a milk substitute it is almost dead on.  The mouth feel is very similar to 2% milk and the taste has VERY slight almondy, nutty flavor that is almost unnoticeable. 

Like I alluded to earlier there are recent scientific studies that indicate that consuming soy products lowers testosterone.  As a guy who likes to exercise and enjoy the fact that he has testosterone that was enough of a reason for me to switch away from soy milk (I am lactose intolerant so I had been with soy for a while).  

Who should try this:  The lactose intolerant, the testosterone loving, the curious
Who shouldn't try this:  folks who don't like almonds (although really it doesn't taste like it so get over it and just try it already)  

Rating: 5 out of 5

Until next time!

- J 

Simon's Cat: Beyond the Fence

Simon Tofield is a cat owner; a multiple cat owner.  He might even be considered a "crazy cat man."  Tofield is also a talented artist and first came into the internet's public eye when he released an animated short called "Cat Man Do" about a kitty trying to get his sleeping owner out of bed.  "Cat Man Do" went viral in 2008 and now has 24 million hits on youtube.  With internet celebrity in tow, Tofield released a collection of drawings amply named "Simon's Cat: in his very own book"

I own this book, and it is awesome, but I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about it's sequel 'beyond the fence.'  The first book centered around Simon's Cat's adventures in the house, beyond the fence is about his adventures outside in the English country side (Tofield is British, and has an appreciation for the outdoors)

If the fact that Tofield didn't have four cats didn't clue you into his love of cats the artwork of this book will leave no doubt as to how much inspiration and humor he gets from watching his own cats.  From quick little scenarios of catching animals outside to being a pain in his owner's butt, we know Tofield draws from personal experience and his own cat family.

I wasn't quite sure how this book would function since much of the humor from the first book was derived from the cat/human interaction and this book focuses on cat/outdoors for humor.  Thankfully, it works wonderfully.  Simon's cat meets new friends as he wanders the countryside and spends some time at a local farm.  With absolutely no dialog the drawings tell everything and Tofield really does a great job.  These drawings aren't all realism, and there is much to laugh at much like a funnier version of Garfield. 

Seriously...go buy this book.  As a cat lover and a person with a sense of humor, you will appreciate this

Rating: 5 out of 5

Who should buy this book:  Cat lovers, people who find cat hijinks funny, people who enjoy internet cat humor
Who Shouldn't: people who don't "get" cats, heartless monsters
Where: Amazon.com, currently $11.19

Until next time:

- J

Honest Cocoanova: Cherry Cacao

I like organic products.  To me, they're new and interesting and most of the time have been pretty tasty.  Today I tried Honest Cocoanova, a product from Honest Tea.  From my limited experience, Honest products are always natural, clean tasting and refreshing.  Honest teas in particular aren't as sweet as products from other big name companies like Snapple.

Cocoanova is sweeter than other Honest products I've tried but I really enjoyed it.  The cherry and cocoa flavors were balanced and not overpowering.  I wasn't sure how well the cocoa flavors would go over and thought I'd be getting a chocolate milk experience.  Not the case; this is cherry tea with a hint of cocoa that doesn't ruin the experience or make me forget about the cherry taste. 

I still find new products every time I go to the organic market in our area (My Organic Market, or more affectionately known as Mom's) and this certainly was new, but it was also a great find.  I'll definitely purchase this again the next time I pass buy the cold drinks by the cash registers. 

Who should buy this: chocoholics who don't want a sugar coma in beverage form
Who shouldn't buy this: folks who are allergic to chocolate or who actually enjoy the taste of sugar syrup in their beverages


Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Until next time:

- Jeff