Okay all, I'm letting this blog go dormant and sending you over to a totally new blog site. This one is a bit more serious and I would really like your help and input to keep this one up and running. You can visit it here.
http://bkmcmanus.wordpress.com/
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Lazzeza's Restaurant
Last Friday Lynn and I went to Lazzeza's for a dinner date. We went early before the dinner crowd arrived. The restaurant was lit by candlelight and classical Christmas music was quietly playing on the speakers. The tables were decorated tastefully and our waiter, who we're very familiar with, brought us to our table. We order humus for an appetizer. The flat bread was hot and fresh and the humus was done to perfection. Our waiter said they had a new main course of blackened salmon, grilled vegetables and couscous. The meal was preceded with a pear salad. The salad was a delight to the taste buds. It was made with lettuce, spinach and an assortment of greens. It was topped with small chunks of pear, dried cranberries, small pieces of blue cheese and assorted "crunchies." It was topped with a raspberry vinaigrette. I have never had a better salad.
The main entree was brought on a small butcher's block on a plate. The couscous has a small "bite" to it and seemed to melt in the mouth. There was grilled asparagus and pineapple on the side. They seasoned the pineapple with something I couldn't identify but it too was a delight to taste. I'm not a big fan of asparagus but, if I had made like this every single time I would eat it every single time. It was neither woody or too soft. The salmon was fantastic. It was not too "fishy" or dried out. It was perfectly moist.
We sat and let our main meal settle and then had dessert and coffee. I had baklava for the first time. Sometimes it can be very chewy but every bite melted in your mouth. It was not overly sweet or sticky. Lynn had a chocolate cheesecake that she said was out of this world. Hands down Lazzeza's has the best cup of coffee you will every purchase and drink. The presentation of every item, including the coffee, was done with such expertise and visual delight.
If you have not yet gone to Lazzeza's you are missing a treat. It is not an inexpensive meal but by no means will you go broke. For an appetizer, drinks, main entree, dessert and then coffee; set us back about $45. It was worth every dime we spent. Save your dimes and nickles and go. You can't beat the atmosphere, food or service.
The main entree was brought on a small butcher's block on a plate. The couscous has a small "bite" to it and seemed to melt in the mouth. There was grilled asparagus and pineapple on the side. They seasoned the pineapple with something I couldn't identify but it too was a delight to taste. I'm not a big fan of asparagus but, if I had made like this every single time I would eat it every single time. It was neither woody or too soft. The salmon was fantastic. It was not too "fishy" or dried out. It was perfectly moist.
We sat and let our main meal settle and then had dessert and coffee. I had baklava for the first time. Sometimes it can be very chewy but every bite melted in your mouth. It was not overly sweet or sticky. Lynn had a chocolate cheesecake that she said was out of this world. Hands down Lazzeza's has the best cup of coffee you will every purchase and drink. The presentation of every item, including the coffee, was done with such expertise and visual delight.
If you have not yet gone to Lazzeza's you are missing a treat. It is not an inexpensive meal but by no means will you go broke. For an appetizer, drinks, main entree, dessert and then coffee; set us back about $45. It was worth every dime we spent. Save your dimes and nickles and go. You can't beat the atmosphere, food or service.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Things I Don't Recommend
Alright, I've been asked to clarify why I don't like some of the things on my "I don't recommend" list. Yah, Yah, I know I'm a bit "mean" with the redneck comments but, oh well. It's not aimed at the people who like those things but the product they serve. Let's start with a couple of these.
Bandidos - Sorry friends, the food is poorly made, the service is lousy and it's expensive. If you're wanting something closer to "authentic" Americanized Mexican food then La Charreda is it. The food is great. The service is wonderful and you walk away with alot more green left in your wallet.
Western Sizzlin - Okay, I'll give them one nod. Their steaks are "okay." I never got a bad one any time I went. BUT, the buffet/salad bar is horrible! The food seems like it came out a GFS carton. The atmosphere on the inside is dated, dirty and the bathrooms are foul. Then, to top it all off, it's expensive. What you get verses what you pay doesn't even come close. I've never gone when I didn't get the runs. Don't bother walking in the door.
Hunan Gardens - Don't get me started on this one. You might not agree with me on the other items but I believe I speak with some authority on this one having lived in Asia for a couple of years. Their sweet and sour items are too sweet. The egg rolls leave an "after taste" in my mouth that I can't identify. The beef items are chewy and not tender and the rice is......hmmm, I can't really put that one to words. To top it all off the price puts a major bite on your wallet. You'll get better Chinese at Mark Pi Express at half the price. Plus, you'll get really good, friendly service at Mark Pi express.
Okay, that's enough for now. I'll beat up on Kewpie later. That's a restaurant that Limalanders love just because you're supposed to, not because it serves good food.
Bandidos - Sorry friends, the food is poorly made, the service is lousy and it's expensive. If you're wanting something closer to "authentic" Americanized Mexican food then La Charreda is it. The food is great. The service is wonderful and you walk away with alot more green left in your wallet.
Western Sizzlin - Okay, I'll give them one nod. Their steaks are "okay." I never got a bad one any time I went. BUT, the buffet/salad bar is horrible! The food seems like it came out a GFS carton. The atmosphere on the inside is dated, dirty and the bathrooms are foul. Then, to top it all off, it's expensive. What you get verses what you pay doesn't even come close. I've never gone when I didn't get the runs. Don't bother walking in the door.
Hunan Gardens - Don't get me started on this one. You might not agree with me on the other items but I believe I speak with some authority on this one having lived in Asia for a couple of years. Their sweet and sour items are too sweet. The egg rolls leave an "after taste" in my mouth that I can't identify. The beef items are chewy and not tender and the rice is......hmmm, I can't really put that one to words. To top it all off the price puts a major bite on your wallet. You'll get better Chinese at Mark Pi Express at half the price. Plus, you'll get really good, friendly service at Mark Pi express.
Okay, that's enough for now. I'll beat up on Kewpie later. That's a restaurant that Limalanders love just because you're supposed to, not because it serves good food.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Okay, let me add another item to the "I recommend" list. Got a chance to go see Madagascar 2 with Michael in Winston Salem and then with the family in Lima. It is 10 times as funny as the first one. This one had all the good stuff from the first movie and then multiplied it. More monkeys, more penguins, more King Julien, more laughs, more subtle references to 80's music, old twilight zone episodes and....it goes on and on. You'll have the watch the movie more than once to even begin to catch it all. Once of things I like is that they don't over play the stuff from movie one. You get "move it, move it" at the beginning but they leave it soon. I don't want to share too much. You just need to go and see it. It will be a great night out for the family.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Why the majority of 30 year olds and younger believe in sharing the wealth.
A recent Rasmussen poll showed that, "Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters under 30 agree with Obama’s statement" that it is good to spread the wealth. Frankly, I find this statistic concerning but not surprising. Why is America so quickly moving in a socialist direction? One needs to look no further than our American school systems. This radical change began in the early 1900's through the influence and John Dewey. Dewey's educational creed can be boiled down to the following two points. Knowledge isn't true or transferred until it has been experienced. Secondly, schools must teach information with the goal of making social change.
Both of these have had a very large negative impact on our educational system and on our society as a whole. Dewey was a psychologist first and his educational philosophy sought to bring his psychological theory to bear on society as a whole. How best to do this then through Americas educational system. While this format does not give me the space or time to lay it all out, the views expressed in the Rasmussen poll have been largely impacted by nearly 100 years of Dewenian education. Truth is relative. Societal norms aren't established through pre-existent knowledge or revealed truth but by democratic majority. The ultimate use of knowledge is to change society.
When educators bemoan the lack of interest in science and math or decry the fact that America has fallen so far behind the world, they quickly point their fingers at right wing, creationist Christians for the repression of scientific truth. When, in reality, they need to look no farther than their own classrooms. When my son does "science experiments" that prove the already assumed conclusion of global warming, they are then told that they need to take that new found scientific information and tell their parents to inflate their tires, write their congressmen and purchase fluorescent bulbs and hybrid cars. What nonsense! Maybe they should take more time teaching my son the scientific method and use it to produce truly helpful and affordable alternative fuels or new methods of environmentally safe methods of drilling or....you get my point. But instead, university professors for St. Louis would rather complain about Palin being a creationist like that's akin to being scientifically and mathematically ignorant. The ignorance in in the fact that such professors are unaware that the very scientists that brought them the foundational knowledge they use were creationists themselves.
So, where has this long rabbit trail led me? The Rasmussen poll shouldn't surprise us at all. Our 30 year olds and younger are the product of a school system and philosophy of education that has been all about teaching social change, all about truth being experiential and relative. Our chickens have truly come home to roost as the Rev. Wright would say. If, as Christians, we're going to be a salty influence on our world. We need to not only share the Gospel but articulately and aggressively share and demonstrate the superiority of a biblical world life view.
Both of these have had a very large negative impact on our educational system and on our society as a whole. Dewey was a psychologist first and his educational philosophy sought to bring his psychological theory to bear on society as a whole. How best to do this then through Americas educational system. While this format does not give me the space or time to lay it all out, the views expressed in the Rasmussen poll have been largely impacted by nearly 100 years of Dewenian education. Truth is relative. Societal norms aren't established through pre-existent knowledge or revealed truth but by democratic majority. The ultimate use of knowledge is to change society.
When educators bemoan the lack of interest in science and math or decry the fact that America has fallen so far behind the world, they quickly point their fingers at right wing, creationist Christians for the repression of scientific truth. When, in reality, they need to look no farther than their own classrooms. When my son does "science experiments" that prove the already assumed conclusion of global warming, they are then told that they need to take that new found scientific information and tell their parents to inflate their tires, write their congressmen and purchase fluorescent bulbs and hybrid cars. What nonsense! Maybe they should take more time teaching my son the scientific method and use it to produce truly helpful and affordable alternative fuels or new methods of environmentally safe methods of drilling or....you get my point. But instead, university professors for St. Louis would rather complain about Palin being a creationist like that's akin to being scientifically and mathematically ignorant. The ignorance in in the fact that such professors are unaware that the very scientists that brought them the foundational knowledge they use were creationists themselves.
So, where has this long rabbit trail led me? The Rasmussen poll shouldn't surprise us at all. Our 30 year olds and younger are the product of a school system and philosophy of education that has been all about teaching social change, all about truth being experiential and relative. Our chickens have truly come home to roost as the Rev. Wright would say. If, as Christians, we're going to be a salty influence on our world. We need to not only share the Gospel but articulately and aggressively share and demonstrate the superiority of a biblical world life view.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Seriously Bored
Well, today's post is not that prophetic, cute or pithy. I have just come to the conclusion that there's not a whole lot to do in Lima. After you've taken so many walks, gone to the museum more than once and watch the lame plays at Encore theater, there's only so much that's out there. I'd watch Elida football but after the opening kick off, there's really not a whole lot left to watch, that is, unless you're a fan of the other team! About the only thing that is fun to do is to hang out with friends. I think that's what we'll do tonight. If you have any good ideas for family fun on a small budget, I'll take the suggestions. Remember, I've got boys so it can't be girly!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Sisterhood of the traveling fried green tomatos pants
Today my sinful impatience showed up at Taco Bell. I hate working on sermons that God then puts in my face with 24 hours of finishing them. Lynn wanted Taco Bell today. (Yuck!) So, because I love my wife I took her there. We went to the one on 81 and Cable Rd. It's brand new and looks very nice inside and out. It has a nice atmosphere with free wifi so I would recommend it as a place to hang, especially if you have your laptop. Anyway...
As we got into the restaurant I knew I was in for a life lesson for who should be in front of me but 5 women dressed in clothes too young for their age and exceeding their weight limit. (Definite stress fractures showing in many places). I dub these ladies "The Sisterhood of the traveling green fried tomato pants." If you've ever had to suffer through any or all of those movies, you'll get what I mean. So, we came into the restaurant and these ladies didn't have enough collective brain power to run a night light. (I know a little on the mean side.) Each one had to ask how many colories were in each item they were thinking of purchasing. By the way they looked, it didn't seem like that had been too much of a concern before they came into the restaurant.
Anyway, after taking 10 minutes to work the coloric makeup of the entire Taco Bell menu, they finally settled on a cheese and bean buritto. Not really but the diet pop they drank didn't cancel out the calories of what they had ordered. Ah, but the story is still yet incomplete. Once they had settled on what they wanted to purchase, they tried to do so with an out of date school discount card. After another 5 minutes of arguing, they finally made the purchase. But, to top it all off, when the bill came to some odd dollars and 27 cents, they then dug into thier change purses and come up with change in pennies and nickles. Another 5 minutes. Needless to say, Lynn was keeping me on a short rope and a low tone of voice because I wanted to leave right after they asked for the caloric count on a cheesy, volcanic taco and tell them....well, we'll skip what I wanted to say.
So, can I ask, for all you Sisterhood ladies; if you want to know the caloric intake of something that's gonna start at 1500 calories to begin with, be kind to all of us waiting behind you and chekc it out on the restaurants web page before you come. And one more thing, don't give away your real age that you're trying to hide with dressing too young by counting out exact change in pennies and nickles. Who knows the life you might be saving is YOUR OWN!
But, I'm not bitter or anyting. Having fun in Lima....Brian.
As we got into the restaurant I knew I was in for a life lesson for who should be in front of me but 5 women dressed in clothes too young for their age and exceeding their weight limit. (Definite stress fractures showing in many places). I dub these ladies "The Sisterhood of the traveling green fried tomato pants." If you've ever had to suffer through any or all of those movies, you'll get what I mean. So, we came into the restaurant and these ladies didn't have enough collective brain power to run a night light. (I know a little on the mean side.) Each one had to ask how many colories were in each item they were thinking of purchasing. By the way they looked, it didn't seem like that had been too much of a concern before they came into the restaurant.
Anyway, after taking 10 minutes to work the coloric makeup of the entire Taco Bell menu, they finally settled on a cheese and bean buritto. Not really but the diet pop they drank didn't cancel out the calories of what they had ordered. Ah, but the story is still yet incomplete. Once they had settled on what they wanted to purchase, they tried to do so with an out of date school discount card. After another 5 minutes of arguing, they finally made the purchase. But, to top it all off, when the bill came to some odd dollars and 27 cents, they then dug into thier change purses and come up with change in pennies and nickles. Another 5 minutes. Needless to say, Lynn was keeping me on a short rope and a low tone of voice because I wanted to leave right after they asked for the caloric count on a cheesy, volcanic taco and tell them....well, we'll skip what I wanted to say.
So, can I ask, for all you Sisterhood ladies; if you want to know the caloric intake of something that's gonna start at 1500 calories to begin with, be kind to all of us waiting behind you and chekc it out on the restaurants web page before you come. And one more thing, don't give away your real age that you're trying to hide with dressing too young by counting out exact change in pennies and nickles. Who knows the life you might be saving is YOUR OWN!
But, I'm not bitter or anyting. Having fun in Lima....Brian.
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