this must be what hell is like

OMG. my head is on fire.

ok, slight over-statement, but my office IS sweltering. and no, i'm not working in the tropics or the caribbean, or even florida for that matter. i'm where i've always been in Bridgewater, NJ.

outside my office window i can see 2 and a half feet of snow.

from inside my office window, i am breaking into a feminine mist.

i could do the sensible thing and shut my blinds or open my office door. however, i hate working in a room that is only lit by artificial light. it makes me feel like i'm actually stuck in a dungeon. or like the interrogation scene in The Matrix. also, if my office door is open i can't do activities such as the one i'm engaged in at this moment. so, i guess i'll just endure the heat, although if i start to get sleepy because of it then i'll have to succumb to one of the above options (most likely the door).

this heat is making my current task of transfering a retail consumption liquor license INFINITESIMALLY difficult (i almost spelled that word correctly on the first try. almost.)

hook, line, and sinker

i can listen to Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" on repeat. i never get tired of it.


it's lyrics are simple and easy to remember and sing along with. the tune is very catchy. but that's not the reason why.

there's 1 prhase in the song that i always want to hear, over and over again.

You know, you know, you know
I'd never ask you to change.
If perfect's what you're searching for
Then just stay the same.

and an involuntary smile appears on my face.

i don't know why but this lyric makes me happy.

maybe because it perfectly expresses how i feel about the person i like. or maybe because it's what i hope i'll have one day.

i demand a sweater!

hooray for me! i finished all my christmas shopping! the mall during the month of december is a destination i try to avoid at all costs. so i'm extremely happy that i managed to finish off all my christmas shopping last weekend. the only christmas presents left for me to buy are for my co-workers and bosses, which will not require me to go to the mall. hooray!

on my recent trip to the mall, i did notice one thing: there weren't a lot of sweaters for sale. there were loads of tees (long and short-sleeved), fancy dress shirts (for guys and girls), sweatshirts galore (hooded, non-hooded, zip-up, non zip-up), and cardigans aplenty. however, there weren't that many plain old sweaters. each store i went into had only 1-2 sweater options for girls, and maybe 2-3 sweater options for guys. and cardigans do not count as sweaters. apparently the fashion idea this winter is to wear cardigans vs. sweaters, which is a trend i am not on board with. don't get me wrong, i own plenty of cardigans, probably equal to the amount of sweaters i own. but to me, cardigans are a spring and fall option, which occassionally can be worn in winter as well. whereas winter=sweater weather. and, for a fatty like me, i fully embrace the opportunity to wear a sweater over a form-fitting tee or overly revealing tank top. sweaters leave so much more room to hide. me likey. plus, sweaters are infinitely more practical and simple at keeping me warm in the east coast winter.

speaking of consumer spending, as mentioned in my previous post, i recently made a trip to Mitsuwa with my gaggle of female cousins. my cousins were born in Taiwan and only immigrated to the States within the last 6 yrs (2 of them only in the last year), and while i know they like some aspects of the U.S., they seriously pine for their native country. thus, it's no surprise they were completely enamored by Mitsuwa, which is asian trinket and food central. how about a tiny chopstick holder?

for "You're Beautiful" fans: your own pig-rabbit?

if i lived closer to Edgewater, i would probably be spending about 50% of my meals at Mitsuwa. the options in their food court are endless and all of them are tempting, particularly when presented in the japanese-fake-food-art style. seriously, those fake food displays that japanese restaurants show you are better than any advertisement or lunch deal they use to entice you to their premises. even if i wasn't hungry before, one look at the food display instantly makes my tummy rumble. and, i have to admit, usually the real food doesn't look too far off from the fake food. i was going to take copious pictures of all the fake food displays but the there were giant crowds and long lines of ppl at each vendor and nobody else was taking photos, so i didn't take any pictures to avoid looking like a weirdo.

i've been trying to watch what i eat (for the most part) and that's one thing you really can't do at Mitsuwa. every vendor in the food court sells obento-style meals which usually comes as a set including rice and soup. so, instead of looking for the least amount of food, i looked for the cheapest option that wasn't too heavy on rice, gravies, and extras. which resulted in me ordering a zaru soba from Kayaba ($4.50). it's probably the plainest option you can order in the whole food court since it's just cold soba, dipping sauce, and a side of pickles and some wasabi. however, the portion is still HUGE. it's served on a large flat wicker plate and constitutes it's own little hilltop (it's not quite a mountain and more than a plateau). with the wasabi, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

and of course, no trip to Mitsuwa is complete without obanyaki. and these were all custard, my favorite. i really wish more places made them. it's so simple and cheap to do. hmm, maybe i should make a change in profession...

after filling our bellies we perused the adjacent supermarket and the small stores surrounding the Mitsuwa marketplace. The supermarket at Mitsuwa is very extensive and i would venture to guess that any japanese, korean, and chinese ingredient you're looking for can be found there but for a price. unless i'm looking for something so rare and exotic, i won't be buying my groceries at Mitsuwa. but it's still fun to peruse the selection. and the pre-made bentos and sushis are actually decently priced (and tasty).

outside of the supermarket are independent vendors e.g. a bookstore selling extremely overpriced pens and pencils and Japanese magazines and books (all in Japanese). i did make 1 purchase from the bookstore: lo and behold, my new planner for 2011. that's fine for an attorney right?

the store next to the bookshop sold various toys and trinkets which literally caused the cousins' brains to explode from excitement. the best finds? 2NE1 and 2PM socks. after i posted these pictures on Facebook i got a call from Stitch the following weekend. she was at Mitsuwa specifically looking for these socks. but then again, who can argue with the appeal of k-pop?

these are a few of my frivolous things (la la la)

maybe it's the asian in me, but, i admit it: i have an addiction to frivolous things. wait, let me clarify, i have an addiction to frivolous, cute things.

case in point: i am seriously contemplating buying the new Lardee Milk Toof merchandise.

look how cute this notebook is!

and it comes with these prints!

it would only cost me $24.50 including shipping... but no, it's the holiday season and i must exercise self-restraint. i can't really justify buying stuff for myself when i haven't even finished christmas shopping for the fam and friends. but oooo, i want it. if it's still available after christmas, i am on it. debt be damned.

asians are the lords & masters of cutesy, frivolous items that stir an illogical desire within me to pay more-than-it's-worth amounts in order to posses them. so you can imagine the chaos that ensued when my cousins and i went to Mitsuwa.

if you don't agree with me, you must at least agree that asians are the lords & masters of making the cutest stuff. if you don't believe me, just check out the following video from Google Japan.

ok, the last video wasn't by Google Japan. but it's still pretty cute. and fine, that cat is probably not asian. but you never know, it could be part Siamese.

happy 55th anniversary to Rosa Parks (thanks Google)

the things i learn by opening Google. and i love the little animations.

speaking of vehicles, i have had an uncanny experience with driving lately. a week ago, while driving home from work, i was mesmerized and annoyed by the car in front of me. i kept staring at it and got that frustrating feeling when something is on the tip of your brain but JUST out of grasp. and then it dawned on me: this car had reverse brake lights. meaning, when the car was moving, the red light at the bottom center of the rear windshield (you know, that small rectangular red light) and the rear brake lights would be on and when the car was at a stop, all the lights would be off.

unique? i guess. annoying? hell yes. particularly if you're the vehicle behind it.

1st, it's unsettling. my brain's been programmed to associate brake lights with braking. how simplistic of it. hence, seeing the lights would trigger my mental reflex to be slow and cautious (that IS what red's associated with). no lights=ok to proceed. 2nd, have red lights constantly glowing in front of you as you drive is very headache inducing. it made me understand why our vehicle lights system is the way it is. constant red lights shining in front of you has the equivalent eye pain of the asshole who keeps his brights on while driving behind you. which brings me to another point: are all headlights just standard brights now?

it being winter and all, by the time i drive home from work it's already pretty dark, so headlights while driving are a necessity. i've recently realized though that a lot of cars have EXTREMELY bright headlights. which is not fun when you peer into your rearview mirror while driving. it's completely blinding (exactly akin to those scenes in scary movies like Joy Ride and The Hitcher). it's hard for me to believe so many ppl are just driving around with their brights/high beams on, which makes me wonder: are brights just the standard headlights now?

finally, in the past week, every day except for one, i've been surrounded by a police car whenever i'm driving. if it's not driving in front of me, it's behind me. if it's not behind me, it's driving right next to me. it's really weird. and annoying.

wow. i've clearly been in the car, driving, for a good length of time. i guess the good part about being in the car so long is i've managed to listen to most of the songs on my iPod including new albums that i'd downloaded but hadn't fully listened to yet. in particular, i've been enjoying the recent albums of Nicky Lee, Kenji Wu, and Danson Tang.







yes, i DO listen to songs other than k-pop. i am an equal opportunity teeny bopper.

however, i have to admit, i'm also REALLY enjoying this song:

i just wanted to see...oops!

i guess it could be called "maturing" or "developing," but i really like it when i end up doing activities with friends that don't involve copious amounts of alcohol. don't get me wrong, i enjoy my drinks (if you're wondering about that last post, yes, it was the result of a night of inebriation, hence the 5 a.m. posting time). however, when you look back on the experience, it usually melds with the other nights of drinking with friends, unless the event was of epic, The Hangover proportions.

plus drinking nights out tend to make for monotonous pictures because everyone does the same "smile" pose.

Egg, She and i met up to go to a free art exhibit at the National Arts Club near Gramercy Park. the theme of the show had been Romance, as expressed through the photography of Chris Craymer. the exhibit was small, but nice. some of the photography was interesting, but had a very Vogue editorial style to it, which is appealing in the modern, general public sense.

one of the photographs presented at the exhibit.

on the other hand, the National Arts Club was not what I expected. since it's located across from Gramercy Park (which is an actual park, which i knew, but had never really seen. in my mind i think i always just thought of it as a neighborhood-btw, after reading the Wiki entry, i kind of want to go back and re-examine the area now that i have historical context), from the outside it looks like any other brownstone house/apartment located on the street, which makes sense since it used to be Samuel J. Tilden's residence . it's also located right next to the Players' Club. we all stood outside of it skeptically when we first arrived, trying to figure out if we were at the right place. we were. then, when we entered, there was a distinct Rocky Horror Picture Show feel to the place, with a woman with a parakeet on her shoulder, dim lighting, Persian rugs, and a Lurch-like man to greet us at the door. once downstairs, it starts feeling more like a gallery. there were also 2 other exhibits that day, both were paintings and i wish it had been more clear as to who the painters were because the other exhibits were more intriguing than the photography.

after our art excursion, we headed to Cha-An for hot tea and set lunch/dinner. since it was around 6ish, parking around the area was manageable and free after 7 p.m. before i talk about Cha-An, i have to mention Sakaya, a sake store located on E. 9th St. i've been in the East Village often but never knew about this place until we happened to walk by it on the way to Cha-An. from outside it has such a bright and fun feel that we just had to go in. it also helped that they were doing a free sake sampling with chocolate (this happened around Valentine's Day). i highly recommend this place because the sake selection is extensive but not expensive (if you look around) and the owners are extremely helpful.i've attempted to go to Cha-An three times in my life, and every time i've been thwarted because it was closed (it doesn't open until 2:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday and will also close if reserved for a private party). but not this time! i finally got to eat at Cha-An. hooray! and, i have to say, i really liked it. the place is small, but in a cozy way.

Egg and She shared an Afternoon Tea Set which consists of 2 kinds of sandwiches, scones, assorted sweets and choice of tea (they picked Earl Grey). the sandwiches are the size of tiny tea sandwiches, which is adorable and probably filling if for 1 person. She and Egg thought the Earl Grey tea was good, but different from what they usually drink.
i ordered the Cha-An Set B, which is the bigger and more expensive ($19) of the 2 choices but i was so excited to finally be there that i figured indulging was called for (plus i hadn't eaten yet that day). Set B consists of soup and vegetable, soy milk quiche with mushrooms and scallions, tea smoked salmon, 15 grain rice, dessert, and choice of tea. everything was really good, particularly the salmon and the vegetable salad, and very light. i finished the meal feeling full, but not heavy.when we finished our meal, i decided to order some macarons to bring home to the family. i've heard great things about their macarons, and they weren't lying. i opted for the green tea variety and the only negative thing i can say about them is that i wish i'd gotten more than 1 per person. however, at about $2 a pop they aren't cheap.
you'll notice that 1 of the macarons looks abused. it was. after the server had given me my to-go order of macarons, i placed it on the table to take my wallet out. while it lay on the table, i noticed Egg's friend, who had joined us at the end of the meal, point his finger and slowly approach the macaron.

it got closer. and closer. and closer.

and then it poked the macaron so hard that it cracked its shell!
his hand immediately recoiled and we, including him, had our mouths agape at what he'd just done. when we asked him why he'd done it, his response was, "i just wanted to see." he had never seen or heard of a macaron and had assumed it was made of a soft, cake-like texture, which it is not.

the incident was uproariously funny to me for many reasons: 1st, i can completely relate to that feeling of just wanting to poke/touch something and see what it feels like. i can relate because i remember having that feeling as a child. 2nd, even if the macaron was made of cake-like texture, i'm still not sure how i feel about him wanting to poke/smush it. is that really an appropriate thing to do someone's food? 3rd, how much pressure was he using to poke that, even after making contact with the macaron and realizing it was a hard shell, he continued to push it until it cracked?

all those factors combined makes it so that every time i see this picture it just makes me smile at the memory.

did you know that...

...when you walk home after 4 a.m. you get to smell Au Bon Pain baking bread. It smells heavenly.

And if you look homeless enough you may get free bread!

all-American

because i live near NYC and have a constant obsession with food, i keep a perpetual list of restaurants and foods i want to try (the list is around here somewhere). however, the list has gotten bigger and bigger as my bank book grew smaller and smaller. it's pretty shameful some of the places i've been talking about eating at and the number of years i've been talking about it. but every once in a while, the stars, planets (and my wallet) align...

S'MAC has been around for so long and i've been hankering to go for so long. it's really a no-brainer: who doesn't want to eat mac and cheese? i was, after all, born in America and it is wholly American to love mac and cheese (most non-ABCs tend to dislike cheesy foods since dairy doesn't play a huge part in asian cuisine). S'MAC is located on E. 12th Street near St. Marks and the size of the restaurant is small like most of the eateries in that area. you walk in and spend your time staring at the people sitting in an effort to mind-control them out of their seats. on the night that i went i noticed a guy and 2 girls at a table where everyone was finished eating but continued to sit at the table to chat and leisurely enjoy the complimentary water. i kept sending ESP daggers towards them in hopes they would get up and get out. go enjoy drinks at the multitude of bars in the area, don't take up space in a tiny cramped restaurant! we eventually got a table, but not that one. they were still there when we finished eating!

the service at S'MAC is almost non-existent since you order at the counter but they do give you a placard which you place on your table and they walk the 1 foot from the open kitchen to your table to deliver your mac and cheese. DRC got the American, Guest got Buffalo Chicken, and i got the Parisienne which has brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitakes and rosemary. my favorite cheese is swiss so the Parisienne seemed unique and interesting. we all got Nosh portions which is more than adequate-sized for a normal dinner portion although if you're starving i recommend an upgrade to Major Munch.

the American ended up being bland but when seasoned with a liberal amount of salt and pepper it can be saved. the cheese in the American was nice and creamy which was really its saving grace. the Parisienne was good, although a little unbalanced. some bites were sweet because of the fig, others were extremely rosemary. the cheese was less creamy which surprised me since i always associate brie as an extremely creamy cheese. maybe it doesn't melt as well? i ate about 2/3s and couldn't finish the remainder. the Buffalo Chicken was clearly the winner of the night because it was very flavorful and not too salty or spicy, as some buffalo chicken-flavored dishes tend to be (i just had a flashback of Chili's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. yikes.). apparently, i'm not the only person who thinks it was good since NY Serious Eats also named it amongst its Best Macaroni and Cheese in New York City.

embarassing.

why BLS Class of 2010? why?!?!

how embarassing.

Journey to the South Part Deux

i spoke with a friend yesterday who commented on my prior post and asked for a picture to see the new cut. i'll put one up eventually but i'm not one of those asian girls who stands around selca-ing all the time. it just feels too narcissistic and weird. however, it did make me look through my blog and realize i haven't posted any pics of myself in a long time. nor do i really have any desire too. for those of you who know me, you already know what i look like. those of you who don't, it wouldn't really matter anyway. plus, i've become a seriously Hungry Hungry Hippo and am extremely displeased at the way i look. and for your benefit, i will not subject you to my currently unpleasant aesthetics. for those ppl who see me in person on a regular basis, you're SOL.

also, i was checking out my visitors statistics since i'm always curious as to who's reading and why/how they stumbled onto my blog. and how freaky was it when i saw a visitor from the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C.? um, yea, that didn't completely scare me for 5 seconds... although i don't think i have too much to worry about since they seemed to have stumbled on it for the post about JGL.

a preview of what Cubed did later that same night.

ok. now to conclude my Journey to the South. Cubed, Kiddo and i drove from VB to Richmond to meet up with Coleslaw and AMW. Cubed made the mistake of drinking a few beers before we got into the car and proceeded to hit traffic. so not pretty. and neither were the bumpy construction roads at the time. however, we did get a Chick-Fil-A stop out of it and i got to show off my fancy driving skills of one-handed signaling and changing lanes because my other hand was eating a soft serve ice cream. i got MAD skillz.

so, i have to admit, i'm not a great diarist. a ton of debauchery went down while we were in Richmond. Beer Pong, drunken traipsings, Trolley Market, random makeouts, and "kitchen time" but i didn't photograph any of it. my bad...

this is not the aforementioned "kitchen time" although we were in the kitchen

but really, do we need more documentary evidence of debauchery? probably not.

look at this thing!!! ::smacking and licking lips::

i did however, take some pics of our epic brunch at River City Diner. the menu is ginormous, with some definite note-worthy options and the bloody marys are huge and delicious. mmmm, i'm salivating just at the thought of it... AMW was her usual self and ordered 3 beverages and a side of fries. the order that came out was essentially 5 fries on plate. i kid you not. the serving size was seriously pathetic. however, AMW's order aside, everyone else's was more than enough to fill up our stomachs.

apparently someone disagreed enough with Tabasco's suggested uses to cross them out on the bottle at CP Shucker's

after brunch we made a command decision and went back to Virginia Beach to check out BBM's hometown and meet her parents who were throwing a barbecue in our honor (or Cubed's honor-but i decided to include myself in that). i finally fulfilled my desire to eat seafood near the sea. every time i go to a seaside town, i become wracked with a desire to eat oysters and chowders. it's really weird. particularly since NY and NJ are also sea-bordering states. however, since i'm the only person that feels this way, it doesn't usually come to fruition. except this time.

BBM took us to CP Shucker's on the oceanfront to satisfy my seafood craving. i ordered so much food my jeans (which i'd borrowed from BBM because i'd ripped mine playing beer pong in Richmond) felt like they were going to burst. but it was totally worth it. BBM ordered the Shucker Bites which are bite-sized grilled tuna, which i remember being good, but now, so many months later, i have no recollection of them at all. for my meal i got the She-Crab soup, Bay Chips and Cheese, and a dozen raw oysters. anyone who knows me would think that's nothing. and so did i, but i clearly forgot to account for the density of the She-Crab soup. i'd never had the soup before but was immediately intrigued once BBM told me about it. it's like a chowder made from the eggs of a female crab with the usual chowder accoutrements. being asian, eating the ovaries of crabs is nothing foreign and i actually really like it so of course i ordered it. and it was extremely tasty, but i recommend ordering cup-size because the density of the "soup" and the flavor becomes overwhelming in bowl-form.

my epic meal at CP Shuckers.

after dinner we went to BBM's local but i'd developed an alcohol headache by then so i was out of the game until right before the bar closed. go figure. i furiously drank 2 beers before we got kicked out of the bar. although what i did was nothing compared to Cubed. right before we were leaving, a random guy offered Cubed $20 to chug a pitcher of beer. who would say "no" to that? clearly not Cubed (and it didn't help that BGA and i were egging him on).

Cubed right after his "triumphant" chug. it looked worth it at the time...

Cubed puked as soon as we got back to BBM's apartment and suffered the consequences for the rest of the night. he kept bemoaning "that so wasn't worth $20". to Cubed's credit, he had drank pretty heavily prior to chugging the beer as well.

BGA and i stayed up to giggle like little girls at a slumber party and share our new-found love of all-things-Kesha (that should help you date exactly how long ago this event took place). we also watched the weirdest tug-of-war going on between BBM and the guy she was seeing. he kept going into her room to go to sleep and then exiting 5 mins later then going back in 5 mins after that. it must've happened about 20 times.

everyone was a little rough the next morning

the barbecue at BBM's parent's house was amazing. there's something about a home-cooked meal that is always so satisfying. i didn't get pics of the food because i didn't want to look like a weirdo....

...so instead i'll show you the pics of us shooting paintballs in BBM's backyard.

when worlds collide

it always feels a little weird when someone or something you know in completely different capacities end up coming together, isn't it? like when you introduce your college roommate to your high school friend and find out that they know each other already. there's nothing wrong with it, it just unsettles your understanding of the world for that 1 nano-second.

i experienced that last night when i was watching Playful Kiss. Around 10 mins into episode 8, 2 supporting characters are sitting in a cafe eating food. it's not that exciting a scene so i wasn't really paying attention and was finishing up some work and just listening to it in the background.

i wish you luck
and i wish it true
that's the best
i can do for you

cause you'll probably find love
in someone new
i have to let go
yeah it's hard to do

wait. what? why am i singing David Choi?

so if i ever see you on the street
i'll pretend that i didn't see
and turn my face
no use in small talk anyways

because if i look into your eyes
then i'll have to say goodbye
and that'll break my heart
so i won't even start

is that "Won't Even Start" by David Choi playing in the background of this cafe scene in Playful Kiss? yes folks, it is!

hmmm, i wonder if he's really that popular in Korea. would i get to see him on Music Bank or Inkigayo any time soon?

Vanity

Maybe it's just me but i believe there's something in human nature that makes it so that when you sit across from a mirror you can't help but keep looking at your reflection a/k/a VANITY.

I'm sitting in the salon right now waiting for MaMa and Hippo and I JUST CAN'T STOP checking myself out in the mirror. Particularly fiddling with my newfound bangs. And with my iPod earphones in, it's like i'm in my own world (like those scenes in movies where the protaganist is standing in the same place while the world around them is moving SUPER QUICK).

I always have really weird experiences in salons. Maybe it's because i always get my haircut at some Chinatown salon. For instance, i once had a stylist continually ask me if i wanted to dye my hair, not so subtly implying my hair was in bad condition. CONTINUOUSLY. and you can only listen to "you sure? cause it bad" so many times before it starts getting annoying/funny. On another occassion someone cut my hair with the worst random cowlick on the back of my head, which i didn't discover until after i washed it and dried it for the first time. every time i dried my hair it stood up to Alfalfa-like porportions.

Most recently, i walked into a salon to get full-on straight bangs. I've been really wanting them and WoofWoof's are always a constant reminder. My hair's not ideal for straight bangs because i don't have that STRAIGHT STRAIGHT hair that other asian girls have; mine gets wavy and cowlicky instead. I once got straight bangs in middle school with disastrous results (imagine helmet/giant poof). But i decided to take the leap. I'm older, wiser, and armed with a hair straightener now. I think i can make it work.

So i gave the stylist specific instructions to use the portion allotted to my former sidebangs and use it to cut straight bangs. She seemed to understand. She trimmed my hair and started to work on the bangs, which had grown to chin length since my last haircut. She then asked me, "how short do you want it?"

To which i responded "not too short but so i can see out of them." After which i pointed to the section above my eyes for reference.

She nodded and responded, "so here?" and pointed to the area AT MY MOUTH.

I corrected her again pointing to the area above my eyes.

To which she responded by pointing the area AROUND MY NOSE.

This negotiation continued for 10 mins before i just gave up and let her cut it (we'd reached a compromise to the area of my eyes but not above them). I figured i'd just correct her after. As the cut progressed it became very apparent that she was cutting SIDEBANGS not straight bangs.

So I advised her that i wanted straight bangs NOT sidebangs. This was her response:

"Uhhh... I not know your faaace. I not know if this works for your faaace. I know [the current cut] works for your faaace. You look good. I no know if [straight bangs] work with your faaace. So how bout nex' time when you come back we try that." (And this is exactly how she talked. I'm not being racist).

At this point i just gave up and let her do whatever she wanted. It was too tiring to negotiate.

2 days later i trimmed it myself and am now sporting the desired straight bangs.

Chain Eating

as an example of my innate New Jersey-ness, for my cousin's bday dinner, we went to Bahama Breeze. it is a fact that if you live in NJ, you spend most of your time dining out at chain restaurants e.g. Chili's, Olive Garden, TGIF's, Applebee's, etc.

i've been to Bahama Breeze only 1 other time, and i only heard about this restaurant over the summer. the 1 near me has a nice outdoor seating area, which is usually packed, but we went there on Labor Day so there wasn't a wait. we were a total of 8 ppl so they seated us at a large round table. and when i say large, i mean LARGE. i practically had to shout to say anything to Woof.

kudos to our waitress because we were that annoying party, where 5 ppl sit down first and then don't order anything for 30 mins because they're waiting for the rest of their party. i felt so bad that i broke down and ordered 2 apps before the other 3 ppl arrived. BirthdayCousin picked the Island Onion Rings and Woof chose the Coconut Shrimp. the menu clearly tells you the apps are big enough to share, but that claim is always put to the test when it comes to my fam (the party ranges from 7-13 depending on which cousins are present). however, the Island Onion Rings lived up to its claim as they were a ginormous tower of rings! and delicious at that. they arrived piping hot and crispy, with a hint of coconut in the breading. and i'm a big fan of the chili-horseradish dipping sauce. the Coconut Shrimp weren't as "share-sized" (more appropriate for a party of 4) but they were equally delish.

Hippo was torn between ordering the Wood-Grilled Top Sirloin Steak and the Jerk Chicken Pasta, so i did her a solid and ordered the pasta for my entree. despite the actual size of the menu, the options aren't very extensive and, since i hate ordering the same thing as someone else at the table, once everyone else was done choosing, there weren't many choices left.

Hippo's about to tear into that steak

the menu's bigger than Woof's face!

but it's all drinks on 1 side, food on the other.

the pasta was ok, nothing spectacular. there was definitely a spicy jerk flavor which is presented in a creamy sauce, but the pasta and chicken itself was slightly overcooked/mushy. the same goes for the Pan-Seared Salmon Pasta. you don't often find seafood and cream sauce pairings but Bahama Breeze clearly believes in it. the steak was good, although i've never been a fan of yuca fries (i find them too dry). i've had the fish specials before and they all tend to be pretty good, so that's what i'd recommend getting, aside from the apps.

perhaps a dinner of just appetizers? if only Felicity was real and Sean had opened his concept restaurant Before and After as he'd originally planned...