The 2009 Best Burger Search

The fam and I are doing a little contest this summer. We are a red meat eating kind of family and after having a burger one day, we decided to search the Bay Area for the Best Burger.
We made a list of 10 spots that we had tried or heard good things about and hope to try them all and rate them over the next couple of months. The funny thing is that once I had let people know what we were doing, we received another 10 places we should try! At this rate, I will be eating burgers everyday...not that I'm complaining!

To aid in our scoring, we made a score sheet that judges things such as: taste, freshness of ingredients, appearance and how well the burger holds together (nothing worse than having the bun fall apart on you!). We have also added a section for fries and onion rings but its not as detailed. My boys are taking this pretty seriously.

Last Wednesday, we tried our first burger. It's a place in San Mateo called Jack's Prime. I had heard about this place from my sister and a couple of people on facebook had also commented about it. Seeing how it was not too far from our place, we decided to try it.
To me, Jack's was nothing special and I was not impressed. I ordered their "Classic Cheeseburger" with pepper jack cheese. None of us were asked how we wanted it cooked and nowhere on the menu did it state how it came cooked. It came well-done. I prefer mine a little pink. My bun was a little over toasted on the edges. Not a big deal really but if Im rating the burger I'm going to call it like I see it. When I took a bite, I tasted their "special" sauce more than the burger. I don't know about you but when I bite a burger, I want to taste meat. The burger itself wasn't too juicy. It was not dry, but it wasn't juicy either.
To sum it up, Jack's was pretty ordinary. And.....the service sucked.
I'm willing to give Jack's another try, maybe they just had an off night...but, I'm not expecting much.

Easy Kabobs.

 

5 Spice Beef Kabob

from Licence to Grill IVEpisode: Chinese Food BBQ

Ingredients

1. 5 Spice Beef Kabob
2. - 3 lb. sirloin steak cut into 1 inch cubes
3. Marinade
4. - 3 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (45ml)
5. - 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6. - 1 tsp dry chilli flakes (5ml)
7. - 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (10ml)
8. - 1/3 cup light soy sauce (80ml)
9. - 1/4 cup white sugar (60ml)
10. - 1/4 cup dry sherry (60ml)
11. - 2 tsp 5 spice powder (10ml)
12. - 2 tbsp peanut oil (30ml)

Directions

1. bamboo skewers or disposable wooden chop sticks soaked in cool water for 1 hour
2. Mix together marinade ingredients. Set aside ¼ cup (60ml) of marinade for basting. Pour the remaining marinade over cubed beef and refrigerate for 5 hours.
3. Remove beef from marinade and thread beef on skewers, 4 pieces of beef per skewer.
4. Preheat barbeque grill to 375°F/190°C or medium-high heat.
5. Place beef on well oiled grill.
6. Grill beef for approximately 2 minutes per side (for medium rare) or until desired doneness.
7. Remove from grill and lightly tent with foil. Allow meat to rest 5 minutes.

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Baseball...

Today starts the second half of the season for my beloved Gigantes. As it stands, the Giants are currently in second place in the NL West, 7 games behind the dreaded Dodgers. In addition, if the season ended today, the Giants would make the playoffs via the "Wild Card" spot. I must say, the Giants are looking to be in a good position at the moment...HOWEVER....
They still need a bat.
Pitching has been a strength all season. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are the anchors and doing what is eppected. Randy Johnson has been ok but is currently sidelined. Barry Zito has even managed to win a few games but has also looked pretty bad at times. The Giants got a couple of good outings from a rookie as well and it came a great time. The one spot in the rotation that in my opinion is key, has been the fifth spot. This is where the rookie stepped in for Jonathan Sanchez when he was demoted. Sanchez has talent and has looked brilliant at times. He has looked pretty bad as well. That is why he was sent to the bullpen. But a funny thing happened....Randy Johnson got hurt and Sanchez was forced to make a start. Guess what happened? The fucker pitched a no-hitter!! Can you believe that?
Sanchez was focused. Sanchez was efficient. Sanchez had all his pitches going that night. He was an animal. I do not know if his demotion lit a fire up his proverbial ass or if he was just on, or if he made a deal with the Devil himself...but whatever it was, it was beautiful.
If Sanchez can be half as dominant as he was that night, and this fan believes he can be, than I think the Giants, if the pick up a bat in a trade, will do quite well the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Now, its not entirely upto Sanchez, the team needs to play well behind him and all the pitchers but it would definitely look better for the boys in orange and black.
Go Giants.

Long time no write..

Well, to my 3 followers out there...sorry I haven't written. I am not going to write much here today other than to say hello and let you know that I am still alive and kicking.
Topics to look forward to soon..
A review of my new netbook. I love gadgets.
My breakdown of the SF Giants first half of the season.
Corn. Is it a vegetable or is it a grain?
Stay tuned

Worst Kept Secret...

Adam Lambert is gay.
Who knew?
Everyone.

I Love This Country

Ok...here it goes. I watched American Idol this season. Now wait a sec...I did not watch every show. This is the first time I had ever watched it. I was watching with my wife. Ok...I feel better now that I put out my disclaimers!
All I have to say is this....if every season some singer gets his hopes smashed to bits because America is not ready for him...well, then I am hooked! (Not really)
Everyone, myself included, thought Mr. Eyeliner was going to win. He was the better singer...and, last I checked, this is a singing contest! However, it is also a popularity contest and, sad to say, Adam's flamboyant performances are/were not very popular with most of America in my opinion. I do not feel bad for Adam, he will make his millions and will probably have a better contract too with more input from the beginning but he should have won. I will tip my hat to him though as he was the gracious winner and let Kris enjoy the moment....which he was too stunned to do.

And let me add this...one of the main reasons I have never watched before was because of Paula Abdul and I was right. I do not know what she is on but I hope she gets help soon! Listening to her was like nails on a chalkboard...and that was when she made sense.

On a completely different topic... I think its time for another tattoo. I pretty much know what I want and hope to go in the next couple of weeks. I will post pics when ready.

Ciao

Random Thoughts

Its the middle of Spring but lately, its been like the middle of Summer in NorCal. Hot

About 1/4 of the way through the season and the Giants are in 2nd place, 1 game over .500. Not bad but nothing to get too excited about.

Not a day goes by that my boys don't surprise me with their developing sense of humor. Hmmm...wonder where they get that from?

Rumors have it that a new iPhone is coming out...AGAIN! I hope nobody passes me the Kool-aid pitcher this time because I'd probably drink from it again! Such a sucker

On the other hand...the new Palm Pre comes out in June.....that phone looks pretty sweet.

I know, I know...its just a phone...

My friend Bridget has had a tough year this year so far and it was supposed to be a good one...hang in there B...it's going to get better!

Beginning in June, I'm vowing to try a new recipe once a week. If anybody wants to be my guinea pig, let me know. Job doesn't pay much but you might like my cooking!

Finally signed my boys up for swim lessons. They should be swimming better than rocks do soon.

What is up with the craziness at Bobblehead giveaways at ballparks?

Thats it...ciao.

Mother's Day

Sunday is Mother's Day. Millions of flowers will be bought; thousands of poached eggs will be eaten and unfortunately, many gold-plated charms with "Mom" spelled out in cubic zarconia stones will be forced to be worn.
Moms are great. I can honestly say that without them, none of us would be here. However, they deserve more than a day. It's great that on Sunday, the family will get together and make mom feel special but we should try to do that everyday. Give mom a call just to say hi on a Tuesday afternoon. Send her a card on any other day besides her birthday. Take her for Eggs Benedict on a Saturday in August. This Mother's Day, give your mom a gift that she will really appreciate and love...give her more than just a day. Thats what I'm going to try to do.
Thanks mom for everything. I love you and appreciate you and will do my best to let you know more often.

Typical Sharks

Ok, I need to vent.
I have been going to San Jose Sharks games since they played in San Francisco the first couple of years. My friend Mike and I bought 10 game mini plans for a number of years. I am a whore for free tickets when offered, I take my boys at least once a year to a game and we watch them on the tube every chance we get. I am a fan of the Sharks.
Previous years have been disappointing as they had good teams and either blew it in the playoffs or started off so crappy in the beginning of the season, they missed the playoffs altogether.
This year...they had a great team. Had the best record in the NHL. Had home ice advantage EVERY series...had they made it past the first series! Yes, my Sharks got their asses spanked in the first round. I wish I could tell you why. Saying they SUCKED the past 4 games is too easy. Why they sucked? I dont know. No heart? No sense of urgency? No leadership on the ice? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Its frustrating, as a fan, to have ALL the teams in your market LOSE every year.
What do these teams have to do to WIN?
I wish I knew.

Updates and Other Filler

So... awhile back I mentioned that we were visiting schools for my oldest son. We went to several open houses and tours, had him do "shadow" days at the school where he was a student for a day. We met with admissions people, principals..or the Head of School (ckd feel free to laugh)... all in the pursuit of education. It was enough to make my head swim and take up drinking as a fulltime job.
Well...it all paid off. My son was admitted (and we accepted) to a great private school in San Francisco. He is very excited, we all are, and it should be a great experience for him.
But there is more....
This weekend, we begin part 2 of the saga. My youngest son was invited to apply for the same academic program that his brother is a part of. Tomorrow he has an assessement day and we have a family interview as part of the process. I am hoping that nepotism is part of the program's manifesto but also making sure my son is scrubbed behind the ears just in case. If he is accepted, I am thinking he will have a good chance at attending the same private school in a year and having them at the same school would be awesome.
Lets keep our fingers crossed!

Ok...let me rant....
What The F**k is going on with the Sharks? Are they going to blow it again? They are folding faster than a Kmart Lawn chair. They had better get their heads out of their asses or they run the risk of losing this fan....and many others too!
Play like you want it guys. Play like you mean it. For Fucks sake, just fucking play!

Lifestyle Changing

I have been on the South Beach Diet for about two weeks now. If any of you (all one of you), know anything about this diet it's that for the first two weeks you can have no carbs or sugar at all. Nothing. Zero. Not one little, tiny chocolate morsel that may have fallen off of a cookie in a Chips Ahoy package. Zilch. If any of you know me, I love chocolate. See the dilemma?
I have done this diet before and it worked. I had lost about 15 pounds before I gave in and regained my plump figure. This time, I am determined to stick with it.

The idea is behind the no sugar, no carbs cold-turkey torture is to reteach your body what its like to be satisfied with what you ate. Carbs are filler. They fill you up for the time being but shortly later you are hungry again. Also, carbs turn into sugar. If you don't burn the sugar off, the sugar and calories gets stored as fat. (This may not be entirely accurate but it works for me so all of you peeps that got A's in biology shut up). The book says after a few days you dont crave carbs anymore. I would have to agree. I dont crave that piece of garlic bread...but I wouldn't mind a piece! Once the two-week hell week is over, I can "reintroduce" carbs into my diet. However, because I have been following the SB Diet bible, I now know what kinds of carbs to eat to limit the amount of sugar in my body. I will wheat bread instead of white. I should have whole wheat pasta instead of the regular stuff. Don't eat those potatoes Mo, have wild rice instead. (Did you know wild rice isnt rice at all?) Shit like that.

This Saturday is the end of the hell week. I am a bit nervous about being able to eat sugar again. What should I eat as a treat? Can I make this lifestyle change stick?
Only time will tell. I will keep you posted.

Opening Day

Today, Americans all across the land are full of hope and optimism. Today, millions of people, big and small, short and tall, of all colors, sex, religious and political beliefs will be united in their thinking and wishing for same thing. Yes, today is Opening Day for baseball (the season actually started Sunday night but the Giants, my Giants, start today...and thats all that matters) and fans across the globe all think that their team will win the World Series in October.

Many have waited through a cold winter for today to come. Spring is here and with it, the smell of fresh cut grass and hot dogs is in the air. The roar of the crowd, the boos directed toward the opposing team (and umpires) and the distinct cry of the peanut vendor will be heard today by the hoards of fans who were insightful enough to ask for the day off of work weeks ago or resourceful enough to come up with a good ailment to use to call in sick.

Among the crowds will be Opening Day virgins, experiencing the spectacle firsthand for the very first time and veterans alike, who have witnessed more than one Opening Day but still look forward to the next one like a kid waiting for his turn to ride the slide at ATT Park.
Kids, of all ages, will fall in love with baseball today for the first time or the 100th time. Today, every team is in first place, and every fan thinks that their team will still be there 162 games later.

People will come together, united, toward a single cause. Today, more than most days, many of us are more alike than we will ever realize or admit. Today, a game unites a lot of us. America's past time. Baseball.

Go Giants.

Play Ball!

Diets and Random Thoughts...

I started a diet (change of lifestyle) yesterday and it is no April Fools joke. I am doing the South Beach diet...low carbs, good carbs only type...or at least a modified version of it. Its a tough diet (change of lifestyle) for carbo-holics like me but it worked in the past and Im seeing if I can catch lightning in a bottle again. If I can just get my ass off the couch and exercise some I think it will work. Stay tuned for angry rants and general bitching....diet (change of lifestyle) induced of course.
Time for some random thoughts....

Baseball season is less than a week away. Nice

How many USEFUL apps do I have on my iPhone? Not many...as in, they might be useful but I dont use them.

I am using twitter...I may actually link this blog to it....but Im still not sure I get it.

I went to Seattle a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Went to the Space Needle, Pikes Market, ate at Dicks. Would go back in a heartbeat.

If any of you go there or are there now, you have to try Assaggio. Its a great little Italian restaurant on 4th St right next to the Andra Hotel. The service is great and the food is awesome. I would go to Seattle just to eat there. www.assaggioseattle.com

On my next trip up, I am going to take a picture of every Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee shop I see. I need to buy a bigger memory card for my camera.

Spring is here. Allergies too. This sucks.

Have a great day.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream - Scoop Shops - Free Cone Day

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream - Scoop Shops - Free Cone Day

Posted using ShareThis

More Music

Good morning! Its a great today. Why? Because we are above ground and any day that we are still above ground is a great day in my book! Ok, enough of that...

Check out my friends CD.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/sidmorris

Sid is a great guy that happens to play a mean piano. I first met Sid about 7 years ago when I started working for my current employer and Sid was/is a Superintendent here. I would go out to jobsites, making my rounds and Sid was running some work. Always smiling and having a knack for keeping positive, Sid and I became more than coworkers over the years.

I have heard Sid play a couple of times (though I keep telling him Im going to show up at a gig soon), but Im a fan. Sid plays blues but even if you arent a fan of the genre, check out the CD for piano at the very least.

St Paddy's Day

Happy Green Day to all.
I will be going home and cracking open a Guiness in honor of the day! Though I consider St. Paddy's Day amatuer day #3 (#s 1&2 being New Years and Cinco de Mayo), I hope everyone that does decide to go out today, has a great and safe day/evening.
Lets live to see the next one people!

Fav Album #4

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

No. 4 on my favorite album list is.......
Nirvana's, Nevermind.
While their debut album Bleach caught the attention of radio America, it was their second album that blew my socks off. Nevermind put Nirvana into American lives whether they wanted it or not. Grunge became an everyday word and Cobain was its posterboy, whether he wanted it or not.
I used to listen to this album everywhere I went, in the car, on my walkman, everywhere. Having said that, I must admit that it was not until recently that I actually "listened" to the entire album and I must say, it is once again, one of my faves on my portable player of choice.
Nirvana helped me discover bands such as STP, Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. They definitely help add a new section to my record/tape/cd collection.

Favorite Albums 2 & 3

Of course, I didnt write yesterday (imagine that) so here go two albums for you.

Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
Who would have thought 3 white boys from the East Coast would be the ones to bring rap to mid-America and mainstream radio? Now, they werent the pioneers that Run DMC were BUT, you have to take your hats off to these guys for bringing a fresh look and sound to rap at a time when it was all fresh/new to most people. With catchy tunes like "Brass Monkey" and "Girls" and the teen anthem "Fight for your Right", the Beastie Boys hit the radiowaves running and didnt stop until they hit #2 on the R&B album chart. You may not like their style, but you have to give the Beastie Boys their props.

A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Tough call picking one of Tribes first three albums as a favorite album but I chose this one for sentimental value. Simply put: This is one of the best Hip Hop albums I have ever heard. Pioneers in sound, Tribe fused together hip hop and jazz to create a sound that was both yet neither at the same time. Smooth lyrics and even smoother beats make this album a must have, in my opinion, and at the very least..a must listen - at least once. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Favorite Albums

Click for list official participants & info on joining in!

Came across this on a blog I read and since I did something similar on facebook last week, I thought what the hell. Maybe I will even write something everyday this week. Thanks to sarahspy for the idea and blogging petunia for spreading the word. (both can be found on blogspot.com)

The concept is for the blogging world to write about their favorite albums this entire week. Alright here it goes...

Dr. Dre - The Chronic.
Deep baselines. Solid lyrics... And that gangsta attitude that you came to love when Dre was part of NWA. Throw in a little-known (at that time) rapper name Snoop Dog and you got one of the top rap albums ever. Classic

Random Thoughts

Terrel Owens is a punk.

A-Rod is a liar and a punk

Barry Bonds is a liar and a punk but at least he is smart enough to stick to the story.

I am not looking forward to "springing forward" this Sunday.

Baseball season is about a month away and I cant wait to eat my first hot dog of the season at the ballpark.

I am excited about going to Seattle in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to checking out the city and seeing my cousin. Anyone know of some cool spots near the Hotel Andra?

I thought about building and ark this past week but on my drive to Home Depot to buy wood it stopped raining. How's that for divine intervention?

I need a haircut. I havent had one in about 4 months...which is about 3 months longer than usual.

Twitter. Im not sure I get it.

March Madness should be starting soon. Cant wait.

Today is my Birthday

Just want take this time to thank my friends for being there, my family for supporting me, my boys for making me smile and my wife for loving me.
I know I am not always the easiest person to deal with but everyone in my life does a great job.
Thanks to all.

Thoughts...Maybe Not so Random....

Is it February already?
How can a play, that close of a call, not be reviewed in a game that big?
Can we start "March Madness" early? I need a new sporting event to watch!
Will Heroes overtake 24 in my Monday night TV watching?
Should I be reading more anyway?
Does thinking about getting healthy count for anything?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck anyway?
How many people know that another word for woodchuck is groundhog?
Is a female groundhog a woodchick?
Will the recession ever end?
I wonder if companies that really arent doing that badly are using the recession as an excuse to cut weak links, not give raises and put the fear of God into people about their jobs?
How long will it take for a train traveling at 45mph leaving from LA to pass a train leaving Chicago traveling at 55mph?
Whats for lunch?

Monday

Its Monday and I am feeling very indifferent. I am not in a good mood. I am not in a bad mood. I am just kind of there....weird.
I dont want to be at work but I can not think of any other place I would rather be. Ok...home....but its not like I can't stand being here and I am not sure what I would do if I were home anyway. I am just kind of there....or, here I guess.
The one thing I do know is this.... January flew right by. Next week is February already. Crazy.

Just testing this feature.

Mauricio
Sent from my iPhone

A New Era in America

I just have to say that I am feeling pretty good today. It is sad that we have had to wait so long for a person of color to become president but now that we are finally here, I hope that our new leader can continue to inspire us. More importantly, I hope that we, as Americans, can inspire each other to make our country better than ever.
My only regret today is that I was not with my two boys watching the events on TV. I hope that they continued to watch and will remember this day.

Happy New Year everyone!

No New Years resolutions for me...Im still working on last years!
I have been off of work for the last couple of weeks and it has been great. My boys were with me for the past week (since Christmas) and we had a great time. With three sets of grandparents (my parents, moms parents and their step-moms parents) they make out like bandits at Christmas! The major score this year for them was a set of yo-yos for Xavier and a Wii Nerf game for Alejandro. Xavier has always loved yo-yos and with this set he is now doing tricks and is pretty good. Alejandro just likes to shoot his little brother with the Nerf darts!

I scored a trip to Seattle from my wife (going in March) and she got a sweater she wanted, some sunglasses and a new table runner with matching placemats from me...heehaw.

Aside from having two dinner parties with about 12 people attending each, the time off was somewhat relaxing....better than being at work at least!

Anyhoot....thought I'd get back into the blogging thing.....hope everyone has a great year.