Oya Hell

Oya is a DC hipster sushi bar and lounge that has great atmosphere and a great bar.

This is the second time I have been for sushi and the imaginative rolls are hit or miss and the himachi and tamago were mediocre. This is the kind of place that over does it. Too many rich ingredients and sauces coupled with mediocre grade fish which just burns a hole in your pocket. For example, the shrimp tempura roll should be simple fry the shrimp fresh, chunky avocodo, a little spice mayo, roll and bam perfect. At Oya the shrimp was fried way too early and it became cold, the rice was so dry that they had to dump a honey sauce (gag) to make it moist. Then it was topped off with dashi flavored tempura strings. The soft shell crab roll was again friend to early and it became tough. I do think with more polished cooking and attention to detail these rolls could be interesting, tasty and worth it. But for right now, the lobster tempura is the best.

If you are going to be a decent restaurant for God sake remember customer service. TT had the prix fixe menu. His main dish wasn't brought out until our sushi dinner was 70 percent complete. Our waiter had gone missing. When his food came out it was over heated, seemingly like it was microwaved. TT mentioned this to our waiter who promptly told the kitchen staff and out came the sous chef who insisted that nothing was microwaved. It wasn't a pleasant exchange more of an indignant proclamation. If his food actually lived up to his protest I would understand but your food is mediocre and service was lousy.

Because service was lousy only go for cocktails.

Why Office Space has ruined my life?

When work gets annoying or maddening I think about quitting. I think about quitting like most people. Why put up with the shit for such shitty pay? Office space came into my life and it provided me a framework on how to quit a job well. It also eliminated the scariness and unknown of packing it in. Quitting isn't something one should take lightly but sometimes you just take the plunge.

Yeah, Im talking a big game and i haven't left even though I have been through hell and back. But, Office Space is always on cable and it keeps tempting me. It says, smash your printer. It says just stop caring and they'll give you more. Play Tetris. Blow it off. Do all that and you can reach nirvana.

My Fear of the Country

I am scared of far off rural places. The kinds of place where i hear teenage grocery stockers deriding healthcare proposals because we'll end up like Canada and have three year waits to see a doctor. The kind of place where people stare at you while wearing a pro-confederate tee shirt. I'm brown dude, not some kind of two headed mutant.

New Rules

If you get suckling pig at a restaurant the skin must be crispy and the meat slow cooked so it is fall off the bone. If it isn't then ask the chef to deep fry the whole thing and bust out the steamed rice and the vinegar and garlic.

If you sell chili dogs you must have good chili.

HD channels should be free.

If you think you recognize someone that you havent seen for awhile say, "Hi." If you dont say "Hi" you'll end up feeling like a dope when you read their tweet or facebook update and you realize it was them.

OpenTable saves time and the embarrassment of not getting a table.

Semi-Annual 50% off sale from Brooks Brothers. Know it. Learn it. Live it.

Just go catch some waves you'll feel better.

Open and Read all of your mail. You could find a treat.

Actually, reduce your paper mail. Its better for you.

There is no good restaurant coffee. it doesnt exist. Stop spending 2.50 for shitty french press.

Know where your local new york style pizza joint is

One Patagonia MLC is good, two is better, three is just plain kooky but totally acceptable.

Dont let angry driver, drive you. Its not worth the stress.

Always have the trump picture of your cutest niece or nephew.

I cant emphasis this enough, Recession CapSwell says $6.50 matinee is the only way to go.

In honor of MJ, everyone where high waters and white socks.

Allsparked Up

I didn't want to see Transformers 2. It had been destroyed by critics. But, this is a movie, granted a sequel, that I wanted to make since The Seed, Al and I started making our own Transformer movies. Yes plural as in more than one movie, with our beta-cams, complete with transforming robots, sound effects and a great plots. We had an epic battles and I believe Mirage the formula one car and Bumble Bee were destroyed by Megatron and the mysterious "Maker." Sorry, I digress.

I couldn't resist transformers 2. I went and I enjoyed it. I know it isn't a masterpiece of movie making. I know it relied heavily on CGI, they had to its transforming robots, but this film allowed my young film makers vision come true. The two and a half hour movie was everything I wanted- transforming robots fighting each other.

A food critic can make a great city better

Baltimore doesn't get the attention it deserves because we do not have a decent restaurant critic. There is no promotion of the food scene and what's being done and who does it well. The City's main paper, The Sun, has two restaurant critics, one who blogs relentlessly and she relies heavily on comments to prompt new articles. Their reviews are matter of fact and reflect their experiences but it doesn't entice, express the food or what is happening in Baltimore in terms of food. It's like reading chowhound or yelp. If the Sun wants a blogger just let Sun Readers post restaurant reviews. She needs to work harder at describing food trends and a better reflection on what we like to eat and which chef is getting us there. There is no promotion of food culture. Baltimore has always let DC do the food talking and frankly the restaurants in DC aren't that great.

A good critic can remind people of what is amazing about a city. It expresses who we are a people. A good food critic can elevate a great city like Baltimore into a whole new level.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.

MJ memory

I remember Roberto in his MJ glory, with Ness and Seed in tow singing and acting out Thriller. Repeatedly, over and over again. I think he had a glove. No jacket but he had a hat that he flipped and twirled around to mimic the gloved one. Those guys rocked it prettyhard though.

I wasn't the biggest MJ fan, but who didnt like Billie Jean or ABC or Smooth Criminal.

RIP MJ, you were the King of Pop.

31 Disappointments

We bought gallon containers of ice cream from Baskin-Robbins growing up. My mom alternated ice cream flavors so that all siblings had a chance to pick. Chocolate chip was always a favorite but sometimes peppermint or bubble gum would creep in. I love most, no wait all ice cream flavors. I even eat nutty ice cream. But we wouldn't get new ice cream until all the old was eaten. Trust me bubble gum is fun once maybe twice anything more is painful. I still curse my brother for picking odd flavors.

So tonight after dinner, we went for ice cream. I got a small soft serve. I asked for sprinkles and the guy sighed and added half a table spoon of sprinkles and handed it to me. Sad.

My favorite treat at the beach was Zip Z's, an ice cream innovator at lower streets. They gave you two or three scoops of ice cream and all the sundae topping you would want. They had 30-40 toppings easy. You learned quickly to avoid whipped cream machine it filled you up. No sauces like fudge or marshmallow filler. You concentrated on toppings like Mt St Helen's, a chocolaty, crunchy, topping similar to Carvel crunchies. You could take a bite go back and add more toppings yummy!! Sadly this place closed before we could take full advantage of it. I'll never be able to take my nieces and nephews.

Ben and Gerry's used to make a apple pie ice cream. Yes it is as good as it sounds, apple pie a la mode in a pint. Anyway, rich vanilla, cinnamon apples, cinnamon swirl and graham cracker bits. Oh damn, My college girl friend came home from the scoop store and told me that apple pie ice cream was being discontinued. We broke up not much later.

Mango ice cream sucks when you compare it to mango sorbet.

Ice cream has lead me down some dark days. Damn you.