Ruth's Chris Steak House

Lauren and I decided to go to Ruth's Chris for Restaurant Week after looking at the menu. Having never been to it before I was like 'What the heck' even though I was still having nightmares of my death harrowing adventures from the Island Hotel. After much consternation, we made our reservation for 7:30 pm and our adventure began.

We actually arrived at Ruth's Chris at the same time. However, the one in Anaheim has NO PARKING. We had to valet ($4 not including tip) but sadly they don't validate unlike The Island Hotel. We actually arrived at 7:10 and thought we would actually be seated early but instead we had to wait almost 1/2 an hr to be seated. WTH!! What irritated us the most was that people who arrived later got to go in before us. I wonder if their reservation was earlier and they just arrived late?

By the time we got in, we had a very nice hostess by the name of Ailee who really helped us through the menu and guided us. She explained all the options and helped us choose what we wanted. The bread came out so warm that the steam was still rising from the bread and the butter was so soft but not melted. It was a close 2nd to the Palm Terrace Sourdough Ciabatta.

The Ruth's Jumbo Chopped Salad was probably the largest salad I've ever had for a fixed menu. It was even larger than an appetizer salad. It wasn't too creamy although I could have probably done away with the olives. I did ask them not to put the raw onions but the crispy onions on top were a nice touch.

I ordered the 6 oz. Filet and the Shrimp (3 of them) and along with the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It was supposed to come out Medium Rare but since it is cooked at "1000" and put on a 500 degree plate, it cooked longer than I prefered. Lauren got the Sauteed Mushrooms thinking they would be the sliced.

We jokingly called them the Mounds of Hell or the Fungus among us. You be the judge:



Sauteed Mushrooms



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally we had the dessert of Chocolate cake with Haagan Daz Vanilla Ice Cream and Rasberry Coulis Glaze. Essentially it tasted like a stale Chocolate cupcake or a Ding Dong. :)

Would I go again? Probably but not during Restaurant Week. The menu we chose is available regularly and is comparable to what was available during RW. The parking is terrible and the wait was long considering we had reservations. However, I did like our hostess so I would try it again.







Palm Terrace and Chocolate Bar

On Friday, I went to the Park Terrace Restaurant for dinner with my friends: Linda, Sam and Lauren. The ONLY reason we went was to try their Chocolate Bar. Now we could have paid the $18 for the bar but well, why when the appetizer and entree would give us the free bar.

In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't pay for the Chocolate Bar. It wasn't worth the $18 b/c it was only one table. Even though it was the "all-you-can-eat" buffet, honestly I wouldn't have paid $18 for it. I think it was because I was full from dinner.

Let me go a step back and go from the beginning:
I must say their version of sourdough bread and mushroom spread was wonderful. Their bread was warm but not too tangy and really good. The spread was tangy but light and a great alternative to the butter. It was probably the first time I didn't even think about the butter.

My first course was the Macaroni and Cheese made with elbow macaroni, Talaggio cheese, crushed truffles and a Parmesan Tuile. It came in a dish that reminded me of the Large Egg from Mork and Mindy. (It has since been pointed out that the dish looks quite unusual. Can you guess what it is? LOL :oP) Just a hint more cheese would have been perfect but it was still good although I didn't taste the truffles. I'm glad I didn't get the tartare though b/c it was the amount of soda can lid which isn't much or filling.

My entree was the the Prime Beef Short Ribs. I was pondering the fish but I thought meat b/c I can always take it home if I wanted to. It was described as sous vide for 48 hrs in rum and pepper for 48 hrs and put on a potato puree and Irvine Ranch Vegetables. Sous Vide is a method of cooking food in a water bath at a low temp while still maintaining the ingredients integrity like a slow braise. The meat was very tender and hearty though sweet. I did take some home because I wanted the dessert. LOL

And then my adventure home. Although I did have my navigator on, I missed the turn on Jamboree and wound up on the access road on East Bluff road. It was so tight, I could not make a U-turn so I just had to take the windy, rainy road cliff side until I made my way back to Jamboree. It was the longest 3 miles ever and I thought I was never going to make it. I kept thinking one wrong turn and I would fall go off the cliff into the ocean and no one would know. Thankfully I made it home in one piece.

Ipad, Xoom, Atrix 4G or laptop???

So another year, another month of OT.

I've decided I'm going to splurge but instead of clothes or purses, I am thinking of electronics. Wierdo that I am, any clothes or girly thing will just wind up in my closet.

An Ipad2 (price TBA) looks sexy to me... The Xoom may be too expensive though. They say it may be $799 but I'm thinking it's the 3G version. The Atrix 4G looks intriguing but it's an Android phone. hhhmmm...

Finally, I could settle for a laptop. It has all of the function but none of the pizazz or sexiness. I want to be fiscally responsible BUT at the same time why can't I be able to buy something for me for a change. I don't ever enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Decisions, decisions....

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy

I actually have to say that I have been so lucky to read and review pretty much every book by Ms. Mead except for the anthologies. I remember picking up Succubus Blues on a whim from our book list and being instantly transported by Ms. Mead's storytelling. I never once thought of Georgina as a succubus but really as a person with problems. Hers were just a "wee" bit different than ours.

When I started the Vampire Academy series, it was very different than the other "young adult" books out there. Rose wasn't this needy teenager waiting to be saved. She could probably kick most of our butts with her hands tied behind her back. Yet she still had this wish to be a normal teenager and eventually a young woman with someone to love her. However, she knows that duty and real life would never let her have that. In a way, her self sacrifice is all she will ever do. One of the few people who understood that was Dmitri almost all to well....

Through the years, I've been continually amazed how Ms. Mead has built and expanded the VA storyline without compromise. She gave Lissa and Rose this steadfast bond where they are always there for each other through thick and thin. Friends like that are difficult to come by and they are even more precious to find after reading SPIRIT BOUND. I'm kind of sad to see it all end in LAST SACRIFICE but I'm curious to see what the spin-off will be about.

Here's my review courtesy of ROMANCE JUNKIES. (wow this is my longest post yet) :):)



Title: Vampire Academy 5: Spirit Bound
Category: Paranormal
Reviewer: Ann
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5


Rose and Lissa are preparing for graduation but their real lives are about to begin. Dmitri is still out there and waiting for Rose. Will love conquer all or will he succeed in killing her?

Rose is back at St. Vladimir's and ready to take the final test to become a Guardian before graduation. She should be happy but all she can think about is that Dmitri is still out there and gunning for her. But Rose has plans of her own for him which includes Lissa and possible help from her enemy, Victor Dashkov. Will she succeed in turning Dmitri back into a dhampir or will he kill her first before she has a chance?

SPIRIT BOUND continues Rose and Lissa's adventures into adulthood. Rose is mature beyond her years but her weakness are still Lissa and Dmitri. Yet she can act childish and brash when it comes to them because she often jumps into situations without thinking through the consequences and how it will affect other people. Lissa becomes quite a force while remaining Rose's staunchest supporter and confidant. Oh Dmitri is a bad, bad man but delicious as always but Adrian is no slouch either. I have my personal preference of who she should be with but Rose's feeling for each man are very heartfelt yet different. It will be intriguing to see who she will wind up with. There are plenty of twists and turns in SPIRIT BOUND that are unexpected that I think I dropped the book a couple of times because I couldn't believe some of the twists that were unfolding. The finale is set and I cannot wait for the LAST SACRIFICE.

Back from Vegas....

Just got back from Vegas yesterday and had a good time.

Went to a graduation and stayed at South Point. It was surprisingly big but not at the Strip. I was kind of glad because the Strip is way to busy and to many drunk people. I can do without that. Seriously though, i would have been happy to spend my time just hanging out with family and playing the penny slot machines. Not a high roller that's for sure but at $2 a bet, you can loose a lot in a few minutes. LOL I didn't loose a lot but I enjoyed my time there.

I can't wait to go back. :)

How Sad

It has been over 1 yr since I have even posted an entry. Well truly pathetic...

So what has been going on since the last time I wrote. Well, I have been taking prophylactics so relatively pain free of migraines. yay me... lost wt even better!!!

Reviewing as usual and trying to win the lotto but not necessarily in that order. LOL

Work

I haven't posted in over a month. Work has been so busy though I can't complain too much. I keep having to remind myself that I'm in a better position then others are although I am sort of suffering now.

I have migraines with triggers. Unfortunately insomnia and stress do not help with them. They've been getting worse but I'm hoping that as work settles, I won't get them as intensely. Otherwise, I have to go on prophylactics.

sigh...