“Mexico”; when you want to say “screw my diet” (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

Mexico

1247 North School Street

Honolulu, HI 96819

This is not going to be the usual in depth review, since this is my “Go To” Spot for lunch if I am going to take a long lunch. So it wasn’t like a new exciting place.  I already know I like this place.

Today, the internet was going in and out so it was very difficult to get work done, so I decided today was a great day for a long lunch. (When I say “Long Lunch” that just means I took my full allotted time and not just scarf down something and get back to work.)  I was going to go somewhere else, except a little birdie told me that “the pretty one” does not like Mexican food, and he is too much of a wuss to tell me this (one month we ate there like once a week) so me being the nice guy I am (I know I say that a lot, I figure if I say it enough people might start to believe it) decided since “the pretty one” comes back Friday, I will get my Mexican food fix out of the way so I don’t crave it next week, I wouldn't want to force him to pretend to enjoy delicious food.

So the outside makes it look like what it is…a good “hole in the wall” Mexican restaurant…

And the inside is just the same…

But that is one of the things I like about it.  It knows exactly what it is, no frills, no gimmick.  Not somewhere you will leave thinking “that is the cleanest place I have ever been” but also not a place you have to fight a cockroach for the last bite.

They start off with complimentary chips and salsa. The food is tasty, and filling.  The portions are big, and yes it is a little greasy at times but sometimes that is what you want. They have a big selection. Usually I order a combo which is your choice of one or two items (Burrito, Taco, Quesadilla, etc.) which you then pick what kind of meat filling (ground beef, shredded beef, chicken, shrimp, etc) and it also comes with beans and rice.

Today I got the ground beef burrito, and the chicken quesadilla.

And it actually tasted better than it looks (even though I think it looks pretty good.)

So final verdict… One of the places I am going to miss when I leave in a few months.  Not even close to a place you should even think about if you are a health nut or on a diet.  But perfect comfort food if you are having a rough day.  Quiet enough to be able to chat with friends. There are only two things to warn you about. 1. The parking is usually really bad. If you find a spot, make sure you back in, because people park crazy there and it’s hard to back out. 2. Remember my last review where I said that place was good because “you don’t feel like a sloth after you eat there” yeah that is not the case here.  As soon as you finish you want to lie down and take a nap. But sometimes…you want that, and you are going to WANT to eat here if you are near Fort Shafter, or if you are visiting the Bishop Museum (it’s like a block away.)

“S & P Kitchen”; stands for Some-more Please (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

S & P Kitchen

1326 Middle Street

Honolulu, HI 96819

So I didn’t plan on eating out today, especially since I missed half of the work week last week getting my wisdom teeth pulled (it only took one day to pull them, the rest of the time off was to heal as I played the fun game of “how much can it hurt to eat a chip or even a cracker with soup?”) so I planned to grab a quick bite then play catch up through lunch. However “The Girl” and “The Tattooed One” didn’t care, and made me go with them.

Once we got in the car, we realized we had no plan. Everywhere “Tattoo” wanted to go, we decided it was way too far away. We ended up deciding to take a chance on a little tattered looking place about 2 blocks from our office right outside the gate.

For a restaurant right outside the back gate of an Army Post, it actually looked promising. I pass by this place every work day and have never noticed it. The inside was actually nice and clean and quiet. Another plus is it had a T.V. playing sports center.

 

I was starting to get secretly upset since I have lived here 2 and a half years, I have less than 6 months left here, this place is within walking distance of my office, and it is looking like this might be one of my favorite places to eat. I end up eating lunch at the bowling alley almost every day since there is a lack of good restaurants around here.

Instead of ordering a ordinary drink, I decided to order their “Thai Iced Tea” hoping that it would be horrible and now I don’t have to be angry for not knowing about this place.

My last duty assignment was Georgia, so I knew all about “Sweet Tea” but I have never had “Thai Iced Tea” before. When it came out I was hoping for the worst since it looked like a science experiment with white swirls…I took a drink…GRRRRRRR…It was delicious. How have I never heard of this before?

So onto ordering, they had a good selection, but the pizza that “Tattoo” ordered at ZPIZZA last time (see my ZPIZZA post to know what I am talking about) made me really want Pad Thai, so I got it with chicken. For those that don’t know what it is…Pad Thai is… “Authentic stir fried thai noodle with bean sprout, tofu, chives, and special house sauce.” I know it sounds way to healthy for me to eat…but it is really good.

So for the cheap-ish price I was expecting something slimy and gross looking, instead I get this…

 

And it actually tasted better than it looks. It was really filling without making you ache for a afternoon nap, or feel like a sloth the rest of the afternoon.

So final verdict… In true “Grumpy One” fashion, I am angry because it is so good. Great price, incredible food, and perfect environment. The only downside is the parking situation but you can always park on post and just walk there…On another note; this is now the second place that we went to without the “pretty one.” And now the second glowing review in a row. I do think he is the bad luck charm. We will find out soon since he will be back next week.

Candy Sushi; AKA sugar wrapped sugar in sugar (Recipe Post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So it's time for my now "Weekly Recipe Post."

This was actually the recipe I was going to do last week, which I am actually in trouble because this was my stand by recipe just in case I couldn't think of anything.  Oh well that now gives me 6 days to think of what to do.  If you have anything you want me to put "The Grumpy One" twist too or something that seems scary that you want me to try to simplify, leave a comment at the bottom (Note...for those of you at the office that I bring the extras to, this is NOT your personal snack service, so I will only take your ideas if they are really good :)  So without further blabbing, I introduce Candy Sushi...or as I call it "Sugar Wrapped Sugar in Sugar."

So we start off with just a few ingredients...

Marshmallows, Butter, Fruit Snacks (I use the organic bunny fruit because they are juicer) Fruit rolls (I use grape because it looks more like the Norri used in real sushi) and Rice Krispies (I tried the frosted ones thinking they would look more like rice since they look whiter...I was wrong...instead they just doubled the sugar dose.)

You start by making Rice Krispies Treats... Without trying to insult you and explain how to do that; I will just instead explain a Super Fast, Super Easy way to make them by using my good friend...The microwave.

Put 3 Tablespoons of Butter and 4 Cups of Marshmallows in a decent sized microwave bowl (make sure the bowl is big enough to take those ingredients and the cereal....

Put that in the microwave for 3 minutes, but watch (1. to make sure it doesn't burn. 2. It's so fun to watch the marshmallows blow up to 10 times their size in the microwave.) Make sure you have a spoon and oven mitts ready.  As soon as you take it out (with the oven mitts... I wasn't going to say it...but then I thought about some of my audience...hahaha) start stirring, and then stir in 6 Cups of Rice Krispies. Keep stirring until they are gooey or what ever way you like them.

Next either get a greased or buttered pan, or do what I do, and layout wax paper on my table...and carefully layout the treats into a flat square-ish shape. If they are gooey like mine, it doesn't have to be perfect since you can still mold them later.

Now put a line of fruit snacks close to the edge of your squar-ish.

It is up to you how thick your line is going to be, but remember the thicker it is, the bigger your roll is going to be, also if you just barely put any in, the visual of the "stuffing" in the sushi isn't going to be as prominent (I know that I sound professional explaining this, but deep down I just want to say..."Just throw some freaking snacks in...its candy...not art.)

Now you need to roll it...you know, like a roll.  A key to this is spray a little pam on your fingers so the treats don't stick to you.  Also another thing I wasn't going to say...please let the snacks cool a little so you don't have molten lava marshmallow goo sticking to your fingers.

You might have to "Mold" them a little, but once you get a nice roll, use a buttered or Pam sprayed knife to cut it away from the rest of the square-ish.

Now remember it is ok if a little color is showing, because it is still going to be wrapped in fruit rolls.

Take the same buttered knife and cut little "rolls."

You want to make them close to the same width of your fruit roll-ups, but if they are a bit bigger, that is ok because you can still squish and mold them.
 
Now take the individual rolls (you might want to butter your fingers again...if for no other reason then it is fun) roll them into your fruit rolls. 

Once you get just a little more than a complete covering, use the knife to cut the excess.

Now just do that a few dozen more times and you will have a complete plate full of sushi that even the people that say they don't like sushi (even though they have never tried it) will eat and enjoy.

Just like last time, I only saved a few for the boys and I (Kara just like real sushi, wants nothing to do with them so I made extra non-shushified Krispy Treats for her) and the rest are going to the office with me in the morning.

So those of you that enjoyed the smores on a stick that I brought to work last week, these will be on my desk right after morning formation, first come first serve. Now to think of something for next week.

Much More Practical Smores on a stick (recipe post)

Post by The Grumpy One

So originally I was going to do my soon to be weekly recipe post on something else. In fact about 5 days ago I was talking to people at work about how I was going to top last weeks "Cant-a-pillar," (read last weeks "My kids wanted to eat bugs" post to know what I am talking about.) 

So I was all set to go until Friday as I was taking the boys for a "Daddy Day" (Daddy Day is when you come up with a reason to get the boys out of the house so Mommy can relax a little, this week we spent two hours washing and fueling up the "Mom Mobile.)  During the trip we saw a unit selling baked goods for a fund raiser.  I let the boys pick something.  Brandis picked a chocolate covered pretzel (yes it was pink colored chocolate, but I swallowed my pride and let him eat it anyway.) And Greyson picked what was called a "Smore on a stick." It was a neat idea, but one look, and you can tell it was not created by a parent (note this is not the actual treat in question, this is a photo I found on the Food Network Website, but it looked the same.)

First problem, the stick.  If you give it to small children either that stick is going to be chewed on and spit out, choked on, or be slimed on and then given to me to hold (more than likely the last option.) 

Second Problem, Not enough chocolate.  I am from the school of thought that if you say something is "chocolate covered" I should not see even a faint hint of the color of whatever is supposed to be "covered"  So without further blabbing, I present my version of "Smores on a stick."

I used four ingredients; Marshmallows, Melting Chocolate, Graham Crackers, and "Yan Yan" for the sticks (I was going to use graham cracker sticks but they didn't have any at the store, but now I think the Yan Yan was a better choice.  You can usually find them in the "Asian food" section if you have one.)  First thing I did was...



Layout all the Marshmallows I was going to use on a cookie sheet (I put wax paper under it so I wouldn't have to wash the pan later.) A tip that I thought of to make it easier was...

Use a butter knife to make a dent in the marshmallow, this makes it easier to poke in the "sticks" without breaking them.  So this is the perfect chance to practice your "Serial Killer Knife Stabs" (by the way mine are coming alone just nicely, thank you for asking.)

Now just like last week, violate the marshmallows with the "sticks" if you use "Yan Yan" I dipped the sticks in the Yan Yan Chocolate first to make the stick stay in the marshmallow a bit easier. I also like the Yan Yan because they have weird little animals on each stick.

This is the mole notice they are in English, because these are "popular American animals" you know like a Frog, Stag Beetle, and Squid.  When finished it should look like a forrest of "popular American animals."

Crush up the graham crackers in the bowl.



No these are not my hands, one of my kids helped me with almost every step, so that proves even a toddler can make them. 

Once everything is prepped, melt the chocolate (I used the microwave friendly kind) and it's as easy as Dip, Dip, Done.

I did a few without graham cracker crumbs since I am going to bring most of these to work tomorrow and I don't know who does or doesn't like graham crackers (I learned the lesson of giving my children sugar topped sugar snacks on a Sunday night, so they got one when they were done, they might get one after dinner, and that is it.

You can eat them the second they are done, but if you put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes, the chocolate will get hard (I actually put them in the freezer to make a colder treat since I live in Hawaii.)

So there you go, a nice treat that actually has nothing you have to clean up when you serve, since you eat the "stick."

I hope you enjoyed, and my next recipe post might actually be earlier than next weekend.

“zpizza”; is “Z” BOMB!!!!! (Restaurant Review)

Post by The Grumpy One

Zpizza

1200 Ala Moana Blvd.

Honolulu, HI 96814

So you know me… I am a very forgiving person (stop rolling your eyes) So I decided to give “The Tattooed One” one last chance of picking the place to eat.  Since “The Girl” is back from vacation, she tagged along.

So he told me about a great pizza place, but…When we walked up I was really afraid, it didn’t look like any pizza place I have ever been too.

Yes…read the sign…All that I could see is words like “Organic, Natural, and Healthy.” Not stuff that I usually look for in a pizza place.  Also the inside looked more like a snooty coffee place than a pizza place.

Me continuing to be a nice guy, let the girl and tattoo each pick half of the pizza, and I would pay…cause I AM A NICE PERSON (really you need to stop rolling your eyes.)

So they ordered, and when I sat down they handed me my drink.  Usually at a pizza place you think of those red coke glasses, but no…not a classy joint like this…instead tattoo handed me this.

A “Natural Soda” that contained “Antioxidant Superfruit of Hawaii.”

Sadly…I have to turn in my “man card” because I liked it.

Feeling my man-liness drop a few points must have cued the “man-hood takers” since right then they brought out the “Pizza.”

The reason it’s in quotations…PIZZA SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!

Don’t get distracted by “The girl” someone seemed to have spilled LETTUCE all over my pizza.  It looked like a salad in a Pizza Bowl (remind me to trademark Pizza Bowl… that could be a very good idea for a restaurant.)

But once again…Sadly… I LOVED IT!!!  HOW!!! It is good for me, healthy, grrrrrrr.

“The girl’s" half was the “Napoli” a garlic, mozzarella, tomato, parmesan, MEATLESS!!!! Pizza and it was good.  However… I think “Tattoos” was better…

A Thai pizza; Peanut sauce, mozzarella, spicy chicken, red onions, cilantro, carrots, bean sprouts, and Serrano chilies.

It was really good.

The prices were good, Atmosphere was very clean and quiet, and food all though healthy…was great.

 So final verdict… “Tatoo” is allowed to pick the next restaurant…On another note; this was the first place that we went to without the “pretty one.”  Maybe he is the bad luck charm???

Pandora

Posted by The Grumpy One

So as I was thinking of what to do for my next post, I started to think what gadget, or app, or product would I be the most upset if I didn’t have it for my day to day routine.  I was going to go the easy route and say my Smart Phone, but that would actually be a very long post.  So I thought what App has “changed my life” and instantly I thought of “Pandora.”

Now I know Pandora has been around for a while, and you may think you know about it (I recently had a conversation with my sister where she “Knew” and she was WRONG!!!), but unless you use it… you DON’T KNOW and you too are WRONG. Let me explain… I will use the “Dwight Schrute method of explanation”…

FACT: Pandora is an app for your phone; a webpage you can access from your computer, available on certain TV services like TIVO, and now comes in some new cars.

FACT: Pandora is FREE…however they do have a “premium” membership that costs money (however I am more than happy with the free version.) and if you use it on your phone, it takes up a bit of your data plan.

FACT: I have personally tried Pandora, I heart radio, and slacker radio…and Pandora is the BEST BY FAR!!!

This is what you do, either download the app on your smart phone, or if you are using your computer go to www.pandora.com

Create a free account, if you want to, you can upgrade later. And now your life will be changed…

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Unlike most of these programs, you create your own stations.  You don’t listen to actual radio stations, you create a personalized station. And you can create unlimited ones for what mood you are in (right now I have close to 100 stations.)

Step 1. Make a station

Type in a Music Group, or Singer, or Music Genre, or Song Title, or comedian, or type of comedy and once you hit o.k, it will make a new station, and so if I am looking for “The Rolling Stones,” it will create a station called “Rolling Stones Radio.”

Step 2. Listen to music

It will play a song. You either hit “thumbs up” if you like it, “thumbs down” if you hate it, “skip it” if you are just not in the mood for it right now, or you can just listen and give no feedback.

Whatever feedback you give, it will start creating the perfect station for you.  If you give it a “thumbs up” you will probably hear that song again in the future or something by that artist again.  If you give it a “thumbs down” it will immediately stop the song, go to another song, and you will probably never hear it again on that station, and now they know you don’t like that song. (Note…for the free version, you only get 5 skips or “thumbs downs” per station, per hour. WAY TO CHEAT THE SYSTEM… if you run out of skips and really hate the song playing, I just switch to another station for a second, and switch back to the station I was listening to and it will give you a new song.)

Step 3. Discover new music.

Based on what you like, they will select music from artists like the ones you like, and sometimes it will be from groups that you have never heard of but you wonder why you have never heard of them before.   From the song menu you can click on the song and find out more info about the group…

Or add it to your favorites list, or even buy the song or cd.  Or you can do what I do… and create a new Pandora station just for that group. 

Step 4.  Listen wherever you are. 

So your account works on anything you log in to.  So the stations I make on my phone, transfer over to my computer if I log on my computer, or tablet, or whatever.  So if I am doing dishes on a Sunday, I can bring my tablet into the kitchen, and just listen there, and all my “Thumbs up data” will transfer to my phone account when I listen to it on my phone.

WHY CAN I NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT?

I currently live in Hawaii.  And one of the best kept hidden secrets about Hawaii, is they have the worst traffic in the United States. (I forget what poll it was, but they actually named Oahu, Hawaii number 1 for worst traffic this year.) This is a sample of my drive home every day.

If you zoom in and look above the car in front of me, you will see the miles of stopped cars. So even though I live a little more than 20 miles away from my office, I am in my car for about 2-3 hours a day depending on if there are any accidents that day.  This problem is amplified by the fact that the radio in Hawaii is HORRIBLE!!! Not a bad signal, just bad quality.  So my fix… I found out that there is a av jack in my car that I can plug my phone into. Luckily I have unlimited data on my phone, because I average about 12 hours worth of listening to Pandora a week.

VARIETY

All at a touch of a button I can switch between country, rock, showtunes, comedy, and yes I even have a 90’s rock station.

Also for my kids, I have a toddler tunes station, a Disney station, and a lullaby station that I will play from my phone when I am trying to calm them to sleep.

As for REALLY COOL STATIONS, I just found out that they have all the crazy songs you can get on itunes so I have a “Epic Rap Battles of History” station, and “Bed Intruder Autotune” station, and a few other weird but funny stations if I am in that kind of mood.

As of right now I think it’s the best FREE music program out there.

What do you think? Do you use PANDORA? Did this post make you try it and now you want to thank me? Do you have another APP you use that I should check out? Post in the comments.

A 3G (Gluttons, Gamers, and Geeks) worthy post from a friend

Posted by The Grumpy One

So I feel it is our job at this blog to not just post our thoughts, but to share Awesome stuff that fits with the theme of our blog.  I found this post from a friend from High School. In fact, her blog was one of the main insperations for my first blog.  So please check out:


" The Substitute ": Having a Baby is Like Playing Minecraft.:

P.S. Josie, I hope you aren't too mad for me sharing your blog on my blog.

What makes a movie a "classic?" THE RULES!

Post by The Pretty One

So I have been rewatching a lot of older movies lately and really wanted to do a post on my favorite movies of all time...

BUT...

Once I started, I couldn't contain myself and couldn't narrow them down, so I said fuck it and am just gonna list my favorites in different genres.

But in the process of putting together movies that I LOVE, I had to decide, what makes a movie a classic. And I think I came up with a few rules that must apply to place that movie upon it's pedestal!

#1 Sustainability

Can you put this movie on repeat and watch it over and over again?

I know that every movie I post in these next few upcoming posts, I can put it up on the TV and let it run all day long, and then at the end of the day, restart it and then laugh at the same jokes over and over again.

#2 Quotable?

Do you and your friends repeat lines of that movie to each other constantly? Do you go out of your way to do something dumb or silly so you can repeat a movie line?

I know for a fact that me and my cousin have had entire conversations using only movie quotes... come to think of it, every friend I have can do that with me.

#3 Nostalgia

A lot of the movies I list are on here because they remind me of a better time.

For some movies, I watched them as a kid so they hold a special place in my heart, and probably always will.

I'm sure there are some more that I will think of later but for now... this is the criteria.

So what are you rules? What are you fav movies?

COMMENT PEOPLE!