Dinner And A Lecture
Gregg wanted to take me to dinner on our way home from a friend's party on Friday night, and I thought of a new place on Main Street I'd passed, La Grande Orange. Well, it turned out to be a little too hipster for my taste, and although the food was good, that's not all you get. Witness the message at the bottom of the menu:
Did you ask them just what they meant by that?
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at August 22, 2009 1:28 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/08/22/dinner_and_a_le.html#comment-1664256">comment from Crid [CridComment @ gmail]I asked the waitress if asking...can't remember what...would be considered a mind game. She wasn't sure and didn't seem to realize it was on the bottom of the menu. I guess hipsters don't read, and nobody's mentioned it before.
The crispy onions with my steak were fantastic, and the steak was good, but it was a pretty small portion compared to what restaurants usually serve. Not that I finished it -- left the little bit I had left in Gregg's car and he finished it in the morning and teased me.
Amy Alkon at August 22, 2009 1:43 AM
Crowded in Phoenix and real big among the hip and the milfy and the lawyer types, but that's really because Phoenix is a desert in every way imaginable. In Phoenix they are considered like eleven star, but I'd say they are a good Santa Monica two star.
jerry at August 22, 2009 2:16 AM
From the menu, the place sounds yum, but what's "sushi-grade tuna?" What's wrong with ordinary weapons-grade tuna? And what's the appeal of "today's farmers marked hand-picked vegetables?" Do I get to meet the migrant worker who picked them? Maybe the restaurant is the one with the mind games.
Or maybe I'm just jealous because there are maybe two decent restaurants in my entire county.
Jerry, how's Phoenix? I remember visiting my brother when he lived in Chandler a few years back, and I damn near died walking from the car to his house.
old rpm daddy at August 22, 2009 6:20 AM
Technically, you're supposed to be able to eat sushi grade tuna (or sashimi grade tuna) raw.
Farmer's markets, as long as you as actually buying from farmers, really do have better vegetables. For instance, when they transport tomatoes long distances they pick them green (so that they’re not easily squished) and then chemically treat them to look more red than they are. So grabbing a fairly fresh off the vine fully ripened tomato really is a different taste. A farmer's market is also your best bet if you're like me and can't have certain additives to your veggies, or just don't want them.
"No Mind Games" is probably one of the best things I've seen on a menu.
Stacy at August 22, 2009 8:51 AM
@Stacy, regarding tuna and farmers' markets.
Oh. Still sounds like a good place to eat, regardless of the mind games.
old rpm daddy at August 22, 2009 8:56 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/08/22/dinner_and_a_le.html#comment-1664292">comment from Stacy"No Mind Games" is probably one of the best things I've seen on a menu.
Me? It's the $14 next to "flank steak/frites" at the happy hour special at my favorite bar and grill. (I sub in the caesar salad for the fries.)
Amy Alkon at August 22, 2009 8:57 AM
Me? That would be a chili dawg and an ice-cold beer at the ball park (better hurry, the season ends soon)!
old rpm daddy at August 22, 2009 9:16 AM
My favorite thing on a menu is really an old Steven Wright joke:
I walked into a small restaurant and the menu read, "Breakfast any time." So I asked for French toast during the Renaissance.
Nick at August 22, 2009 9:32 AM
The deal with the sushi grade tuna is to let you know that the tacos are going to be served seared on the outside, raw on the inside.
jerry at August 22, 2009 9:33 AM
My mom sells her veggies at a farmer's market. Our next house is going to need a garage apartment or guest house, because there's no way my parents are ever going to be able to retire on that income... Anyway, the farmer's market in central Austin is a pain in the ass to find parking at.
Hipsters. (sigh.) Boys should not wear skinny jeans.
You're not supposed to eat swordfish when you're pregnant... not that I eat it, anyway. I know at least 3 people who've gotten food poisoning after eating swordfish... both restaurant and home-prepared. I've heard they're full of parasites.
ahw at August 22, 2009 9:44 AM
Jerry, how's Phoenix? I remember visiting my brother when he lived in Chandler a few years back, and I damn near died walking from the car to his house.
Well, for personal reasons, I have a total bias against Phoenix. It's great to visit if you can spend the dough, but living here is a really dumb idea.
But objectively, if you believe in an efficient market (which is a silly thing to believe in), then living in Phoenix is worth about 30% what living in Santa Monica, San Diego, or San Francisco and the Silicon Valley is.
Horrible place, and that's when the weather is nice.
jerry at August 22, 2009 10:02 AM
Tough room... Can I get a witness?
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at August 22, 2009 10:21 AM
Mainly offtopic but can anyone see anything wrong in this graphic?
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/08/23/us/23water_graphic1_ready.html
jerry at August 22, 2009 11:49 AM
Re the graphic:
Nothing about levels of actual exposure nor comparisons to EPA recommended levels.
I haven't seen the originial article -- is this a hyped-up scare story or real? (My skeptical mind tends to lean towards the former.)
Alex Tacey at August 22, 2009 12:24 PM
> see anything wrong
AK & HI not to scale?
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at August 22, 2009 12:43 PM
"carryout always available, please no mind games".
Hmmm. Do you think it could mean something about not bothering to sit down and order if you aren't planning on leaving a decent tip? - Hence the, "carryout is available"...(although, i still tip for carryout).
Younger folks, in general, leave crappy tips...so I am told.
Feebie at August 22, 2009 3:55 PM
Four states are not applicable? (and why not?)
Truth at August 22, 2009 7:15 PM
Re the map:
AZ is incorrectly marked Nev.
Marina at August 22, 2009 7:22 PM
Phooey. Local interest.
After the Northridge quake, Time magazine printed a map transposing Sherman Oaks and Culver City. You didn't see us in LA getting all pissy about it.
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at August 22, 2009 7:36 PM
Crid,
I lived in Northridge at the time of the quake. And I live in Simi now. Maybe I'm just observant? :)
Marina at August 22, 2009 7:39 PM
Perhaps they are trying to illistrate the brain damage caused by atrazine?
lujlp at August 23, 2009 1:00 AM
Well, try to use your superpowers for good, and never for evil.
(I'm embarrassed for not seeing it. I actually checked the math between the maps for discrepancies... But golly, there are a lot of United States, y'know...)
Crid [CridComment @ gmail] at August 23, 2009 1:01 AM
A few questions re the menu
1. What was the angus beef certified as?
2. Who the fuck makes salsa sans tomatos?
3. Why would you burn salsa? First off its 90% liquid so doesnt that defeat the point?
4. How exactly does one 'grind' a cheesburger?
lujlp at August 23, 2009 1:06 AM
Sometimes it's the most obvious things that are easily missed.
My superpowers are used for whatever will be most fun and exciting at any given time.
Marina at August 23, 2009 2:21 AM
They hate John Lennon music? Screw them. I'll never eat there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVG2wrKQKtY
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 24, 2009 9:16 PM
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