The View From Space

Just returned from a trip to London to attend a Chen Instructors Course given by my Sifu, Master Micheal Tse.  Having been to England only once back in the late 80′s, this was essentially a “first trip” for me.

While the main focus was to attend the instructor course we did have a couple of days to play “tourist”.

 

Westminster Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parliament

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

River Thames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Correction) Tower Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tower of London

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buckingham Palace

 

New Guard on way Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Mounted Guard

One of my favorite activities when visiting Japan is hunting down new flavors of Kit Kat.  On my latest visit I found 2 new (at least to me) flavors.

Yubari Melon (Cantaloupe)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Blueberry Cheescake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also picked up samples of old favorites

At the prodding of @geewhy, I had taken up a most noble endeavor.  One that is on par with King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail … the search for … SCHWEDDY BALLS!

But alas, having returned from the land of the mega power outage, I must admit, I … have… FAILED!

Cool weather, long work days and an ample supply of powder, conspired againt’s me in setting out to look for the elusive Schweddy Balls.  I hereby announce my failure.

I HAVE NOT FOUND NOR DO I HAVE SCHWEDDY BALLS!

 

 

While celebrating our 26th Anniversary at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (@hawaiianvillage) we were treated to dinner at Bali by the sea by our friends Ed and Kiki Kaanehe.  Ed is known affectionately and respectfully as “Chief” to everyone here at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

We had no idea what they had planned for us.  Turned out it wasn’t just dinner, it was a wonderful culinary experience.   Meal preparation was under the direction of Sous-Chef David Shue and consisted of 3 appetizers with the main course of our choosing.

Naturally we started off with drinks.  This one’s called a Hawaii 5-O and was created by one of Hilton’s in-house bartenders (notice that I started on it before I thought to take a pic of the drink).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first course was an oyster with a host of great ingredients that I didn’t catch during Chef Shue’s presentation (You were expecting some sort of food critic write-up?  I was overwhelmed by the experience and savoring the moment).  All I can tell you, and this is coming from someone who NEVER eats oysters, is that this dish was absolutely delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second course was Beef Carpaccio.   Again Chef Shue provided a running commentary on the exact ingredients and preparation, and again I sat there in awe of the artistic culinary delight placed before me.  (That means don’t ask me what all the other stuff was on the plate because I don’t have a clue).  All I can say is that this dish too was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the third course I was actually paying attention.  This one consisted of lightly seared Tombo on a sliver of pineapple with 5-spice and some sort of wasabi sauce (Okay so I wasn’t REALLY paying attention).  What can I say?  The fish was nicely done with a slightly cooked outer ring and an oh-so-tender sashimi interior.  The slightly spicy wasabi was nicely balanced with the pineapple and 5-spice.  This was my favorite of the 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s on to the main course.  I chose the Pepper Seared Sashimi Grade Ahi.  While similar to the above appetizer it presented a totally different taste adventure.  This was much more spicy with the pepper seared into the outer ring of the fish.  One thing that did remain the same was the quality of the fish used.  It was outstanding, firm yet tender and vibrant with color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And after all that, Chef Shue graced us with dessert.  A Pineapple Tart (topped with an Almond Creme and Macadamia Nut ice cream), a Chocolate-Chocolate cake (ok that was my description, I couldn’t find it on the menu), and finally what I think is the Waialua Farms Chocolate cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least was the Green Tea Creme Brulee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Big Mahalo goes out to our friends Ed and Kiki Kaanehe for such a great evening out.  Special thanks to Bali Sous-Chef David Shue for treating us to such a wonderful culinary experience.  Finally, the night wouldn’t have been such a wonderful experience without the efforts of the staff at Bali’s.  Our waiter Andreas even took the extra effort in getting my wife Laurie and her friend Kiki a front row spot on the lanai to watch the Friday night fireworks.  Mahalo and Aloha to all that made it such a special night.

Oh and just to let you know, the appetizers weren’t on the menu.  So don’t spend too much time looking for them.

 

 

Having lamented about the demise of First Class service and comfort on domestic flights, I was pleasantly surprised when I recently got upgraded to Business Class onboard a United flight to Japan.

The current domestic first class cabin is akin to business class of days gone by, international first class however, is now the pinnacle in comfort.  Cocoon seating with lay flat seats and a huge individual TV screen with more entertainment choices than you can possibly watch over an 8 hour flight.  (Unfortunately I have yet to experience this level of travel nirvana)

International Business Class is no slouch either and is head and shoulders above most of the domestic first class cabins you’ll find.  There’s semi cocoon seating with lay flat beds … I mean seats.  The entertainment choices are just as good as in first class although shown on a “smaller” screen.  Yes I was like a kid in a candy store as this was my first taste of the new cabin seating arrangement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes that’s a lumbar support button in the middle of the seat back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I even used the slippers provided in the amenity package.  So chic!

Gotta love the posters our Japan division puts up.  Can you guess where this one is located?

Celebrated our son’s college graduation by having dinner at the Crab Pot in Bellevue.  Here are some before pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crab Legs, Shrimp, Corn and Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

Crab Legs, Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, Corn and Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon Fillet (This was oh so good!)

And ….. Steak???? (Didn’t have the heart to take a pic of a steak in a seafood restaurant)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Aftermath! Only a few potatoes survived the onslaught.

In Seattle for our son’s graduation from Seattle U. So what’s the first thing we do when we arrive? Visit our long lost son? Nope, head on down to Pike Place Market.
Here are a few of the sights (minus the smells) that we took in.

Seafood, and lots of it.

Flying fish:

And one plain old UGLY Monkfish:

Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables:

And what trip to Pike’s would be complete without a visit to the Original Starbucks:

Yes that’s the line flowing out the door and down the street.

Prior to my leaving on a trip to attend my 30th class reunion, my buddy (?) @geewhy requested, nay challenged me to a scavenger hunt while in sin city. Even though I had much higher priorities to tend to, I nonetheless endeavored to fulfill this noble quest … request … um ok.
See my results (or lack there of) over at @geewhy ‘s blog

In my defense I must say, some of his items were outside the realm of normal people (a dude ranch? Seriously?).
Here’s my feedback (or excuses, replace as you see fit) on the quest (legend: * my response, ** @geewhy ‘s response)

1. Three pictures of food he’s scarfing down (buffet or not).
*Those who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know I’m all about food and eating. However in an effort to be efficient (ok, more like in a rush to return to the casino) I usually forgot to snap pics of my food until it was too late. (I did manage to send him a pic of my partially eaten breakfast one morning). Feedback on some of the places I’ve eaten:
a. Stratosphere buffet, nice looking but the food wasn’t anything to write home about.
b. Southpoint Hotel and Casino (our regular haunt) Coronado cafe good food, nice atmosphere, but the big draw is the late night menu 12 – 6 am, most items $2.95 with a 7 oz steak and eggs plate for $3.95. Highly recommend.
c. Southpoint Steak and Shake, a nice 50′s cafe setting. Burgers and shakes that’s surprisingly affordable.

2. Two pictures of major sights on the Strip. We’re talking the fountains of Bellaggio, the rides of the Stratosphere, the Sirens of Treasure Island, or even the Eiffel Tower of the Paris hotel.
**Two pictures of major sights on the Strip. Close enough, I’ll count the picture of the bowling alley and the sideways picture of the Stratosphere. Complete.
* in my defense I felt that the normal tourist pics would be cheesy and not show the true Las Vegas, the one the every day resident encounters. (Ok truth be told I didn’t get out much and all I had were pics of the inside of a casino)

3. A Foursquare or Gowalla check in at Caked Las Vegas. Bonus: Picture of the goodies.
** Not sure if what to make of this since it ain’t Caked.
I’m at Nothing Bundt Cakes http://4sq.com/hB8uWc
April 11, 2011 7:27 am via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* Hey Bundt is a form of cake right???

4. A check in at a shopping mall.
** A check in at a shopping mall. Complete (close enough).
I’m at Target (9725 S. Eastern Ave., Silverado Ranch, Las Vegas) http://4sq.com/dXQhE7
April 11, 2011 7:14 am via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* ok I’ll have to concede that this item was a stretch and was only satisfied because @geewhy is kind and benevolent.

5. A report on the weather.
**A report on the weather. Complete.
@geewhy haven’t had too much by way of special food and it’s been fairly cool 40-50′s
April 10, 2011 12:54 am via twidroyd Reply Retweet Favorite
ToNced* As my luck would have it the temperature was in the 80′s the week prior, dropped to the 40′s-50′s while we were there and suspiciously jumped up to the 70′s when we were leaving. I’m suspecting @geewhy had something to do with it, there were numerous dead chickens littered around his desk and strange chanting emanated from his cubicle the day before I left.

6. A tweet about his winnings or losings.
** A tweet about his winnings or losings. Complete.
Heading home, wallet much lighter. (@ Hawaiian Airlines Flight 5) http://4sq.com/gqKqtA
April 11, 2011 1:33 pm via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* Was there ever any doubt as to the results of this item? Again I suspect @geewhy had something to do with it (see item #5).

7. One picture inside a dimly lit night club.
* Although I did attend a reunion event at the Level 108 club, I completely spaced out and didn’t get any pics. The club itself is rather small as it is in the observation area that surrounds the stratosphere tower. It does afford you a great view of Vegas, and you can watch the brave(?) souls do the skyjump off of the tower.
And yes, with the majority of people in their late 40′s and from Hawaii there was the obligatory Electric Slide. Not surprisingly it was the most danced to song.

8. A picture of tickets to a Vegas show.
* Here again I was in a quandary, originally the group had set up tickets to see “Bite” at the stratosphere. Now I’m no prude, but topless vampires? And they wanted $50 for the honor of watching. Ummm no thanks. In fact I was too embarrassed to even take a pic of the poster as people would think that I actually attended.

Bonus: A visit to a dude ranch. I might have to count this. Sounds like codespeak for kicking it with a bunch of Asian dudes.
Hanging at the asian casino (@ The M Casino) http://4sq.com/fgGG5E
April 10, 2011 7:22 pm via foursquare Reply Retweet Favorite
@abaggy
* After thinking about it, I should have taken pics of the “cowboys” at the Southpoint. Most definitely a Dude ranch, especially after a concert. Tons of designer cowboys waiting in line for a $3.95 steak. The real cowboys usually show up only during rodeo season.

So there you have it, was I successful in my quest? About as successful as I was in the casino. But that didn’t matter, I had a hell of a time.

Please check out the @TheHelloBar on the top of this blog to help the victims of the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that recently devastated Japan.  It links directly to @RedCross, where you can make a donation to help with relief efforts.  Even if the Red Cross is not your first choice there are many other relief organizations that could use your financial support.  Please consider giving.