Goodbye Harvey and Thank You

One of the best go-to funny guys left us today. Harvey Korman died at age 81 today at UCLA Medical Center.

One of my all-time favorite shows growing up was The Carol Burnett Show. I still get tickled pink thinking about how Korman would turn red, trying to hold back his laughter with Tim Conways' antics. Those were the best parts of the skits. Some of my favorite Korman movies were Blazing Saddles ("That's Hedley!") and History of the World: Part I. He was also the voice for the Great Gazoo in The Flintstones.

Korman won four Emmies for his work on The Carol Burnett Show, totaling six nominations. He also won a Golden Globes and had four nominations. He is survived by his wife, sons and daughters, and grandchildren.

Thanks for all the laughs, Harvey.

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Jeong Won Korean BBQ

I've been anxiously waiting for Kirk's review of mmm-yoso of the newest Korean BBQ place in the Convoy area. Inspired by the "All You Can Eat" theme, I rounded a couple of friends from work to try the place out yesterday. Ms. L had her first Korean BBQ experience when I took her to Buga last year so she was eager to try another one. You can read all about Buga (my favorite) here, and on mmm-yoso here, here, and here. We also brought along Mr. S. This was also his second time but his first experience was with coworkers at an old job with LG and let's just say his account of that experience would turn anyone off. But Mr. S has a great attitude about trying new foods (and with much hype from me) and decided to tag along.

We got there just a bit after 11'ish. According to Kirk, the hours are 7 am to 10 pm. There was only 1 table occupied when we got there. I counted 6 BBQ tables and about 6 regular tables. There's also a larger room in the corner. A very pleasant woman seated us and handed out menus. Here are the choices for BBQ. There are a lot of other things to choose from on the regular menu from the kitchen.

Since there was 3 of us, we each decided to order something different. That way we can try more items and just ask for more of what we liked. I recommended Kalbi and Bulgogi and Ms. L and Mr. S thought shrimp would be good. Soon after placing our order, our server brought out our dipping sauces. Let me tell you, Mr. S was ga-ga over these, especially the paste on the right. He had 3 servings of it

The panchan was similar to what Kirk had on his visit, except we had 10 and did not get the mixed greens plate. That was fine with me since and we didn't really miss it. I loved the anchovies (right in the picture below) but couldn't get Ms. L to try it. Mr. S tried it and said it was...not bad. I think he was being polite, hehe.

Here's the rest of the panchan and the plate of Kalbi and Bulgogi at the top of the picture.

The server put all the shrimp (left) on the grill and added half of the kalbi and bulgogi, as well as some of the vegetables. I liked the assortment of vegetables, although I could hear my Mom in my head, "They're giving you all those vegetables to fill you up. Just eat the meat!" I was impressed with the size of the shrimp for an AYCE place.



Now those of you who follow my eating posts know I love kalbi. I mean I dream of kalbi, that is when I'm not dreaming of Chinese roast duck or chicken feet. hehe. So I'm sure it would surprise many of you when I report that the Kalbi was okay but I preferred the Bulgogi. I know, I was shocked too. Maybe it's because it didn't have the ribs, maybe it's not marinated enough, but whatever it was, the Bulgogi had better flavor. The shrimp was really good. They were good sized and kept you busy until the meat was done.

One idea that Ms. L had, which I thought was pretty cool, was to grill the garlic and the jalapeno rings. It was much better than chomping into a toe of raw garlic. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, can you smell the garlic if I breathed on you???

We enjoyed all three that we decided to get another round of everything. Our server swapped out the grill plate and brought our selection. By this time, the lunch crowd came in and the tables were filling up. A large party came in around this time and were seated in the side room.

I think we probably could have had another plate of Bulgogi but I think we were all being a bit modest and called it quits. Ms. L and I tried the soft serve. It was vanilla flavored and reminds me of the soft serve from Souplantation. Not bad. Total bill without tip was $58.72 (included 1 soda). Not too bad for AYCE Korean BBQ for 3 people.

Mr. S was so thrilled with his experience that he was talking about wanting to try some sushi with us. He's been wanting to try octopus for a long time but just haven't found anyone to go with for lunch. Well...he asked the right 2 people because Ms. L and I are huge sushi fans.

Jeong Won Korean BBQ
4690 Convoy St., #104
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours: Mon-Sun 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Have a wonderful hump day. Now go and eat well.

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Mo's Island Grinds - A Pet Friendly Restaurant

Update 11/5/2008: Kirk from mmm-yoso gave a brief update on what he knows about the closing of Mo's. Apparently Mo's got a suspension for its liquor license and Mo is concentrating on catering right now. I'll update as I find out more.

The Mister and I had wanted some place to meet for lunch where we can take Merlin to continue his socialization. The Mister suggested Mo's Island Grinds since they had an outside patio. I've never seen any dogs there before and haven't read anywhere that it was a pet friendly restaurant. So I sent an email and happy to report that Mo's is pet friendly!! While waiting for a response from Mo's, I did some searching on the Internet for pet friendly restaurants in San Diego. It seems like what little restaurants I found are clumped in certain areas and just not too many options.

I got to Mo's a little early so decided to order for both of us. I got, of course, the Korean BBQ combo plate. The Mister wanted something different and decided to try the Katsu cutlet plate. I picked a table outside under the awning. We hooked Merlin up to the table and he just nosed around and checked out the place. Soon after, the plates came.

Mine was good, kalbi grilled perfectly and the Korean chicken was crunchy, although some of the pieces had lost their crust. The chicken katsu cutlet, however, was disappointing. The chicken was dry and the crust was too brown and over fried. The gravy was tasty, the same that comes on a loco moco (which is very good). The gravy made the katsu at least palatable. Overall, it was still a good outing. Merlin got to go somewhere new and I was able to get a plate lunch.

Mo's Island Grinds
9823 Carroll Canyon Road Suite F &G
San Diego Ca 92131
858-271-8268

Hours Of Operation:
Monday - Saturday 11:00 am till 8:00pm
Sundays 11:00-3:30

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Coleslaw with Red Bell Pepper

I made chicken fingers again last night but wanted something different for a side dish. I didn't feel like making potato salad so I decided to make coleslaw since the Mister loves his slaw. I tend to like slaw with a little kick and a bit on the tangy side. But this is a simple recipe and the dressing can be adjusted easily to taste.

Ingredients:
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped (or julienned)
1/2 large carrot (or 1 small carrot), shredded
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 small white cabbage head, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 small red cabbage head, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 Tablespoon white vinegar (add another 1/2 to full Tbsp for more tanginess)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix the sliced cabbage together with the vegetables. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together and allow to stand for a few minutes. Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 hour.

Notes:
Depending on the size of the cabbage heads you use, you may have to increase the amount of dressing. Don't go crazy and drown the slaw, unless you like it that way. You can also increase/decrease the amount of carrots and red bell peppers.

Also, if you don't like really wet coleslaw (think KFC), you can salt the sliced cabbage in a colander for about 2 hours to remove some of the moisture. Rinse well and pat dry. Then follow the instructions. The slaw will be "wetter" the next day if you have leftovers but it won't be nearly as watery as KFC's slaws.

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Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day was established with the efforts of President Harry S. Truman for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced on August 31, 1949, the creation of Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense. But the day was also meant as an "educational program for civilians" to help increase awareness. Every year since then, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May.

Thank you to everyone who has served or is serving in the military for this country I love.


What you can do to celebrate Armed Forces Day:

1. Attend an Armed Forces Day open house at a military base near you. Talk to the men and women on duty. Ask questions. Learn what it's like to serve these days.


2. Contribute to the preservation of an historic fort or museum near you. Pitch in at a cleanup, volunteer to help out at the next holiday celebration, or simply pop a check in the mail.

• Air Force


• Navy Museums and other Navy related sites


• National Museum of the Marine Corps and links to Marine Corp Museums


• Army Museum Websites

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Much Ado About Nothing

Puppyhood has me plum tuckered. Yup. My brain has been too tired to come up with something witty to blog. My body is fatigued from constantly trying to keep up with a 13-week old puppy who believes he's the center of the universe and boldly explores where no other puppy has. A puppy who challenges me everytime I put him down for a nap because he thinks he's not tired yet falls instantly asleep as soon as I close the crate door. Let's face it, I'm not as young as I used to be (thank you, Mrs. Obvious). I haven't been cooking, but resorting to unknown [fill in prefix]-berto drive-thru and fish burritos that force you to spend time with the porcelain bus more than you care for. Kind of like the obligatory family reunions Mom forced me to attend but not as painful.

Puppyhood mental fatigue is not new to me but somehow always reduces me down to some kind of Bourdainian mental state the first month. But maybe that's not a bad thing. Maybe it's a really really good thing. I mean the joy of watching all the furkids running around, Sydney finding new enthusiasm when old toys become new again, Cole getting a sibling that he can tussle with (like brothers do). Isn't that kind of joy worth a bit of brain and body fatigue? Watching all 3 of them this past week just reconfirmed some things. Puppy euphoria is one of the best things on earth and I will go through the painstakingly long housebreaking period each time for it. And, we did a pretty damn good job raising our dogs. Not that I've ever questioned our dog parenting skills but it's just good to see all our dedication and love come to fruition in times like this. Now if I can just take a week off from work to recoup...

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It's a Boy!

We have a new member of the family, Merlin. (What, thought I was talking about a human baby boy?) He's now 12-weeks old and weighs about 13.5 lbs. He's an Australian Shepherd. We brought him home just today and he's already inserted himself into the family. This picture is of him (being held by his breeder) at 8 weeks old. What a big fluffy!


This picture is of him sleeping in my arms on our way home from the pet store, picking up his food. He was very good on his ride home.

And here he is with his big brother, Cole, exchanging kisses. Not a surprise because everyone loves Cole.

He's got a wonderful temperment and is very much a velcro dog. He's also a snuggler and loves to give kisses.

That's it for now. He'll be starting puppy kindergarten soon so that should be lots of fun.

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Tuesday Nonsense

I was driving into work this morning and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall was on the radio. I was listening to the lyrics and thought to myself, "self, was the song a self fulfilling omen for Michael?" Perhaps it was one of those phrases that Michael felt some kind of cosmic connection, deeming it worthy the album's title. Perhaps that song laid the foundation for Michael and how he felt he should live his life, kind of the bible of Michael if you will. Maybe he believed he should "take the chance and do it then there ain't no one who's gonna put [him] down...Livin' crazy that's the only way." (Okay, so he sort of got the putting him down part wrong. How was poor Michael suppose to know others who love the song won't actually live by the song?)

Maybe that's what happens when you "let the madness in the music get to you." He has certainly hid his inhibitions well by letting "that fool loose deep inside [his] soul" (and to the public). And he certainly didn't wait until he was too old. He wrote "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" and looking back now, it is a bit eerie how his words ring familiar about his life.

But in the end, I doubt I will ever be sure just how much the song and the album shaped Michael's life. It's the the chicken or the egg thing, I think.

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