Overheard + Restaurant Review
Apr. 7th, 2009 07:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goobermunchOver dinner, at the table next to mine, a upper middle class white suburbanite 20-something:
So yeah, I worked in [field x] for a while, but it just didn't work out. But then, in the past four months or so, it came over me out of nowhere, like a dream: I needed to be in renewable energy.
No fuckwad. It didn't come over you out of no where. It came over you out of the economic collapse and the discussion of 40 Billion in stimulus for renewable energy. It wasn't a dream, it was greed (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Don't confuse being able to see the writing on the wall with prophetic ability.
_______________________
I ate dinner at the Blue Iguana tonight. It's a nice Mexican restaurant in downtown SLC, recommended to me by opposing counsel in my case.
It's in the basement of an older, but well maintained building. I gather that the upper floors are a Benihanas.
The Blue Iguana has a fairly wide ranging menu that is notable primarily by the presence of not one, but eight different moles.
I love mole.
Being tired, after a long day of deposition, I did not have the wherewithal to note all of the different varieties of mole. There were some classics, such as the poblano, and the thing that I can't remember the name of, but it's made with chocolate and peanuts. And then there were some exotics. The Amarillo mole looked tasty, but was made with habaneros, and carried a "spicy" warning. There was also a green mole made with pumpkin seeds that looked intriguing. In fact, there were simply too many mole choices.
So, I did what all sensible folks do when confronted with a new restaurant:
I asked the waitress to pick.
What I got was the De Almendras mole. With chicken, since it's usually a safe bet. The mole was fantastic. Delicate, subtle, complex. Unlike many moles I have had, the De Almendras was made from almonds, which were then accentuated with a mild combination of spices. I would totally eat it again.
But not on dry chicken breast.
I hate chicken boobs. They're dry, they're flavorless, and they're hard to eat. I have never encountered a meal where chicken breast meat served much of a purpose beyond carrying sauce to my mouth. Usually, in those meals, the sauces are bold, robust, and strong enough to hide the fact that the chicken boob is hanging around.
The De Almendras with chicken was not a sufficiently potent sauce to conceal the boob. Had they combined it with dark meat (like nearly every mole I've ever had), I think I would have had a different, and far more enjoyable dinner.
Which is not to say that the Blue Iguana was a poor choice. I would gladly return. The mole was well prepared. It was complex, subtle, and delicious. But the meat that went with it undermined the mole. Next time, I will either try one of the other moles, or try the De Almendras with turkey or pork.
--G
So yeah, I worked in [field x] for a while, but it just didn't work out. But then, in the past four months or so, it came over me out of nowhere, like a dream: I needed to be in renewable energy.
No fuckwad. It didn't come over you out of no where. It came over you out of the economic collapse and the discussion of 40 Billion in stimulus for renewable energy. It wasn't a dream, it was greed (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Don't confuse being able to see the writing on the wall with prophetic ability.
_______________________
I ate dinner at the Blue Iguana tonight. It's a nice Mexican restaurant in downtown SLC, recommended to me by opposing counsel in my case.
It's in the basement of an older, but well maintained building. I gather that the upper floors are a Benihanas.
The Blue Iguana has a fairly wide ranging menu that is notable primarily by the presence of not one, but eight different moles.
I love mole.
Being tired, after a long day of deposition, I did not have the wherewithal to note all of the different varieties of mole. There were some classics, such as the poblano, and the thing that I can't remember the name of, but it's made with chocolate and peanuts. And then there were some exotics. The Amarillo mole looked tasty, but was made with habaneros, and carried a "spicy" warning. There was also a green mole made with pumpkin seeds that looked intriguing. In fact, there were simply too many mole choices.
So, I did what all sensible folks do when confronted with a new restaurant:
I asked the waitress to pick.
What I got was the De Almendras mole. With chicken, since it's usually a safe bet. The mole was fantastic. Delicate, subtle, complex. Unlike many moles I have had, the De Almendras was made from almonds, which were then accentuated with a mild combination of spices. I would totally eat it again.
But not on dry chicken breast.
I hate chicken boobs. They're dry, they're flavorless, and they're hard to eat. I have never encountered a meal where chicken breast meat served much of a purpose beyond carrying sauce to my mouth. Usually, in those meals, the sauces are bold, robust, and strong enough to hide the fact that the chicken boob is hanging around.
The De Almendras with chicken was not a sufficiently potent sauce to conceal the boob. Had they combined it with dark meat (like nearly every mole I've ever had), I think I would have had a different, and far more enjoyable dinner.
Which is not to say that the Blue Iguana was a poor choice. I would gladly return. The mole was well prepared. It was complex, subtle, and delicious. But the meat that went with it undermined the mole. Next time, I will either try one of the other moles, or try the De Almendras with turkey or pork.
--G
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no subject
Date: 2009-04-08 03:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-08 03:02 am (UTC)(Though I much, much prefer thighs or turkey. Or duck.)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-08 03:05 am (UTC)I might have to go in search of one of these "good" chickens. It sounds intriguing.
--G
no subject
Date: 2009-04-08 03:11 am (UTC)Not about chicken boobs...
Date: 2009-04-08 05:18 am (UTC)Today my boss (I completed my first report for her) said that if she were me she would jump on that band wagon and get a job doing energy audits. "You know, go around with a little handheld sensor... Caulking..." she joked.
And in a way she was absolutely right. She, like me, has had many odd jobs over the year. We're all looking for anything to help see us through these hard times... and renewable energy is one of the few rays of hope on the horizon.
Re: Not about chicken boobs...
Date: 2009-04-08 05:34 am (UTC)But: This guy's delivery of how he came to be interested in renewable energy sounded like the angels had come down from on high to tell him that, "Hey, renewable energy, it's going to be the next big thing."
--G
Re: Not about chicken boobs...
Date: 2009-04-08 03:00 pm (UTC)Re: Not about chicken boobs...
Date: 2009-04-08 03:02 pm (UTC)--G