In case you missed this fantastic reader submitted comment in the comments section, I am posting it here as it contains some valuable info for all of us Yellowknife dining gurus.
I was laughing out loud when reading about your Bullock's experience. Let me guess: you showed up after 6pm? Never, never do that again. LOL I too showed up after 6pm on my first few occasions. What happened to you also happened to me. LOL (Seriously, I can't stop laughing.)
You should give Bullock's another try. It's a great place to eat AWESOME food and meet some VERY interesting characters. (Well, you've met them already but they were at their worst.)
Here's what you do: make a reservation for 4:30 or 5pm. Your meal will take 30-45 min to prepare. While you wait, they will give you fresh buns and butter. And, MAN! Are those buns the best EVER. But make sure not to ask for more. You will be sternly told, "NO." And if you forget to do that, you MUST NOT insist. The response will be something like, "There are more people coming. They want buns too you know?! You can't eat all the buns! Everyone gets one!" (Of course they lie. You can only have one bun because they only make so many to reward those that show up early for supper. I bet you got no buns.)
When they hand you a menu, take it but don't look at it. Ask them what's available today. They will list off names of fish. Don't ask for any description about the fish. You are going there to eat fish and the fish you eat is whatever was caught that day. You should be familiar with local fish if you are "from here." Make up your mind right away and order it. I usually order the Fisherman's Platter which is a bit of everything they have. You can also earn bonus points for knowing that your fish can be either grilled, pan fried, deep fried, or grilled and comes with your choice of fries, salad or half and half and ordering it without them having to ask.
It is safe to order their delicious fries at this time of day. They will arrive hot and crisp and be dotted with sea salt. They are at their best with cider vinegar. You should also know that the black sauce on your table is for grilled fish only. The dressing for the salad is the feta cheese and dill mixture. BTW, both recipes are closely guarded secrets.
After you've ordered and before the buns get there, go get your drinks. As you wait, the staff will strike up conversation with you. They will probably ask you many questions. The more "local" they perceive you to be, the bigger the meal. (Or maybe that's just my perception.)
By 5:30pm, the place will start to fill up. And everything starts to go fast. By 6-6:30pm, it's usually chaos. Luckily, you were served at 5:30-5:45pm. By 7pm, they run out of food and you are paying your bill and heading to the movies.
You simply showed up at the wrong time. So yeah, try it again! Can I tag along?
For more of Jason's wonderful and thought provoking commentary, check out his blog here. I am really looking forward to going back and trying it again, when are we going?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Keeping it Real - Restaurants in YK Part 2
Please see Part 1 here
Diamante
$$$ ¾
1-483 Range Lake Road, next to Sam’s Monkey Tree, across from the Shell Station
Mmm. Last week was my first visit to Diamante, and I was happily surprised at the tasty, fresh food and quick and efficient service. Woo hoo. The interior decor is slightly out of date, however it was clean and well maintained, so major bonus points for that. The drink and food menu need to be replaced. They have seen better days. Back to the food, it was wonderful. The pasta is HOMEMADE. Delish, perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned, the sauce complimented the noodle, not overpowering it. I had seafood pasta which had large hunks of all kinds of seafood. This Maritimer gives that a big ol’ thumbs up. We were served fresh and moist sour dough bread with an appropriately crusty crust. I had mussels which were nicely cooked and all safe to eat, in a lovely white wine creamy tomato sauce. The server was friendly and knowledgeable, efficient... what more can one ask for.
Final thoughts: This is a hidden gem in our fair metropolis. I would go back without hesitation. Try their Bellinis... oh try them. Try the homemade cheesecake with caramel sauce. Deeelish.
Our Place Family Dining Room
$$$ ¾
50th Ave & 50th St
Simply put, the food was OK. They list “Fresh PEI Mussels” on their menu, when I asked how that was possible; our server explained that they are frozen PEI mussels. Not fresh. The service was above average for YK. My one issue with the service was that we were seated somewhat close to the kitchen and the server kept running back to chat to the cook. “Oh, I am going to try to sell those customers the special! Let’s see how I make out!” Awkward. The interior decor of Our Place is outdated, it is incredibly dark inside, the majority of seating are 1980s office chairs, pink in colour, they are in need of an update. From our window seating we were able to watch many homeless people staggering the downtown streets of YK. I am on the fence about this establishment, with a slap of paint and new seating could make a really big improvement. The food was pretty good as well as the service so for that alone, I would go back!
Final thought: With an updated aesthetic, this restaurant would be one of the better places in YK.
Bullocks’ Bistro
$$$$ ½
3602 Pilot’s Lane, across from Weaver and Devore in Old Town
This was one of the first places we ate when we were still YK virgins, Newbies, Southerners through and through. I have not been back since. This restaurant is a famed aspect of YK. Many tourists eat there to experience a veritable Northern dining experience. The Arctic Char and Muskox we tried were absolutely, mouth wateringly delicious. The fries and salad were not so good. The dressing bottle on the table was the number one filthiest thing I have EVER seen in a restaurant in my lifetime. It was covered in whatever oil was in the bottle, and it was really caked on, so I knew it had been there for some time. The service was simply alarming, very rude. When we arrived the server led us through a jam packed room and started screaming at one table to move so we could sit there and they could sit somewhere else. When we were seated she snapped at us that we could get our own drinks from the run down looking coolers against the back wall. She then snapped at us that all that was left on the menu was two pieces of char and some muskox, so what did we want. We didn’t know what on earth muskox or arctic char was, so we went with one of each. We ate, enjoyed the meat and fish then paid the insanely high price for our meal and left.
Final thoughts: If I am paying $35 for a piece of fish and some old, soggy fries and am not even being served my drink, I would at least expect to be treated politely. You will either like it or loathe it. Try it out and let me know! I have since heard that they are no longer allowed to "not serve" drinks, so that is a point in their favour.
Vietnamese Noodle House
$$
4609 50 Ave, across from Quality Furniture
This was an OK eating out experience. The decor is very outdated with insect papers and air fresheners stuck in the corners of the restaurant. The food I tried was not bad at all... yummy chicken balls and beef and broccoli, the rice was fluorescent yellow colour, so I am still pondering what variety of rice that was. If you feel like some Vietnamese noodles, I suggest take out. I have only eaten there once for a quick lunch, so that is the extent of my knowledge of this establishment.
Final thought: I think another restaurant makeover is in order!
Explorer Hotel, Trader’s Grill
$$$$
4825 49th Avenue
Brunch Only Review
This is a MUST when in YK. You should always make a reservation as this is super popular, just call 873-3531 and ask to speak to the restaurant. This is a wonderful eating out experience, the brunch is absolutely on par with any you would find at a fancier establishment in the South. On the lower lever of the dining room they set up a waffle and pancake section. This is a heavenly experience! The waffles come freshly made to order, with white and milk chocolate curls as a garnish in addition to gobs of whipped cream. After this, go on to the spread in the little room just off of the dining room. A chef will be there carving up some form of meat, they have arctic char, various other seafood, chicken, eggs, bacon, sausages, fruit, desserts... whatever you could dream of wanting to eat. It is wonderful. All of their desserts are made on site, which is a fabulous perk.
Final Thoughts: You must do it. I believe it is priced at around $20/person, but as a treat, it is worth it. You are worth it! Yum!
Diamante
$$$ ¾
1-483 Range Lake Road, next to Sam’s Monkey Tree, across from the Shell Station
Mmm. Last week was my first visit to Diamante, and I was happily surprised at the tasty, fresh food and quick and efficient service. Woo hoo. The interior decor is slightly out of date, however it was clean and well maintained, so major bonus points for that. The drink and food menu need to be replaced. They have seen better days. Back to the food, it was wonderful. The pasta is HOMEMADE. Delish, perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned, the sauce complimented the noodle, not overpowering it. I had seafood pasta which had large hunks of all kinds of seafood. This Maritimer gives that a big ol’ thumbs up. We were served fresh and moist sour dough bread with an appropriately crusty crust. I had mussels which were nicely cooked and all safe to eat, in a lovely white wine creamy tomato sauce. The server was friendly and knowledgeable, efficient... what more can one ask for.
Final thoughts: This is a hidden gem in our fair metropolis. I would go back without hesitation. Try their Bellinis... oh try them. Try the homemade cheesecake with caramel sauce. Deeelish.
Our Place Family Dining Room
$$$ ¾
50th Ave & 50th St
Simply put, the food was OK. They list “Fresh PEI Mussels” on their menu, when I asked how that was possible; our server explained that they are frozen PEI mussels. Not fresh. The service was above average for YK. My one issue with the service was that we were seated somewhat close to the kitchen and the server kept running back to chat to the cook. “Oh, I am going to try to sell those customers the special! Let’s see how I make out!” Awkward. The interior decor of Our Place is outdated, it is incredibly dark inside, the majority of seating are 1980s office chairs, pink in colour, they are in need of an update. From our window seating we were able to watch many homeless people staggering the downtown streets of YK. I am on the fence about this establishment, with a slap of paint and new seating could make a really big improvement. The food was pretty good as well as the service so for that alone, I would go back!
Final thought: With an updated aesthetic, this restaurant would be one of the better places in YK.
Bullocks’ Bistro
$$$$ ½
3602 Pilot’s Lane, across from Weaver and Devore in Old Town
This was one of the first places we ate when we were still YK virgins, Newbies, Southerners through and through. I have not been back since. This restaurant is a famed aspect of YK. Many tourists eat there to experience a veritable Northern dining experience. The Arctic Char and Muskox we tried were absolutely, mouth wateringly delicious. The fries and salad were not so good. The dressing bottle on the table was the number one filthiest thing I have EVER seen in a restaurant in my lifetime. It was covered in whatever oil was in the bottle, and it was really caked on, so I knew it had been there for some time. The service was simply alarming, very rude. When we arrived the server led us through a jam packed room and started screaming at one table to move so we could sit there and they could sit somewhere else. When we were seated she snapped at us that we could get our own drinks from the run down looking coolers against the back wall. She then snapped at us that all that was left on the menu was two pieces of char and some muskox, so what did we want. We didn’t know what on earth muskox or arctic char was, so we went with one of each. We ate, enjoyed the meat and fish then paid the insanely high price for our meal and left.
Final thoughts: If I am paying $35 for a piece of fish and some old, soggy fries and am not even being served my drink, I would at least expect to be treated politely. You will either like it or loathe it. Try it out and let me know! I have since heard that they are no longer allowed to "not serve" drinks, so that is a point in their favour.
Vietnamese Noodle House
$$
4609 50 Ave, across from Quality Furniture
This was an OK eating out experience. The decor is very outdated with insect papers and air fresheners stuck in the corners of the restaurant. The food I tried was not bad at all... yummy chicken balls and beef and broccoli, the rice was fluorescent yellow colour, so I am still pondering what variety of rice that was. If you feel like some Vietnamese noodles, I suggest take out. I have only eaten there once for a quick lunch, so that is the extent of my knowledge of this establishment.
Final thought: I think another restaurant makeover is in order!
Explorer Hotel, Trader’s Grill
$$$$
4825 49th Avenue
Brunch Only Review
This is a MUST when in YK. You should always make a reservation as this is super popular, just call 873-3531 and ask to speak to the restaurant. This is a wonderful eating out experience, the brunch is absolutely on par with any you would find at a fancier establishment in the South. On the lower lever of the dining room they set up a waffle and pancake section. This is a heavenly experience! The waffles come freshly made to order, with white and milk chocolate curls as a garnish in addition to gobs of whipped cream. After this, go on to the spread in the little room just off of the dining room. A chef will be there carving up some form of meat, they have arctic char, various other seafood, chicken, eggs, bacon, sausages, fruit, desserts... whatever you could dream of wanting to eat. It is wonderful. All of their desserts are made on site, which is a fabulous perk.
Final Thoughts: You must do it. I believe it is priced at around $20/person, but as a treat, it is worth it. You are worth it! Yum!
Keeping it Real - Restaurants in YK Part 1
I find there is very little online info on restaurants in YK. I really dislike going to a new restaurant without prior knowledge of the place, so here is a rundown if you are looking for a place to eat in YK. I welcome and encourage all you Northern Bloggers to respond and blog about your experiences to help out all the Northern Newbies looking for a place to eat. If you know of any hidden gems, please let the rest of us know!
Note to Newbies: Never feel like you are under dressed when dining out in YK. It is not possible. So strike that worry from your dear minds.
$$$$$ is the most expensive rating and $ is the lowest.
Le Frolic Bistro Bar
$$$$
5019 49 Street, or as we say in YK, across from the mall
I have mixed feelings about this place. It is one of the more upscale dining establishments in YK. Initially it was my absolute favourite place to eat. While the atmosphere is fantastic, the best I have yet to see in YK, like all things YK the service and food is hit and miss, which I find disappointing beyond belief. I have probably ate there about six times, the first four times we enjoyed very nice, well cooked and presented meals with on par service and walked away feeling satisfied and leaving a nice tip for our server, always a good sign. The last two visits we had some bad service and not so great food, we haven’t returned since.
Final thoughts: Great ambiance, mediocre service, pricy drinks, expect to pay $30ish for entrees and $15ish for starters. Don’t miss the Crab Cakes, Arctic Char or Bison Burger. For the price, I expect vastly better and consistent service. Try it out and hope you catch them on a good day.
Fuego
$$$$
4915 50th Street
Hubby and I had our V Day dinner at Fuego this year. For Valentine’s Day, they opened up their upper banquet room to accommodate the extra bookings. I don’t really have many great things to say about our experience, so here is the rundown. The room we ate in smelled very musty and old. The servers were vastly unknowledgeable. The Tinhorn Creek Pinot Blanc was grossly overpriced... $46 for a bottle that sells for $16 at their winery and $22 ish at the YK Liquor Store. A portion of our meal was still FROZEN inside, the duck was 100% uncooked, it was supposed to be cooked. My last beef was the included 20% gratuity. I have known many servers and know how darn hard some of them work. I understand why some establishments include a gratuity on the bill. But at Fuego on February 14th, the service was just bad. There was plenty of staff to accommodate the number of patrons, but these gals were just young and unknowledgeable. They really didn’t care about what they were doing, but tried to maintain the fact that they were extremely posh folk. I didn’t want to tip these kids 20%... because they sucked at their job and served me below par, overpriced food. It was obvious they were not well prepared for the numbers they booked and fed that evening.
Final thoughts: I will try it out again on a non holiday in the future. The ambiance in the bottom level was pretty modern for little ol’ YK. If you do go, skip the V Day meal.
Taste of Saigon
$
4913 50 Street
Please try this place out and enjoy their consistent, yummy, affordable food. As the name suggests, they serve Vietnamese cuisine and their slogan is, “Vietnamese dining at its best” and I agree. The interior is clean, and well maintained. The staff is pretty efficient and friendly. They offer a great, speedy take out service. I highly recommend #44 or #45!
Final thoughts: Do it. It’s good. Order by the number and not the name, it will be worth it.
Boston Pizza
$$ ½
5102 48 Street
I genuinely cannot formulate any sort of review for YK BP. I went. It was bad. I wrote the company. They sent me 4 free vouchers for personal size pizza and a fountain pop. I donated them to a kid’s program run by Hubby’s work. According to the manager they have a really hard time finding and retaining good employees. It shows.
Final thoughts: It’s a great chain to have in YK, I may in fact return one day... maybe.
L’Attitudes
$$
Upper Level, YK Centre Mall
This is one place I go back to again and again. Consistent, friendly, knowledgeable servers, which I love. There is a modernish, clean atmosphere and the food is always good to great. Kind of reminds me of an upscale Irving Big Stop, if ya know what I mean my Maritime peeps. (That’s a good thing for the rest of you!) They have a mean chicken finger, great wraps, the salads are always fresh, and the fries are crispy and plentiful. Oh yes. We like that. L’Atitudes is the perfect place for a quick or leisurely lunch.
Final thoughts: I am pretty sure you can’t go wrong with this place! However, this is YK, so nothing is ever definite.
Note to Newbies: Never feel like you are under dressed when dining out in YK. It is not possible. So strike that worry from your dear minds.
$$$$$ is the most expensive rating and $ is the lowest.
Le Frolic Bistro Bar
$$$$
5019 49 Street, or as we say in YK, across from the mall
I have mixed feelings about this place. It is one of the more upscale dining establishments in YK. Initially it was my absolute favourite place to eat. While the atmosphere is fantastic, the best I have yet to see in YK, like all things YK the service and food is hit and miss, which I find disappointing beyond belief. I have probably ate there about six times, the first four times we enjoyed very nice, well cooked and presented meals with on par service and walked away feeling satisfied and leaving a nice tip for our server, always a good sign. The last two visits we had some bad service and not so great food, we haven’t returned since.
Final thoughts: Great ambiance, mediocre service, pricy drinks, expect to pay $30ish for entrees and $15ish for starters. Don’t miss the Crab Cakes, Arctic Char or Bison Burger. For the price, I expect vastly better and consistent service. Try it out and hope you catch them on a good day.
Fuego
$$$$
4915 50th Street
Hubby and I had our V Day dinner at Fuego this year. For Valentine’s Day, they opened up their upper banquet room to accommodate the extra bookings. I don’t really have many great things to say about our experience, so here is the rundown. The room we ate in smelled very musty and old. The servers were vastly unknowledgeable. The Tinhorn Creek Pinot Blanc was grossly overpriced... $46 for a bottle that sells for $16 at their winery and $22 ish at the YK Liquor Store. A portion of our meal was still FROZEN inside, the duck was 100% uncooked, it was supposed to be cooked. My last beef was the included 20% gratuity. I have known many servers and know how darn hard some of them work. I understand why some establishments include a gratuity on the bill. But at Fuego on February 14th, the service was just bad. There was plenty of staff to accommodate the number of patrons, but these gals were just young and unknowledgeable. They really didn’t care about what they were doing, but tried to maintain the fact that they were extremely posh folk. I didn’t want to tip these kids 20%... because they sucked at their job and served me below par, overpriced food. It was obvious they were not well prepared for the numbers they booked and fed that evening.
Final thoughts: I will try it out again on a non holiday in the future. The ambiance in the bottom level was pretty modern for little ol’ YK. If you do go, skip the V Day meal.
Taste of Saigon
$
4913 50 Street
Please try this place out and enjoy their consistent, yummy, affordable food. As the name suggests, they serve Vietnamese cuisine and their slogan is, “Vietnamese dining at its best” and I agree. The interior is clean, and well maintained. The staff is pretty efficient and friendly. They offer a great, speedy take out service. I highly recommend #44 or #45!
Final thoughts: Do it. It’s good. Order by the number and not the name, it will be worth it.
Boston Pizza
$$ ½
5102 48 Street
I genuinely cannot formulate any sort of review for YK BP. I went. It was bad. I wrote the company. They sent me 4 free vouchers for personal size pizza and a fountain pop. I donated them to a kid’s program run by Hubby’s work. According to the manager they have a really hard time finding and retaining good employees. It shows.
Final thoughts: It’s a great chain to have in YK, I may in fact return one day... maybe.
L’Attitudes
$$
Upper Level, YK Centre Mall
This is one place I go back to again and again. Consistent, friendly, knowledgeable servers, which I love. There is a modernish, clean atmosphere and the food is always good to great. Kind of reminds me of an upscale Irving Big Stop, if ya know what I mean my Maritime peeps. (That’s a good thing for the rest of you!) They have a mean chicken finger, great wraps, the salads are always fresh, and the fries are crispy and plentiful. Oh yes. We like that. L’Atitudes is the perfect place for a quick or leisurely lunch.
Final thoughts: I am pretty sure you can’t go wrong with this place! However, this is YK, so nothing is ever definite.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Much ado about nothing... or mouldy cheese. Whatever.
One thing I miss constantly about the Southern land of Canada is the never ending supply of fresh produce. This was a long, hard winter filled with withered peppers, rubbery, half rotted potatoes, tomatoes, you name it, it wasn’t so fresh. I know a few people who have worked in grocery stores and I am pretty sure that most of the fresh produce on the shelves at YK groceries stores would have been pitched in the bin in other groceries in Canada. Like the trooper that I am, I dealt with this, cutting off the mouldy bits, throwing out much more produce than I ever had before in my life as everything seemed to go from “OK looking” to “inedible” in 2 days of being in the fridge. I get it, I live in the North and I obviously cannot expect to purchase the same level of quality produce that I would expect to readily purchase a 12 hour drive south of here. Ok. Fine.
Recently, with the closure of the MacKenzie River crossing, the selection and quality at the grocery stores here in town has really gone from bad to worse. In the past few weeks, I have purchased bad chicken, bad milk and cheese in addition to the usual half rotted and withered fruits and veg. While I couldn’t do anything about the chicken or milk, when my nice $12 chunk of Gouda turned to white fuzz after one week in my fridge, my hubby very nicely returned it to Co op for me. This was the third package of expensive-ish cheese that I was going to have to trash that had been purchased in the past few months.
Interestingly, the deli produce manager was present at the customer service counter when it was being returned. When she noticed what Hubby was returning, she was apparently horrified but aware of “this problem”. Oh. OK. She further elaborated that some of their fromage comes pre-packaged but others come in wheels which they have to slice themselves. This is where the problem begins. Their packaging system involves wrapping the hunk on cheese in plastic wrap and heat sealing it shut with a heat gun. The heat of the gun triggers mould production in the cheese and they end up losing about 1/3rd of the cheese from every wheel they package.
Now, I am not a scientist, nor do I pretend to be one on the weekends, however, that just doesn’t seem normal to me. The first mystery which I cannot crack regarding this is, has the technology of vacuum sealing not come to Yellowknife yet? Why do they continue to heat seal this product when they clearly are losing revenue by subjecting the cheese to a detrimental heat sealing process? The second issue I have with this is, do they not understand the nature of mould on food? Yes, you see the mould on the surface of the item, however it also has little mould roots that reach down through the food item. To safely eliminate bad mould from cheese, it is recommended that 2 centimeters be cut off from around the fuzz. Obviously this packaging process is triggering mould production and I think they need to stop doing this!
So, the deli manager nicely suggested that we “go see her” when we go to the deli section at Co op from now on and she will “get us some good stuff”.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is an acceptable practice? Cause, I am not feeling that it is so great. I would like to see the grocers in this town step up and start improving practices to better their service and products for this community!
Recently, with the closure of the MacKenzie River crossing, the selection and quality at the grocery stores here in town has really gone from bad to worse. In the past few weeks, I have purchased bad chicken, bad milk and cheese in addition to the usual half rotted and withered fruits and veg. While I couldn’t do anything about the chicken or milk, when my nice $12 chunk of Gouda turned to white fuzz after one week in my fridge, my hubby very nicely returned it to Co op for me. This was the third package of expensive-ish cheese that I was going to have to trash that had been purchased in the past few months.
Interestingly, the deli produce manager was present at the customer service counter when it was being returned. When she noticed what Hubby was returning, she was apparently horrified but aware of “this problem”. Oh. OK. She further elaborated that some of their fromage comes pre-packaged but others come in wheels which they have to slice themselves. This is where the problem begins. Their packaging system involves wrapping the hunk on cheese in plastic wrap and heat sealing it shut with a heat gun. The heat of the gun triggers mould production in the cheese and they end up losing about 1/3rd of the cheese from every wheel they package.
Now, I am not a scientist, nor do I pretend to be one on the weekends, however, that just doesn’t seem normal to me. The first mystery which I cannot crack regarding this is, has the technology of vacuum sealing not come to Yellowknife yet? Why do they continue to heat seal this product when they clearly are losing revenue by subjecting the cheese to a detrimental heat sealing process? The second issue I have with this is, do they not understand the nature of mould on food? Yes, you see the mould on the surface of the item, however it also has little mould roots that reach down through the food item. To safely eliminate bad mould from cheese, it is recommended that 2 centimeters be cut off from around the fuzz. Obviously this packaging process is triggering mould production and I think they need to stop doing this!
So, the deli manager nicely suggested that we “go see her” when we go to the deli section at Co op from now on and she will “get us some good stuff”.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is an acceptable practice? Cause, I am not feeling that it is so great. I would like to see the grocers in this town step up and start improving practices to better their service and products for this community!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Must Watch TV
In no particular order:
Eastbound and Down
Kenny Effin’ Powers. This series was new this season and was a huge hit in our household. The series chronicles the life of Kenny Powers who is a washed up Major League baseball player. After attaining fame and fortune he loses all and returns home to suburbia to live with his brother and his Bible thumpin’ wife and two kids. Kenny represents almost everything that drives me insane in a person; however, you can’t help but like him in this show. From his tightly curled ten-ninety (mullet) to his pointy toed snake skin cowboy boots, tight black jeans and gigantic, shiny belt buckle, he truly is a vision of masculinity. This show is not appropriate for young viewers!
Big Love
Ahh, Big Love, another road kill show from HBO, where you know you should look away but cannot help watching. Big Love tells the tale of Bill and his wives, Nicky, Margine, Barb and their children. Bill grew up in a fundamentalist LDS, polygamist family compound and proceeded to live outside the compound with his first wife, Barb and their two children non-polygamist style. Many years into their marriage, Heavenly Father called upon Bill to take a second wife (cough), Nicky, who grew up on “the Compound”. His last wife is Margine was not raised with any formal religion, so she has newly taken up fundamentalist LDS. This series has fantastically developed characters and I absolutely am addicted to this plot line while wholly being opposed to almost every occurrence on the show.
Dexter
Oh Dexter Morgan, you sly cat. Dexter, the serial murderer works for the Miami PD as a blood splatter analyst. The major plot line of the show is his relationship with society and how he must continually fool the people close to him so they do not find out his secret murderous tendencies. Again, a bizarre protagonist with horrible “morals” (morals?), yet with the fantastic character development, you will be hooked.
Californiacation
Starring Mulder himself, “Hank Moody” is a washed up sex addicted author struggling to maintain his family and rewrite a follow up literary hit. Now, I am a person who always remembers actors for their major roles, so while I find myself thinking, “Jeez Fox, your face is looking so saggy and old” Duchovney does well playing a dryly witty and cynical Dad to a wonderful young actress (Madeline Martin) who plays Becca and on and off again partner to Karen (Natasha McElhone). Awesome acting in supporting roles by Harry from SATC and his wife, cocaine addicted Marcy. These two characters add that je ne sais quoi, mais je l’aime beaucoup to this series.
Grey’s Anatomy
I know we all love Grey’s, but seriously, if McDreamy messes with the wedding, I may jump ship. And I must say, I am loving this relationship between Little Grey, who I could not STAND at first and McSteamy. Ohhhh McSteamy. Will Izzie live or die? Will Kristina get back together with Owen? (Who bizarrely has a Scottish accent in real life! Shocking.) I guess I will have to keep watching to find out.
30 Rock
This is a new favourite this season, however I am totally hooked and contemplating ordering the seasons from Amazon. I love the deroulement of this show, the humour... oh and little Kenny. I think I may just watch it for dear, sweet Kenny. And to hear Baldwin say “Lemon”.
Hell’s Kitchen
Ramsey is the best, hands down. I love Kitchen Nightmares, I love the F Word, and the same goes for Hell’s Kitchen. We are anxiously waiting to see who will be the next executive chef for Borgata!
90210
No 26 year old should love this show as much as I do. No, no, no. Like a drug, I am totally addicted to the new 90210. I LOVE IT. Even with that annoying Annie and her big, white buck teeth, I still love it. The entire time Ethan is on though, all I can think is how bizarre that he is from Yellowknife. Really, truly bizarre.
Absolutely Fabulous
Since I was a wee Natalie, I have luuuuuuuved the Britcoms. My first ones I ever watched were Keeping Up Appearances (“Richaaaaard!”) and Are You Being Served (Ding!). Last year I found Absolutely Fabulous and am hooked. Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone are the belles of the ball in this series and I get a lot of laughs out of their antics. If you are not familiar, I recommend checking it out!
Southland
Three episodes in and I am certainly a fan of this new series. I originally set my DVR to this show to see Ryan from the OC aka Ben MacKenzie. This show follows a numerous detectives and street cops on their shift. It is incredibly realistic (or so I hear...) and again, the acting is not bad. I was disappointed on the last episode when Ben MacKenzie and partner were not featured, however I still hung in for the entire show. It is reminiscent of Third Watch, with more grit and modern day crime fighting.
In Memoriam:
Life on Mars
Let me wipe away my tears for this year's loss. Ugh. Hubby and I LOVED this series, even though it was a remake of the original British Life on Mars, it was a new concept to us. The actors were top notch in this series; Harvey Keitel played a mean Lieutenant of Homicide, the best! And dear, dear, Christopha (Michael Imperioli) from Sopranos as Ray, I actually found it disturbing how much I enjoyed his polyester suits, long pork chop ‘burns and should length man hair. LOVED IT. I am a huge fan of him as an actor and he certainly delivered as a tough as nuts, sexist-ass detective. Last but not least, Sam Tyler. What a guy, handsome, well played, a lovely combination for any character. I was devastated when this went off the air and VOWED to never watch another new series until Southland came along with Ryan from the OC. What’s a gal to do?
Eastbound and Down
Kenny Effin’ Powers. This series was new this season and was a huge hit in our household. The series chronicles the life of Kenny Powers who is a washed up Major League baseball player. After attaining fame and fortune he loses all and returns home to suburbia to live with his brother and his Bible thumpin’ wife and two kids. Kenny represents almost everything that drives me insane in a person; however, you can’t help but like him in this show. From his tightly curled ten-ninety (mullet) to his pointy toed snake skin cowboy boots, tight black jeans and gigantic, shiny belt buckle, he truly is a vision of masculinity. This show is not appropriate for young viewers!
Big Love
Ahh, Big Love, another road kill show from HBO, where you know you should look away but cannot help watching. Big Love tells the tale of Bill and his wives, Nicky, Margine, Barb and their children. Bill grew up in a fundamentalist LDS, polygamist family compound and proceeded to live outside the compound with his first wife, Barb and their two children non-polygamist style. Many years into their marriage, Heavenly Father called upon Bill to take a second wife (cough), Nicky, who grew up on “the Compound”. His last wife is Margine was not raised with any formal religion, so she has newly taken up fundamentalist LDS. This series has fantastically developed characters and I absolutely am addicted to this plot line while wholly being opposed to almost every occurrence on the show.
Dexter
Oh Dexter Morgan, you sly cat. Dexter, the serial murderer works for the Miami PD as a blood splatter analyst. The major plot line of the show is his relationship with society and how he must continually fool the people close to him so they do not find out his secret murderous tendencies. Again, a bizarre protagonist with horrible “morals” (morals?), yet with the fantastic character development, you will be hooked.
Californiacation
Starring Mulder himself, “Hank Moody” is a washed up sex addicted author struggling to maintain his family and rewrite a follow up literary hit. Now, I am a person who always remembers actors for their major roles, so while I find myself thinking, “Jeez Fox, your face is looking so saggy and old” Duchovney does well playing a dryly witty and cynical Dad to a wonderful young actress (Madeline Martin) who plays Becca and on and off again partner to Karen (Natasha McElhone). Awesome acting in supporting roles by Harry from SATC and his wife, cocaine addicted Marcy. These two characters add that je ne sais quoi, mais je l’aime beaucoup to this series.
Grey’s Anatomy
I know we all love Grey’s, but seriously, if McDreamy messes with the wedding, I may jump ship. And I must say, I am loving this relationship between Little Grey, who I could not STAND at first and McSteamy. Ohhhh McSteamy. Will Izzie live or die? Will Kristina get back together with Owen? (Who bizarrely has a Scottish accent in real life! Shocking.) I guess I will have to keep watching to find out.
30 Rock
This is a new favourite this season, however I am totally hooked and contemplating ordering the seasons from Amazon. I love the deroulement of this show, the humour... oh and little Kenny. I think I may just watch it for dear, sweet Kenny. And to hear Baldwin say “Lemon”.
Hell’s Kitchen
Ramsey is the best, hands down. I love Kitchen Nightmares, I love the F Word, and the same goes for Hell’s Kitchen. We are anxiously waiting to see who will be the next executive chef for Borgata!
90210
No 26 year old should love this show as much as I do. No, no, no. Like a drug, I am totally addicted to the new 90210. I LOVE IT. Even with that annoying Annie and her big, white buck teeth, I still love it. The entire time Ethan is on though, all I can think is how bizarre that he is from Yellowknife. Really, truly bizarre.
Absolutely Fabulous
Since I was a wee Natalie, I have luuuuuuuved the Britcoms. My first ones I ever watched were Keeping Up Appearances (“Richaaaaard!”) and Are You Being Served (Ding!). Last year I found Absolutely Fabulous and am hooked. Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone are the belles of the ball in this series and I get a lot of laughs out of their antics. If you are not familiar, I recommend checking it out!
Southland
Three episodes in and I am certainly a fan of this new series. I originally set my DVR to this show to see Ryan from the OC aka Ben MacKenzie. This show follows a numerous detectives and street cops on their shift. It is incredibly realistic (or so I hear...) and again, the acting is not bad. I was disappointed on the last episode when Ben MacKenzie and partner were not featured, however I still hung in for the entire show. It is reminiscent of Third Watch, with more grit and modern day crime fighting.
In Memoriam:
Life on Mars
Let me wipe away my tears for this year's loss. Ugh. Hubby and I LOVED this series, even though it was a remake of the original British Life on Mars, it was a new concept to us. The actors were top notch in this series; Harvey Keitel played a mean Lieutenant of Homicide, the best! And dear, dear, Christopha (Michael Imperioli) from Sopranos as Ray, I actually found it disturbing how much I enjoyed his polyester suits, long pork chop ‘burns and should length man hair. LOVED IT. I am a huge fan of him as an actor and he certainly delivered as a tough as nuts, sexist-ass detective. Last but not least, Sam Tyler. What a guy, handsome, well played, a lovely combination for any character. I was devastated when this went off the air and VOWED to never watch another new series until Southland came along with Ryan from the OC. What’s a gal to do?
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Don't even think about calling me Paris
One of the major downfalls of being a chihuahua lover in the year of 2009 is the stigma associated with the mighty chihuahua. Yes, pop culture has created a crazy image that if you love chihuahuas, you must love them because P. Hilton loves them as well. This drives me BATTY since, quite frankly, I loved the wee chihuahua eons before Ms. Hilton started prancing around with Tink in her purse.
Ugh.
So, to further clarify the situation I have composed a little gem for your reading enjoyment! (Ha.) Well, I know my Mom will like it at least. Enjoy!
Ugh.
So, to further clarify the situation I have composed a little gem for your reading enjoyment! (Ha.) Well, I know my Mom will like it at least. Enjoy!
These are the Chihuahuas of our Lives Part 1
Once upon a time, in the far away land of Nova Scotia lived a little girl by the name of Natalie. She lived happily with her Mom, Dad and sister named Sister. When she was very little her family had a Boston Terrier dog by the name of Brig. At the age of five, little Natalie moved from New Minas to Yarmouth. Her parents told her that the family did not have the time to properly care for a dog, so before the family moved, they gave away little Briggy.
A few years later the family acquired another dog, this time a cocker spaniel who they named Sam. After about a year, the family once again sadly realized they did not have enough time and they once again gave their dog away, this time to an elderly couple who the Dad knew.
That summer, little Natalie who was now nine years old was on vacation with her family in a mysterious land we shall call South Western New Brunswick. Natalie would often play happily outside with her cousin at Cousin’s house. Cousin had a new big, wild, white dog named Bingo. This dog spent most of his life chained up outside, did not receive proper exercise and therefore was wildly excitable and barked nonstop. Cousin told Natalie to be careful around this dog as it was totally untrained and not safe to be around children.
This one particular, sunny and warm day, Bingo was lying down and looking particularly pathetic in its dirt patch that he called home. He gazed over to young Natalie and enticed him with his eyes to come and pat him, “Come here Natalie... come pat me, I am your friend. I will not hurt you.” Natalie, trusting the sad and lonely gaze from Bingo decided to follow her instincts and slowly started walking towards Bingo with her hand held out tentatively for him to smell.
At this precise moment Bingo became so overwhelmed by his pent up energy and joy that a human was paying attention to him, that he sprang up into the air as fast as a rocket ship blasting off from planet Earth. He leaped maniacally with excitement toward the young Natalie and landed with his big, dirty paws on each one of the little girl’s shoulders and pulled her towards him. She screamed in confusion and terror as she was pulled sharply toward the dog. Suddenly, Bingo’s big brown slimy teeth struck the young Natalie’s pearly whites and wiped his fat, slobbery pink tongue over her mouth so violently that the little girl fell to the ground. Natalie crawled away from the chained dog, totally in shock.
Young Natalie lay dazed on the ground as her teeth ached in pain. She and Cousin then ran across the field to their grandparent’s house to tell her Mom and Dad what had happened. Natalie arrived breathless with tears streaking down her dirty face and landing upon her now filthy and stained pink t-shirt. After hearing this tale, the Mom gently held young Natalie, consoling her upset little daughter. Natalie’s uncle who we will call Uncle, added his two cents, cackled maniacally and said, “You know where that tongue just was? Lickin’ it’s dang ass! AHAHAHAA! HAHAHAA!” The mental image overwhelmed the young girl as fresh tears sprang from her eyes and vomit rose in her mouth.
From that day forward, Natalie despised dogs with an irrational fear. She could still feel those big brown, slimy teeth on hers and the feces coated (or so she believed) tongue wiping across her mouth.
To Be Continued...
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