Post Birthday Musings

Ahhh yessss....another birthday has bit the dust and we are off and running with the new year! I had a very nice weekend of margaritas, Italian food and bling........life is good.

It has been quite a challenge for me to blog lately. I am trying to get back in the saddle but it has been a slow go of it for me. Lots of interesting topics have been floating through my head lately so I may be able to make a better effort soon.

A quick note on the vacation decision.......as you recall Lyn and I have been looking for a place to take a little break. After several good ideas....we have decided to take a nice long weekend and spend it in Las Vegas! Lyn has never been to LV and as everyone knows......you have to go there at least one time in your life. We have a fabulous room at the Bellagio and there is no doubt in my mind that we will be lucky enough to have a warm day in March to sit lazily by the pool. May not be a tropical beach resort......but LV has enough resort style comforts that we should feel quite relaxed while we are there.

Can someone tell me why we have to endure endless television appearances by the idiot governor of Illinois? Impeach him already!

Ahhhhh.....our new President and the First Lady........they just ooze love and respect for one another. The other past Presidents looked almost afraid to touch their wives. What a refreshing change! Someone who can lead by example in the "family man" department! Good stuff!

So when is the next federal holiday? Oh yeah......Memorial Day. (sigh)

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the 23rd Annual Oyster Festival on March 27th in Cincinnati at the Washington Platform. Yep......Shuck 'em, Suck 'em, & Eat 'em Raw! Are there any other oyster lovers out there?

Thanks for the birthday greetings one and all. It was a good one!

TA TA!

You Say It's Your Birthday!

Well almost.

Friday is Rita's.

This public service announcement brought to you by her lame girl friend who has dinner under control... but no gift. Though of course there is an explanation...

Got a second? Wish her a happy one.

Please.

Restaurant Review

While I normally leave such things to the experts, such as Wine Me, Dine Me in Cincinnati, I couldn't help taking a shot at it this morning after our massive meat feast last evening at Boi Na Braza.

Boi Na Braza is a Brazilian Steakhouse where "Gauchos" continuously serve you five different types of meats - chicken, pork, beef, lamb and sausage prepared 10 different ways. ($47.50 per person) It is brought to you on a sword-like device and sliced right on to your plate. Remarkably, with all of the walking around with the meat in hand, I was never served a piece of meat that was anything but hot.

The Gauchos continue to come to your table as long as you have the red and green "meat place card" displayed as green. Turn the place card to red and the Gauchos will leave you alone.

I manage to try four of the meats prepared in several different ways. However, in the whole circus of parading meat, I was disappointed that I did not receive any of the pork entrees. Somehow this was not brought around for our entire meal. I found all of the cuts of meat to be juicy and well-seasoned. I also managed to receive several cuts that were medium-well despite the fact that much of the beef and lamb were cooked to their desired state of medium rare to medium.

I guess by now you are asking......"Were their any vegetables in this meat extravaganza?" Ahhh yes......Boi Na Braza has a large salad bar which contains a very nice selection of cheeses, salad vegetables, prosciutto, smoked salmon as well as hot side items like mashed potatoes, seasoned rice, etc. I must say that it was a little smaller that I had imagined based on previous reviews I had read but the quality of the food was very good! Any vegetarian could have had a very nice meal at the salad bar alone. ($29.99)

I must also mention that Boi Na Braza also has a very fine wine list and assortment of speciality drinks. My friends and I had just started with our wine when we spotted this interesting woman preparing fruit-infused cocktails from a little cart. The drinks were called a Caipirinha. ($14.99)

The Caipirinha's were a fruit-muddled concoction made with sugar, fruit, Brazilian rum and another Brazilian liquor. There was a lime (mojito style) version and the tropical version served with oranges, pineapple and strawberries. We tried both - multiple times. Tasty is an understatement for these cocktails.

In regard to disappointments, I was disappointed in the Brazilian Cheese Bread that is brought to your table. After hearing so much about it in reviews, I expected something cheesy and buttery. I guess what I was hoping for was something that rivaled those fabulous cheddar biscuits you get at Red Lobster. No comparison and they ended up being small dinner rolls infused with cheese but you never really saw it. It was not the taste explosion I was preparing for after the reading reviews.

Overall, it was a great meal. I found the service to be fabulous and attentive but not overly bothersome. Be prepared to throw down at least $150 for two people. This is definitely not your everyday restaurant and nor should it be. It is a great place for a special occasion and you will not be disappointed.

Sunday morning blahs

"Morning".

Those are the only two words I think Lyn and I have uttered to each other this morning in our brief periods of "alertness".

It is a very blah type of day here in the Ohio Valley. After a night filled with rain storms and loud outbursts of thunder, the end result is one dreary Sunday morning.

I sit here at the laptop going through emails, drinking coffee (which may be a little bit on the weak side) and listening to snores coming from the living room couch. I know it isn't the muttlet who is quietly perched on top of the couch - as if she were faithfully protecting her owner - who is sound asleep there.

I have gone through every bit of the morning paper. I tend to skim through it looking for the articles that have exciting headlines or keywords that are noteworthy to me. They have shortened our paper beginning with this issue to save money so it really takes me even less time to read the damn thing.

So after all that I decided to hit the Internet and search for acceptable vacation spots for 2009. Last year we had a grand time in California and it will be hard to match, but I have been given some guidelines to go by in order to find the ideal vacation spot for a week.

1. It has to be some place warm.
2. Located on a beach
3. Not located in California, North or South Carolina and preferably not Florida but there is some wiggle room there if the place proves to be spectacular enough.

I have my work cut out for me methinks. It has been a while since I have taken a vacation that was purely "beach-side". I think I was 12 and it was a family vacation in St. Petersburg, Florida, but that was also mixed with a trip to Disney and I have already been warned that Disney is not an option. (sigh)

I'm doomed.

I am open to suggestions on this rainy Sunday morning. I hear planes flying overhead on their approach to the CVG airport and just that sound alone makes me want to board a plane to anywhere.

The snores have subsided. Time for some more coffee........