Gonzalez Gonzalez: Food Review 29 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place
Gonzalez Gonzalez

Location
New York New York Hotel
Las Vegas

Who I Went With
Ryan

What I Ate
Chips and salsa.
Three hard shell tacos and rice.

Would I Go Back
Yes.

Worth the Price
Yes. We were getting tired of sandwiches and burgers so we went hunting for another option within our budget. We found Gonzalez Gonzalez and it was the perfect choice. Something different. The service was great and so was the food.

Spamville: Food Review 28 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place:
Spamville

Location:
MN State Fair

Who I Went With:
Anthony

What I Ate:
Spam Hot Dog.



Would I Go Back:
Maybe. With 300 food vendors at the fair, they have to be really good to go back each year.

Worth the Price:
The cost was in line with other hot dogs at the fair (I think it was $3). Before eating this, I'd never tasted Spam. I did it for YOU, my dear readers. I ate the Spam hot dog. For you.

Honestly, it didn't taste much different than any other hot dog. The flavor was a bit more spicy than an ordinary hot dog.

Happy Birthday to Me

It's my birthday . . . and yes I'm being shameless by posting it for all to see.

Happy Birthday to me!!

Favorite Quote: On Legs

Quote:
Darling, the legs aren't so beautiful, I just know what to do with them.

Who Said It:
Marlene Dietrich

Emmys 2009: Funniest Moment

The funniest moment of the 2009 Emmy broadcast was Sarah Silverman wearing a mustache during the announcing of the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

What I loved is that she never broke "character." She stays SO serious. Even after the winner was announced. Justin Timberlake's laugh is great.

Some unexpected humor in a three hour broadcast!

Honey Ice Cream: Food Review 27 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place:
Honey Ice Cream

Location:
MN State Fair

Who I Went With:
Anthony

What I Ate:
We tasted honey ice cream (yumm). I purchased honey lemonade and apple-honey taffy.



Would I Go Back:
Yes.

Worth the Price:
The Honey Ice Cream booth offered a great variety of foods all made with MN honey. Tasting foods you don't normally associate with a honey flavor was interesting.

The prices were great. $1 for a large honey lemonade which was very quenching on a hot August MN day. The apple-honey taffy was wonderful. I ate the entire bag in a couple days.

Emmy Awards 2009 Red Carpet Thoughts

Three guys who looked sexy, hot, charming (pick one) in their tuxes.
Justin Timberlake


Simon Baker


Rob Lowe



The most perky breasts on display. I mean . . . really on display.
Blake Lively



Now THIS is what I call a maternity gown!
Heidi Klum



Female celebrity with the cutest date.
Drew Berrymore with Justin Long



Male celebrity with the cutest date
Neil Patrick Harris with David Burtka

Orchid Lounge: Food Review 26 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place
Orchid Lounge

Location
Mandalay Bay Hotel
Las Vegas

Who I Went With
Ryan

What I Ate
Blueberry and cream cheese pastry. Starbucks Frappuccino bottled drink.

(Sorry for the dark photo. The casino area did not

have the best lighting for photo taking.)

Would I Go Back
Maybe.

Worth the Price
Boarderline. We went to the Orchid Lounge on the morning we flew out of Vegas. I wanted to get something quick to hold me over until I could eat at the airport. For the price of the pastry ($3.95 if I remember) it should have been fresher. It worked in a pinch.

Emmy Predictions 2009: Actors

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Jemaine Clement, Flight Of The Conchords
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men

Anthony: Alec Baldwin

Michael: Jim Parsons

Outstanding Lead Actor in A Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Simon Baker, The Mentalist

Anthony: Jon Hamm needs, and deserves, the love.

Michael: Jon Hamm.


Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
Brendan Gleeson, Into The Storm
Sir Ian McKellen, King Lear (Great Performances)
Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Redemption
Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind

Anthony: 24 had a comeback season. Kiefer could take this one.

Michael: Sir Ian McKellen.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, The Office
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Anthony: There is a lot of critical buzz for Neil Patrick Harris.

Michael: I agree. I think he'll get it.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
William Hurt, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men

Anthony: Michael Emerson. Lost needs something and he is a great actor who should win.

Michael: I have no clue for this one. Let's give it to William Shatner.

Emmy Predictions 2009: Actresses

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Toni Collette, United States Of Tara
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Anthony: After sweeping last year, 30 Rock needs to give up something. Mary-Louise Parkerto win.

Michael: Tough choices. Several deserve. I'll pick Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Glenn Close, Damages
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace

Anthony: Elisabeth Moss

Michael: Holly Hunter

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Chandra Wilson, Accidental Friendship
Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel
Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
Sigourney Weaver, Prayers For Bobby

Anthony: Sigourney Weaver.

Michael: What a category. MacLaine, Barrymore, Lange and Weaver are such legends. How can you pick? I'll go with Jessica Lange.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Rose Byrne, Damages
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Hope Davis, In Treatment
Cherry Jones, 24

Anthony: Cherry Jones

Michael: Dianne Wiest

Emmy Predictions 2009: Programs

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Tom Colicchio,Top Chef

Anthony: Tom Colicchio.

Michael: I would love to see Heidi Klum win. Project Runway is one of my favorite shows.


Outstanding Drama Series
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

Anthony: Lost had a great season, but next year [final year] would be more appropriate for a win. I'll go with Mad Men.

Michael: Mad Men


Outstanding Comedy Series
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight Of The Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
30 Rock
Weeds

Anthony: 30 Rock

Michael: I would LOVE Family Guy to win. But I'm not sure a cartoon could achieve that. I'll go with How I Met Your Mother.


Outstanding Made For Television Movie
Coco Chanel
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
Prayers For Bobby
Taking Chance

Anthony: Coco Chanel

Michael: Grey Gardens


Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Anthony: The Colbert Report

Michael: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart


Outstanding Reality – Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Anthony: Top Chef

Michael: Project Runway

Venetian Hotel is Gorgeous

The Venetian Hotel is one of the most gorgeous on the Las Vegas Strip. Each time I see it, I'm amazed. I took these photos when I was there to see Joan Rivers. One day, I hope to stay at the Venetian. The photos explain why.

Favorite Quote: On Blondes

Quote:
I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde.

Who Said It:
Dolly Parton

Oodles of Noodles: Food Review 25 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place:
Oodles of Noodles

Location:
MN State Fair

Who I Went With:
Anthony

What I Ate:
Spaghetti and meatball on a stick.



Would I Go Back:
No.

Worth the Price:
So-so. Not one of my favorite things we ate at the fair this year. The sauce was very rich and good and I loved the breading wrapped around the meatball. But the meat didn't do much for me. With 300 food vendors at the fair, I'd skip this next time to try something new.

Project Runway: Season 6 Episode 4

The challenge for episode four was to design an ensemble as requested by the Models of the Runway.

My winning pick: Carol Hannah Whitfield's design.



My loosing pick:Johnny Sakalis' purple number.



The judges' winning pick: Althea Harper's design of black shorts and jacket.



The judges'loosing pick:Qristyl Frazier's black dress.



My Season Six matches to the judges:

Winners:
2 of 4

Losers:
3 of 4

$25.2 Million Eating at the MN State Fair

This year, people spent $25.2 million at the 300 MN State Fair food vendors! Where does a person even start with 300 choices?! Anthony and I have a list of favorite vendors that we visit each year. And then we add new places to the list.

The first stop was the Big Fat Bacon stand (photo above). Thick pieces of bacon are grilled and served on a stick.



Next up was our favorite non-dessert stand. The grilled corn-on-the-cob. The corn is grilled, dunked in butter and sprinkled with salt. How could it not taste good?





Next up was a chocolate mousse churro from French Meadow Bakery.



Anthony enjoys the churro.



Would it be a visit to a state fair without a deep fried candy bar?



Me getting ready to bite into the gooey sweetness of a deep fried Snickers.



Our favorite dessert stand. Nitro Ice Cream. It's truly the best ice cream I've tasted. It's flash frozen, dense and very creamy.

Greenbergs Deli: Food Review 24 of 52

As part of my New Year's Resolution to try 52 new restaurants, diners, coffee shops and bakeries during 2009, I present the following review.

Place
Greenbergs Deli

Location
New York New York Hotel
Las Vegas Strip

Who I Went With
Ryan

What I Ate
Warm pastrami on sourdough bread, potato salad and pickle spear.

Would I Go Back
Yes!

Worth the Price
Very much worth the price. This pastrami sandwich was my favorite lunch during the Vegas vacation. It's sliced as it's ordered, put on your bread choice and then sent through the toaster oven. I could have eaten two.