~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ What the hell is “California cuisine”? They’ve been building a restaurant around the corner from us, and we had heard that it was going to be an Olive Garden, which had us both pretty excited because we like Olive Garden, but not enough to drive alllll the way into Huntsville to eat there. It’s nearing completion and I drove by it yesterday to find out that it’s not going to be an Olive Garden at ALL, but that it’s going to be a Silver Point Restaurant, and under the name of the restaurant it says “California cuisine.” I don’t know what “California cuisine” is, but I suspect (no offense, Californians) that it involves a plate fancily decorated with some kind of sauce, a lettuce leaf atop the sauce, and a single shrimp atop the lettuce leaf. And that they’ll charge $88 for it. There’s no information online at all about any Silver Point Restaurant, so I guess it’s not a chain. I imagine that “California cuisine” might be a bit more froufy than the area calls for. Yes, we live in a very yuppie city, but judging by the line I see by the barbeque place, a line that goes across the parking lot and usually down the highway a little, tastes ’round here run more to good ol’ southern food than California cuisine. I could be wrong, though. It could turn out to be a smashing success, especially since I really don’t know what California cuisine IS. I have a suspicion that the restaurant will go out of business in a year or less. And then maybe Olive Garden will buy the building and set up shop!
“I love to annoy my mother by rubbingrubbingrubbing my nose on her hand until she runs screaming into the night. Good thing I’m so cute, right? Uh…. right? Oh, shut up. My mommy loves me anyway.”
I will never eat at another Olive Garden again. This elderly couple came in one night and were so excited about celebrating their anniversary. They used gift cards given to them months ago. Come to find out, their cards, each month, lost value and they practically had to pay for the entire dinner themselves. You should have seen the look on their faces, it went from excitement to sadness….and I’m sorry…but that’s just wrong.
Oh man, that DOES suck! I need to keep that in mind the next time I buy gift cards. That is so wrong!
Yeah, Mall of America gift cards are like that too. Thankfully, I usually shop the day after receiving one so I don’t have to worry about the lost value, but it is a huge surprise if you’re not ready for it. Small Print…that’s all I have to say.
I don’t know what CA cuisine is either, but I can’t help but think of CA blend veggies and wonder if they are incorporated somehow? Lots of food with cauliflower and carrots? I did find this online at http://berncity.tripod.com/California.html: “So what is California cuisine? It’s all about natural goodness, freshness and lots of fruits and vegetables: brick-oven pizzas on hand-tossed crusts with homemade fennel sausage, mesclun salads with herbs and toasted goat cheese, fresh breads from local bakeries, broiled Black Mission figs drizzled with locally made honey, sandwiches with sliced avocado and juicy tomatoes, grilled fish and poultry with piquant citrus salsas.”
The word “piquant” always cracks me up for some reason. Give me some o’ them piquant citrus salsas! Hee!
I totally misread “Black Mission figs” as something completely un-PC. And I must say, I would never want to see my misread drizzled with any sort of “locally made honey.”
Alfalfa sprouts…don’t for the alfalfa sprouts. oh and smoothies…big on smoothies too.
Well, seeing as how I live in California, and am a total foodie, let me try to describe CA cuisine. Basically, when a restaurant uses fresh, in-season ingredients, locally caught fish, locally grown beef (you get the picture), AND the food is fairly healthy? They call it CA cuisine. It doesn’t mean that it’s expensive, or that there’s tofu involved, it’s just fresh, seasonal cooking at its best. Wow. I totally sounded like an ad there, no?
GET….don’t FORGET….ugh
I was born and raised in Cali and grew up on “california cuisine.” Basically, it’s a fancy term for lots of veggies, fruits, and free-range fish/chicken, usually whatever is seasonal. I’ve always understood it to mean normal portion size as well, instead of crazy out of control portions that usually go along with restaurant eating.
I grew up and live in California and its just like the others here said. fresh herbs, fresh meats and fresh veggies. Here in N calif its about sour dough and fish stew (Chipino). and……IN and OUT burgers 🙂
We just moved out of CA, and after living there for a year, my definition of california cuisine can be summed up in one word…bland
Hey, Hoser.
Look what I found! I could adopt him! Then we could compare notes! I’m insane! WHEEEE!
http://www.brunnet.net/spca/cats-bean.htm
Independence Air rocks! (Although I heard they are in bankruptcy). We got one-way tickets from NC to Orlando this month for $39.00 each way. Not bad! A little trip to DisneyWorld for the 3 year old, ah what fun!
Like you, I have never heard of California Cuisine. But living in NC and being from TN, I’m not too surprised. Let us know how it is when you try it out!
Sorry to be the gross one talking about the TOE and all, but tell Fred he’ll probably feel a ton better if he does make a hole in the nail. I know, it sounds disgusting and WRONG WRONG WRONG, but I once smashed the holy hell out of a fingernail and it hurt like the dickens until I finally did what people had been telling me to do and made a hole (WITH A KNIFE BECAUSE I AM JUST THAT COOL) (except for the part where I was totally freaking out). The draining wasn’t what I would call…pleasant, but man it felt way less painful afterwards.
OMG robyn, please, have fred go to a foot doctor… putting your own whole in your nail sounds like an invitation to hepatitis. UGH UGH UGH….. I have such a weak stomach. Of course, thinking about it, your nail is dead isn’t it?? don’t know guess I am such a chicken when it comes to stuff like that….
Sundry,
I actually tried melting through the nail with a paperclip last night, to no avail. I’m thinking I couldn’t get it hot enough, because plenty of sites indicated that melting was a good way to go. I’m debating calling Dr. Judy to drill it. The doc-in-a-box wouldn’t poke a hole in the nail out of concerns with infection (because the bone underneath actually cracked), but I’m betting I could wheedle Dr. J into doing it.
On a humorous note, Robyn wouldn’t even look my way when I was poking around at it, so once I sucked my breath in through my teeth with a hiss to see what she’d do. She clapped her hands over her ears and flailed around on the couch for several seconds.
Then she turned around to look and see what I’d done. 🙂
Oh, no-name above — I’ve had hepatitis already. No worries there. 🙂
I have to say, y’all are making the California cuisine sound kind of good! I’m sure we’ll give it at least one try when it opens. 🙂
And everyone else – Fred is on his way to the doctor at this very moment. Hopefully she’ll put a hole in his toenail and release the pressure so he’ll quit his damn whining. (Heh)
On a side note, the spud got her finger shut in a car door a few years ago and when I took her to the emergency room, the doctor poked a hole in her fingernail and NICKED HER NAIL BED. The thought of having my nail bed nicked just makes me cringe.
Owie! I hope Fred’s visit to the doctor relieves that God-awful pain. Yikes! The pics of the toe were kind of gross, yet I had to look…
Oh! Close up of Miz Poo! Love it.
Hi, Robyn. This is totally off topic from today’s discussions, but what happened to the OneFatBitchypoo site? The link is no longer working. I’m sorry if you answered this in one of your recent journal entries, but I don’t remember. I tried doing a word search to find out, but I couldn’t find anything. Thanks!
Fred – Good luck at the doctor! Hopefully they do something relatively painless and sterile. Unlike my self-surgery that involved a lighter and a, um, safety pin. What? It worked!
I hope Fred’s toe gets better.
That pic of Miss Poo is so cute!
I once dropped a coffee cup square on top of my big toe.. other than child birth, I think it was the most terrible pain I have felt (except when the storm window slammed on my fingers), I just couldn’t take the pain anymore and went to the ER (I was a military dependent so it was free :)) and they used one of those hot needle things that they use when guys get vasectomies done to put a whole in the toenail to relieve the pressure.. it was immediate relief! My girlfriend had a good laugh over it to..
Hey girl! I finally saw the Penn & Teller special. You guys looked great. You certainly came across as the rational, sensible people amidst the diet fakers and scammers. Do you mind re-posting the entry about the special? Or writing about it again?
Ooooh I must share my story..well it is my sister’s but it is true..straight from the goopy toe diaries.
She let a toe go like that for, say, 7 months and when she finally went to a doctor, it had gotten so bad they did surgery then and there and it had ATE THROUGH THE BONE (the infection that is) and they took half of her big toe bone off and scraped and scraped and..
Fred..are you listening???
I know you like to change the logo on your page periodically; I just want to say that I will really miss the one you have there now. It makes me giggle out loud every time I read your page.
California cuisine: small amounts, beautifully presented. Two of them make a nice meal.