Eating Plano: Naan

For the fourth time in less than 2 weeks I found myself eating sushi. Not that I'm complaining. After all, I'm not much of a complainer.

Naan is an fancy-ish Korean restaurant in the Shops at Legacy sector of the northern gulag known as Plano. If it were in Uptown, it would no doubt be packed on a Tuesday night. But it's the northern burbs and Dancing with the Stars was on.

Since this is my first visit, I stuck with the semi-basics, tuna and salmon sashimi and two of their specialties. Their specialties are similar to a couple of the specialties at Blue Fish. So it is with Blue Fish, and not Piranha with which I will compare.

The sashimi was easily some of the freshest; tastiest I've had probably since Seattle. The only downside was that there was no white tune.

As for the specialty items – ahi tower and volcano roll – these were also quite good. I love the volcano roll at Blue Fish -- I'm a sucker for scallops. But despite the lack of scallops (there's crawfish and other goodies instead) it more than makes up for it with heat and tremendous flavor. I could not stop picking at it until the dish was empty. The ahi tower was also very good, but BF does a slightly better job.

Additionally, I was served a very good unfiltered sake. It was not slightly drier but more complex and flavorful than I'm used to with a nagori.

So, if you find yourself trapped up in the far reaches of Plano and you have to eat something up here, skip the dreadful Mi Cocina and head straight to Naan. And be sure to try the nagori.

A

7161 Bishop Road Plano, TX 75024

Glenn Has a New Job He's Told No One About

For the second day in a row, a list on List Universe was clearly written by Glenn.

Top 10 Meals on a Budget

Here is part 2 of our Frugal living list - 10 inexpensive meals. The best thing about frugal living is that you get to enjoy much nicer food than you would if you were constantly buying fast food. So, here are ten great cheap meals.

10. Mac and Cheese

This is an easy one to make and doesn’t cost much. You will need 1 box of Elbows or Twisted Macaronis. You can usually get the 1 pound box for $1USD. Then you will need a block of cheese, the Velveeta kind. I would recommend the store brand as it tastes just as good. This usually runs between $1 and $2USD for the pound. Then you will need about 1/4 cup of milk. Boil the noodles until they are just soft, then take them off the heat and drain. Do not rinse with cold water.

If you feel you need to rinse them, do it with the hottest water possible. Return the noodles to the pot and add the cheese pre-cut in to 1 inch cubes. Mix together until the cheese is almost melted (the mix will be stiff and kind of hard to stir). Return to a low heat and slowly add the milk slowly creating a thick creamy sauce. This will make enough to feed 5-6 people generously. If you are making just for 1 person, store the excess in sandwich baggies (press out as much air as possible) or in a food sealer in the freezer. When you want to make some just pull out a bag in the morning to defrost. When you are ready for it, make sure it is completely defrosted, pour into a bowl, sprinkle a light amount of water on top and microwave for about 1 min (give or take depending on your microwave). You can compliment this with a can of tuna but do not freeze if tuna is mixed in.

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Egrets Enjoy Festival Seating

It's a cool, gray, rainy day here in The Big D. So it seemed fitting to warm everyone's cockles (giggle) with a picture from sunnier, warmer times. Plus I wanted to use the word cockles.

Oh, and Blue Herons like to hang by themselves in the luxury suites.

Glenn's List?

From List Universe, at least it looks like Glenn's work.

Top 10 Drinking Games

It is Saturday, so in celebration I thought we should have a list of drinking games. These will provide you with hours and fun and a massive headache. Enjoy! Warning: Binge drinking can lead to excess fun.

10.
Flip, Sip, or Strip!
The game is best with 3 to 5 people, but more and the game will last longer. The rules are simple. Flip a coin and while it is in the air, call heads or tails. If you guess right, pass the coin to your right. If you guess wrong, pass the coin to your left and either take one article of clothing off (anything that is a pair counts as one item) or drink a shot. One catch, you cannot do the same thing (sip or strip) more than twice in a row.

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Stopping off on Their Way to the Gulf

The pelicans are back at White Rock Lake. Go see them before they head south.

Eating Lakewood: York Street

Back in the early days of Thursday Night Liver Practice, we would gather on the patio of The Tipperary Inn and wonder what this little place across the street was. It was in a small old gas station. And we could not imagine the greatness that resides in this tiny package. Eventually I did make it over there.

Karen is over from that Germany and is trying to eat all her favorite places. Luckily I got invited to tag along for her York Street visit.

We started out with tuna tartar and raw oysters. I'm not exactly a huge fan of row oysters. I've only had one my entire life. But at places like this, I'll eat just about anything. The tartar was very good and fresh. With such a small portion split between 4 people, it was hard to figure out what exactly was in it. I'm guessing raw tuna. Try to prove me wrong. The oyster was already dressed in a citrusy juice. It was almost like an oyster ceviche. So, despite my limited oyster experience, I'll give it a thumbs up.

For my main course I ordered the off menu item of Kobe Steak. And from my first bite all I wanted to do was yell at the top of my lungs, "I love Colorado!"* This is easily one of the finest dishes I've ever shoved into my steakhole. It was heaven wrapped in nirvana and drizzled with an ecstasy beurre blanc. It rested atop a bed of stuff I have no idea what it was. But I ate every bite since I did not want to waste a single molecule of this delight.

For dessert, I had the lemon buckle with huckleberry sorbet. Yeah, it sounded a little frilly. And I may have to start looking for a condo off of Oak Lawn. But this too was over-the-top greatness.

In conclusion, mmmmmm mmmmmm good.

A+

6047 Lewis Dallas, TX 75206

*Anyone get this joke??

Hanging at the Lake

It's been hard enough to get back on the bike. But today, while at the lake, I got a flat. No problem, I'll just change the innertube. Except that I'm a dumbass and forgot to bring a fresh tube. So, while enjoying the cool gray day at the lake, I got to take this semi-cool pic.

Beware the Pumpkin Pie

While recovering from yet another drunken Saturday and preparing for what turned out to be a Cowboy asswhipping, I headed to the greatness of Whataburger for my usual hangover cure. As I have been instructed by the commercials on The Ticket, I added a fried pumpkin pie to my order. I ate my burger with the fury of someone who was really hungry and hungover. I then turned to the pumpkin pie, took a bite then threw it away.
I was suspicious of the pie to begin with. You can't fry a pumpkin pie. But it's Whataburger. They know what they're doing. But the pie tasted remarkably like soggy Applejacks. So consider yourself warned.

I, For One, Welcome Our New Lizard Overlords

Well, in reality, this dude was hanging out by the hottub. I guess, waiting for the babes to show up. Yeah, me too.

Suck It ‘Sips

Washington Monthly's ranking of the National Universities:

1. Texas A&M University* (5)

2. University of California, Los Angeles* (4)

3. University of California, Berkeley* (2)

4. University of California, San Diego* (6)

5. Pennsylvania State University, University Park* (3)

6. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor* (18)

7. Cornell University (NY) (8)

8. University of California, Davis* (10)

9. Stanford University (CA) (7)

10. South Carolina State University* (9)

11. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign* (16)

12. Ohio State University, Columbus* (27)

13. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1)

14. University of Washington* (15)

15. University of California, Riverside* (22)

16. University of Virginia* (20)

17. University of Pennsylvania (30)

18. University of Wisconsin, Madison* (11)

19. University of Texas, Austin* (17)

20. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill* (32)

HD Retro Review: American Beauty

Now that I have an HD DVR I am now able to record classic movies and watch them later at my leisure. First up is American Beauty.

I just IMDBed Kevin Spacey to see just how many great movies he's been in: Se7en, Swimming with Sharks, Glengary Glen Ross, LA Confidential, The Usual Suspects. He's greatness and Lester Burnham may be his finest role. Lester is a typical frustrated middle-class dude in a sexless marriage. Both his wife and daughter think he's a loser because, well, he is. He becomes resurrected, however, thanks to two of his daughter's friends. Her boyfriend reawakens his confidence through cannabis while her friend Angela reawakens his pants well, through being Mena Suvari.

There really are only two problems with this movie. The crazy Chris Cooper character is just too way over the top. Why does everyone in the military in movies have to be crazy homophobes? The other problem is that the Thora Birch character thinks she has small breasts and is saving for an augmentation surgery. Well she clearly has D-cups. What does she want Qs????

• 4 breasts
  
• 1 gunshot to the head
  
• 2 acts of self love
  
• 1 crazy next door family
  
• 1 gay next door couple
  
• Academy Award Nomination to Thora Birch for Best Lopsided Breasts
  
• Academy Award Nomination to Kevin Spacey cause he's so fucking awesome.
  

A

King Wally says check it out.