Scalini Fedeli

So I'm in town for work in NJ, but I'm missing the corporate Christmas party. I'm the only one of us who doesn't work out of the home office here in Jersey, and the dinner is scheduled for next Thursday. So, coming to NJ, what do my bosses decide? They take me to dinner at Scalini Fedeli in Chatham, NJ. It's the second time I've been there with them, and the first time the air conditioning worked...well, not that I'd know since it was 44 degrees tonight. No AC needed.

Let me try to accurately describe the experience. Okay, I can't, but I'll tell you what I ate, let you know the service is terrific, and that I'd definitely return. The menu is prix fixe, which means dinner is $52 a plate, no matter what you order. And order we did.

For starters, a basket of bread is delivered tableside with raisin, rye and Italian from which to choose. I asked for rye and Italian, my dining companions opted for the raisin with the Italian. They're also wine aficionados, something I'm not, so all I can say is the wine was "tinto" and they both liked it. They asked for "the best sub-$100 bottle you have." They were given a $55 bottle and no complaints.

I ordered a Tuscan white bean soup with prosciutto and a cheese whose name escapes me. It was delicious. The dinner is started off for all with a shrimp in a mild horseradish glaze (so mild it probably wasn't horseradish), then the appetizer. My companions ordered Risotto with mushrooms and petit peas from Provence with crispy zucchini and Spaghettini arrabiata with capers, black olives and minced Spanish anchovy in a spicy tomato sauce. I tasted the risotto, and not being a fan, was impressed with the full flavor.

The main course for all of was unanimous: Braised short ribs of beef with a cherry pepper and port wine glaze, fennel-apple puree and twice fried potatoes. The ribs were hardly ribs, as there were no bones on the plate and the beef was so juicy and tender that it practially fell apart on my fork. The fennel-apple puree underneath the ribs was the perfect hint of sweet and each of us had no trouble finishing off our portion.

A sorbet was served to cleanse the palate and prepare me for the apple tart with cinammon gelato drizzled with caramel. Although the apple was a little bitter for my taste, the flaky pastry crust was perfect.

Having been here before, I wasn't sure what to think going again. To be honest, I can't remember what I had last time I was at Scalini Fedeli, but I won't soon forget what I ordered tonight. Definitely three forks of three. Certo.

Hypocrisy from My Least Favorite "Comedienne"

It's been a long time since Rosie O'Donnell said anything that even made me purse my lips in an upward direction, much less smile or chuckle. Now she's done something that ought to come as no surprise from a hypocritical...and hypercritical...liberal idiot. On the heels of feigning outrage at Kelly Ripa for a benign comment that happened to be made in conversation to a gay Clay Aiken, Rosie shows her anti-Sino tendencies with this: (You'll get the idea once you see what Asian genius Michelle Malkin has to say on the subject. I don't think you'll need the subtitles to appreciate Michelle's subtlety.)

How far did you go?

Here's a fun site. According to the calculations, my latest trip is worth 4280 miles with a 2140 mile kicker for Silver status. Can you guess where I went?

Really sorry I missed this...

I'm not that old, but in my shorter-than-Methuselah existence, I've not seen a former US president do so much to undermine America, American democracy or the foreign policy of a nation that has actually been surprisingly bipartisan as former president Carter has done over the last few years.

His latest salvo is, if reviews are to be believed (I won't be purchasing the book as a conscientious objector to fiction-posing-as-fact books), nothing other than anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric. Palestinian apologists must be drooling with anticipation for the Arabic translation. Of course, since the PA and its predecessor the PLO have done little to improve academic performance within the so-called "occupied territory," opting instead to preoccupy themselves with anti-Israel hate-ucation, they may have to wait for the audio book. Of course, ask any Palestinian child to locate "the devil" on a map, and they'll be able to point to "Israel" on any map. It's not that the education system in Palestine doesn't work, it's what's in the curriculum that's disturbing.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of this is the stature of some of their sympathizers within the international community. Ex-president Carter stumping for anything not helpful to Israel. It's enough to make you wonder if Plains, Georgia isn't really a little-known anti-American outpost in the Holy Land.

Little Green Footballs

My wife turned me onto this site. The blogmaster obviously lives on the West Coast...but it's a political blog, not a beach blog. I like it. If you're curious as to where my political leanings are located, you might start here.

Enjoy the read.

Injustice, and then justice

So last week, the Vikings play the Bears to an offensive standstill, give up to touchdowns on special teams, throw a bunch of INTs and lose at Soldier Field. I think hey surrendered thirteen yards of rushing and the Bears QB had a rating of 1.3. And they still lost.

Nothing cures losing quite like a trip to Detroit. Today, the #1 defense against the run held Detroilet to minus-3 yards rushing...and won. Injustice and justice.

I will always be a Vikings fan. It's hard to be a Vikings fan. What have they given me over the years? Four Super Bowl losses. The great choke of 1998. A dominating offense and a dominating defense, but never in the same year. Nevertheless, I will always be a Vikings fan. Cut my arm and out pours purple. Skol!

Purpose?

I still can't figure out what I want this blog to be. Apparently, however, I've forgotten that I want it to be anything...as evidenced by the scarcity of posts. So in a moment of lucidity, I figured that it really doesn't matter what I write...as long as a I write something. How about an online journal with a steady dose of personal anecdote and opinion. That sounds good, doesn't it?

So it begins. With the trip I'm currently on, I enter a new world. I go from Silver elite in '06 to Gold for '07. I guess what that means is that on certain routes, instead of having 38 people in front of me for first class upgrades (Boston to Minneapolis last week), now I'll only have twelve. So 50,000 miles later, I may have a little more comfort in 2007. Here's the deal, though, as a Silver in '06, I've gotten at least a half-dozen first-class upgrades, so I think I'm in good shape (at least coming out of Boise). My wife will probably appreciate me not "taking a trip just to take a trip" like I did last December to make elite.

So what are my perks, anyway? Well, the first class thing has been mentioned. I also get to get on the plane no later than right after first class boards (if I'm not in it)...which is money to me, since I get my bags up top where I want them. (I've turned into the "all carry-on" guy who doesn't check bags on short trips...such thing I hadn't supposed I'd be.) One other cool perk is that I get a 50% mileage bonus on anything I fly. For 2007 I'll get 100% of the miles. Hopefully that will mean additional frequent flyer tickets that my wife, who hates to fly, will never want to redeem. Life is so fair it's unfair.