Finally, it's college football season again! That means copious hours on the couch with the entire family. Yep, Wifey loves football as much - maybe more - than I do, and Moochie loves sitting on our laps while we watch football. I have a sneaking suspicion Misaki may worm herself into something more comfortable than the floor at some point too - must resist Shiba Mind Control...
If you've been at the blog for awhile you know that last season I wrote about PAC-10 football. A lot. Multiple times a week. This year I'm really going to cut it down, for a couple reasons. The first is I simply don't want to write that much about it this year. The second is I have other things I want to write about more, like food, the kids, and things that drive me crazy. Or make me laugh. Or all of those tied together.
If for some crazy reason you absolutely need to hear football thoughts from me - pretty sure no one actually cares - hit me up on Twitter.
What I am going to do is weekly put together a schedule of what PAC-10 games are on TV, with the when and what channel. I'm going to do this because frankly I can't find that information anywhere else so I do it anyway. And because I have to, I will pick winners. Don't care about the spread, I'm not gambling, so just picking winners. Last year I went 55-18 for the season, which I think is pretty respectable, so that's my benchmark. I may write little tidbits here and there, but not on any kind of schedule.
Before we get to the Week 1 games, I do have a thought on the PAC-12, which will begin next season with Utah and Colorado added to the league: I like it. I like the idea of getting bigger, I like the Pacific Conference getting a league championship game, I like the prospect of their own network (the Mountain West has one for crying out loud), and I like more games that mean something. I also would have liked it better had it become the PAC-16 with the Texas schools, but oh well.
When it comes to divisions my preference would be to have the Oregon schools, Washington schools, Utah and Colorado in one, and the Cali and Zona schools in the other. We shall see how that works out - I have a feeling they may go the zipper method like the new Big 10 is and split all the rivalries. Not sure I like that, even though the rivalry teams will still play every year. That could mean a year when Oregon doesn't play Washington, and I hate that idea.
On to the schedule - and this year I don't care about Boise State, so sorry Broncos fans. All game times are Pacific time, followed by the network and the pick. Also, the network and whether or not it's on TV is for Portland - some games may be televised regionally, so if you live in a home market, check your local listings. Rankings are in parantheses (AP, USA Today).
Thursday
8pm - USC (14, *) at Hawaii, ESPN - USC
Friday
5pm - Arizona (35, 29) at Toledo, ESPN - Arizona
Saturday
12:30pm - UCLA at Kansas State, ABC - K-State
12:30pm - New Mexico at Oregon (11, 11), Comcast Sports - Oregon
1pm - UC-Davis at Cal (NR, 43t), no TV - Cal
3:30pm - Sacramento State at Stanford (27, 32), no TV - Stanford
4pm - Washington State at Oklahoma State (42, 39), Fox Sports - Oklahoma State
4pm - Washington (39, 36) at BYU (34, 28), CBS College Sports - Washington
4:45pm - Oregon State (24, 22) at TCU (6, 7), ESPN - Oregon State
7:15pm - Portland State at Arizona State (NR, 43t), Fox College Sports Pacific - Arizona State
Yes, I did just pick Oregon State. National media is not giving Ryan Katz enough respect. I expect him to earn it on Saturday. Should be the start of a great season for the Oregon schools.
* USC is not eligible for the USA Today Coaches Poll because of NCAA sanctions.
9/02/2010
9/01/2010
A Return to Apizza Scholls
Last year we went to Apizza Scholls for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it, deeming it not a classic interpretation but fantastic nonetheless.
A short time ago we went back, this time bring the camera. We got there right at 5pm, a little later than we wanted (especially after the line from last year). Again, it was middle of the week, so we thought it would be pretty busy. Surprisingly, not so. We were the third party to be seated and the entire time we were there (until about 6pm) the dining room did not fill up.
In fact, even the host seemed a little surprised it wasn't busier. It wasn't a particularly hot or cold day, so I wouldn't think that was a factor - perhaps it was just an anomaly. Fine by me.
We decided to do a split pie this time, ordering a half Sausage & Peppers and half Pig & Pineapple. And yes, I had to get another pint of the Anchor Porter - it's an excellent beer.
In case you need reminding, these pizzas are huge. We didn't measure, but it has to be bigger than 20 inches and cut into eight pieces. Depending on how hungry you are it can probably feed four people. For us we each ate two slices for dinner, then took half home and had two small lunches each. Six meals for $24? That's not bad at all.
The Pig & Pineapple half was pretty decent. Apizza Scholls' sauce is very flavorful and the crust is excellent, so the toppings are really little more than icing on the cake, anyway, and these were solid. I grew up loving this combination, but I think I've come to the realization it's just not as good as many other things to me anymore. Kind of sad in retrospect, but tastes change. It just is.
The Sausage & Peppers side had spectacular flavor. Along with the bold sauce, the red peppers were marinated (maybe even pickled?) to bring an excellent tartness and housemade sausage is one of the better I've ever had. The fennel seeds and other flavors really meld together nicely both within the sausage itself and the pizza as a whole. Next time we go I'm going to be hard-pressed to order something other than this as a whole pie.
Now, this final picture below is what is apparently called in the business an "upskirt shot."
The purpose here is to check for even charring on the crust. Too much black is bad, as well as not enough.
Why is it called an upskirt shot? I suppose it could be a subtle play on the words, in reference to lifting up and looking underneath the pizza, something few people do.
My personal theory is it was invented by someone hoping to bring more hits to their blog. As we all know, anything even subtley mentioning porn on the internet can blow up in a big way. Hey, maybe this post will be my own little experiment...will using the words "upskirt shot" drive my traffic through the roof?
Doesn't matter to me, honestly. What does matter is how very, very good Apizza Scholls is at making pizzas. The pie was again fantastic and flavorful, and it's one I highly recommend. Also good to see that two separate visits both produced high quality food and service - gotta love consistency.
A short time ago we went back, this time bring the camera. We got there right at 5pm, a little later than we wanted (especially after the line from last year). Again, it was middle of the week, so we thought it would be pretty busy. Surprisingly, not so. We were the third party to be seated and the entire time we were there (until about 6pm) the dining room did not fill up.
In fact, even the host seemed a little surprised it wasn't busier. It wasn't a particularly hot or cold day, so I wouldn't think that was a factor - perhaps it was just an anomaly. Fine by me.
We decided to do a split pie this time, ordering a half Sausage & Peppers and half Pig & Pineapple. And yes, I had to get another pint of the Anchor Porter - it's an excellent beer.
In case you need reminding, these pizzas are huge. We didn't measure, but it has to be bigger than 20 inches and cut into eight pieces. Depending on how hungry you are it can probably feed four people. For us we each ate two slices for dinner, then took half home and had two small lunches each. Six meals for $24? That's not bad at all.
The Pig & Pineapple half was pretty decent. Apizza Scholls' sauce is very flavorful and the crust is excellent, so the toppings are really little more than icing on the cake, anyway, and these were solid. I grew up loving this combination, but I think I've come to the realization it's just not as good as many other things to me anymore. Kind of sad in retrospect, but tastes change. It just is.
The Sausage & Peppers side had spectacular flavor. Along with the bold sauce, the red peppers were marinated (maybe even pickled?) to bring an excellent tartness and housemade sausage is one of the better I've ever had. The fennel seeds and other flavors really meld together nicely both within the sausage itself and the pizza as a whole. Next time we go I'm going to be hard-pressed to order something other than this as a whole pie.
Now, this final picture below is what is apparently called in the business an "upskirt shot."
The purpose here is to check for even charring on the crust. Too much black is bad, as well as not enough.
Why is it called an upskirt shot? I suppose it could be a subtle play on the words, in reference to lifting up and looking underneath the pizza, something few people do.
My personal theory is it was invented by someone hoping to bring more hits to their blog. As we all know, anything even subtley mentioning porn on the internet can blow up in a big way. Hey, maybe this post will be my own little experiment...will using the words "upskirt shot" drive my traffic through the roof?
Doesn't matter to me, honestly. What does matter is how very, very good Apizza Scholls is at making pizzas. The pie was again fantastic and flavorful, and it's one I highly recommend. Also good to see that two separate visits both produced high quality food and service - gotta love consistency.
8/31/2010
Summer Foodie Roundup
Sometimes things just don't merit their own post, and despite what I have claimed I would do in the past and post more, smaller things, it's just not going to happen. Not in my writing nature - I like to write, so things get longer. Over the summer Wifey and I have tried all sorts of things, so here's a quick rundown of recommendations and thoughts.
Kenny and Zuke's - Pastrami Burger - Co-owner of Kenny and Zuke's Nick Zukin (hence, Zuke), recently completed a personal journey through Portland, trying and rating over 70 "bistro burgers." You can read the results of his odyssey at Willamette Week with the top ten and on his own blog for numbers 21-25, 16-20, and 11-15. It's a very well done set of reviews and I'd like to at some point try them all.
But Nick didn't rate the K&Z burger, for obvious conflict of interest reasons. He has on multiple occasions talked about the K&Z pastrami burger and mentioned how it should rate before though, so I asked him on Twitter where he though that would rank on his list, if he could be objective. Nick hit me about right back and said he'd put it between 4 and 7 on his list, but wasn't promising he could be objective. That was objective enough for me, not doubting it was good and nice to see he didn't just put it #1 (didn't think he would, he seems very honest when talking about food.)
So I tried it out on my last lunch there. It's a very good burger, cooked well with good flavors, and topped with pastrami and Swiss cheese. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. I was a little surprised by it's size; almost everything at K&Z is huge and I eat half at the meal, taking the rest home for later, but this was actually just the right size for a meal. Not a detriment to be sure, but simply an observation. After trying burgers at Gruner and Le Pigeon (2 and 6 on his final list) I think Nick's placement of the K&Z burger was pretty accurate, though probably closer to 7 then 4. Good stuff.
Broder - Aebleskiver, bacon/tomato/blue cheese baked scramble - After reading a lot of positives we hit Broder, a Swedish place, up for breakfast one day. The aebleskiver came with lingonberry jam and fresh lemon curd for dipping and were moist, almost melt in your mouth. Excellent. Loved the jam and the curd as well. The scramble was interesting - we both thought the tomato threw off the flavor a bit. It's an interesting dish. Would I recommend Broder? Not sure yet. It was solid, but not fantastic. We want to go back for lunch and try out more dishes.
Tasty and Sons - Breakfast board (chicken liver mousse, bacon, beef jerky, yogurt, pickled beets, blackberries, bread), bacon wrapped date, peaches and cream with telema cheese and honey, fuhgeddaboutit (Italian sausage omelette), French toast - Tasty continues to be one of our favorite places. We hadn't ordered the breakfast board before but foodies seem to love it every time, so this time we did. I had never had chicken liver mousse before and had no idea what to expect, but it was borderline excellent. Not sure I would order it given multiple choices of dishes, but I'm definitely not unsure about it anymore Everything on the board, actually, was excellent. The French toast was amazing as usual and the sausage in the omelette couldn't have been seasoned any better. The peaches and cream was something neither of us had had before, but both liked. The cheese on top really made the dish for me.
As before, if you haven't been here yet you need to get here.
Ken's Artisan Bakery - Valhrona chocolate chip cookie, salted caramel macaroon - We've been to Ken's a number of times and always enjoy it, but this cookie fell a little short. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't better than we make at home. In fact, I will be bold and say it's not AS good. There, I said it.
The macaroon was interesting. The flavors were very good though not quite as good as the one from Pix Patisserie, but it was also as big as my hand. All other macaroons I've had before have been about bitesize, but not this one. Shrug.
Northwest Sweets - Marshmallow, caramels - If you didn't heed my earlier comments about this place and go there, you need to do so. Immediately. Fall is coming and that means football and cooler weather, the perfect combination for making hot chocolate or drinking chocolate. And when you do, you need a marshmallow, and these are the best in town. The fresh licorice on the counter almost convinced me...but Wifey doesn't like it and I'd have to eat the whole thing myself, so I didn't get it. Who am I kidding? Next time I'm buying it.
Sterling Coffee - vanilla caramel latte, Cluizel mocha - As usual, drinks from Sterling were, well, sterling. Both the vanilla and caramel come from Two Tarts and we'd never combined the two in the latte before, so we asked the barista if that sounded like a good idea. After he said they were excellent in combo, we ordered and have to agree.
On a side note, Two Tarts does not sell that caramel to the public - we tried. We wanted to use it in ice cream, but were told they currently only do commercial accounts. It sounded like it would be for sale in their store at some point in the future, but that date is yet to be determined. Until then, Sterling and Coffeehouse Northwest are the only places we know it can be found in a drink.
Ristretto Roasters - mocha - I really like Ristretto's mochas. When we ordered this I was very pleased...but then ended up getting one at Sterling a short time later. Night and day Sterling wins hands down. After commenting that the Ristretto one now tasted like crap, Wifey disagreed and she's right. The Ristretto mocha is probably one of Portland's best, but it's just not in the Sterling/Barista/Coffeehouse category. As long as you aren't drinking them side by side, you'll enjoy it just fine.
Part of this could be we always order the dark chocolate (Cluizel at Sterling and Coffeehouse, Valhrona at Barista), which makes a huge difference. Ristretto just needs to add some decadence to their menu.
Nostrana - tossed insalata caprese/rotisserie chicken/rose, gnocchi with morel cream sauce, capuccino, vanilla bean gelato, Pizzeria Mozza butterscotch budino - Add Nostrana to my favorite restaurants list - I have never had anything bad here and routinely the service and food is top notch (though this time the server was obviously new, not just to the restaurant but it also seemed to Italian food in general). The salad/chicken/rose was a complete meal and all of it was excellent. We took one pic of the salad, then forgot for the rest of the food because we were hungry. This may have been the best part of the meal, which would be saying a lot.
The budino is an interesting dessert. Here's a pic of it from the This Is Pizza blog (which I highly recommend it you like pizza):
It's quite the interesting set of flavors, and good stuff.
Nostrana also allows dogs on the outdoor patio, so we took advantage of that and brought Misaki for lunch. She just laid under the table while we had lunch, letting everyone who walked by comment on her cuteness. She also received a bowl of water from the waitress, which was nice of them.
Alma Chocolates - Vanilla bean custard, salted caramel sauce - After missing out on joining Alma's CSI program (Community Supported Ice Cream, where members put up money for a ice cream maker in exchange for a boatload of finished product), we had to check out the results. Especially after making our own. And you know what? Ours is pretty damn good... The caramel sauce we used in our own batch of vanilla bean frozen custard and it may just be the best thing ever.
Ruby Jewell - salted caramel ice cream, peanut butter dream - Portlanders seem to love this place, but after giving it two chances I'm really not sure why. We picked up an ice cream sandwich at Whole Foods once and just couldn't get over how weak in flavor and quality the cookie part was. The ice cream seemed fine, but it was overpowered by the bland cookie. When the new shop opened on N. Mississippi, we decided to try out just the ice cream. It was, well, okay. Nothing special, honestly. You want good ice cream? Walk up the street a few blocks to Lovely's Fifty Fifty. Their salted caramel is about ten times better for the same price.
Piece of Cake - Fantasy cake, orange/chocolate cupcake, peanut butter chocolate cupcake - This might just be the best cake in the city, the fantasy cake. We used to get it at Zupan's in Beaverton, but that store closed a year ago and we haven't had the cake since. Or was it New seasons? Either way, haven't seen it there either. We were in Sellwood at Sellwood Dog Supply (Misaki and the cats recommend this place) getting a few things and decided to go here, just a few doors down, to see if they had the cake available. They did, and it was even better than we remember. One layer chocolate cake, one layer cheesecake, it's pure goodness. The cupcakes were pretty good, the peanut butter one being the better. The orange frosting tasted faintly of orange, but was too much in quantity and relatively little overall flavor. The other had a layer of actual peanut butter topped with chocolate ganache. Does that sound awesome or what? It is.
Lovely's Fifty-Fifty - Mint stracciatella ice cream - Wifey had been wanting to try this, so we maanged to order ice cream without getting the salted caramel - not sure how we pulled that off. As always, the ice cream part was excellent, and the chocolate was also good - it held it's own. The mint, though, is not the mint you grew up with - it's actual fresh mint. And it's strong. Very strong. It was a bit too much for us, but others who really like that flavor will love it.
Some things, on the other hand, DO merit their own post. Here are some places we hit up over the summer:
Plus a nibbling tour through Seattle...and we made some borscht!
Kenny and Zuke's - Pastrami Burger - Co-owner of Kenny and Zuke's Nick Zukin (hence, Zuke), recently completed a personal journey through Portland, trying and rating over 70 "bistro burgers." You can read the results of his odyssey at Willamette Week with the top ten and on his own blog for numbers 21-25, 16-20, and 11-15. It's a very well done set of reviews and I'd like to at some point try them all.
But Nick didn't rate the K&Z burger, for obvious conflict of interest reasons. He has on multiple occasions talked about the K&Z pastrami burger and mentioned how it should rate before though, so I asked him on Twitter where he though that would rank on his list, if he could be objective. Nick hit me about right back and said he'd put it between 4 and 7 on his list, but wasn't promising he could be objective. That was objective enough for me, not doubting it was good and nice to see he didn't just put it #1 (didn't think he would, he seems very honest when talking about food.)
So I tried it out on my last lunch there. It's a very good burger, cooked well with good flavors, and topped with pastrami and Swiss cheese. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. I was a little surprised by it's size; almost everything at K&Z is huge and I eat half at the meal, taking the rest home for later, but this was actually just the right size for a meal. Not a detriment to be sure, but simply an observation. After trying burgers at Gruner and Le Pigeon (2 and 6 on his final list) I think Nick's placement of the K&Z burger was pretty accurate, though probably closer to 7 then 4. Good stuff.
Broder - Aebleskiver, bacon/tomato/blue cheese baked scramble - After reading a lot of positives we hit Broder, a Swedish place, up for breakfast one day. The aebleskiver came with lingonberry jam and fresh lemon curd for dipping and were moist, almost melt in your mouth. Excellent. Loved the jam and the curd as well. The scramble was interesting - we both thought the tomato threw off the flavor a bit. It's an interesting dish. Would I recommend Broder? Not sure yet. It was solid, but not fantastic. We want to go back for lunch and try out more dishes.
Tasty and Sons - Breakfast board (chicken liver mousse, bacon, beef jerky, yogurt, pickled beets, blackberries, bread), bacon wrapped date, peaches and cream with telema cheese and honey, fuhgeddaboutit (Italian sausage omelette), French toast - Tasty continues to be one of our favorite places. We hadn't ordered the breakfast board before but foodies seem to love it every time, so this time we did. I had never had chicken liver mousse before and had no idea what to expect, but it was borderline excellent. Not sure I would order it given multiple choices of dishes, but I'm definitely not unsure about it anymore Everything on the board, actually, was excellent. The French toast was amazing as usual and the sausage in the omelette couldn't have been seasoned any better. The peaches and cream was something neither of us had had before, but both liked. The cheese on top really made the dish for me.
As before, if you haven't been here yet you need to get here.
Ken's Artisan Bakery - Valhrona chocolate chip cookie, salted caramel macaroon - We've been to Ken's a number of times and always enjoy it, but this cookie fell a little short. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't better than we make at home. In fact, I will be bold and say it's not AS good. There, I said it.
The macaroon was interesting. The flavors were very good though not quite as good as the one from Pix Patisserie, but it was also as big as my hand. All other macaroons I've had before have been about bitesize, but not this one. Shrug.
Northwest Sweets - Marshmallow, caramels - If you didn't heed my earlier comments about this place and go there, you need to do so. Immediately. Fall is coming and that means football and cooler weather, the perfect combination for making hot chocolate or drinking chocolate. And when you do, you need a marshmallow, and these are the best in town. The fresh licorice on the counter almost convinced me...but Wifey doesn't like it and I'd have to eat the whole thing myself, so I didn't get it. Who am I kidding? Next time I'm buying it.
Sterling Coffee - vanilla caramel latte, Cluizel mocha - As usual, drinks from Sterling were, well, sterling. Both the vanilla and caramel come from Two Tarts and we'd never combined the two in the latte before, so we asked the barista if that sounded like a good idea. After he said they were excellent in combo, we ordered and have to agree.
On a side note, Two Tarts does not sell that caramel to the public - we tried. We wanted to use it in ice cream, but were told they currently only do commercial accounts. It sounded like it would be for sale in their store at some point in the future, but that date is yet to be determined. Until then, Sterling and Coffeehouse Northwest are the only places we know it can be found in a drink.
Ristretto Roasters - mocha - I really like Ristretto's mochas. When we ordered this I was very pleased...but then ended up getting one at Sterling a short time later. Night and day Sterling wins hands down. After commenting that the Ristretto one now tasted like crap, Wifey disagreed and she's right. The Ristretto mocha is probably one of Portland's best, but it's just not in the Sterling/Barista/Coffeehouse category. As long as you aren't drinking them side by side, you'll enjoy it just fine.
Part of this could be we always order the dark chocolate (Cluizel at Sterling and Coffeehouse, Valhrona at Barista), which makes a huge difference. Ristretto just needs to add some decadence to their menu.
Nostrana - tossed insalata caprese/rotisserie chicken/rose, gnocchi with morel cream sauce, capuccino, vanilla bean gelato, Pizzeria Mozza butterscotch budino - Add Nostrana to my favorite restaurants list - I have never had anything bad here and routinely the service and food is top notch (though this time the server was obviously new, not just to the restaurant but it also seemed to Italian food in general). The salad/chicken/rose was a complete meal and all of it was excellent. We took one pic of the salad, then forgot for the rest of the food because we were hungry. This may have been the best part of the meal, which would be saying a lot.
The budino is an interesting dessert. Here's a pic of it from the This Is Pizza blog (which I highly recommend it you like pizza):
It's quite the interesting set of flavors, and good stuff.
Nostrana also allows dogs on the outdoor patio, so we took advantage of that and brought Misaki for lunch. She just laid under the table while we had lunch, letting everyone who walked by comment on her cuteness. She also received a bowl of water from the waitress, which was nice of them.
Alma Chocolates - Vanilla bean custard, salted caramel sauce - After missing out on joining Alma's CSI program (Community Supported Ice Cream, where members put up money for a ice cream maker in exchange for a boatload of finished product), we had to check out the results. Especially after making our own. And you know what? Ours is pretty damn good... The caramel sauce we used in our own batch of vanilla bean frozen custard and it may just be the best thing ever.
Ruby Jewell - salted caramel ice cream, peanut butter dream - Portlanders seem to love this place, but after giving it two chances I'm really not sure why. We picked up an ice cream sandwich at Whole Foods once and just couldn't get over how weak in flavor and quality the cookie part was. The ice cream seemed fine, but it was overpowered by the bland cookie. When the new shop opened on N. Mississippi, we decided to try out just the ice cream. It was, well, okay. Nothing special, honestly. You want good ice cream? Walk up the street a few blocks to Lovely's Fifty Fifty. Their salted caramel is about ten times better for the same price.
Piece of Cake - Fantasy cake, orange/chocolate cupcake, peanut butter chocolate cupcake - This might just be the best cake in the city, the fantasy cake. We used to get it at Zupan's in Beaverton, but that store closed a year ago and we haven't had the cake since. Or was it New seasons? Either way, haven't seen it there either. We were in Sellwood at Sellwood Dog Supply (Misaki and the cats recommend this place) getting a few things and decided to go here, just a few doors down, to see if they had the cake available. They did, and it was even better than we remember. One layer chocolate cake, one layer cheesecake, it's pure goodness. The cupcakes were pretty good, the peanut butter one being the better. The orange frosting tasted faintly of orange, but was too much in quantity and relatively little overall flavor. The other had a layer of actual peanut butter topped with chocolate ganache. Does that sound awesome or what? It is.
Lovely's Fifty-Fifty - Mint stracciatella ice cream - Wifey had been wanting to try this, so we maanged to order ice cream without getting the salted caramel - not sure how we pulled that off. As always, the ice cream part was excellent, and the chocolate was also good - it held it's own. The mint, though, is not the mint you grew up with - it's actual fresh mint. And it's strong. Very strong. It was a bit too much for us, but others who really like that flavor will love it.
Some things, on the other hand, DO merit their own post. Here are some places we hit up over the summer:
Plus a nibbling tour through Seattle...and we made some borscht!
8/30/2010
Claws Claws Claws
It's not all fun and games at the MyNWX household. Nope - in fact, sometimes it can get downright bloody.
I suppose that's the risk with four animals in the house. No matter what you do, no matter what precautions you take, there are bound to be "injuries." We don't belive in declawing a cat - and I will tell anyone you shouldn't - so that's three little furballs who have no compunctions about using their knives to their advantage (well, two, but more on that in a bit).
Some people trim their cat's nails - we are not some of those people. If you would like to come over and trim the nails of our Bengals, then by all means we'd love that. Us though? We bleed enough. No need to actively look for it.
We did trim Ruby's nails though and do the same for Misaki. Both of them were never a threat to cause damage scratching - which is different than saying it never happened.
But this post is all about claws, the point being to introduce to the world what exactly is causing all those red marks on my arm. I keep telling everyone, they AREN'T track marks from heavy heroin use, but I'm not entirely sure that guy at the grocery store believed me when I handed him my debit card...
RUBY
Ruby was always good about letting me trim her nails. Despite her size it was a one-person job. Admittedly it probably should have been done more often, but we knew it needed to be done when her footsteps on the hardwood sounded like an Under Armour commercial (click-clack, click-clack).
Occasionally one of us did get scratched, but it was usually if she backed away from something and stepped on our foot. Ruby was almost always very, very mindful of where she was and her size - she was sensitive that way.
MISAKI
Would you look at those cute little paws?! Given Misaki's background as a show dog, she is used to sitting through nail trimmings and the like, but that doesn't mean she enjoys it. Working her nails is a two-person job: one to hold her still and the other to work the nails. She doesn't like it, she squirms a lot, and she plays it off like she's being tortured. Despite what the neighbors may think, she's not.
Her nails we work with a Dremel tool, shaping and smoothing them nicely. We wanted to do this with Ruby, but the sound of the machine would have freaked her out; no way that was going near her foot. Misaki will also deal with nail clippers if we don't get the Dremel on there often enough. She doesn't like either one.
LILO
Lilo was a stray, as I've talked about before. Her original owners had her declawed, but we're pretty sure she doesn't fully realize it. She has adapted, using her teeth more when wrestling with the other two cats, but she still uses a scratching post like she has her claws and will wrap the toes of her paw around you finger, stretching her fingers (are they fingers on the front leg? I had no idea) around your hand and following the same motions that would normally extend the claws for grip. It's cute, but at the same time a little sad.
You can even feel the emptiness inside her fingers. It doesn't seem to hurt her, but her paws are always cold. Not sure if there is a relationship, but there probably is.
This is an example of the crazy Lilo at play. Click on the picture for a bigger version - in her left front paw you can see her fingers are all extended, but no claws. Poor girl.
Of course...I hate to say this, but she's a little bit crazy. If she did have claws she'd be scratching on everything in the house, not just the scratching posts (like the other two more regularly). She will use legs, heads, leather furniture, televisions - literally anything - to simulate scratching on with her clawless paws. Is this because she doesn't have claws? Would she do that less if she did have claws? Maybe, I'm not sure. But still, there is a part of me where when she does something like this I can understand why someone had her declawed.
Again, that's not condoning it or saying I would have done it myself - not a chance in hell and I'd tell whomever did this to her that - it's just an observation.
SERA
Ah yes, here we have the first of the two serious sets of claws in the house. Sera is the most vicious; her claws are as sharp as a razor blade and will slice through just about anything like a hot knife through butter. That includes paper, my skin, glass, titanium, and probably diamonds. And no, that's not a joke.
Would you check those things out? She doesn't halfass it either. When it comes to using her claws, she goes all the way. If you are playing with her that's something you just have to understand - Sera isn't going to be more careful around your hands. If she's swinging at something and your hand is in the way, you will bleed.
Her claws are so fine, so sharp, that you won't even notice it at first. You may feel contact from her paw, but when you look down you won't see much, if anything. However, like with a very sharp razor blade it takes a few seconds. Look down in a minute and there will be blood everywhere. And because of the sharpness of her claws - she must have a knife sharpener hidden somewhere she breaks out while we are sleeping - it won't even hurt. Well, until you clean it out...then it hurts like hell.
Sera doesn't spare anyone either. Moochie will not use his claws when wrestling with Lilo because he apparently understands that makes the fight unfair; Sera doesn't care. She'll rip anyone up, and the sound her claws make through another kitty's fur is rather disturbing. Moochie and Lilo each turn up with scratches on their head and neck at least once a week. We know where they come from, even though Sera won't acknowledge it.
The odd thing, though, is she has never scratched either dog. It's not because there haven't been opportunities, it's just that she seems to think they aren't enough of a threat to even bother with. Sometimes (sorry puppies) we think it may make the dynamics of the household so much smoother (no kitty chasing, for instance) if Sera would smack the dog just once, but she won't do it. In the end, probably better - I don't want to have take Misaki in for stitches.
MOOCHIE
Moochie's claws are the ones that usually leave my arms looking like a heroin addict. It's not that he's trying to hurt you, it's all about love. See, when Moochie is happy - like sitting on your lap while you rub his belly - he makes bread. This harkens back to manipulating the flow of milk in mom as a kitten, but as an adult kitty - and as a Bengal with monstrous claws - it means some serious damage. The color version of this picture above was a little washed out, but it's the best one I could find of him putting his claws into my skin.
Notice the extension of the claws. Immediately after the click on the camera, those claws contracted down the length of my arm towards his body, then re-extended and repeated the whole process over. And over. And over. And over.
When loving up the Mooch it's all about how much pain can you stand. We keep telling him you shouldn't hurt the ones you love, that despite what 2Pac said love is not pain, but the concept seems to be a little too abstract for him.
So if you ever come over, you have been warned. Moochie on your lap may be cute at first, but it probably won't stay that way.
Most of my shirts have snags in the belly because of Moochie's claws. Oh well...you have to accept some things when your pets are a couple generations removed from climbing trees and hunting their own fish in Southeast Asia I suppose.
Check out this picture above. See Moochie doing his thing with the toy and the scratching post, with the crazy look in his eyes? This may be amusing to watch, but keep your distance. If you try and take the dangly toy from him, to bounce it around and play like with a normal house cat (whose claws are maybe a third of the length, sharpness, and strength), you are quite likely to scream with pain and need some Neosporin and a bandage.
Of course, there is not a warning on the package when you buy a Bengal. (Of course not - they don't come in packages! Well, unless you count a package of crazy fur...) This is a lesson learned by trial and error - mostly error. Just stay a safe distance away and enjoy the frenzy from the safety of the couch.
All of our kids (or pets, as some people like to call them) are extremely proud of their claws. They will taunt you with them, cleaning them obsessively and flexing their paws to show you exactly how amazing they are fully extended. Like in this picture above, with Moochie showing off.
See that look on his face? Can't you just hear Clint Eastwood saying, "Go ahead, make my day"? It's part taunt, part threat, and part promise. You want no part of any of those.
Now that you know the truth, can someone please tell my boss to stop leaving those pamphlets for kicking the habit on my desk?
I suppose that's the risk with four animals in the house. No matter what you do, no matter what precautions you take, there are bound to be "injuries." We don't belive in declawing a cat - and I will tell anyone you shouldn't - so that's three little furballs who have no compunctions about using their knives to their advantage (well, two, but more on that in a bit).
Some people trim their cat's nails - we are not some of those people. If you would like to come over and trim the nails of our Bengals, then by all means we'd love that. Us though? We bleed enough. No need to actively look for it.
We did trim Ruby's nails though and do the same for Misaki. Both of them were never a threat to cause damage scratching - which is different than saying it never happened.
But this post is all about claws, the point being to introduce to the world what exactly is causing all those red marks on my arm. I keep telling everyone, they AREN'T track marks from heavy heroin use, but I'm not entirely sure that guy at the grocery store believed me when I handed him my debit card...
RUBY
Ruby was always good about letting me trim her nails. Despite her size it was a one-person job. Admittedly it probably should have been done more often, but we knew it needed to be done when her footsteps on the hardwood sounded like an Under Armour commercial (click-clack, click-clack).
Occasionally one of us did get scratched, but it was usually if she backed away from something and stepped on our foot. Ruby was almost always very, very mindful of where she was and her size - she was sensitive that way.
MISAKI
Would you look at those cute little paws?! Given Misaki's background as a show dog, she is used to sitting through nail trimmings and the like, but that doesn't mean she enjoys it. Working her nails is a two-person job: one to hold her still and the other to work the nails. She doesn't like it, she squirms a lot, and she plays it off like she's being tortured. Despite what the neighbors may think, she's not.
Her nails we work with a Dremel tool, shaping and smoothing them nicely. We wanted to do this with Ruby, but the sound of the machine would have freaked her out; no way that was going near her foot. Misaki will also deal with nail clippers if we don't get the Dremel on there often enough. She doesn't like either one.
LILO
Lilo was a stray, as I've talked about before. Her original owners had her declawed, but we're pretty sure she doesn't fully realize it. She has adapted, using her teeth more when wrestling with the other two cats, but she still uses a scratching post like she has her claws and will wrap the toes of her paw around you finger, stretching her fingers (are they fingers on the front leg? I had no idea) around your hand and following the same motions that would normally extend the claws for grip. It's cute, but at the same time a little sad.
You can even feel the emptiness inside her fingers. It doesn't seem to hurt her, but her paws are always cold. Not sure if there is a relationship, but there probably is.
This is an example of the crazy Lilo at play. Click on the picture for a bigger version - in her left front paw you can see her fingers are all extended, but no claws. Poor girl.
Of course...I hate to say this, but she's a little bit crazy. If she did have claws she'd be scratching on everything in the house, not just the scratching posts (like the other two more regularly). She will use legs, heads, leather furniture, televisions - literally anything - to simulate scratching on with her clawless paws. Is this because she doesn't have claws? Would she do that less if she did have claws? Maybe, I'm not sure. But still, there is a part of me where when she does something like this I can understand why someone had her declawed.
Again, that's not condoning it or saying I would have done it myself - not a chance in hell and I'd tell whomever did this to her that - it's just an observation.
SERA
Ah yes, here we have the first of the two serious sets of claws in the house. Sera is the most vicious; her claws are as sharp as a razor blade and will slice through just about anything like a hot knife through butter. That includes paper, my skin, glass, titanium, and probably diamonds. And no, that's not a joke.
Would you check those things out? She doesn't halfass it either. When it comes to using her claws, she goes all the way. If you are playing with her that's something you just have to understand - Sera isn't going to be more careful around your hands. If she's swinging at something and your hand is in the way, you will bleed.
Her claws are so fine, so sharp, that you won't even notice it at first. You may feel contact from her paw, but when you look down you won't see much, if anything. However, like with a very sharp razor blade it takes a few seconds. Look down in a minute and there will be blood everywhere. And because of the sharpness of her claws - she must have a knife sharpener hidden somewhere she breaks out while we are sleeping - it won't even hurt. Well, until you clean it out...then it hurts like hell.
Sera doesn't spare anyone either. Moochie will not use his claws when wrestling with Lilo because he apparently understands that makes the fight unfair; Sera doesn't care. She'll rip anyone up, and the sound her claws make through another kitty's fur is rather disturbing. Moochie and Lilo each turn up with scratches on their head and neck at least once a week. We know where they come from, even though Sera won't acknowledge it.
The odd thing, though, is she has never scratched either dog. It's not because there haven't been opportunities, it's just that she seems to think they aren't enough of a threat to even bother with. Sometimes (sorry puppies) we think it may make the dynamics of the household so much smoother (no kitty chasing, for instance) if Sera would smack the dog just once, but she won't do it. In the end, probably better - I don't want to have take Misaki in for stitches.
MOOCHIE
Moochie's claws are the ones that usually leave my arms looking like a heroin addict. It's not that he's trying to hurt you, it's all about love. See, when Moochie is happy - like sitting on your lap while you rub his belly - he makes bread. This harkens back to manipulating the flow of milk in mom as a kitten, but as an adult kitty - and as a Bengal with monstrous claws - it means some serious damage. The color version of this picture above was a little washed out, but it's the best one I could find of him putting his claws into my skin.
Notice the extension of the claws. Immediately after the click on the camera, those claws contracted down the length of my arm towards his body, then re-extended and repeated the whole process over. And over. And over. And over.
When loving up the Mooch it's all about how much pain can you stand. We keep telling him you shouldn't hurt the ones you love, that despite what 2Pac said love is not pain, but the concept seems to be a little too abstract for him.
So if you ever come over, you have been warned. Moochie on your lap may be cute at first, but it probably won't stay that way.
Most of my shirts have snags in the belly because of Moochie's claws. Oh well...you have to accept some things when your pets are a couple generations removed from climbing trees and hunting their own fish in Southeast Asia I suppose.
Check out this picture above. See Moochie doing his thing with the toy and the scratching post, with the crazy look in his eyes? This may be amusing to watch, but keep your distance. If you try and take the dangly toy from him, to bounce it around and play like with a normal house cat (whose claws are maybe a third of the length, sharpness, and strength), you are quite likely to scream with pain and need some Neosporin and a bandage.
Of course, there is not a warning on the package when you buy a Bengal. (Of course not - they don't come in packages! Well, unless you count a package of crazy fur...) This is a lesson learned by trial and error - mostly error. Just stay a safe distance away and enjoy the frenzy from the safety of the couch.
All of our kids (or pets, as some people like to call them) are extremely proud of their claws. They will taunt you with them, cleaning them obsessively and flexing their paws to show you exactly how amazing they are fully extended. Like in this picture above, with Moochie showing off.
See that look on his face? Can't you just hear Clint Eastwood saying, "Go ahead, make my day"? It's part taunt, part threat, and part promise. You want no part of any of those.
Now that you know the truth, can someone please tell my boss to stop leaving those pamphlets for kicking the habit on my desk?
8/27/2010
Le Pigeon: An Exhilirating Experience
I have to admit, for a long time French food kind of scared me a bit. It seemed a little too much to take in, with all these words I didn't understand and the ones I did full of ingredients I wasn't all that sure about. Over the past year that's changed a little bit, probably partly because of our odyssey to eat through Portland, the book and movie Julie and Julia, and then attempting to make some more dishes on our own at home.
We knew about Le Pigeon, a very high quality French restaurant on East Burnside and 7th, but were kind of keeping it on the back burner. We wanted to be sure we were ready, that we would appreciate the food, and after a lot of recommendations (and I mean a lot, from both people in Portland and visitors from out of town), we decided we were ready.
Our plan was to get there right as it opened, at 5pm, and take a couple seats at the Chef's Counter. No reservations were needed, plus we get to see owner and chef Gabriel Rucker - he of the three consecutive nominations for James Beard Rising Chef of the Year - work his magic. And at a place named by The Oregonian as the co-Resaurant of the Year in 2008? Yes, please.
I must confess, we had another reason for getting to Le Pigeon right as it opened to sit at the Chef's Counter: the burger. While it may seem odd to go here and order a burger, it was just named the sixth-best burger in the city and they only make five a night, so we figured what the heck. Plus, I'll be honest - it's the cheapest item on the menu by a longshot so it balanced the bill a little bit, and it provided us with a safe option. Baby steps. We aren't the type to jump in with both feet to something new.
The space is small, holding just a few communal tables in addition to the Chef's Counter, which surrounds a kitchen barely bigger than our own - and has three people working in it. It has a homey feel to it, very friendly.
After being served a plate of fresh bread with salted butter, me made our order: the burger and beef cheek bourguignon.
First, the burger:
The burger comes on a fresh ciabatta roll with a fantastic coleslaw that included cherry tomatoes sliced in half, white cheddar, and grilled onions. And you know what? It was amazing. Really, really amazing - I'd call it better than Gruner, so apparently I don't agree with the list. We requested it medium and it was cooked perfectly, the bun supported the messy toppings...there is zero bad we can say about this.
And the seasoned potatoes that come with it? Perfect. There were toasted onions mixed in as well, plus housemade ketchup for dipping. Perfect. Heck, we'd come back just for these.
Then there was the bourguignon:
The beef cheek literally fell apart under the mildest pressure from the fork and the sauce was rich, dark, and luxurious. And it's not a small chunk of meat either - we brought half of it home. Under the meat were a couple slices of potatoe, some carrots, and some onions. If there was any negative we could come up here, it's that we wanted more veggies (I know, who says that, right?!). This is a last meal type of dish...simply amazing.
We paired the two beef dishes with a shared glass of 2006 Chateau La Caussade Bordeaux at our waitress' suggestion. Great wine - even flavor, a little fruity, perfect pairing.
And hey, as a bonus Rucker cooked both the meats for our meal (and the desserts!). It's not often a star makes me a meal.
Then came dessert. Desserts are written up on a chalkboard across the room from where we sat, and we eyed this board the entire time we were waiting for our meal - and multiple times even while enjoying our meal. We almost ordered the Foie Gras Profiteroles, but in the end decided to save that for next time.
What the heck, we each ordered a dessert. The first was the Honey Bacon Apricot Cornbread with Maple Ice Cream:
Oh. My. If the word "goodness" can become an object, it would be this dessert. Bacon tidbits and apricot pieces were baked into the cornbread, which was light and moist. The ice cream was just as it should be, rich and creamy, and the maple provided the perfect balance of sweetness to the savory bacon. Highly, highly recommend.
The second dessert was an Espresso Pot au Creme and Chocolate Shortbread Cookie
The pot au creme was fantastic. Creamy, not too heavy on the espresso, and smooth. For us, the cookie didn't bring anything to the table - it could have not been there and wouldn't have been missed. However, the star here was the creme brulee. Apparently my entire life I have only had creme brulee that was complete crap, because I've never really been a huge fan. This, though, was a revelation. The hard shell tasted like caramel and the cream underneath was pure bliss. Words probably can't adequately describe how good this is.
So I suppose one could say we had a good time. Or excellent. Or amazingly awesome. All of those are true. And yes, it will be an expensive meal, but in the end two entrees, two desserts, and a glass of wine came to $56 ($10 less if you don't count the wine). Honestly, I feel satisfied with that bill - actually, I think it's a fantastic deal. Usually when I drop that much on a meal - which is not often - even if the food is solid I end up feeling a little bit like I've wasted my money. Not here, not at Le Pigeon - the food was worth every cent. Also, the service was attentive and helpful without being intrusive, which we love.
Go there - it's not possible to regret it.
We knew about Le Pigeon, a very high quality French restaurant on East Burnside and 7th, but were kind of keeping it on the back burner. We wanted to be sure we were ready, that we would appreciate the food, and after a lot of recommendations (and I mean a lot, from both people in Portland and visitors from out of town), we decided we were ready.
Signage outside the restaurant
Our plan was to get there right as it opened, at 5pm, and take a couple seats at the Chef's Counter. No reservations were needed, plus we get to see owner and chef Gabriel Rucker - he of the three consecutive nominations for James Beard Rising Chef of the Year - work his magic. And at a place named by The Oregonian as the co-Resaurant of the Year in 2008? Yes, please.
A drawing of Mr. Pigeon, hanging in the bathroom
I must confess, we had another reason for getting to Le Pigeon right as it opened to sit at the Chef's Counter: the burger. While it may seem odd to go here and order a burger, it was just named the sixth-best burger in the city and they only make five a night, so we figured what the heck. Plus, I'll be honest - it's the cheapest item on the menu by a longshot so it balanced the bill a little bit, and it provided us with a safe option. Baby steps. We aren't the type to jump in with both feet to something new.
The space is small, holding just a few communal tables in addition to the Chef's Counter, which surrounds a kitchen barely bigger than our own - and has three people working in it. It has a homey feel to it, very friendly.
After being served a plate of fresh bread with salted butter, me made our order: the burger and beef cheek bourguignon.
First, the burger:
The burger comes on a fresh ciabatta roll with a fantastic coleslaw that included cherry tomatoes sliced in half, white cheddar, and grilled onions. And you know what? It was amazing. Really, really amazing - I'd call it better than Gruner, so apparently I don't agree with the list. We requested it medium and it was cooked perfectly, the bun supported the messy toppings...there is zero bad we can say about this.
And the seasoned potatoes that come with it? Perfect. There were toasted onions mixed in as well, plus housemade ketchup for dipping. Perfect. Heck, we'd come back just for these.
Then there was the bourguignon:
The beef cheek literally fell apart under the mildest pressure from the fork and the sauce was rich, dark, and luxurious. And it's not a small chunk of meat either - we brought half of it home. Under the meat were a couple slices of potatoe, some carrots, and some onions. If there was any negative we could come up here, it's that we wanted more veggies (I know, who says that, right?!). This is a last meal type of dish...simply amazing.
We paired the two beef dishes with a shared glass of 2006 Chateau La Caussade Bordeaux at our waitress' suggestion. Great wine - even flavor, a little fruity, perfect pairing.
And hey, as a bonus Rucker cooked both the meats for our meal (and the desserts!). It's not often a star makes me a meal.
Then came dessert. Desserts are written up on a chalkboard across the room from where we sat, and we eyed this board the entire time we were waiting for our meal - and multiple times even while enjoying our meal. We almost ordered the Foie Gras Profiteroles, but in the end decided to save that for next time.
What the heck, we each ordered a dessert. The first was the Honey Bacon Apricot Cornbread with Maple Ice Cream:
Oh. My. If the word "goodness" can become an object, it would be this dessert. Bacon tidbits and apricot pieces were baked into the cornbread, which was light and moist. The ice cream was just as it should be, rich and creamy, and the maple provided the perfect balance of sweetness to the savory bacon. Highly, highly recommend.
The second dessert was an Espresso Pot au Creme and Chocolate Shortbread Cookie
Cookie and Espresso Pot Au Creme in the foreground
The Creme Brulee
The pot au creme was fantastic. Creamy, not too heavy on the espresso, and smooth. For us, the cookie didn't bring anything to the table - it could have not been there and wouldn't have been missed. However, the star here was the creme brulee. Apparently my entire life I have only had creme brulee that was complete crap, because I've never really been a huge fan. This, though, was a revelation. The hard shell tasted like caramel and the cream underneath was pure bliss. Words probably can't adequately describe how good this is.
The Pigeon on an exterior window
So I suppose one could say we had a good time. Or excellent. Or amazingly awesome. All of those are true. And yes, it will be an expensive meal, but in the end two entrees, two desserts, and a glass of wine came to $56 ($10 less if you don't count the wine). Honestly, I feel satisfied with that bill - actually, I think it's a fantastic deal. Usually when I drop that much on a meal - which is not often - even if the food is solid I end up feeling a little bit like I've wasted my money. Not here, not at Le Pigeon - the food was worth every cent. Also, the service was attentive and helpful without being intrusive, which we love.
Go there - it's not possible to regret it.
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