michelle "champagne bubblehead" i.'s Profile

in honor of the impending superbowl XLV, i wanted to write my majerles review.

this year though, instead of hitting up a sports bar for the biggest day in football, i'll be going to a party. a real rager. if i wasn't though, i would definitely be pressed up against majerles front door bright and early superbowl morning. it's a great sports bar.

the weirdest thing about majerles is their name. someone finally told me it wasn't pronounced "mah jer lees" like i had thought.... it's pronounced "mar lees". so let me get that out first.

i'm a big sports nut.... well, let me rephrase that. i'm a big sports nut when it involves REAL sports. i won't make fun of anyone, but if it's not football, baseball, basketball or hockey i don't wanna hear about it. unless of course we're talking about extreme sports like surfing, skateboarding, etc.

being a fan of sports makes me a fan of sports bars. there are only 3 main things i need in order for a sports bar to be great in my opinion. let me lay them out for you:

a good selection of beers, happy hour specials and bar snacks--- yes, majerles has this in spades. large selection of beers and any sports bar that has perrier jouet, vueve clicquot and dom champagnes must be praised.(mostly because i think this is absolutely hilarious. WHO orders pricey champers at a sports bar? haha!) also, put me down as a fan of their reuben reuben and tenderloin sliders. yum.

the service--- there's nothing worse than sidling up to a bar, excited to watch your team kick some ass and ordering a drink from a bartender that seems bored and unhappy. every bartender i've come in contact with at majerles truly loved being at work (or they at least acted like it). bartenders attitudes really carry a lot more weight then they realize. happy bartender =  happy bar patrons

the strategic placement of large TV sets for comfortable viewing pleasure--- yep. they designed this with real sports fans in mind. no matter where i sit, i can see a multitude of TV's with little blocking my view.

so they have it all, and i likey. go here if you're looking for a good bar to watch the superbowl... or any sporting event for that matter.

oh, and GO PACK GO!!!

on this particular night, we originally had dinner rezzies over at The Estate House just down the street... but i was so strongly turned off by their hostess/wait staff hanging around up front when we walked in the front door there, that i convinced my group to leave.(and i've NEVER done that before in my life, which tells you how unacceptable it was)

since i'm fairly new in town, someone else in our group suggested we go to Bandera instead. everyone else unanimously agreed and then proceeded to rave on about how much i would like it.

we walked in, and were greeted by a professional and warm staff. it was so refreshing, in comparison to the place we had just left. since we didn't have reservations at Bandera, and it was a saturday night, we had a short wait. no problem, cocktails up at the bar anyone?

there seemed to a tiny bit of a scene going on up at the bar... or, uh, rather what scottsdale *attempts* as a scene i guess. haha i mean, who doesn't enjoy looking at pretty people? even if they're trying way too hard to mimic what they think LA people are doing. *sigh* but i digress, back to the cocktails. made just the way i like them. the bartender was also great at handling the large crowd hovering around her while keeping glasses filled until our table was called.

now this is where my love for Bandera started to drop. the menu wasn't exactly exciting.... however, if you're in the mood for a southwest/tex mex style cuisine, this place is definitely for you.(it's just not my thing) everyone at our table insisted i would *love* the cornbread appetizer served in a hot skillet, so we ordered that. it was tasty for sure, but not mind blowing or anything...

for dinner the only thing that even remotely appealed to me on their menu was the filet (when in doubt, go with the steak i always say) which came with a side of grilled mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. um, the steak was fine, but the veggies and mashers were just ok. not bad, but nothing special.

happily, the service was consistently great throughout the entire night. they kept our drinks filled, and never made us feel rushed or that they were irritated with our requests.

no one ordered dessert, but we all stayed around a little to chat over one last cocktail before finally closing out our tab.

we left in great moods.

would i go out of my way to come back? probably not, but i can see the appeal of this place to others. not all of us love southwest/tex mex food, but for those who do, you'll truly enjoy the experience here.

as the holidays fade into the calendar behind me i reflect back on the month of december and i realize i spent the entire past month attending an ocean of parties, drinking a river of christmas cocktails, and wading through a forest of friends at random gatherings in a haze of booze and mistletoe.

it was festive, it was fun... and it was exhausting. as i scroll back through the rolodex of 2010 holiday memories, the R Bar most certainly stands out as one of my top 5 favorite evenings.

our very big group of holiday revelers was initially seated indoors as we waited for a circle of chairs surrounding a fire pit to free up. right after we ordered our first round, the sweetheart of a hostess ran over to let us know the party sitting there had just closed their tab and we could pounce on the coveted area.

once our group was seated outdoors in over sized lounge chairs beneath twinkle lights by a crackling fire, i took note of the rest of our surroundings.... stunning! a striking desert rock formation as a backdrop, waterfalls roaring, a moat trickling through, live music filled the air, laughter, conversation, clinking glasses.

i don't know if it was the group i was there with, the energy of the crowd, or that everyone seems to be in an especially happy mood during the holidays, but the air had an electricity to it that night.... i settled back into the cushions, poured myself deep into a cocktail and let me date hold my hand.  

we ended up staying until closing time and then finally moved onto a new venue.

alas, R Bar is the kind of place you don't remember much about the service because it was so flawlessly executed... you don't remember the name of your drink, only that it tasted divine and you barely remember the conversations you had, only that you laughed the entire time.

however, you DO remember you hated leaving and couldn't wait to come back.

PS: ok, i lied. i did remember ordering the rose margarita a few times and yummmm.

all hail the brits, summer hours and day drinking benders with my brother. oi, oi, oi!

my brother joey calls me up one day: "hey, can you drive me downtown tomorrow?"

me: "why?"

joey: "i have school down there in the afternoon, but i was invited to go bar hopping after class tomorrow night with some friends. i don't want leave my car out there overnight if i'm going to be drinking."

me: "well, my company lets us have summer hours on fridays, so i'm done with work at noon. when's your class?"

joey: "not til 6pm... but we can go earlier and grab beers or lunch first at this british pub near my school."

me: "done. pick you up at 1:30pm." click.

now this was in early august, so it was blazing hot that day. i pull into the george & dragon parking lot a bit dismayed there was no covered parking. oh sweaty joy.

the good news is, it's nice and cool inside and strangely crowded for a work day.  we find seats right up at the bar. i notice the girls working there all have this suicide girl thing going on and the one guy we see working there (who appeared to be the manager?) has this MASSIVE pompadour thing going on with his hair. it was larger than life... like that thing you try not to stare at, but can't help it. in my peripheral vision, i could see my brother look over at me. i knew exactly what he was thinking and i smirk. then mr. pompadour-manager guy comes right over to us and asks if we would like menus. my brother smiles and nods a yes at him, fighting back laughter.

while we're pouring over the menu's we order some pints. i decided that i fancied a kiltlifter while my brother orders the fuller esb. i try a sip of his, and crikey it's good. they're extra cold too and go down smooth. i end up ordering the fish & chips with the cole slaw and my brother opts for the sheperd's pie.

my brother, never one for being a wimpy little nancy boy decides to order a shot of whiskey with this next round. i get the boddingtons this time, he gets the harp.

me: "um, don't you have class? won't you be knackered by the time 6pm rolls around if you do a shot of whiskey?"

joey: "nah, i'll be fine. we just have a quick test and then we can leave. i'll ace it."

me: "well, cheers to that then."  *i raise my glass, clink*

finally our food comes...... and i only have 2 words for the perfectly golden crispiness of the fish and chips i had for lunch: DAMN GOOD.

we finished off our grub just as this cheeky lady and her husband sit down next to us. we chat them up over more pints (i have water, because i'm driving) until 6pm rolls around. i visit the bathroom upon our departure and am happy to report while initially it looks a bit dodgy, it's actually quite clean. we wave goodbye to mr pompadour-manager and we're off.

i found out later my brother got an A on that test. HA. figures.

good show george & dragon, all hail the queen! cheerio.

gather 'round kids, auntie michelle is going to tell you a little love story....

once upon a time, in a far away land near a sparkling blue sea, there was a little girl who grew up in a competitive family passionate about sports. whether they were playing on a team, debating over them, or watching them... they loved.

when this little girl was about 8, she decided she wanted to be a ball player. she wanted to throw on some cleats, swing a bat, steal bases and catch pop flies. the little girl also discovered she liked watching baseball on TV. especially that orange team, she loved that orange team... overnight it seems, she became a san francisco giants fan.

she loved the drama of the game, the intensity, the beauty of it.... she looked forward to seeing her favorite sportscaster mark ibanez (back when he had that handlebar mustache) do the game recap on the news. she even developed a secret crush on mark ibanez and his pretty smile, but that's another story for another day...

one glorious day, her dad got tickets for the family to go see the giants in person at candlestick park. she was so excited! it would be her first time at a real live MLB game.

as the little girl ascended the escalator that night, clutching her ball cap and glove, she held her breath not knowing what to expect.... and there it was, the baseball field, the bright lights, the roaring fans. wow. the experience was overwhelming. seeing the giants play that night was something she talked about for months after. she slept in her baseball hat for a week straight. she never looked back.

the years went by and she went to hundreds upon hundreds of giants games. she yelled a lot. ate some beer brats, maybe a few garlic fries.

until one day, that little girl grew up, and she...... was me : )

and just like any important relationship, i stayed with my team through thick and thin over the years. sometimes they lost, sometimes they won. sometimes it was sunny, sometimes icy winds blew through and the fog was thick. sometimes it rained. the players changed over the years, there was occasional heartache. the good outweighed the bad. "humm baby" arrived, the earthquake series came, the stadium rumbled and the giants played on. they lost that series... but as a true fan would say, "we made it this far, we'll get 'em next year boys!"

as fate would have it, the stars finally aligned, and the grand new AT&T ball park was built. it was regal, and sat right on the glittery waters edge, with boats cruising by.... it was the most beautiful ball park anyone had ever seen. the barry bonds years came, the barry bonds years went. then cain arrived, and bochy.

one glorious day the clouds parted and the sun shined brighter than usual.... this scrawny little dude showed up on the scene. he was a soft-spoken skinny kid who looked more like a cali skateboarder than a baseball player. his pitching style was violent, his delivery was filthy. he commanded the velocity of a SR-71 fighter jet, had long flowing dark hair and wore hoodies or bow ties off the field. his name was timmy lincecum, but people called him the freak... he was our freak though, and we embraced him as one of our own. he was so very, VERY san francisco.

finally posey arrived, and the underrated-leftie bumgarner... brian wilson grew out his beard and dyed it jet black. we all feared it. then we feared the machine. a few more misfits were even gathered while 2010 was underway, nothing made sense. or did it? as the season came to a close, we watched as the giants barely squeaked into the play offs. just barely. it was HELL. pure torture! with each win that led us further into the playoffs, and then eventually into the world series, my heart felt like it was going to explode with hope... and love, and trepidation.

the night the san francisco giants won the world series i was in las vegas. it all seemed so surreal. i lost my voice, i cried for hours. then i blew my nose and cried again. i woke up the next day in shock. it felt like a dream, so i got online to watch the last inning over again, just to make sure. then i cried again.

i saw the parade a few days later from a TV in phoenix with tears streaming down my face. the only regret i'll ever have in my life was that i wasn't there to experience this in MY beautiful CITY. with MY TEAM.

3 weeks later, and my eyes still well up every time i read or see something about the giants. it seems i can't stop crying and it's freaking me the HELL out!

the other day i looked at a picture of myself as a kid, wearing that old giants cap, beaming at the camera. i wanted to hug that little girl and tell her, "guess what kid, someday this team is going to make you soooo happy, you'll cry for weeks." hahaha (now THAT's an understatement.)

this is probably the longest and most emotional review i have ever written.... but i've waited many years to say this: THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS!!!!!!

the end.

yes ladies and gentlemen, the stanford cardinal prevailed today in the pac 10's biggest rivalry, the big stanford/cal berkeley game. it was a 48-14 ass whooping in berkeley territory.

the axe exchange ceremony has just taken place..... and the AXE IS COMING BACK TO PALO ALTO baby! (for those not informed of this long-standing tradition, study up: http://en.wikipedia.or... )

now that we can put this game to bed until next year, i'm off to celebrate my brother's birthday.... and you can be sure, with my family's love for our hometown team, we'll be toasting the cardinal victory tonight with a big bottle of champagne.

to the cal bear fans: i bid you adieu till next year. until then, we'll be waving that axe. i know you can see it from your side of the bay. HA

did someone call for chinese delivery? cuz tonight people, i'm staying in! let's all say it in unison now.... *GASP*

yes, michelle is hanging up her friday night party dress and ordering up some chinese food. sure, i just referred to myself in the third person, but there are a lot things not exactly right in 'tukee town tonight.

i'm staying in for a very special reason though. it's my little brother joey's birthday tomorrow and we're having a big celebration... and guess who's offered to make his favorite cake (homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) from scratch? YES, ME! and even the frosting is being made from scratch. oh, did i mention i'm doubling the batch to make cupcakes and then also preparing my famous slow cooker pork roast for the party too? it's gonna be a busy night in the Idziorek kitchen tonight, oh yea.

as you can see, cooking for myself wasn't an option tonight. since i have never ordered chinese delivery here in arizona before, i had to do some really stealthy yelpy research. come to find out there are exactly TWO places that will deliver to my 'hood. great. love the options.

so first i called the other place, pei wok. the line was busy. i waited, and tried again. BUSY. well, too bad pei wok, you're the big loser tonight. the winner by default was great wok. they answered on the first ring, and the kid that answered the phone was nice. they didn't have a menu online anywhere, so he proceeded to go through their menu items with me one by one.

i ended up getting the prawns in lobster sauce, the beef lo mein and some steamed rice. the food arrived within 40 minutes, it was steaming hot and it smelled great before i could even bust open the bag.

the prawns were plentiful, the lobster sauce done exactly right and the lo mein nice and greasy the way a good lo mein should be. i found the food overall to be flavorful, the portions large and everything reasonably priced.

see pei wok, this could've been all about you.... except you couldn't splurge with the phone company and get that extra phone line to take my call. too bad.

PS: i only gave them 4 stars because it's my first time ordering with them... i'll adjust accordingly after a few more orders.

the scene: las vegas
the players: michelle, ryan, scott, natalie, aaron, cameron, haley & maya
the occasion: best friends trip, halloween, the SF giants in the world series
the mood: euphoric

so i've been to vegas more times than i can count. sometimes up to several times in one calendar year. what can i say, there is no place like this town.... no place.

for many years now, i've been an extremely satisfied patron of the venetian hotel. when i find something i really love, i stay with it. i'm loyal that way. this particular vegas trip was a last minute soiree though, and i let someone else take the reigns in planning it. well, high fives to cameron. he chose the wynn, and it was a great choice.

i never use this word, but the feeling you get when you walk in their front lobby is, opulence. everything is lush, the design is smooth and flawless. it feels like las vegas, but with more panache.

this was a very special trip for us. first, this was a vacation with my nearest and dearest friends. my SF gang, my posse, my tribe. my best friends in the world.... (yeah, i know you guys are gonna read this, and i love you fucking hyenas more than life itself)

this was also halloween weekend AND.... this is a very big AND, the giants were going to be playing games 3. 4 and 5 of the world series while we were there. as natives of san francisco, and all of us die hard giants fans, our schedule would obsessively revolve around these games.

cameron talked us into "resort deluxe panoramic view" suites... which means floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping views of the vegas strip. yeah, i've seen it all before, but the view from our rooms just felt extra magical. especially after a few bottles of champagne before heading out for the night... you're all dolled up, the flashing lights glittering below you. it just sets the tone for the whole evening. the rooms were immaculate and offer cozy beds with fancy linens, a separate seating area with couches, a dining room with table, marble-rich bathrooms, remote controls for the lighting and drapes, etc etc etc. the works. service was top notch.

the rest of the hotel is exactly what you would expect for vegas. nothing is overlooked or spared, down to every snazzy detail. we spent a ton of time gambling in their casino areas, delightfully nursed our hangovers by their pool with our kir royales, partied like frat boys at XS and blush, dined like royalty at bartlotta (my second time there) and crawled back to our rooms at the break of dawn with nothing but an amused smile from the service staff.

cameron got a big, wet sloppy kiss for being such a great party planner. it was a trip i won't soon forget. do i still love the venetian hotel? definitely! will i stay at the wynn again though? absolutely!

viva las vegas baby.

this is the store of my fantasies.

this is a MEAT store, people! if you know me at all, you know i love meat. love. meat. and spirits.

i don't like candy, cupcakes or sweets at all. so this is like MY own version of a candy store. the selection and quality of their meats are the key selling points at von hansons. jam packed full of carnivores every time i go... but there's something comforting about standing shoulder to shoulder with my fellow meat eaters. like a tribe. salivating over meat. the meat sitting there on display, behind the glass, like shimmery diamonds of gastronomical hedonism. i have no idea what the hell that meant exactly, but you get the picture.

on many a sunday you'll see me behind a grill (ok, i don't actually do the grilling, but i do stand admiringly around the flames grinning like a fiend). so this means almost every saturday i make a stop at von hansons.

here's just *some* of their tasty morsels on display:

beef kabobs
bacon wrapped ribeye
t-bones
sirloin
filet mignon (never leave here without one)
NY strip
porterhouse
lemon pepper seasoned chicken
garlic chicken
whole chicken roasters
stuffed chicken breasts
pork roast
pork chops
pork tenderloin
smoked salmon
cajun jerky
BACON
summer sausages
bratwurst
polish sausage
turkey jerky
cheddar dogs
bbq smokes
season hamburger patties

they also carry a full line of deli meats, cheeses, potato salads, cole slaw, garlic breads, seafood, desserts...... BEER! let me say it again, BEER.

i could go on and on.

but i won't.

this was my go-to indian food delivery place when i lived in nob hill. i never actually ate in their restaurant, nor have i laid eyes on it... but it matters not, i love their food.

first off, click on their web link and look at their menu. no seriously, it's really cute. or maybe not, but i'm easily amused so i like it. the service is good, but sometimes if they were busy, it would take almost an hour and a half for the guy to show up. i guess that's the price you pay for popular restaurants though, right?

now let's get down to the most important part. i'm not an expert on indian food, but i've had it at several different places. yes, i've even tried out all those "dives" no-one-has-ever-heard-of-but-everyone-raves-about and is supposed to be the best in town. well, i always come running back to indian aroma.

the chicken tikka masala is my favorite dish of theirs. spiced perfectly for me. the sauce it comes in is so damn good. i dip my naan bread in it to eat the leftover sauce after the chicken is gone. my favorite appetizer? get the vegetable samosas. they're large, crispy on the outside, not greasy and filled with fluffy potato, veggies and spices.

i probably ordered from them about once a week when i lived in their delivery area. now, i no longer do. *sad sigh* i really miss this food.