Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2006

Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2006

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Simply awful tasting wine. It tasted like it was altered. I picked up the taste of clove. We threw the contents of the bottle out. This is most surprising as Yellow Tail has been an ok wine for us in the past.   Yellow Tail is made in Australia.

My wife and I took a honeymoon cruse on a cruise line that offered French wine with just about every dinner. Before, during and after that cruise just about every French wine we had was disappointing due to the impression that the wines were watered down. That cruise really created the impression we now have about European wines. At other times drinking Italian wines, for me, have had the same impression, anemic flavor. I have suspected that some French vintners, have allegedly stretched their purse strings by being allowed to bottle more through the addition of water to their wine vats. It seems inconceivable to me that in one continent the wines could be so lacking in flavor. Could it be that the more expensive wines are just not watered down? In my opinion, it seems that just about every other continent can offer robust flavors except Europe. We think South Africa, South America, Australia, and New Zeland can pretty much stand up, and even surpass, California wines. We use California wines as a bench mark to judge any other wines because we live in California.

I do hope that no United States winery would modify their wines with any watering down process, chemicals or additives. My wife thinks that air might have reached the wine leading to the altered taste. I am not so sure.

California Audits CSU compensation practices. (Nov. 2007)

California Audits CSU compensation practices. (Nov. 2007)

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Bureau of State Audits presented its audit report concerning the California State University’s (university) compensation practices.

“Average executive compensation increased by 25.1 percent over this time period, with salary increases contributing the most to the growth. Average compensation for Management Personnel Plan employees (management personnel), such as managers and professional technical staff, increased by 10.4 percent. In contrast, average compensation for tenure-track faculty and other faculty increased by 5.6 percent, and 6.2 percent, respectively.”

“The chancellor’s office establishes systemwide compensation policies but does not have a system in place that allows it to adequately monitor adherence to those policies and to measure their impact on university finances. Specifically, the chancellor’s office does not maintain systemwide compensation data by type and funding source, either by individual or in total. The lack of this data impairs the ability of the chancellor’s office to provide effective oversight of the university’s compensation programs.” (page 18).  “Some management personnel received questionable compensation after they were no longer providing services to the university or while they were transitioning to faculty positions. ” (cover letter).

Kimmie’s Coffee Cup in Fullerton, California

Kimmie’s Coffee Cup in Fullerton, California

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Kimmie’s Coffee Cup

1605 W. Commonwealth
Fullerton, Ca. 92835
Phone 714-449-1580
Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sat and Sun 7 am to 2 p.m.

Reviewed: 11-16-07 at 11:15 a.m.

I found this place by catching an older person, possibly the owner at Spadra’s in downtown Fullerton and asked him where the best place was for breakfast, knowing full well that that would be a difficult question to answer because there were few to choose from. Immediately he said Kimmie’s Coffee Cup and told me how to get there. He said his restaurant, Spadra Restorante, is the best for weekend breakfast but during the week Kimmie’s was the best (Spadra is closed during the week). Unfortunately, it is way out from the down town area by about two to three miles west.

Once I arrived at Kimmie’s, it became apparent to me that  a new condominium complex is being built across the street from the restaurant. Kitty corner from this restaurant is the City of Fullerton maintenance yard.

Kimmie’s Coffee Cup Restaurant, exterior view.

Once inside Kimmie’s, it is a girly girl small diner type restaurant that emotes a women’s’ touch wall-to-wall and ceiling. If you are from a small town, this is the place for you. The walls are pained yellow with cheap linoleum tile floors and thin wood chairs at small tables along the outside walls. It is quite small inside a bit cramped and absolutely not modern. The counter seating looks to be surplus from some B movie. The walls and windows are painted with pictures. Two overhead fans were off. Three cute lamps hang from the ceiling along the counter. They have added a canvas-covered patio out back to add a couple more tables. The parking is simply unacceptable with only 7 to 8 spaces behind the restaurant. This deficiency might require you to park on the street.

This place is for breakfast and lunch only.

There is a radio station playing somewhere but the kitchen clatter can be quite loud at times.

Coffee is ok, not bad, not memorable in any way, and comes in a large coffee cup. Real cream comes in those small plastic containers and is on the table along with artificial French Vanilla creamer along with a sugar shaker, selection of jams, salt and pepper. The tables have a plastic cover table “cloth” with a glass plate on top. The silverware is complete even including the often times missing spoon. Napkin is paper.

I sat in the corner of the dining room so no one could see me type this review on my laptop. For breakfast I choose the scrambler for $7.80. The scrambler is composed of three scrambled eggs scrambled with your choice of cut up bacon or ham or sausage, onion, red skin potatoes, and topped with cheese.

The most expensive item on the menu for both breakfast and lunch is the Cowboy Steak and Eggs for $11.85.

The scrambler was all I got, no side dish just a huge plate of scramble and toast that came on a small side plate. The cheese and components to the scramble seemed fresh. I liked the cheese, which, at a lot of other small restaurants, would taste bland and plastic. The cook did a perfect job making the scramble.

For handicapped persons, this restaurant might be a challenge. The inside of the restaurant is closed in, tight. I did not feel comfortable eating here because I do not like small restaurants. I like spacious areas to dine in. Tables, chairs and counter area were very close to one another making a person with crutches or wheel chair a larger item to navigate. The entrance had a rise to it by about a couple of inches. The restroom hallway was too narrow and the door and space inside the restroom was way too small. It did not have any bars mounted on the walls to help the handicapped. There was only one male and female restroom. I found the restroom to be very clean. It was well lit by a skylight and when I looked up I found a florescent light for nighttime use.

Summary: For breakfast, Kimmie’s Coffee Cup, so far, is the best place for west side downtown Fullerton. I liked the food but thought the building was deficient. I think the owners of this restaurant need to think about moving into a better building. Two options come to mind. They could move into downtown Fullerton and hopefully offer the customer a larger dining room and more parking. The second option is an urban renewal project for its current location. A final note, a better coffee needs to be provided for the customer.

Aside:  I have a friend, let us call him Mike.  He just loves places that are NOT modern but send you back in time to memories in your mind of past events.  When he and I compare restaurants and buildings that, for lack of a better phrase, I will call old, we seldom agree.  Mike likes Kimmie’s Coffee Cup for more reasons than I do.

Cheese Cake Factory, Brea, California for Sunday brunch.

Cheese Cake Factory, Brea, California for Sunday brunch.

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Cheese Cake Factory
120 Brea Mall Way
Brea, California, 92821
Phone 714.255.0115
Date: 11-4-07, Sunday.
Brunch at 10 am when the restaurant opened.
This restaurant also offers curbside to-go service.

My wife and I had Sunday brunch right after the restaurant opened. If you have never entered a Cheese Cake Factory Restaurant before, it is a visual treat. I was mildly shocked when I first entered. I did not know if I had entered Disneyland or some other fantasy theme restaurant. I asked our server to tell me to define the interior but he could not. I asked him to check around. He came back a short while later to tell me that the manager defined it as Mediterranean. That definition is a good start but does not convey that much for you so let me come up with some other words:
• Pseudo-Mediterranean fantasy
• Mediterranean hodgepodge
• Mildly opulent modern Mediterranean.
The ceiling is anything but bland. Looking up one sees straight and curved beams, large light wells decorated with drawings that mean nothing and red toned tiles.

Cheesecake Factory inside ceiling view

Image above shows part of the interior ceiling.  (Image taken with BlackBerry cell phone.)

Huge pillars rise from floor to ceiling and at the top are images of a women’s face. We were told that the image is modeled after the owner’s mother’s face. The floor is tile colored in a dark sand color with dark small squares. Walls that have booths might have dark wood paneling. The wall separating the kitchen has low wall to ceiling glass so the kitchen shouting is not that loud. The colors are earthy colors from pastel walls to darker tone woods. Muzak of piano music started our dining experience but it did not take long to loose track of the piped in music as the restaurant filled in quickly and the background chatter masked the music. The seating at booths, and chairs are comfortable. The table edges are curved. Cloth napkins and complete table setting including spoons is included. Bread may or may not appear on you table depending upon your server so if you do not see any and want some, you might have to ask. Both dark and white bread come in a basket. I just love the dark bread. It has a slight sweetness. Our dark bread today, I believe, was yesterday’s bread, not soft. I have noticed that restaurants flush out day old bread the next day, a penalty for arriving soon after the restaurant opens.

My wife ordered Joes Special ($9.95). Because the restaurant just opened for the day, I thought it might be safe to order the eggs benedict with Canadian bacon ($10.95). If this last comment does not make sense to you then read the book Kitchen Confidential. In that book, the author describes the problem with ordering eggs benedict. For beverage, my wife and I ordered coffee but also requested a dish of whipped cream. The coffee is Prebica from Superior Coffee, a Sara Lee Company. I thought the coffee had a very good flavor and came in glass mugs. The drinks cost $2.95 each. The meal before tip cost $28.88.

Both meal dishes were very good. The service was quiet good. I did pick up some shouting from the kitchen, but I liked that. I took it to mean the cooks had passion for what they were doing. On a busy day there can be twelve to fifteen cooks and two expediters. We were told that the cooks stay until about one thirty in the morning cleaning the kitchen to a spotless condition and then another crew comes in to clean it again.

My son liked their omelets. They come to the table looking so smooth it is a wonder how they can make omelets look that way.

Tip: If you roll out of bed late on a Sunday you should know that most restaurants start to have a wait by ten in the morning. Just remember that Cheese Cake Factory opens on Sunday at ten. I have noticed that there is little to no wait up to ten forty five.

Tip: If your order takes a long time on a busy day there is the possibility that the cooks counted an order twice. This means that instead of making two of some dish they made one and the one they failed to make was your dish. If the manager comes out and tells you that the cooks burned your dish, the reality is fifty, fifty that that is true. There is also a good chance that they forgot. They will NOT admit to that as that conveys to the customer that they are not paying attention, which is not true either. It just means that cooks got slammed with orders and lost count.

Summary: Quite enjoyable place with good food, good service and really good coffee.

Review of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 by Garrick Chow

Review of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 by Garrick Chow

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Review of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 by Garrick Chow

I have been working on web sites for over five years. My first training was at a state university extension class. It was a great introduction but I quickly realized that web site design would require a lot more effort, a lot more books for me to read. Over time, I was amazed at how web site development has changed and for anyone not making a good effort at keeping current; your efforts will be out of date in a short time. Training needs to be done more quickly with our fast-pasted living and the web is changing way too fast to easily keep up. Finding the time to read books to keep up with these changes is a luxury for some. I thought I had almost every good book on Dreamweaver ever written until I found Adobe Dreamweaver CS3: Video Training Book. I had heard of Lynda. com training materials and some times enjoyed their free offerings in some of the web design magazines. When I found this book, I thought that a new dimension might be brought back, namely classroom instruction. I had really enjoyed the classroom instruction I received at the state college. The college instructor was top notch. I guess I was looking for the next college class to take. Well I found it in this “book”. The instruction is extremely well plotted out. The dialog is amazing in its clarity and precision. Even when I think a point is extraneous at a particular moment becomes obviously important a few seconds later. Someone spent a lot of time story boarding this tutorial out. The video follows nicely but at times a bit quickly so I had to rewind the movie some times to get the point being conveyed. I was amazed that with all the years reading how to work with web design and Dreamweaver, I had missed some basic techniques, actually made some minor mistakes in my web design. This approach to learning is simply wonderful for some of us. I cannot imagine who would not benefit greatly from this one on one teaching approach. I just wish there was more chapters to the “book”. I sincerely recommend this “book” and give it a maximum score.

The Seafood Grill

The Seafood Grill

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The Seafood Grill

October 30, 2007
Meal: dinner

100 South Harbor Blvd., Suite D
Fullerton, Ca 92832

It is real close to the intersection of Harbor and Commonwealth, southeast corner of that intersection and a few doors down south, next to Knowlwood Restaurant.

Hours: Mon to Sat 11 am to 9 pm
Sunday 11 am to 4 pm.

Phone 714 446 0700

Lunch specials are $6 to $7.

Seafood Grill, Fullerton, California.

The menu is broken down into sections as follows:

At least 12 appetizers ranging in price from $5 to $19.95, soups (only a couple), 6 salads, fish and chips, halibut fish and chips (market price), 6 tacos, 7 sandwiches, 3 pastas, 7 grill items, 6 entries, 4 steaks one with shrimp at a price range of $14.95 to $19.95, chef specials (4 items two at $13.95 and two at $14.95), child’s menu (3 items at $4.95), and finally beer and wine offerings in addition to iced tea and soft drinks.

This is not a large dining area but a very nice fast food look to it inside. There is a patio that has heat when needed. The tables and chairs are all wood and most but not all had curved tabletop edges. A knife and fork are rolled in a paper napkin. At night they put candles on the table and the lighting is brought down. Three ceiling fans keep the air moving inside. The kitchen is right behind the main ordering counter and a rather loud fan seemed to interfere with common conversations just a bit. I experienced at least three conversations that were not heard correctly. The women’s restroom is along one wall of the dining room, quite unacceptable. The men’s restroom was completely handicapped accessible.

When I arrived I was looking the place over and when I got close to the main ordering counter a man who said he was the chef asked to help me. I asked him what his best menu item was. He said all the items were good (wrong answer). I would not stand for that answer. He told me the halibut was fresh and would go out of season shortly. He said it was fresh. I asked if it was fresh or fresh frozen. He said it was really fresh. If he really was the chef, I would go with his recommendation. What arrived at my table was fish and chips. I was surprised, really disappointed that this guy could not show his cooking skills. The fish really did taste fresh but the dish was not remarkable in any way. The chips were ok and the coleslaw was average.

The iced tea came in a fast food cup with lid. The flavor was really odd: did not care for it. I asked about the flavor and a women next to my table remarked she did not like the flavor. They were not charged for their iced tea, very nice. I was charged for mine.

The meal came to $8.95for the fish and chips and coleslaw and $1.95 for the rather disappointing iced tea. With tax the total bill was $11.74.

The chef was all over the place taking care of everything going on in the dinning area, which I thought was a bit odd. He seemed really concerned that everyone approved of his or her experience. The waitress was very efficient too.

As the night progressed, they allowed me to type this review on my laptop, as most of the tables were empty. They could not see what I was writing as I had my back to the wall.

I noticed that the “chef” spent more time in the dinning room when patrons were in attendance than the kitchen. Looking at the stove area I could see two Hispanic looking gentlemen that were obviously preparing the meals.

This establishment is a bit strange to me. I have been told that it has a reputation for good fish. The strangeness comes about in my mind in that it is somewhere between fast food and the next step up to finer dinning. It has traits of both types of establishments. The candles on the table, muted lighting, non fast food menu, comfortable chairs and tables impressed me as being a lot more in tune with attracting a more mature client base. The soda machine in the dinning room, ordering at the counter (in some cases), noisy kitchen, paper napkins with no spoons included in the silverware package, and fast food drinking cups created a sort of inability for me to categorize this restaurant as anything other than fast food. I would have to guess that the clientèle coming to this place expect no more than a nice fast food experience. It is in the down town area and close to a bus type depot area and train station. I am thinking of commuters coming in for a fast meal. The parking at night is a chore at times, which might dissuade some large families with children, as the parking areas are quite dark. The problem for me is this. I noted that the night “crowd” seemed to be mature couples.

After leaving this restaurant I walked across a small inlet parking lot behind this restaurant toward the train station. I noticed a restaurant to my left that I had not seen before. I checked it out. It was called Commonwealth Lounge and Grill. I got to talk to a woman who was at the outside reception desk. She told me that the reason that downtown Fullerton had so many bars was because this is a college town. There are five colleges in Fullerton. Her restaurant is very up scale, with dress code. She told me that some of the more fancy restaurants in the downtown area started out with dress codes but removed them to allow the college students in as patrons. She said that Commonwealth was targeting the middle-aged person and the owners were not going to let their dress code slide. Now this restaurant is within a hundred feet of the Seafood Grill. The Seafood Grill, in the evenings, just might be sliding toward the more affluent customers coming into the city for a nice dinning experience. The customer base probably does change when the sun goes down with the working adult population looking for anything but fast food.

Summary: This restaurant is acceptable but not remarkable in any way. I did have fresh fish but a restaurant needs to offer me more than what I can fix at home. I would not bring a date to this place but a wife, maybe. I, quite frankly, would go to the Market Broiler or have salmon at the Claim Jumper.

Side story: A few weeks earlier my son and I were at the Starbucks at Harbor and Chapman. A women walked up to me to ask if I knew of a good seafood restaurant. I had to tell her that most of the establishments in town were bars with kitchens. Then I did remember of a fish place that was close to Commonwealth and Harbor, just a few blocks south of where we were at that time. I sent her down to the Seafood Grill (at the time I could not remember the name). It was nice to point a person to this place, better to have at least one seafood restaurant in a town than none.