http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/chuckster Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:12:52 GMT Reviews by chuckster http://www.viewpoints.com/Tapenade-La-Jolla-CA-review-16810 Let's face it, La Jolla is filled with more places to eat (casual and fancy) than you'll ever be a regular of. But when I'm looking for great French food in my (adopted) home town, I usually head to Tapenade. — I think what I most appreciate about Tapenade is the sense of authenticity -- not in the sense of an early 1900s menu preserved in amber, but in the feel of the restaurant and the approach to the cuisine, which is always great. They also have a good wine list, and a helpful staff that seems genuinely glad to see you. — It's fun to go any night, but I find the most fun nights are the special occasions: holidays and especially Bastille Day, when they will have not only a special menu and often a guest chef but also entertainment as well. — It's hard to pick any one thing, but over the years I've had some great diver's scallop meals there, prepared many different ways, and would certainly recommend trying them if they're on the menu. —... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:12:52 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Tapenade-La-Jolla-CA-review-16810 chuckster 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Su-Casa-La-Jolla-CA-review-f0cc2 At La Jolla's Su Casa, you can get all the usual Tex-Mex style Mexican foods (taco combinations, fajitas, etc). But that's all you try, you'll miss out on what sets them apart from the big American chains.  The difference is the sea food. Sea bass, prawns and mussels are among my faves. They also make a mean margarita, or two, as you'd expect. Great salsa too, not the mild/bland stuff. — Certainly you can get the same things, for the most part, down in Old Town or elsewhere, but the other thing that sets Su Casa apart is it's not so much in the tourist mode as the Old Town  and middle-of-La Jolla places. Being well outside the center of La Jolla and a very short walk from Windansea beach, it draws more of a local contingent. Inside, it feels well established, not new and shiny. — Somehow it never seems all that crowded, or maybe I've just ducked the biggest nights. Anyway, it works for me. —... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:01:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Su-Casa-La-Jolla-CA-review-f0cc2 chuckster 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Lanna-Thai-San-Diego-CA-review-baf33 Think there's nothing on Mission Bay Drive except fast food joints and car dealers? — Well, you still be mostly right, but one thing that doesn't fit either description is Lanna Thai, a small Thai restaurant tucked in a strip mall that rises above its humble location. They serve all the usual Thai fare, done well (let's face it, the actual menu is pretty standard, it's the execution that counts) and at a modest price. — They do have a few of their own items, including a tasty lemongrass combination of chicken and shrimp. One odd thing is that they don't routinely offer duck as one of the meats (as most Thai restaurants do), although they do have a duck special. — Service is fine, although I think sometimes a few of their servers aren't on to the fact that you might want a beer right away rather than waiting while you are considering the menu. It's not that they are ingnoring you -- they don't seem to ask. — The decor is just OK, but you probably weren't... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:46:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Lanna-Thai-San-Diego-CA-review-baf33 chuckster 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bare-Back-Grill-Pacific-Beach-CA-review-34cf4 New Zealand's beaches only seem thousands of miles away -- they're actually as close as Pacific Beach. — Bare Back grill is a little piece of New Zealand in PB, right down to the Steinlager and the New Zealand newspapers in the bathrooms. They don't do a lot of different things -- mostly burgers, a few others sandwiches, fries and the like -- but what sets them apart if the great organic beef that makes the burgers taste better than most. — They have a frequent diner club that brings with it discounts on draft beer (technically, bigger drafts at the same cost). Plus the 10th (or so) meal is free. — The ambiance veers back and forth between ocean and mountain, because it's all about board sports, with 2 big video screens running surfing and snowboarding videos. — The restaurant is surprisingly uncrowded, which also means not too many seats during the winter -- they a few outdoor seats but aren't using them in the cold... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:36:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bare-Back-Grill-Pacific-Beach-CA-review-34cf4 chuckster 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bull-and-Bear-Bar-Grill-La-Jolla-CA-review-42345 Think the only restaurants on La Jolla's Prospect Street will cost an arm and both legs? Try Bull and Bear. It's simple, cheap, and has lots of outdoor dining on the inland side (of course) of Prospect Street. Great view of reflected light at sunset, etc. — The main event is burgers, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, fish and chips and related "health foods," but you can get an Asian chicken salad or fish tacos. They have a modest beer selection, not a big variety nor the microbrews you might expect -- best is their own label called "bear beer," which is a reasonably tasty dark amber ale with some hops. — It's almost never crowded outdoors (where almost all the seating is) except for Friday afternoons when it draws some after-work happy hour types. They have heaters so you can enjoy year-round. — Rest rooms are sometimes a bit on the edge... — ... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:26:23 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bull-and-Bear-Bar-Grill-La-Jolla-CA-review-42345 chuckster 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pizza-Port-Solana-Beach-Solana-Beach-CA-review-c6451 Want great pizza but tired of the "usual" blah beers? Pizza Port (2 locations; one in Solana Beach and the other in Carlsbad) aren't just pizzerias -- they're microbreweries, with a steady stable of around 6-8 beers of their own plus as many guest microbrews, most from SoCal. Lots of hoppy IPAs (esp their own, Swami's). —  I will caution that it's not exactly undiscovered -- it's crowded, noisy, and often hard to find seats (family style on long picnic tables). You may want to avoid Friday and Saturday nights unless you can come late -- which is probably good advice for almost any night since otherwise you'll be circling like a vulture waiting for someone to get up and leave. — Pizzas are traditional -- we recommend the whole-wheat beer batter crust. So grab a pitcher and wait for the great pizza and enjoy. —... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:16:04 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pizza-Port-Solana-Beach-Solana-Beach-CA-review-c6451 chuckster 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Continental-Airlines--27830-review-2c300 If you're going to get anywhere good and free with an airline, you've got to concentrate your flying on one airline. If you're in the US and want to get overseas on rewards, it's got to be one of the big legacy carriers. (You try getting business class to Paris on Southwest.) And unless you are in another legacy carrier's hub, I'd suggest going with Continental. — The things I appreciate about Continental are: — []  The good first-class upgrade program, which is unlimited and driven by elite status rather than coupons, like United's or American's. If you are high-level elite, you get upgraded a lot. (If not, then you won't get many but that is true for all carriers) — []  The overall consistency of service. They talk about pillows and blankets (though those are hit and miss) and food, but the bigger difference is because their labor relations are better you are less likely to get a bitter or nasty gate agent or flight attendant. It can happen, but... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 20:00:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Continental-Airlines--27830-review-2c300 chuckster 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sanyo-scp-7300-Cell-Phone-review-be991 If you are looking to run your life or express your fashion sense through your telephone (in which case you should maybe rethink life anyway), or you are a teenager, you should avoid this phone. But if you'd just like to make some phone calls with a phone that won't break, this could be for you. —  My first phone (bacj when Qualcomm made them) was kind of junky, and so the next one was expensive and very capable, a Treo with touch screen capabilities and a lot of memory features. But it was delicate and broke quickly. I took it to get replaced and they were already onto it as having a vulnerable part. They got me a new one butsoon enough that broke too, and I was out of luck. — When I went to the store, I told the guy I wanted one thing -- a very durable phone that would make good calls. He brought back this one and said "This is your phone; it's built like a tank." I've had it 3 years and couldn't be happier. It's medium size, has good size buttons that you won't... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:48:04 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sanyo-scp-7300-Cell-Phone-review-be991 chuckster 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Tamron-18-to-200-review-9e0a2 You can travel with a bag full of lenses, or you can travel with one. — I love photography, but I don't want to be one of those guys who travels with a giant bag of lenses - especially since I do a lot of traveling in exotic locations where your luggage space and carry-on can be a challenge. — For me, the ideal solution has been to trade off a bit of performance for a single lens with an extremely adaptable zoom. Back when I was using film, I had a Tamron that was about 25 to 300 mm, IIRC, but it was build to Minolta. When I switched to a Canon digital, I wanted to build on that and bought a Tamron 18 to 200 zoom. — It's been as versatile as I expected, letting me zoom in on animals in Africa or shot wide cityscapes in China (if you don't mind the smog in the way, of course). It's been very durable, with a few bumps and a fair amount of rain not bothering it. The few times I've flipped to manual focus, it's been easy to use. —  The one thing is that... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:34:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Tamron-18-to-200-review-9e0a2 chuckster 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Canon-d70-review-fa850 If you're one of the holdouts who are still using a good film camera and waiting for the right reason to switch to digital, this could be for you. — I've always taken a lot of pictures while traveling, which means a lot of film. The hassles of carrying all that undeveloped film in airports, especially in the 3rd world, made it time to finally switch to digital. — This camera is a great choice for someone who takes good pictures, knows what they see in the viewfinder is right, and wants a camera that can deliver that. I'm getting very good quality without sweating the details, because it's quite smart and adaptable. My skills, such as they are, are in composing the picture, not manuplating the exposures -- yes, it would be better if I learned all that but I don't have the time, and I travel with someone with great skills and equipment for tough, low-light shots, etc. — For average situations, this camera does a great job of getting what I see in the viewfinder... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:22:42 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Canon-d70-review-fa850 chuckster 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Brother-MFC-8840DN-review-01931 If you are a home office user, you are going to be wed to your multi-function printer, so I am happy I chose this one. — Like most of these machines, my MFC-8840DN prints, copies, and faxes. This one also scans, although I can't speak to whether it does it well as I have not used that. But the major advantages I have found of this one is: — []  It has been highly durable, performing well without a hiccup for more than 3 years — []  It is networked (costs $100 over the same printer without networking), which gives me more flexibility in where to locate it and lets my girlfriend also print at the same location — []  Unlike most MFCs in this class, it accomodates both PC (my computer) and Apple (my girlfriend) — It is fairly fast, especially printing, with little lag time. It is not, however, especially quiet if that is important to you. Like all these machines, brand-name cartidges are fairly expensive, but it has a high-volume (5000... Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:07:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Brother-MFC-8840DN-review-01931 chuckster 5