Reviews by Friends of brian

Matt says "Craft Steak delivers on food, wine and ambiance!" about Craft Steak - Las Vegas, NV

Matt — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:47:21 GMT

Last night I went to Craft Steak in Vegas at the MGM Grand. I am a big fan of Tom Colicchio who is the owner of Craft and arguably one of the most famous celebrity chefs since his role as the head judge on Bravo's Top Chef. Tom is known for his attention to detail and fresh ingredients. I have been to Craft in NYC and just fell in love with the wide assortment of fresh vegetables and family style approach.

I was not disapointed with my experience at Craft Steak in Vegas. We orderd the 12 oz Kobe Skirt Steak and the assortment of mushrooms, roasted asparagus and a great avocado salad (pics to the right) and buffalo mozerella to start out with. The steak was really amazing: tender, flavorful and overall mouth watering. I had a margarita to start with, followed by the Resiling (which was a little tangy but ultimately very nice) and then the Zifnandel with the entree. I finished it off with a butterscotch pudding (pics to the right) and a nice port.

HEAVEN!!! If you are...

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aleconner says "Another ho-hum light lager from a ho-hum brewery" about Pabst Heileman's Old Style

aleconner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:45:30 GMT

Consumer Note: this beer is "authentically krauesened"

* Brilliant pale yellow with creamy bleached head leaves unexpected lacing on glass

* Floral nose includes "egg-like" sulfuriness and soapy aromas with the minutest suggestion of hop spiciness.

* Mildly sweet foretaste leads to a bit of canned corn flavor across the palate.

* Finish dries considerably; the result is a well-balanced aftertaste.

* Body is light. Carbonation is fine and prickly.

Synhopsis:

Among the big national brand beers, I find Old Style --despite its defects-- to be one of the more palatable brews. I find it less sweet than most of them -and therefore less offensive.

Old Style used to be produced at the G. Heileman brewery in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, until it could no longer compete with Budweiser and Miller. When the old brewery closed down, Pabst bought the rights to the brand name and the recipe and just recently began producing it according to the old-world method of krauesening (pronounced kroy zening) -see...

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aleconner says "I know Miller is capable of much better than this." about Miller Genuine Draft

aleconner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:22:14 GMT

* Brilliant pale golden color, tall bubbly/frothy bleached head dissipates quickly, leaving some fine residual lacing.

* Floral-perfumy nose with slight hint of sulfur in the background.

* Sweet flowery malt foretaste with corny backdrop. Midtaste is unrestrained sweetness.

* Finish is just a tad drier with late hit of metallic flavor.

* Body is thin; carbonation is prickly.

Synhopsis:

I could say all kinds of uncomplimentary things about this beer, but it's not likely to change anyone's mind, since this Miller Genuine Draft is just one of a dozen similarly brewed beers that exist on marketing hype alone. 'Nuff said.

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aleconner says "Decent beer for decent price -don't go out of your way for it" about Steinhaus Brewing Co. Fat Weasel Ale

aleconner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:08:47 GMT

Consumer Note: This beer is "ghost brewed" for Trader Joe's by Steinhaus Brewing Co. in New Ulm, MN (August Schell Brewery).

* Brilliant golden liquid topped by two fingers' depth beige head.

* Nose is very subdued; mild caramel malt aroma stands alone.

* Foretaste is sweet malt backed by fruity flavors.

* Finish dries a bit with some subtle tanginess.

* Body is medium for style; carbonation is medium.

Synhopsis:

Fat Weasel Ale is a rather simple and two-dimentional beer that is easy to drink -and it won't break the bank. It's unexciting, but inoffensive.

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aleconner says "It's good for what it is -which is "not much"" about Miller Lite

aleconner — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:30:01 GMT

Consumer Note: this beer is "triple hops brewed"

* Brilliant pale yellow with fast-fading bleached head.

* Clean bready nose with sweet corn backdrop (no hops).

* Unrestrained sweetness through midtaste tastes more like corn than malt (no hops).

* Finish transforms rather quickly from sweet to dry. Aftertaste is a bit minerally (no hops).

* Body is thin and lifeless; carbonation is crisp and prickly.

Synhopsis:

Like I wrote in the sound bite, this beer (and I use the term lightly) is good for what it is meant to be: flavored, carbonated water. As such, it serves its purpose. If all you ask of your beer is a good thirst-quenching, then Miller Lite is the beer for you.

While I have no problem giving Miller Brewing Company credit for brewing this type of beer -I know it's not easy to do- I'm irritated to no end that they use such blatantly misleading advertising to attract consumers. Miller Lite has absolutely no hop character whatsoever, and yet they have the balls to say it's...

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Matt says "The Posse Foundation identifies and builds tomorrow's leaders " about The Posse Foundation

Matt — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:43:38 GMT

The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse's partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. These Scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent and make a visible difference on campus and throughout their professional careers.

About a year ago I got involved with a not for profit organization called The Posse Foundation that is headquartered in New York but also has a Chicago Chapter. The Posse Foundation was inspired by the simple insight that scholarship students from inner city schools often have a hard time college because they do not have the same support system that other kids do. Posse seeks to address this issue through a unique process that identifies through nomination 2,000+ kids throughout a city (in this case Chicago) and then puts them through a variety of very interesting and...

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Matt says "The KindleDX is even better than the original Kindle" about Amazon Kindle DX

Matt — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:21:45 GMT

I have owned a Kindle since it originally came out but only used it a few times while on vacation. Then recently a friend bought me the Kindle DX as a present and I have to say, I like it much better than the original Kindle. The largest display really helps me feel like it is more like a book than the smaller format did. I also really like how it displays the percentage completion. I find that to be an excellent motivator to keep reading.

The display is great and very easy on the eyes. I have also been using black leather cover and a itty bitty book light both of which really enhance the experience.

For anyone who is on the edge about the Kindle DX, I highly recommend it!

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